  The current stars Stampede Wrestling pause to remember Stu Hart. (Photo by Jason Clevett, SLAM! Wrestling)
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"The first time I was at the house, he made me feel like I was part of
the family. I'll never forget that - the way he and Helen made me feel.
They made me feel welcome, as if it was my house. I was a 17-year-old
kid, nervous as hell, not wanting to eat, not wanting to drink, not
wanting to use the bathroom. I was terrified," said WWE superstar Chris
Benoit in a tribute on their website. "They just made me feel so at
home, and eventually I just realized, 'This is the way they are. This is
family.' To me, it was a good introduction to this business because I
really believed that all of us need to watch out for one another; all of
us are family. That's where I was introduced into the business, via Stu
Hart."
For Durrango, his outstanding memory of Stu involves his unique sense of
humor.
"I had three of my fingers crushed in an accident at work. I had a
splint on it and we went to an autograph session and he asked me what
had happened. I told him and he asked to take a look. So I pulled it
off, he looked at it and squeezed it. I yelled 'OW! STU!' and he winked
at me. That was it; he didn't say another word."
Jason
Helton was trained by the Harts but now lives in Australia. He has a
similar story.
"I was practicing one day and I got my toenail caught under my boot and
lifted my big toenail off my foot. It hurt very badly. I was hopping
around and Stu said 'Let me have a look.' I sat down and took off my
boot and showed him. He was holding it in his hands and my toenail was
already turning black with the blood beneath it. He didn't say anything
and grabbed my toe and squeezed my toenail with all his might. The blood
went shooting out of my toe I hopped up in the air to a standing
position. Tears were coming out of my eyes and Stu looked at me and
said, 'That should feel better now.' Then he got up and left. No emotion
at all. I think he was just happy that he got me to yell."
As tributes poor in from around the world, those who knew him all agree
that Stu Hart truly was a special person who touched anyone who had the
honor of meeting him.
"There will never be another Stu Hart. Not a wrestling promoter or
individual who was like Stu Hart. He will be dearly missed," concluded
Singh.
Those sentiments are echoed by WWE superstar Lance
Storm. The Dungeon graduate spoke about Stu recently on his official
website. "Stu Hart was more than just a man, he was a tradition. A
tradition, a part of the history of the wrestling industry and the city
of Calgary, he will be sorely missed."
"He was a man who expected dignity and self-respect, and he died with
dignity and self-respect," Kroffat said. "The day before he died I
visited him. He was sleeping when I walked into his room, and he opened
his eyes and when he saw me his eyes opened wide and he lifted his left
arm. He couldn't respond, but I talked to him. In front of his bed was a
chalkboard. I am lucky that I got to say everything to him, that I could
tell him I loved him and thank him. I wanted to leave one last thought
with him, so I wrote on the board 'Dear Stu, I would have been proud to
have been number 13.' I would have been proud to have had him as a
father. He looked at the board, he looked back at me, and he nodded his
head, and then went back to sleep. I can't begin to tell you how much
that meant to me. "
Jason Clevett lives in Calgary and has a lot of fond memories and
stories about Stu himself. Although putting together this story was
hard, it was also fulfilling to know Stu a bit more through these
stories. He can be reached at hwcanadian@hotmail.com.
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
