Long before turnbuckles and body slams became a way of life, ancestors of Calgary’s storied Hart family covered much of the known world. These findings have been brought to life by researchers with National Geographic’s Genographic Project, who approached The Hitman himself, Bret Hart, for a DNA sample this month.

“I was very interested,” Hart said. “It’s not every day you get to learn about these kind of things.”

Using cutting-edge science, researchers are able to dig way past traditional genealogy to what is known as “deep ancestry,” said project director Dr. Spencer Wells. “If you have traced a family tree, you have gone back several generations, perhaps. But, eventually, you hit a point beyond which you know nothing else … that’s really kind of where we take off.”

In the case of Hart’s DNA, links were found from as long ago as 60,000 years and in places as far-flung as India, Iran and several European countries.

“It pretty much goes back to the beginning of time,” Hart said. “It’s not something you can easily wrap your head around. It’s pretty fascinating stuff.”