Diana Hart

Diana Joyce Hart-Smith (born 8 October 1963)[2] is a Canadian-American writer, model, valet and wrestling personality.[3] She is the youngest daughter of Canadian wrestling promoter Stu Hart and was the second to last child born to Stu and his wife Helen.[4] She is best known for her several appearances for Stampede Wrestling and WWE often with her brothers Bret and Owen Hart as well as her husband Davey Boy Smith, and for her book, Under the Mat.[5]

Diana Hart
BornDiana Joyce Hart
(1963-10-08) 8 October 1963
Calgary, Alberta, Canada[1]
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian
American
Period1980s–
GenreAutobiographical, romance novel
SubjectPro wrestling
Notable worksUnder the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1984; div. 2000)​
Children2, including Davey Boy Smith Jr.

She was also the 1997 "Mrs. Calgary Stampede".[6]

Early life

Hart is of Greek descent through her maternal grandmother[7][8] and Irish through her maternal grandfather.[9][10] Her father was mainly of Scots-Irish descent but also had Scottish and English ancestry.[11][12] Hart is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States thanks to her mother Helen, who was born in New York.[13][14]

Hart grew up with eleven siblings; Smith, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Ellie, Georgia, Bret, Alison, Ross and Owen.

Stampede Wrestling

One of Hart's first wrestling appearances was in her father's promotion, Stampede Wrestling, in August 1989, during a heated rivalry between her husband Davey Boy Smith and his storyline brother Johnny Smith, in which her brother Owen Hart also got involved after Johnny's disrespect towards the Hart family.[15]

She was also involved in the 1999 incarnation of Stampede Wrestling. In a storyline where she refused to put the belt around the waist of a wrestler who had insulted her family, she was then attacked but her son Harry intervened and chased the attackers off.[16]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Hart was in attendance at SummerSlam in August 1992 where her husband won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from her brother, Bret Hart, in the night's main event at Wembley Stadium.[17] At the end of the match, Hart embraced both her brother and her husband to signify the family's unification.[18] Two years later at the 1994 SummerSlam, she sat at ringside beside her husband, who had just returned to the WWF, to watch her brothers Bret and Owen wrestle each other inside a steel cage for the WWF Championship.[19] In 1995, she accompanied her husband to the ring for his WWF Championship match against Bret at In Your House: Season's Beatings, which Davey lost.[20]

In April 1996, the WWF began a storyline where Hart claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Shawn Michaels backstage at In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies in an attempt to play mind games with Michaels as her husband prepared to challenge him for the WWF Championship at In Your House: Beware of Dog.[21] The angle culminated with an in-ring promo on an episode Monday Night Raw where Hart slapped Michaels, leading to a brawl between Michaels and Bulldog. When their match at In Your House led to a draw, a rematch was signed for King of the Ring 1996, which the Bulldog ultimately lost.[22][23] After that, the storyline was dropped.

In July 1997, Diana accompanied The Hart Foundation in their match at In Your House: Canadian Stampede, who defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and The Legion of Doom in the main event. Two months later, she was at ringside for the WWF One Night Only British pay-per-view, where her husband lost the WWF European Championship to Shawn Michaels in the main event.[24]

She later appeared on WWE television in May 2002, when she was interviewed for a WWE Confidential piece on the recent death of her ex-husband.[25] At WrestleMania XXVI, Hart returned as a lumberjack for the No Holds Barred Match between Bret Hart and Mr. McMahon. McMahon had paid the Hart Family to screw Bret in their match. However, the tables were turned and the Hart Family sided with Bret and helped him win the match.[26] She also appeared at her father Stu's Hall of Fame induction in 2010 together with all her living siblings.[27]

Hart Legacy Wrestling

Hart has also worked for Hart Legacy Wrestling, which is managed by her relatives and their associates, she appeared on the first ever HLW event in 2013 together with all her living siblings except Bret[28][29] and the Hopes & Ropes charity fundraiser in 2016 where she signed copies of her book Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler.[30] She also works with gym training for younger students and promotional work for the shows.[31]

Writing

Autobiography
Main article: Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family

After the death of her younger brother, Owen Hart, in a wrestling accident, Hart became very outspoken about the wrestling industry and wrote a controversial book entitled Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family, which discussed alleged secrets of the Hart family.[32] Owen's widow, Martha, intended to sue Hart over the book, which caused the book to be removed from publication.[33][34] It was later claimed by Hart that the stories that were printed in the book were completely twisted and changed from how she had written them originally, and she was deeply hurt by the controversy that it caused her family because of it. Her brother Bret has questioned her claim that she wasn't aware of the book's content before publication.[35] Hart has disowned the book and stated that she wishes it had never been written.[36][37]

Cauliflower Heart trilogy

In 2015 Hart stated that she was intending to write a trilogy of romance novels. The book series is entitled Cauliflower Heart and revolves around a woman born into a wrestling family. The first book entitled Cauliflower Heart: A Romantic Wrestler, which was released in 2014.[38][39][40] Hart received a silver medal award by the Reader's Favorite in the category Sports Fiction for the book.[41][42] It was also a runner-up at the Hollywood Book Festival in the category genre-based books.[43] The second part of the series is entitled Cauliflower Heart: Wrestling With Life and was released on October 7, 2016.[44][45][46] The third and final part was released on February 17 in 2017 and is called Cauliflower Heart: She Who Laughs Last.[47][48]

Other media

Hart worked as a model for 20 years in Calgary.[49]

Hart has appeared in several documentaries, including Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows, Surviving the Dungeon: The Legacy of Stu Hart and Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology.[50] In 2015 Hart appeared alongside her brother Ross on Shaw TV to speak about their father Stu's one hundred birthday.[51] Hart appears in the documentary Hart Still Beating, which is about her brother Smith and nephew Matt.[52] Hart is the subject of the 2017 shoot documentary Queen of Harts: The Diana Hart Story.[53]

Personal life

Hart met Davey Boy Smith when he was training under her father in 1981. They married on October 7, 1984, a day before her 21st birthday. The couple had two children together, Harry (born on August 2, 1985) and Georgia (born September 26, 1987). They remained married until 2000, when the couple filed for divorce, and her son Harry followed his father and mother into professional wrestling.[54] At the time of their split in 2000 they were not yet formally divorced, even though they both had begun new relationships with other people.[55]

Hart has in her autobiography expressed interest in family research.[56]

In 2015 Hart sold the rights to the British Bulldog wrestling trademark to her son Harry.[57]

Championships and accomplishments

References
  1. "Smith Hart on The Hart Family's ties to Long Island, the city of Long Beach, and more". noplacelikelongisland.com. No Place Likelong Island. May 19, 2016. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  2. Hart-Smith, Diana; McLellan, Kirstie (2001). Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family. Fenn. p. 22 pp. ISBN 1-55168-256-7.
  3. Stone, Danny (2015-01-07). "Royal Ramblings Meets Diana Hart-Smith". huffingtonpost.co.uk. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  4. Volmers, Erik (22 January 2016). "Diana Hart was born to write about wrestling". Edmonton Journal – via PressReader. A ROMANTIC SPIN: Cauliflower Heart series telling the tale of a fictional wrestling clan should sidestep more hurt feelings, feuds and lawsuits
  5. Droste, Ryan (July 3, 2015). "WWE news: ex-wife of British Bulldog petitioning for his induction into WWE Hall Of Fame". Inquisitr. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  6. "Diana Hart Smith - The effects of Bullying". mylifemypower, official youtube.com channel. My Life My Power. March 30, 2015. Retrieved 2017-12-19 – via YouTube.
  7. Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My real life in the cartoon world of wrestling. Ebury Press. p. 8 pp. ISBN 9780091932862.
  8. Letawsky, Craig (2002-05-07). "Ask 411 - 5.07.02". 411wrestling.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22.
  9. Hart, Diana; McLellan, Kirstie (2001). Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family. Fenn. p. 16 pp. ISBN 1-55168-256-7.
  10. Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 30 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  11. Slamthology: Collected Wrestling Writings 1991-2004. jnlister. 2005. p. 252 pp. ISBN 1-4116-5329-7.
  12. Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 16 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  13. Martha Hart; Eric Francis (2004). Broken Harts: The Life and Death of Owen Hart. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 84 pp. ISBN 978-1-59077-036-8.
  14. "An open letter to Shawn Michaels". canoe.ca. May 17, 1997.
  15. "Owen Hart vs. Johnny Smith (August 18, 1989)". youtube. November 12, 2007.
  16. "3-Way Match Plus Diana Hart Smith attacked and Harry Smith makes save". youtube. November 30, 2011.
  17. "Review: WWF/WWE Summerslam 1992 DVD". wrestlingdvdnetwork.com. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  18. "Random Network Reviews: SummerSlam 1992". 411mania.com. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  19. Ben Undelson (2013). Fiction. A Nostalgic Guide to Growing up with the WWF. lulu.com. p. 330 pp. ISBN 978-1-304-10190-7.
  20. "WWF In Your House 5: Season's Beatings". cagematch.net.
  21. "Dark Pegasus Video Review: In Your House VIII & VIII 1/2 – Beware of Dog". 411mania.com. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  22. "WWE Results: King of the Ring 1996". thedirtydeeds.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  23. Ben Undelson (2013). Fiction. A Nostalgic Guide to Growing up with the WWF. lulu.com. p. 319 pp. ISBN 978-1-304-10190-7.
  24. "Diana Hart Smith recalls how WWE SummerSlam went to Wembley Stadium, why she was nearly pulled from match plans, the Montreal Screwjob, how much it cost Davey Boy Smith to get out of his WWE deal". prowrestling.net. Jun 3, 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  25. "DVD Review: Best of Confidential on Raw-Nitro, Bret, Snuka". PWTorch. Feb 22, 2003.
  26. "Bret Hart def. Mr. McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match". WWE. March 28, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  27. Bret Hart and the Hart family speak on behalf of Stu Hart
  28. Apter, Bill (December 10, 2012). "HART LEGACY WRESTLING PRESENTS "RESURRECTION!"". 1wrestling.com.
  29. Thomas, Jeremy (April 21, 2015). "Hart Legacy Wrestling Promote First Show of 2013". Wrestling/NEWS. 411mania.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  30. Brian, George (December 3, 2015), "HART LEGACY: WRESTLING NEWS – (HOPES & ROPES) CALGARY YOUTH FUNDRAISER DEC 13 2015", sportintense.com, Intense Sports, retrieved 2016-05-02
  31. Diana Hart: Award Winning Fiction Author of Cauliflower Heart; Health, Wellness and Fitness Trainer, linkedin.com, retrieved 2016-05-02
  32. Michael Jenkinson (November 5, 2001). "Slam and sleaze is Diana's expertise". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 2007-06-18 – via Canoe.com.
  33. Greg Oliver (November 20, 2001). "Martha Hart sues Diana over book". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  34. Volmers, Erik (December 19, 2015). "Diana Hart, youngest daughter of Calgary's iconic wrestling clan, finds romance in the ring with Cauliflower Heart trilogy". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  35. Hart, Bret (2007). Hitman: My real life in the cartoon world of wrestling. Ebury Press. p. 533 pp. ISBN 9780091932862.
  36. "Diana Hart, youngest daughter of Calgary's iconic wrestling clan, finds romance in the ring with Cauliflower Heart trilogy". vancouversun. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  37. "Diana Hart Smith recalls how WWE SummerSlam went to Wembley Stadium, why she was nearly pulled from match plans, the Montreal Screwjob, how much it cost Davey Boy Smith to get out of his WWE deal". prowrestling.net. Jun 3, 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  38. "Wrestling icon releases debut romantic novel". fictiondreams.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  39. "Diana Hart, youngest daughter of Calgary's iconic wrestling clan, finds romance in the ring with Cauliflower Heart trilogy". calgaryherald.com. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  40. "WWE: Diana Hart on her book, Natalya and Harry Smith". Sky Sports. November 23, 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  41. Diana Hart
  42. Cauliflower Heart
  43. http://www.hollywoodbookfestival.com/winners2015.htm
  44. Cauliflower Heart: Wrestling With Life. ISBN 1882658663.
  45. Diana Hart: Award Winning Fiction Author of Cauliflower Heart; Health, Wellness and Fitness Trainer, linkedin.com, retrieved 2016-05-02
  46. "Episode 171 The EXTREME Cauliflower Heart". TurnbuckleThrowbacks.com. April 22, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  47. Cauliflower Heart: She Who Laughs Last. ISBN 1882658906.
  48. Stone, Danny (2015-01-07). "Royal Ramblings Meets Diana Hart-Smith". huffingtonpost.co.uk. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  49. "Diana Hart Smith". outimpactproductions.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  50. Surviving The Dungeon Extra: Ross Hart on The Hart Siblings (1 of 2)
  51. Trending On Shaw May 1st Part 01; Diana and Ross Hart
  52. PWMania.com staff (August 9, 2016). "New Smith And Matt Hart Documentary In The Works – 'Hart Still Beating'". News. PWMania. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  53. https://article.wn.com/view/2015/10/15/WWE_Diana_Hart_on_her_book_Natalya_and_Harry_Smith/
  54. "Diana Hart-Smith says JBL took a cheap shot at her son D.H. Smith, comments on whether she would approve of Davey Boy Smith being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame". prowrestling.net. May 29, 2008. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  55. Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Sports Publishing LLC. 2004. p. 49 pp. ISBN 1-58261-817-8.
  56. Hart, Diana; McLellan, Kirstie (2001). Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family. Fenn. p. 15 pp. ISBN 1-55168-256-7.
  57. Killam, Mike (October 16, 2015). "David Hart Smith Makes Big Announcement On 'British Bulldog' Name And Future". wrestlinginc.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  58. "Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. April 3, 2016.
  59. Oliver, Greg (February 1, 2001). "SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: The Hart Family". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012.
  60. Clevette, Jason (June 16, 2010). "Booker T enjoying life away from the spotlight". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-16.

Further reading
Book
  • Hart, Bruce (2011). Straight from the Hart. ECW Press. pp. 272pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-939-4.
  • Hart, Julie (2013). Hart Strings. Tightrope Books. ISBN 978-1926639635.
  • Billington, Tom; Coleman, Alison (2001). Pure Dynamite: The Price you Pay for Wrestling Stardom. Winding Stair Press. ISBN 1-55366-084-6.
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