Jim Neidhart James Henry " Jim " Neidhart ( born February 8 , 1955 ) is an American professional wrestler , best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim " The Anvil " Neidhart . Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya . Among other accolades , he is a two - time WWF Tag Team Champion with Bret Hart as part of the original Hart Foundation . Neidhart headlined two pay - per - views for the WWF : Survivor Series 1989 and . Neidhart holds dual citizenship with Canada and the United States . Early life . Neidhart had an athletic career prior to his entrance into the world of professional wrestling . He first gained acclaim during high school for his success in many strength - oriented track and field events . A talented shot put ter , Neidhart held the California high school record in the event from 1973 – 1985 for Newport Harbor High School . After graduating high school , Neidhart pursued a career in the National Football League , where he may have played briefly for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys in practices and preseason games . Although some biographies state that he played in the NFL for those teams , DatabaseFootball . com contains no evidence that Neidhart ever recorded actual playing time in an NFL regular season game . In a shoot interview , Neidhart said that he spent some time in jail and actually saw Charles Manson during this period , as well . Neidhart achieved his nickname from setting a record at the Calgary Stampede games for throwing an anvil further than anyone else . Stu Hart had given him $ 500 to enter and win and from then , Helen nicknamed him the ' Anvil ' . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Following his release from the Dallas Cowboys , Neidhart traveled to Calgary to train with Stu Hart and pursue a career in professional wrestling . He worked for Stampede Wrestling , Hart ' s Calgary based promotion , for several years , during which time he married Ellie Hart , one of Stu ' s daughters . He thus became the brother - in - law of fellow wrestlers Bret Hart , Owen Hart , Ross Hart , Keith Hart , and Davey Boy Smith , and later the uncle of wrestlers Teddy Hart and Harry Smith . World Wrestling Federation ( 1985 – 1992 ) . When Stu Hart sold Stampede Wrestling to Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , Neidhart and Bret Hart were included in the deal . Originally , McMahon had Neidhart slated to perform as a singles wrestler managed by Jimmy Hart – who has no relation to the Hart family – and Bret Hart was asked to play under a " cowboy " gimmick . But after a short time , Bret requested to drop the gimmick . Hart himself suggested that he be teamed with " The Anvil " and his manager Jimmy Hart and be called the Hart Foundation . While in the WWF , Hart and Neidhart formed a highly successful tag team , " The Hart Foundation " . At first they were a heel team managed by " The Mouth Of The South " Jimmy Hart . The Hart Foundation made their pay - per - view debut at WrestleMania 2 when they were the last 2 eliminated by Andre the Giant in a 20 man invitational battle royal . Jimmy Hart led The Hart Foundation to their first Tag Team Championship in January 1987 by defeating two other former Stampede wrestlers , the British Bulldogs ( Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid ) on the Superstars of Wrestling with the help of heel referee " Dangerous " Danny Davis . They would hold the belts until October 1987 when they dropped the belts to Strike Force ( Rick Martel and Tito Santana ) when Neidhart submitted to Martel ' s Boston crab . Used as mid - carders in early 1988 , the Hart Foundation wrestled in another 20 man battle royal at WrestleMania IV before starting a feud with The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers . In the summer of 1988 , the Hart Foundation fired Jimmy Hart and turned face when Hart started managing the Foundation ' s rivals The Rougeaus who , in the storyline , also gained 25 % of the Foundation ' s contract and subsequent money . The Hart Foundation unsuccessfully challenged Demolition ( Ax and Smash ) for the tag team titles at SummerSlam 88 when Ax hit Hart with Jimmy Hart ' s megaphone . The Foundation would continue feuding with Jimmy Hart ' s wrestlers for the next year , teaming with " Hacksaw " Jim Duggan to defeat Dino Bravo and The Rougeau ' s in a two out of three falls match at the 1989 Royal Rumble before defeating The Honky Tonk Man and Greg " The Hammer " Valentine at WrestleMania V . They then faced the Tag Team Champions the Brain Busters in a non - title match at SummerSlam 89 where they lost pushing then further from regaining their titles . The Hart Foundation was split in late 1989 as both Bret Hart and Neidhart began wrestling singles matches to varying degrees of success . The Anvil was often pitted against other " power " wrestlers such as The Warlord during this period . The Hart Foundation re - formed in early 1990 and started challenging for the titles almost immediately . At WrestleMania VI in Toronto , Canada , they defeated The Bolsheviks ( Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov ) in just 19 seconds following which they started a second feud with champions Demolition , who by this time had added Crush due to Bill Eadie ' s ongoing health problems . They won their second Tag Team Championship by defeating Demolition at SummerSlam 90 in a two out of three falls match . Jimmy Hart was also instrumental in ending the team ' s second championship reign at WrestleMania VII when he led The Nasty Boys ( Brian Knobs and Jerry Sags ) to the titles against his former team , after Jimmy ' s distraction of the referee allowed Sags to knock out Neidhart with a helmet . After Bret split off into singles competition , Neidhart went to the announce table , commenting for Wrestling Challenge , alongside Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby " The Brain " Heenan . In the fall of 1991 , he returned to the ring , but only to be injured by Ric Flair during a match held on the November 9 episode of Superstars , followed by an ambush by the Beverly Brothers . Neidhart was removed from the annual Survivor Series 1991 , but returned soon after teaming up with Owen Hart ( Bret ' s younger brother ) as " The New Foundation . " The New Foundation saw moderate success including a win over The Orient Express ( Kato and Tanaka ) at the Royal Rumble 92 pay - per - view . Neidhart left the WWF a few weeks later . World Championship Wrestling ( 1993 ) . After a stint wrestling in Japan , Neidhart debuted in World Championship Wrestling in April 1993 . He was used sparingly and made his last appearance that October before leaving WCW . Later WWF stints ( 1994 ; 1996 ; 1997 ) . Neidhart reappeared in the WWF at King of the Ring 1994 as the mystery cornerman of Bret in his WWF Championship defense against Intercontinental Champion Diesel . The finish saw Diesel Jackknife Bret to the canvas , which would have assured him of capturing the Federation championship . Neidhart , however , interfered , costing Bret the match , but allowing him to retain his title . Following the match , Bret was subject to a beatdown at the hands of Diesel and Shawn Michaels , but Neidhart did not come to Bret ' s aide . Later in the night , Neidhart reappeared at ringside during Owen ' s match against Razor Ramon in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament . Neidhart assaulted Ramon behind the referee ' s back , allowing Owen to become the second WWF King of the Ring ( after his brother Bret , who was King in 1993 ) on pay - per - view . Owen was mired in a feud with Bret stemming from the 1994 Royal Rumble . Neidhart believed Owen when he said that Bret had been holding him down all his life and sided with him against his former tag team partner . Usually seconding Owen in his matches throughout the summer of 1994 , Neidhart was seated in the third row at SummerSlam 1994 behind members of the Hart family , as well as " British Bulldog " Davey Boy Smith for the steel cage match pitting Bret against Owen for the Federation championship ; this was the title that Neidhart had saved for Hart back at the King of the Ring so Owen could claim it at SummerSlam . Following a grueling match - up , Bret emerged triumphant , but was later subject to another beating at the hands of Owen and Neidhart , who locked themselves inside the caged ring while members of the Hart family tried to climb over the top to get in and help Bret . Neidhart joined Owen as part of Shawn Michaels ' " Teamsters " team at Survivor Series 1994 . After eliminating all the members of Razor Ramon ' s " Bad Guys " team except for Razor himself , Michaels inadvertently hit Diesel with the Sweet Chin Music . This move split up their tag team , as Diesel chased Michaels down the aisle . This cost their team the match as Neidhart and Owen were counted out along with the rest of the " Teamsters " . Following Survivor Series , Neidhart disappeared from the WWF . In mid - 1996 , he had a stint as a masked heel under the name Who , a gimmick designed for commentators Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler to do Abbott and Costello " Who ' s on First ? " routines during his matches ( all of which he lost ) . He last wore the mask at SummerSlam 1996 as part of the " Bikini Beach Blast - Off " party held during the Free For All pre - show . Neidhart then wrestled for the independent New York based promotion Ultimate Championship Wrestling or UCW , where he wrestled with the likes of Tatanka , his brother - in - law Bruce Hart , Falcon Coperis Louis Velazquez , King Kong Bundy and Marty Jannetty . Neidhart returned to the WWF in 1997 , reuniting with Bret as part of his new Hart Foundation , a stable of Canadian sympathizers ( joining Owen Hart , The British Bulldog and Brian Pillman ) . His most high - profile match during this stint was at the pay - per - view in Calgary , where the Hart Foundation defeated the American team of Stone Cold Steve Austin , Ken Shamrock , Goldust and The Legion of Doom in a ten - man tag team match . He was also a part of Team Canada at Survivor Series 97 , teaming with The British Bulldog , Doug Furnas and Philip Lafon to defeat Team USA , composed of Vader , Goldust , Marc Mero and Steve Blackman ( Bulldog was the sole survivor ) . World Championship Wrestling ; Second run ( 1997 – 1998 ) . After Bret left the WWF on bad terms because of the incident in 1997 which would go down in history as the Montreal Screwjob , Neidhart followed him to World Championship Wrestling ( though not immediately , as he would be beaten up and humiliated , on the November 24 and December 1 episodes of Raw , by D - Generation X prior to his departure ) where he formed a tag team with The British Bulldog , who also followed Bret there . Although this was his first true big - money deal , they were rarely utilized by WCW . They achieved little in - ring success , and he was eventually released and returned to the independent circuit . World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2007 ) . On " Raw XV " , the 15th - anniversary " WWE Raw " special on December 10 , 2007 , Neidhart participated in the 15th Anniversary Battle Royal , eventually making it to the final five before being eliminated by Skinner . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2009 ) . Neidhart appeared in TNA on the November 12 , 2009 , edition of " Impact ! " winning against Jay Lethal in his initial open challenge thrown out to the legends of professional wrestling . Personal life . Neidhart continues to wrestle all over the world on the independent circuit and is pursuing a career in " micro - asset classes " and real estate . Neidhart and wife Ellie have three daughters – Jennifer , a gourmet chef and caterer , Natalie , and Kristen ( " Muffy " ) , who was married in early June 2007 . Natalie is also a professional wrestler under the ring name " Natalya " and is currently signed to WWE . On February 27 , 2010 - Jim " The Anvil " Neidhart was inducted into the Legends Pro Wrestling " Hall of Fame " by Jack Blaze in Wheeling , WV at their " LPW St . Valentine ' s Day Massacre " event . Then on May 28 , 2011 , he was honored again by Jack Blaze who also inducted his brother - in - law Owen Hart earlier that night into the " Hall of Fame " . Media . On April 6 , 2010 , World Wrestling Entertainment released , which is a 3 DVD set featuring a documentary on the Hart wrestling family ( including Jim Neidhart ) as well as 12 matches . It is unique in that it also features previously unseen home movies from the Harts as well as candid interviews from surviving family members . Neidhart was arrested on September 6 , 2010 and charged with two counts of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute , two counts of trafficking illegal drugs , one count of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling , and one count of third degree grand theft for property stolen between $ 300 and $ 5 , 000 .