Stampede Wrestling

History

First run (1948–1984)

Stampede Wrestling was formed in 1948 by Stu Hart and Al Oeming under the name Klondike Wrestling, and held their first show on September 11, 1948, at the Sales Pavillion in Edmonton, Alberta. It also become the National Wrestling Alliance's Calgary territory in Canada. In May 1951, they changed its name to Big Time Wrestling. In February 1958, they introduced their version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship to replace the Alberta Tag Team Championship that was retired the year before, which was won by The Kalmikoffs.

In 1959, Oeming retired and Hart took full control of the territory. Hart would also retire their version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship. In 1965, he changed the name of the promotion to Wildcat Wrestling. Finally, in August 1967, he changed it to Stampede Wrestling, and the name stuck. In February 1968, they created their own singles title, the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship, which was won by Archie Gouldie (the future Mongolian Stomper). Four years later, they retired their version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. In June 1978, they introduced the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship, with Dynamite Kid as their inaugural champion during his first tour in North America. In 1979, Stampede would bring back an old championship, the Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship (the title was first introduced in June 1959, before being quickly abandoned), with Dick Steinborn as champion. In 1982, Stampede withdrew from the NWA.

On December 2, 1983, a riot broke out at the Victoria Pavilion in Calgary during a match between Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith and Sonny Two Rivers against Bad News Allen, The Stomper and Stomper's kayfabe son Jeff Gouldie. Longtime Stampede announcer Ed Whalen reportedly became distraught during the riot, in which a woman was trampled, causing him to quit from the Stampede on air. Speaking of the events he remarked, "We're starting to scare the patrons with this violence outside the ring, and I will not be associated with it anymore." The event led to Stampede Wrestling being banned from Calgary for six months by the city's wrestling and boxing commission. In August 1984, Stampede Wrestling was sold to the World Wrestling Federation. Of all the talent that WWF took upon their purchase of Stampede, they took only three wrestlers: Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Dynamite Kid. Their last show was held on November 5, 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a WWF/Stampede joint show. Bret Hart claims that Vince McMahon never actually paid for the territory, and “stiffed” his father, Stu Hart.

Second run (1985–1989)

On October 28, 1985, the WWF sold Stampede back to the Hart family, with Bruce Hart taking the reins, and by 1986, the Calgary territory was given a shot of adrenaline with new talent such as Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, Biff Wellington, and Johnny Smith coming in to tangle with Gama Singh and his Karachi Vice stable (which included Shinya Hashimoto, Gary Albright, and Mike Shaw) and The Viet Cong Express (which included a masked Hiroshi Hase). In December 1987, they added a women's championship, the IWA World Women's Championship, with Monster Ripper as their champion, but by January 1989, that championship moved to Japan.

Despite a valiant four years trying to resurrect the wrestling scene in Calgary to its former glory, Stampede officially shut down on December 18, 1989. The closure stemmed from long-standing problems between Bruce Hart and Ed Whalen, producer Fred May's constantly editing too much content off TV, and pay disputes within talent. Their final show before closing down was held in Edmonton on December 16, with Larry Cameron defeating Bob Emory in the main event to retain the North American Heavyweight Championship.

Failed attempts to relaunch

Despite Stampede officially closing down in December 1989, there were several attempts to revive the promotion. The first attempt occurred around March 1990 by Bruce Hart, but it only lasted three months, running smaller towns outside Calgary and Edmonton, due to a lack of approval by the Calgary Wrestling & Boxing Commission to promote shows. The next attempt was around December 1991 by Abu Wizal, but only lasted a couple weeks. Between July 1995 and July 1997, Bruce Hart promoted one-off shows periodically at the Rockyford Rodeo in Rockyford, Alberta.

On December 15, 1995, a special Stampede Wrestling tribute show was held at the Corral in Calgary, celebrating Stu Hart's life and career. It featured several Stampede alumni, as well as talent from both the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. The main event saw Bret Hart successfully defend the WWF Championship against Davey Boy Smith.

Third run (1999–2008)

In early 1999, Bruce and Ross Hart reopened Stampede Wrestling, showcasing graduates from the Hart Dungeon training school. However, only weeks after their first event, the promotion once again became inactive following the death of Owen Hart in May. Although considering closing the promotion, the Hart family continued to promote events five months later and began touring western Canada. Although successful, the Harts were forced to cancel several tours in late 2001 and early 2002 due to the arrival of a rival promotion backed by a Calgary businessman. The promotion also lost much of its roster due to its rival hiring away top stars.

In 2005, promoters Bill Bell and Devon Nicholson took over day-to-day operations for Stampede Wrestling. During an event at the Spray Lakes Sawmill Sportsplex in Cochrane, Alberta, Nicholson would face Abdullah the Butcher after the scheduled main event between Lance Storm and Rhyno was canceled when Rhyno failed to appear. At that same event, longtime tag team partners TJ Wilson and Harry Smith faced each other in Smith's final match for the promotion before leaving for World Wrestling Entertainment. Bruce and Ross Hart sold Stampede Wrestling to Bill Bell in 2007. The promotion ceased operations again in April 2008.

Stampede's weekly shows were held mostly at the Victoria Pavilion in Calgary, with special events held at the Stampede Corral.

Television program

Stampede Wrestling was the basis for a long-running weekly sports broadcast produced in Calgary showcasing many of the promotion's most popular wrestlers. Hosted by Ed Whalen most of its run, which went from 1957 to 1989, the series was syndicated around the world and reruns continue to be shown in some countries to this day. At the time Stampede was revived in 1999, a second Stampede Wrestling TV series was attempted, hosted by Bad News Allen and play by play commentator Mauro Ranallo, but it was short-lived and Whalen was not involved.

Tape library

WWE currently controls Stampede's extensive tape library. In December 2015, the WWE Network began adding Stampede Wrestling shows to its Vault section. However, it was all removed a few days later, after Bret Hart proved that he owned the rights to the footage of his matches.

The Dungeon

Main article: Hart Dungeon

Stampede Wrestling was famous for "The Dungeon", a professional wrestling school located in the basement of the Calgary mansion Hart House, home of the Hart family. Stu Hart and Mr. Hito were the main trainers in the Dungeon. The school trained a number of ECW, WCW, WWE and NJPW stars, including the Hart Brothers, Mark Henry, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Ricky Fuji, Hiroshi Hase, Ken Shamrock, Justin Credible, Christian and Edge.

Championships

Former personnel

Modern version (1999-2008)

;Male wrestlers

;Female wrestlers

Original version (1948–2007)

Main article: List of former Stampede Wrestling personnel

• Adrian Street
• Abdullah the Butcher
• Bad News Allen
• Hercules Ayala
• Ben Bassarab
• Chris Benoit
• Black Tomcat
• Steve Blackman
• "Bulldog" Bob Brown
• Kerry Brown
• Leo Burke
• Larry Cameron
• Edouard Carpentier
• The Cobra
• Cuban Assassin
• Steve DiSalvo
• Dory Funk Jr.
• Waldo Von Erich
• The Great Gama
• Andre The Giant
• Sumo Hara
• Bret Hart
• Bruce Hart
• Keith Hart
• Owen Hart
• Smith Hart
• Stu Hart
• Teddy Hart
• Wayne Hart
• Mr. Hito
• Honky Tonk Wayne
• Hiroshi Hase
• Lance Idol
• Jason the Terrible
• Hashif Khan
• Killer Khan
• Dynamite Kid
• Tyson Kidd
• Killer Kowalski
• Dan Kroffat
• Phil Lafon
• Jos Leduc
• Paul Leduc
• Keiichi Yamada
• Michel Martel
• Rick Martel
• Frenchy Martin
• Eddie Morrow
• Gerry Morrow
• Angelo Mosca
• Don Muraco
• Duke Myers
• Kendo Nagasaki (Peter Thornley)
• Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
• Nattie Neidhart
• Brian Pillman
• Gilles Poisson
• Harley Race
• Ron Ritchie
• Big Daddy Ritter
• Jake Roberts
• Billy Robinson
• Goldie Rogers
• Jacques Rougeau
• Mr. Sakurada
• Wild Samoans
• Benkei Sasaki
• Satoru Sayama
• The Sheepherders
• "Dr. D." David Schultz
• Rhonda Sing
• Makhan Singh
• Vokhan Singh
• Davey Boy Smith
• Harry Smith
• Johnny Smith
• Stan Stasiak
• The Stomper
• Terrible Ted, a black bear
• Les Thornton
• Maurice Vachon
• Paul Vachon
• Biff Wellington
• George Wells
• Ed Whalen

Hall of Fame

The Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame list professional wrestlers and others who have competed in Stampede Wrestling, from Stu Hart's Klondike Wrestling to the original Stampede Wrestling promotion which closed in 1990.

• – Entries without a birth name indicates that the inductee did not perform under a ring name.
• – This section mainly lists the major accomplishments of each inductee in the Calgary wrestling territory.

Major events

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

References

General

• McCoy, Heath. Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. Toronto: CanWest Books, 2005.

Specific

References

1. (1990-01-10). "Stampede Wrestling gets pinned". [[CBC Television News]].
2. "Dave Wells, "Stu Hart isn't happy," ''Lethbridge Herald'', December 16, 1983.
3. McCoy, H. (2005) ''Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling.'' CanWest Books. p 187.
4. Meltzer, D. (2004) ''Tributes II: Remembering more of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers.'' Sports Publishing LLC. pp 105-106.
5. Mike Johnson. (2015-12-03). "STAMPEDE WRESTLING, GWF/USWA ADDED TO WWE NETWORK". PWInsider.
6. (2015-12-09). "Bret Hart Contacts Vince McMahon And WWE Attorney Over Stampede Wrestling Footage". WrestlingInc.com.
7. "Alberta Tag Team Title".
8. (2003). "British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title (Calgary Stampede)". Puroresu Dojo.
9. "Stampede British Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship". Jump City Productions.
10. (2003). "IWA Women's World Championship". Puroresu Dojo.
11. (2003). "NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary)". Puroresu Dojo.
12. (2003). "N.W.A. Canadian Tag Team Title (Calgary)". Puroresu Dojo.
13. (2003). "Stampede International Tag Team Title". Puroresu Dojo.
14. Royal Duncan & Gary Will. (2006). "Wrestling Title Histories". Archeus Communications.
15. (2003). "North American Heavyweight Title (Calgary Stampede)". Puroresu Dojo.
16. (2003). "Stampede Pacific Heavyweight Championship". Puroresu Dojo.
17. (2003). "Stampede Women's Pacific Title". Puroresu Dojo.
18. (2003). "Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship". Puroresu Dojo.
19. (2003). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990)". Puroresu Dojo.
20. Whalen, Ed (host). (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame: 1948-1990".
21. Whalen, Ed (host). (December 15, 1995). "Stampede Wrestling Builders".
22. Nevada, Vance. (July 16, 2008). "Stampede Wrestling Super Shows During July's Calgary Stampede".
23. (1956). "71st Annual Report, 1956". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
24. (1957). "72st Annual Report, 1957". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
25. . (July 5, 1957). "Giant Mat Program For Stampede Week". *[[Calgary Herald]]*.
26. (1958). "73rd Annual Report, 1958". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
27. (1959). "74th Annual Report, 1959". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
28. . (July 4, 1959). "Wrestling Card In Corral At Stampede". *[[Calgary Herald]]*.
29. (1960). "75th Annual Report, 1960". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
30. . (July 8, 1961). "Top Wrestlers Here For Stampede Card". *[[Calgary Herald]]*.
31. (1961). "76th Annual Report, 1961". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
32. (1964). "79th Annual Report, 1964". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
33. (1965). "80th Annual Report, 1965". [[Calgary Exhibition and Stampede.
34. . (July 3, 1965). "WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING". *[[Calgary Herald]]*.
35. . (July 11, 1984). "WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING". *[[Calgary Herald]]*.