WWE Hall of Famer Bret 'The Hitman' Hart battling prostate cancer
By Wade Sheridan
Canadian wrestler Bret ' The Hitman' Hart attends a signing of his DVD "Hitman" at HMV,Oxford street in London on January 26, 2006. The WWE Hall of Famer announced on social media Monday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. File Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI | License Photo
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Legendary pro-wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Bret 'The Hitman' Hart is going into battle once again, this time against cancer.
Hart revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Instagram Monday in a lengthy post addressed to his fans alongside a photo of himself holding his grandchildren.
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"I've had a great lifelong dance and I'm a survivor of many hard battles," Hart wrote. "I now face my toughest battle. With hesitation and fear, I openly declare myself in my fight against prostate cancer."
The former five-time WWE heavyweight champion and two-time WCW champion even gave a timetable for the surgery to remove the cancer. "In the next few days, I will undergo surgery with the hope of defeating this nemesis once and for all."
"I make a solemn vow to all of those that once believed in me, the dead and the living, that I will wage my fearsome fight against cancer with one shield and one sword carrying my determination and my fury for life, emboldened by all the love that's kept me going this long already," Hart continued.
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"Most important of all, I hope can take the fight to prostate cancer. To be a leader in awareness and to set the example for men everywhere who find themselves in my very same shoes, that prostate cancer can be beaten."
One of the most prolific and successful wrestlers of all time, Hart retired in 1999 after suffering from a concussion. In 2002, the man referred to as the 'excellence of execution' also suffered from a stroke.
Hart has continued to appear sporadically on WWE programming, last appearing in May 2015 to introduce fellow Canadian wrestler Sami Zayn before his match against John Cena.