Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, pro wrestling legend, reveals he has cancer

Bret"TheHitman"Hart was used to winning battles in the wrestling ring; now the Calgary-born Hartislooking to successfully battlea different foe prostate cancer.

On his website, Hart saidhe "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."

The 58-year-old former professional wrestler is a member of thefamous Hart wrestling dynasty.

His father, Stu Hart, started Stampede Wrestling "thestaple of western Canadian culture" from the 1950s to the late 1980s, saidHeath McCoy,author ofPain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling.

"Stu Hart had 12 kids eight boys andfour girls all whom became engrained in the wrestling business in one way or another,whether they married wrestlers or, you know, became referees or wrestlers themselves," said McCoy.

Hart was in the ring for two decades andwas inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

According to his website, his career ended with a careless kick to the head during apay-per-viewmatch that caused a severe concussion and then a major stroke.

Inrecent years, Hart says he's had "two knee replacements, two hernia operations, surgery on my right elbow, and, just a few months ago, I underwent a four-corner fusion of my right wrist."

"He did have this gritty,realisticstyle and he really did put his body on the line a lot," said McCoy.

Hart is a 'fighter"

"It kind of hit me like a slap in the face today," said McCoy upon learning that Hart had cancer.

"I think a lot of people are quite shocked today andpulling for him in his corner."

There wasan outpouring of support on Twitterfrom the wrestling community on Monday.

McCoy called Hart a"fighter" and believeshe will get through this, just like his previous battles with illness.

Hart says he will have surgery in the next few days, and "I refuse to lose, I will never give in or give up, and I will win this battle or die trying."

Hart also says he hopes to become a spokesman for prostate cancer.