Edward Teddy Hart Annis was screwing up his career from his late teens: signed by the WWF (as was) at eighteen years old in 1998, the height of the Attitude Era, Bret The Hitman Harts nephew wouldnt even make it to the main roster amid rumours of odd behaviour and attitude problems. A significant talent in the ring, Annis has never hit it big anywhere hes worked and hes been hired to work pretty much everywhere of note in the industry. The reason for his lack of success? Teddy screwed Teddy. His most notorious firing came in November 2003 for Ring Of Honor when, after taking part in a chaotic tag team Scramble Cage Match, Annis began to no-sell every hit hed taken in the match, climbing the cage once more to take out another of the participants with an unplanned twisting moonsault, then climbing the cage yet again to deliver another unplanned shooting star press on three more opponents. In both cases, the other wrestlers, whod figured on heading back to the locker room, had to head back and run to provide the catch on the dangerous aerial manoeuvres, despite his total lack of warning. Two more moonsaults later, Annis would throw up repeatedly in front of the crowd before heading backstage, and was unceremoniously tossed into the street with his bags immediately afterwards, fired from the promotion. Thats the most infamous, but not the only story of bad, bizarre behaviour. Teddy would be fired from TNA for publically fighting with CM Punk in February 2004: the two had had bad blood for a while, and scuttlebutt (like gossip with a chip on its shoulder) says that Hart threw the first punch. Hart would try out for WWE again in 2007, wrestling in both their Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling developmental promotions, but was released once more, having failed to fix the problems that cost him his job the first time. In the years since drugs have reared their ugly head, and in December 2014 a warrant was issued for Harts arrest in Canada on charges relating to the sexual assault of two women. Today, Harts name should be a byword for talent and charisma: the man should be over like clover, a massive star. Instead, hes an industry-wide cautionary tale.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
