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Personal memories of Stu
By
GREG OLIVER -- SLAM! Wrestling
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As my newsletter closed down in 1990 so I could start university, I
thought my wrestling days were behind me. Yet, come 1995, and the
beginnings of the Canoe.ca web site, I found a kindred soul in John
Powell, who brought me back into the loop. With our common enjoyment of
pro wrestling and desire to do challenging, innovative journalism, we
launched the SLAM! Wrestling web site.
Backed primarily by the presence of Bret Hart's Sharpshooter column from
the Calgary Sun, SLAM! Wrestling began to find an audience. But it was
Bret's controversial departure from the WWF in 1997 that set the wheels
in motion for what the site grew into.
On Wednesday, November 26, 1997, I conducted a Q&A with Bret in his
Calgary home, only a short while after he had been 'screwed' out of the
title.
But more importantly, that day I got to finally meet Ed Whalen in
person, and go to the Hart House myself and sit and chat with Stu Hart
for over two hours. [You can read the full transcript of that Q&A by
clicking here.]
Two hours was hardly enough. Stu wanted to keep talking and I had a
dinner date to meet. Stu was like that -- talkative and friendly to
everyone, and I've heard that repeated by countless people over the
years. Even recently, fans would call up to discuss the old times and
Stu would happily chat on the phone for hours. It was just impossible to
keep him on subject.
He had his favourite stories, that's for sure. Ask him about Lou Thesz,
which would lead to discussion of tough guys, which would lead to
stories about his favourite boxers, like Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe
Walcott, both of whom refereed in Stu's Stampede territory on special
occasions.
The invitation down to The Dungeon is a treasured memory. It's a dump,
as often described. Stu lumbered around, showing me the weights, the
mat, introducing me to a few of the wrestlers. He tried to get behind me
and put me into a headlock of sorts, but I begged off, being a pencil
neck geek and all. I also managed to dodge a few meaty, but light punches.
Instead, he sat on the weight bench and we were quickly surrounded by a
number of students who wanted to listen to the master.
Chris Benoit remembered his first trip to The Dungeon for the Edmonton
Sun in 2000. "Walking down there is very intimidating," Benoit said. "I
always imagined going down there when Stu was in his heyday. It must
have been a scary place. He made me scream a few times."
I didn't see Stu again until the Cauliflower Alley Club reunion in 2001
in Las Vegas. By then, I had become much friendlier with the whole Hart
family and it was a genuinely emotional moment for me to see him awarded
the organization's Iron Mike Mazurki Award, their top honour. As he rose
to the podium from his wheelchair, ably supported by his family, so too
did a lump rise in my throat. This was truly great man, loved and
respected by all in attendance, getting his moment in the sun in front
of his peers.
Sure it was nice that he was presented the Order of Canada, but I really
believe that the Iron Mike Award meant more coming from the men and
women he worked with over the years, some of whom he trained, others who
lived in his house or worked for his promotion. He returned to the CAC
in 2002 and again this past April, and I got to chat with him again for
a bit. We talked about my own book, and his
book (which I was fortunate to have been hired to proofread), and
how great it was to see all the great wrestlers again.
Reggie Parks was one of those who owed his whole career to Stu. He met
Stu in Edmonton, trained with him, was sent to various promotions by
him. Parks once told me he learned everything he had to know about being
tough from Stu Hart. "Stu's tough because he's good. He takes no
prisoners. He didn't teach you a lot of technique. He taught you how to
be tough."
Tough is a word that often comes up. If you read his book, you'll
understand how tough his upbringing was in Saskatchewan, how really
incredible it was that he survived, prospered and flourished. Then to
raise 12 kids with his wife Helen, who was equally tough too, but in a
whole different way.
In another interview I did, Blackjack Mulligan raved about the greats,
and the prestige that came from surviving the Hart training. "They talk
about the basement of Stu Hart. That was a tattoo that you got. That was
a learning deal that you went through that nobody ever went through. If
you made it through Stu Hart's school of learning up there and came out
of that thing, you were known to be a product, a quality product because
there were certain levels you had to do to be associated with Stu Hart
and the Funks and the Gene Kiniskis and the Don Leo Jonathons. Giants of
this business. There's just no human beings around like those people
anymore. They were my idols, and they always will be."
I think that Mulligan really said it right. Giants of the Business.
There aren't many left.
More
on Stu Hart
Buy
Stu Hart's biography in the SLAM! Wrestling store
Stu Hart Photo Gallery
You are invited to sign Stu Hart's Book of Condolence at www.ObituariesToday.com
Greg Oliver founded SLAM! Wrestling with John Powell way back in 1996,
and has been writing about
pro wrestling since 1985. He is the author of the recently published
book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians from ECW
Press. Order it from The
SLAM! Wrestling store. He can be emailed at
goliver845@gmail.com.
