thought this would be a interesting read, i never saw a pic of stu when he was younger bret looks jus like him...he had alot to do wit some of ur fav wrestlers comin up...bret, owen, benoit, (didnt jericho get brought up through the dungeon as well? ) remember ken shamrock had that match wit owen in the dungeon? (somebody refresh my memory was it owen? or somebody else? )
interesting read tho check it out...
Stu Hart, perhaps the most famous of all Canadian wrestlers and patriarch of one of the sport’s legendary families, died October 16, 2003 at 2:25 p.m. (Mountain Time). He was suffering from a combination of pneumonia and diabetic complications. He was 88 years old.
There is no one who had a greater impact on the wrestling business in Canada than Stu Hart. Born May 3, 1915 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His career began in the amateur ranks, where he had enormous success, and was only held back from the Olympics by the start of World War II. He merged into the professional world under the watchful eye of Toots Mondt in the early 1940s. In 1948 he started promoting, and in a few years founded which
would eventually become Stampede Wrestling, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance. He served both as wrestler and promoter for over four decades. Hart’s own physical style and no-nonsense attitudes were reflected in the way he ran his promotion, and that only enhanced his already impressive reputation. Many of the great moments in Canadian wrestling history were largely due to his strong abilities.
Hart made his home in Calgary, Alberta, where he sired twelve children with his late wife of over fifty years, Helen. Many of the children followed into the family business to become wrestlers, themselves. Bret and Owen became international superstars, while the other sons became integral parts of the Stampede promotion, as most of the daughters married wrestlers (the most famous being Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith). They have often been referred to as “The First Family of Canadian Wrestling.”
Much of Stu’s reputation (especially to the modern fans) revolved around his basement training room, steeped in legend as the infamous “Dungeon.” Hart was famous for stretching wrestlers into painful submission (it was something he truly had a passion for), as well as teaching his grappling techniques. Only the strongest of men could withstand this type of training, and many of those who did went on to become major superstars in their own right. Those who emerged from the Dungeon include Junkyard Dog, Brian Pillman, Billy Jack Haynes, Chris Benoit, and his sons, just to name a few.
Not too long ago he was the subject of the biography Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring. He was a long-time member of the Cauliflower Alley Club, and had attended numerous events over the years. Few in this business were as revered and beloved as Stu Hart.
We at the Cauliflower Alley Club send out deepest condolences to the entire Hart family.
Letters to the Hart family can be sent to the Cauliflower Alley Club, and we will promptly forward them on for you.
Canadian wrestling patriarch Stu Hart dies
Canadian Press
CALGARY — Stu Hart, patriarch of Canada's famous wrestling family and the founder of Stampede Wrestling, died Thursday at 88. Hart had been admitted to Rockyview General Hospital on Oct. 3 for an elbow infection and then developed pneumonia. He also suffered from ailments associated with diabetes and arthritis. His death Thursday afternoon was confirmed by a spokeswoman for one his wrestling sons, Bret (Hitman) Hart. No details were released.
A talented athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and a champion wrestler in his own right, Hart became famous for his moves outside the ring. He founded Stampede Wrestling, the Calgary-based regional circuit which started in 1948 and flourished for decades before the World Wrestling Federation pushed local promoters out of the picture. He was renowned as a trainer of young talent and headed a wrestling dynasty that included sons Bret and Owen (Blue Blazer) Hart.
Family members have said the grappling legend struggled without his lifemate, Helen, who died in 2001 after 53 years of marriage. Stu Hart was humbled by the accolades he received over the years. He was a member of Canada's Wrestling Hall of Fame and became a member of the Order of Canada in 2001.
"I think guys like Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky deserve the fame," he once said. "I appreciate them selecting me. I've had some exposure that's been nice."
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein called Hart's passing "the end of an era." "Stu and his wife led one of Alberta's most colourful and best-known families of the last half-century," Klein said from Houston, Tx., where he is on a trade mission.
"Stu personified the qualities that distinguish Calgary and all Alberta. I'm talking about qualities such as friendliness, good humour, a strong sense of fairness and compassion, energy, ambition and just being a down-to-earth fellow with no pretensions."
Seven of Hart's eight sons became pro wrestlers and his four daughters married wrestlers. Along the way, Stu became respected around the world as a trainer of young wrestling talent.
Hart helped launch careers for dozens of grapplers, including Andre the Giant, the British Bulldogs, and the Junk Yard Dog. Their skills were honed in the Harts' fabled "dungeon," a wrestling ring in the dark basement of the family's twin-gabled, red brick Calgary home.
The most famous member of the wrestling dynasty is Bret (Hitman) Hart, who left the WWF in 1997, saying the federation had gone too far with its televised plotlines that focused too much on sex and racism. He suffered a stroke in June 2002 and is recovering.
A former son-in-law, Davey Boy (British Bulldog) Smith, died in May 2002 of heart failure.
"He took adversity and turned it into triumph," eldest daughter Ellie once said of her father.
As a young man wrestling at New York's Yankee Stadium, Hart rubbed shoulders with legends like Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth.
In later years, he was able to take advantage of his acquaintances. He cajoled Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Joe Lewis and Max Baer to be guest referees for Stampede Wrestling cards.
"They all came out to guest referee my main events," Hart recalled in a 2000 interview. "It was a fairly nice touch for them - they got (up to) $12,000 for the night. But they were wonderful."
Hart's later years were filled with pain and tragedy. Son Dean died of kidney failure in 1990. Hart's 13-year-old grandson Matthew Annis died of flesh-eating disease in 1996, and youngest son Owen (Blue Blazer) Hart plunged to his death on pay-per-view TV when a stunt went horribly wrong in 1999. A family feud ensued over a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the WWF by Owen's widow, Martha, was particularly hard on Helen and Stu, who supported their daughter-in-law. Bret accused some of his siblings of sponging off his parents and being interested in a portion of the multimillion-dollar settlement.
http://www.mrkurtnielsen.com/CAC-RIP/StuHart-RIP.html
interesting read tho check it out...
Stu Hart, perhaps the most famous of all Canadian wrestlers and patriarch of one of the sport’s legendary families, died October 16, 2003 at 2:25 p.m. (Mountain Time). He was suffering from a combination of pneumonia and diabetic complications. He was 88 years old.
There is no one who had a greater impact on the wrestling business in Canada than Stu Hart. Born May 3, 1915 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His career began in the amateur ranks, where he had enormous success, and was only held back from the Olympics by the start of World War II. He merged into the professional world under the watchful eye of Toots Mondt in the early 1940s. In 1948 he started promoting, and in a few years founded which
would eventually become Stampede Wrestling, an affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance. He served both as wrestler and promoter for over four decades. Hart’s own physical style and no-nonsense attitudes were reflected in the way he ran his promotion, and that only enhanced his already impressive reputation. Many of the great moments in Canadian wrestling history were largely due to his strong abilities.
Hart made his home in Calgary, Alberta, where he sired twelve children with his late wife of over fifty years, Helen. Many of the children followed into the family business to become wrestlers, themselves. Bret and Owen became international superstars, while the other sons became integral parts of the Stampede promotion, as most of the daughters married wrestlers (the most famous being Jim Neidhart and Davey Boy Smith). They have often been referred to as “The First Family of Canadian Wrestling.”
Much of Stu’s reputation (especially to the modern fans) revolved around his basement training room, steeped in legend as the infamous “Dungeon.” Hart was famous for stretching wrestlers into painful submission (it was something he truly had a passion for), as well as teaching his grappling techniques. Only the strongest of men could withstand this type of training, and many of those who did went on to become major superstars in their own right. Those who emerged from the Dungeon include Junkyard Dog, Brian Pillman, Billy Jack Haynes, Chris Benoit, and his sons, just to name a few.
Not too long ago he was the subject of the biography Stu Hart: Lord of the Ring. He was a long-time member of the Cauliflower Alley Club, and had attended numerous events over the years. Few in this business were as revered and beloved as Stu Hart.
We at the Cauliflower Alley Club send out deepest condolences to the entire Hart family.
Letters to the Hart family can be sent to the Cauliflower Alley Club, and we will promptly forward them on for you.
Canadian wrestling patriarch Stu Hart dies
Canadian Press
CALGARY — Stu Hart, patriarch of Canada's famous wrestling family and the founder of Stampede Wrestling, died Thursday at 88. Hart had been admitted to Rockyview General Hospital on Oct. 3 for an elbow infection and then developed pneumonia. He also suffered from ailments associated with diabetes and arthritis. His death Thursday afternoon was confirmed by a spokeswoman for one his wrestling sons, Bret (Hitman) Hart. No details were released.
A talented athlete who played football for the Edmonton Eskimos and a champion wrestler in his own right, Hart became famous for his moves outside the ring. He founded Stampede Wrestling, the Calgary-based regional circuit which started in 1948 and flourished for decades before the World Wrestling Federation pushed local promoters out of the picture. He was renowned as a trainer of young talent and headed a wrestling dynasty that included sons Bret and Owen (Blue Blazer) Hart.
Family members have said the grappling legend struggled without his lifemate, Helen, who died in 2001 after 53 years of marriage. Stu Hart was humbled by the accolades he received over the years. He was a member of Canada's Wrestling Hall of Fame and became a member of the Order of Canada in 2001.
"I think guys like Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky deserve the fame," he once said. "I appreciate them selecting me. I've had some exposure that's been nice."
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein called Hart's passing "the end of an era." "Stu and his wife led one of Alberta's most colourful and best-known families of the last half-century," Klein said from Houston, Tx., where he is on a trade mission.
"Stu personified the qualities that distinguish Calgary and all Alberta. I'm talking about qualities such as friendliness, good humour, a strong sense of fairness and compassion, energy, ambition and just being a down-to-earth fellow with no pretensions."
Seven of Hart's eight sons became pro wrestlers and his four daughters married wrestlers. Along the way, Stu became respected around the world as a trainer of young wrestling talent.
Hart helped launch careers for dozens of grapplers, including Andre the Giant, the British Bulldogs, and the Junk Yard Dog. Their skills were honed in the Harts' fabled "dungeon," a wrestling ring in the dark basement of the family's twin-gabled, red brick Calgary home.
The most famous member of the wrestling dynasty is Bret (Hitman) Hart, who left the WWF in 1997, saying the federation had gone too far with its televised plotlines that focused too much on sex and racism. He suffered a stroke in June 2002 and is recovering.
A former son-in-law, Davey Boy (British Bulldog) Smith, died in May 2002 of heart failure.
"He took adversity and turned it into triumph," eldest daughter Ellie once said of her father.
As a young man wrestling at New York's Yankee Stadium, Hart rubbed shoulders with legends like Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth.
In later years, he was able to take advantage of his acquaintances. He cajoled Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Joe Lewis and Max Baer to be guest referees for Stampede Wrestling cards.
"They all came out to guest referee my main events," Hart recalled in a 2000 interview. "It was a fairly nice touch for them - they got (up to) $12,000 for the night. But they were wonderful."
Hart's later years were filled with pain and tragedy. Son Dean died of kidney failure in 1990. Hart's 13-year-old grandson Matthew Annis died of flesh-eating disease in 1996, and youngest son Owen (Blue Blazer) Hart plunged to his death on pay-per-view TV when a stunt went horribly wrong in 1999. A family feud ensued over a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the WWF by Owen's widow, Martha, was particularly hard on Helen and Stu, who supported their daughter-in-law. Bret accused some of his siblings of sponging off his parents and being interested in a portion of the multimillion-dollar settlement.
http://www.mrkurtnielsen.com/CAC-RIP/StuHart-RIP.html
