21 Wrestlers Who Died In 2018
9. Jim Neidhart (13 August)
On 13 August, Cauliflower Alley Club president Brian Blair announced that Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart had passed away in his home after suffering a head injury following a seizure. He was 63-years-old.
Neidhart, born James Henry Neidhart on 8 February 1955 in Tampa, FL, was a natural athlete, excelling at track and field before moving on to pro football. He made the books of the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but never made an appearance for either team.
Instead, he turned his head to wrestling, heading to Canada to learn under the tutelage of the great Stu Hart. It was whilst training in The Dungeon that he met his first wife, Stu's daughter Elizabeth, as well as long-term tag team partner Bret Hart.
As part of the Hart Foundation, Neidhart twice claimed tag gold in the WWF during a seven year spell of duos dominance. Bret's emergence as a singles star left his former partner somewhat rudderless, and after a failed attempt to revive the tandem alongside brother-in-law Owen, Neidhart drifted between Japan, WCW, and ECW, before eventually returning to Stamford in 1994. After a forgettable stint as the one-note Who, a more substantial Hart Foundation was formed, propping up many of the company's best angles before Bret Hart's acrimonious departure following Survivor Series '97.
After retiring, Neidhart had the pleasure of seeing his daughter Natalya help put women's wrestling on the WWE map.