Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show | |||
---|---|---|---|
![]() Stu Hart with a bust of his head. | |||
Promotion | Stampede Wrestling | ||
Date | December 15, 1995 | ||
City | Calgary, Alberta | ||
Venue | Stampede Corral | ||
Attendance | 4,700 | ||
Tagline(s) | Showdown at The Corral | ||
Event chronology | |||
|
The Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling supercard produced by the Hart family that took place on December 15, 1995 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta. Held in honor of Stu Hart, the event featured Stampede Wrestling alumni [1] [2] as well as talent from World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. [3] It was the first event to feature an interpromotional "dream match" during the Monday Night War-era. [4] The proceeds from the event were donated to the Calgary Quest Children's Society. [5] Nine professional wrestling matches, two of which for championships, were featured on the card. [6] [7] [8]
The main event was for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, in which then-champion Bret Hart defeated the challenger Davey Boy Smith. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard, including a tag team match between Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) and the team of Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk, accompanied by Makhan Singh, which Hart and Pillman won via disqualification. The other match was an WWF Intercontinental Championship match, between defending champion Razor Ramon and Owen Hart, where Ramon defeated Hart by pinfall after a small package pin. [6] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
The Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show featured employees other than the wrestlers involved in the matches. Ed Whalen was the commentator for the telecast. An edited hour-long version of the event was aired on CISA-DT. Besides employees appearing in a wrestling role, Angelo Mosca, Leo Burke, Tor Kamata, and members of Hart wrestling family all appeared on camera, either in backstage or ringside segments. [1] [2] Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, whose father Killer Klein had refereed for Hart during the 1950s, [14] made a guest appearance to pay tribute to the Hart family. [15] Abdullah the Butcher and Dean Douglas were booked to be at the event but later cancelled. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that the original main event was scheduled to be Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels [11] for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, however, Davey Boy Smith ended up replacing Michaels [9] [10] who was still recovering from a concussion. [6]
Several wrestlers were inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame including Andre the Giant, Argentina Rocca, Billy Robinson, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, Edouard Carpentier, The Fabulous Moolah, Terry and Dory Funk Jr., Gorgeous George, Harley Race, Hiroshi Hase, Killer Kowalski, Jim Neidhart, Larry Cameron, Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor, Stan Stasiak, Johnny Valentine, The British Bulldogs and the Hart family (Bret, Bruce, Keith and Owen Hart). In celebration of Stu Hart's 80th birthday, the wrestler was presented a bust of his own head for a special in-ring ceremony. [15]
The first match on the card was a tag team match between the team of The Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow facing the team of King Lau and Mike Anthony. It lasted 11 minutes and 27 seconds. The Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow won the match when Morrow pinned Anthony with a splash off the top rope. The following bout saw Makhan Singh pin The Gothic Knight in a standard match. [9] [10]
The third contest had Rhonda Singh against KC Houston in a standard match. Singh won the match when she blocked a sunset flip by Houston and pinned her opponent with a sit-down splash. The next match was between Dan Kroffat and Jesse Helton. This was Kroffat's first in-ring appearance since his retirement in 1985. [5] The two wrestled for around two minutes before Dr. Drago Zhivago came down to ringside and began harassing Kroffat. Kroffat responded by challenging Zhivago to enter the ring. Accepting the challenge, the then 50-year-old wrestler put Zhivago in a sleeper hold and stripped him of his pants. The bout was eventually declared a no-contest. [9] [10]
After the fourth match ended, Chris Benoit and Rad Radford made their way to the ring for a special "World Championship Wrestling vs. World Wrestling Federation" bout. Benoit, representing WCW, was originally scheduled to face The 1-2-3 Kid. Benoit and Radford shook hands out of respect before the match started. The two wrestled for over ten minutes. Benoit caught Radford as he climbed to the wrestling ring's top turnbuckle and executed a top rope superplex to pin his opponent. [4] [16] The next match was between Keith Hart and The 1-2-3 Kid. Hart controlled the first few minutes of the match before being thrown out of the ring. The 1-2-3 Kid then performed a pescado, a slingshot crossbody where the wrestler goes from the inside of the ring over the top ring rope to the outside, on Hart. This resulted in both men to crashing into the announcer's table. Returning to the ring, The 1-2-3 Kid attempted a frog splash from the top rope but Hart was able to put his knees up in time. This allowed Hart not only to block the maneuver but also cause The 1-2-3 Kid to injure his leg in the process. Sensing victory, Hart targeted his opponent's knee for the remainder of the match. As Hart attempted to put The 1-2-3 Kid in a figure-four leglock, however, The 1-2-3 Kid turned the tables by trapping Hart with an inside cradle. Afterwards, Hart thanked the fans in attendance and wished his father, Stu Hart, a happy 80th birthday. [10] [15]
The next match was for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which champion Razor Ramon defended the title against Owen Hart. The start of the match saw Ramon perform a fallaway slam and follow up by clotheslining Hart over the top rope. Hart gained control of the match after top rope missile dropkick. The top turnbuckle snapped off in mid-match after Ramon was whipped into the corner. This caused one of the ring rope's to fall off which Hart used to choke Ramon. The two men brawled on the outside before returning to the ring. Ramon managed to put Hart a backdrop suplex off the second rope, and was preparing to put Hart in the Razor's Edge, when The 1-2-3 Kid came down to ringside to interfere on Hart's behalf. The 1-2-3 Kid tried to dive onto Ramon from the top turnbuckle but the champion dodged his attack and sent The 1-2-3 Kid over the top rope with a clothesline. As the referee was dealing with The 1-2-3 Kid outside the ring, Hart used the house microphone to knock out Ramon and pin him. Although it appeared Hart had won the belt, a second official came to ringside and informed the referee what had happened. The match was restarted and Ramon went on to pin Hart with a small package. [6] [10] [15]
The eighth match of the night was a tag team match in which Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) wrestled Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk accompanied by Makhan Singh. After a wild brawl, Bad Company were awarded the match via disqualification when Terry Funk hit Hart with a steel chair as he attempted to pin Dory. The last match of the night was the main event between Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. [17] Both men were driven to ringside on motorcycles. Bret gave his glasses away to his father Stu Hart who was sitting at ringside. The match concluded with Hart pinning Smith with a reverse roll-up seconds after Smith broke out of Hart's Sharpshooter finisher. [10] [15] It was the last time Hart would defend the title in his hometown. [6]
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times [9] [10] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1D | The Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow defeated King Lau and Mike Anthony | Tag team match | 11:27 | ||||
2D | Makhan Singh defeated The Gothic Knight | Singles match | 11:00 | ||||
3D | Rhonda Singh defeated KC Houston | Singles match | 5:51 | ||||
4D | Dan Kroffat vs. Jesse Helton ended in a no contest | Singles match | 2:30 | ||||
5 | Chris Benoit (WCW) defeated Rad Radford (WWF) by pinfall | "WCW vs. WWF" match | 11:28 | ||||
6 | The 1-2-3 Kid defeated Keith Hart | Singles match | 6:37 | ||||
7 | Razor Ramon (c) defeated Owen Hart | Singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship | 16:10 | ||||
8 | Bad Company (Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) defeated Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk (with Makhan Singh) | Tag team match | 18:19 | ||||
9 | Bret Hart (c) defeated Davey Boy Smith | Singles match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship | 12:43 | ||||
|
Bret Sergeant Hart is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling background, wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College. A major international draw within professional wrestling, he has been credited with changing the perception of mainstream North-American professional wrestling in the early 1990s by bringing technical in-ring performance to the fore. Hart is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time; Sky Sports noted that his legacy is that of "one of, if not the greatest, to have ever graced the squared circle". For the majority of his career, Hart used the epithet "the Hitman".
David Boy Smith was an English-Canadian professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Boy Smith and The British Bulldog.
Brian William Pillman was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the 1990s.
James Henry Neidhart was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion with his real-life brother-in-law Bret Hart in the Hart Foundation. He also won titles in Stampede Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Mid-South Wrestling, Memphis Championship Wrestling and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. He was part of the Hart wrestling family through marriage to his wife Ellie Hart, teaming with various members throughout his career, and appearing with his daughter Natalya Neidhart on the reality television show Total Divas.
Thomas Wilton Billington, best known by the ring name the Dynamite Kid, was a British professional wrestler.
WrestleMania X was the 10th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 20, 1994, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended in two matches. Due to both Lex Luger and Bret Hart being named the co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match, both challenged champion Yokozuna. Luger was first but was disqualified for pushing the referee. Hart then faced Yokozuna later in the evening and won the championship by pinning Yokozuna. This led to a lengthy worked feud between Bret and his brother Owen, who had defeated Bret in the opening match of the pay-per-view.
Bruce Edward Hart is an American-born Canadian retired professional wrestler, promoter, booker, trainer and school teacher. He is a second-generation wrestler and a member of the Hart wrestling family, being the second child of Stu and Helen Hart. He is best known for his time in Stampede Wrestling and several appearances for WWE, often with his brothers Bret and Owen.
Dean Harry Anthony Hart was a Canadian–American amateur wrestler, professional wrestler, referee, wrestling as well as music promoter and member of the Hart family who wrestled in Canadian regional promotions during the 1970s and 1980s, most notably in the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling. He was the son of Stu and Helen Hart and the younger brother of Smith, Bruce, Keith and Wayne, as well as older brother of Ellie, Georgia, Bret, Alison, Ross, Diana and Owen Hart. Dean was widely regarded as the most handsome of the Hart brothers. He died at the age of 36 in 1990, from a heart attack induced by kidney failure.
Michael Paul Shaw was an American professional wrestler who was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Norman the Lunatic, and as Bastion Booger in the World Wrestling Federation.
Stampede Wrestling was a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta. For nearly 50 years, it was one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies. Originally established by Stu Hart in 1948, the promotion competed with other promotions such as NWA All-Star Wrestling and Pacific Northwest Wrestling and regularly ran events in Calgary's Victoria Pavilion, Ogden Auditorium and the Stampede Corral between 1948 and 1984. Bought out by promoter Vince McMahon, the company was briefly run by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) before being sold back to the Hart family the following year. Run by Bruce Hart until January 1990, he and Ross Hart reopened the promotion in 1999 and began running events in the Alberta area.
Shayne Alexander Bower, better known by his ring name Biff Wellington, was a Canadian professional wrestler who was born, raised, and died in Calgary, Alberta.
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He received most of his success in the WWF, where he wrestled under both his own name and the ring name The Blue Blazer.
The 1994 SummerSlam was the seventh annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 29, 1994, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, which had opened eleven days earlier. Eight matches were contested at the event, including one dark match held before the live broadcast.
The 1995 SummerSlam was the eighth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 27, 1995, at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A total of nine matches were contested at the event.
The 1995 Royal Rumble was the eighth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 22, 1995, in the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. The event featured five matches on its card. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 1995 event, the winner received a match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XI.
Katsuji Adachi, better known as Mr. Hito, was a Japanese professional wrestler who competed in North American and Japanese regional promotions from the 1950s until the mid-1980s. Most notably, he was the tag team partner of Mr. Moto while wrestling in National Wrestling Alliance regional territories during the late 1950s.
Daniel Kroffat is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling in the 1960s and 1970s, where he invented the ladder match.
The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family was wrestling legend Stu Hart (1915–2003). An amateur and professional wrestling performer, promoter and trainer, Stu owned and operated his own wrestling promotion, Stampede Wrestling. He also trained some of the most well known stars in wrestling history including "Superstar" Billy Graham, Fritz Von Erich, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and his own sons Bret Hart and Owen Hart.
In Your House 13: Final Four was the 13th In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event was presented by Western Union and took place on February 16, 1997, at the UTC Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Five matches were broadcast on the PPV portion, with one match held before the event as a dark match.
In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede was the 16th In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on July 6, 1997, at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event's card consisted of four matches with one match held on the Free for All pre-show.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)