Ah yes, Stampede Wrestling. This is perhaps one of the most fampus promotions/territories ever in the history of pro wrestling. The names of the wrestlers that have graced the promotion reads as a who's who of professional wrestling. Of course, you have each of The Hart brothers, and Davey Boy himself. But some of the finest wrestler's in the world outside of the Hart family have made a name for themselves in this region in which, one could argue, was probably the toughest region in North America. Names like Andre and Abdullah The Butcher found themselves working programs here. It's where Dynamite Kid and Brian Pillman made names for themselves, and established themselves as attractions in professional wrestling. And yes, it was where young upstarts (at the time) by the name of Benoit and Jericho got their start, enthusiastically carrying the Hart's bags and going across the long, winding road in a cramped van. Still, so many pro wrestlers made names for themselves, and it was once run by (arguably) the most recognized patriarch in the world of Professional Wrestling; Stu Hart. Simply put, if you could make it through Stu's dungeon, you were destined to great things. This was because Stu, in the prime of his training, wouldn't accept anything less than perfection from his pupils. Stu would grind his students into the ground, because he knew that the traveling fans of his promotion demanded technically sound matches, and compelling wrestlers to cheer and boo. And that's exactly what Stu gave them.
Unfortunately, at some point, the magic that was Stampede Wrestling ran out. And there are plenty of culpable susprects into the death of Stampede Wrestling. The question is, who is most responsible for the death of Stampede Wrestling
(I suppose it's only fair, at this moment, to add that the promotion has been restarted. However, my personal belief is that, without any sort of backing from the Hart family, this version of Stampede means very little to me. To the best of my knowledge, the promotion is run by Bill Bell and Devon Nicholson. No where in that do I spy even a hint of a Hart.)
Now, I suppose when you're talking about killing promotions, it's only fair to bring this man to light...
Yeah, I guess I really should include Vince. After all, the guy did buy out Stu, and did kind of raid his best talent from hi, didn't he? Yes, yes, he did it to every single promotion he could possible. All of the territories eventually couldn't combat Vince's media outlets, and the promise of more money for the wrestlers. And I guess you could say Vince sold back Stampede to Stu after he had raided him of his best talent (I.E. Bret, Davey Boy, Dynamite, you get the drill). So yeah, it'd be pretty simple to say vince is completely at fault.
But then again...
I mean, when you really think about it, Vince actually allowed for Stampede Wrestling shows to take place, even after the buy out. Granted, those shows were also presented as subsidiaries of WWE programming, but Vince was also providing financial support to Stampede. Vince was to provide a hundred thousand dollars a year for ten years, plus ten percent of the gate of Calgary and Edmonton shows. Vince, in return, took Calgary's television slots, and also allowed for Vince to hire the top talent of Stampede. Granted, seems lopsided, but when you come to think of it, the actual core of the promotion was still there. Stampede could have kept touring, and stayed alive for a good portion of time. Yes, Vince deserves some of the blame, but after all, it wasn't just him that led to the death of Stampede.
No sir, some of that indignity falls upon the shoulders of a booker for that promotion, Bruce Hart. Surely you know the last name, but who was he, you ask? Only the most egomanical and manipulative of all the Harts, with a little bit of bitter feelings towards Vince, to boot. Selected as a member of Creative when the agreed deal of signing talent occured, Bruce was always unhappy with how he felt his voice was heard in the WWE. Always a man that had to have a say in everything, Hart felt the position was mere table scraps, when in reality, the real issue was that his massive ego was damaged by not wielding the power that he used to. Thus,(and this is where I tend to get a bit fuzzy with what actually occured) when a group of investor's went to Bruce to start the idea of a "new" Stampede Wrestling, away from Vince's jurisdiction, Bruce jumped at the chance. Namely, because doing so would mean a return for him to the booker position. Thus, he accepted a deal in which would make him the new owner of Stampede Wrestling. Thus, Vince's deal with stu was broken. All of the money in which Vince was going to give Stu went completely down the drain, and Stampede was completely drained of talent that could have otherwise made sporadic returns in the region. In short, Bruce Hart assured that Stampede Wrestling, and in turn, Stu Hart, received absolutely nothing in the deal they made with WWE, and lost everything. Bruce would attempt to flog a floundering "new" Stampede Wrestling, but fans didn't turn out nearly as much as the original form. Perhaps, if the deal hadn't been breached by Bruce Hart, Stu could have been left with at least something.
Then again, perhaps Stu's a bit at fault himself. When you attempt to run your business in such a chaotic fashion as The Hart Family found to be the norm. Stu, while owning a terrific wrestling mind, had just as poor a mind when it involved running a business. The Harts were known for expenditures that can only be described as curious. One can only look at a household such as The Hart House to see the many frivolous spending Stu was notorious for, including, amongst other things, a fucking wrestling bear. Also, while Stu could see all of the flaws of his sons , such as Bruce, from a booking standopoint, Stu never once stepped in, and put Bruce back into his place. Still, Stu allowed for Bruce to wreak havoc, preferring to let his son beat Stampede right into the ground with horrible decisions and terrible booking. Shouting matches and fights were the norm for members of The Hart House, with Stu and Helen unfortunately caught within the middle. Still, Stu never stepped in when something was wrong, and to some extent, even isolated himself more from his business. By the time Bruce had run Stampede into the ground, all of the huge names had left for Vince's burgeoning company, with no hope of ever having them come back. Still, Stu allowed for Bruce to run his creation into the ground, without some sense of order, or firing Bruce Hart. You may wonder why I'm calling for a father to have fired his son, but from a business standpoint, it behooved Stu to keep Bruce away from the booking side. Still, he allowed Bruce to book his company into oblivion, and by the time Vince came calling, the man was too tired and drained to fight against Vince's corporation. Stu had every chance to stop his company, yet seemed too wrapped up in an already chaotic and otherwise destructive family to allow himself to do good business, and to have kept Bruce as far away from booking as possible.
Perhaps this all boils down to something I will discuss later in a future thread... Stu was a wrestling mind, but he, like many promoters of this period, was surely not a business mind. And unfortunately, running a wrestling business required just that.
Look, I'm not trying to get Vince off the hook here. Without Vince, perhaps Stampede would still be running. And I'd still argue that it's highly possible Stampede would have died a painful death, due to the chaotic booking and politics that seemed to destroy the promotion from the inside out.
So again, who, in your opinion, is to blame for The Death of Stampede Wrestling?
Unfortunately, at some point, the magic that was Stampede Wrestling ran out. And there are plenty of culpable susprects into the death of Stampede Wrestling. The question is, who is most responsible for the death of Stampede Wrestling
(I suppose it's only fair, at this moment, to add that the promotion has been restarted. However, my personal belief is that, without any sort of backing from the Hart family, this version of Stampede means very little to me. To the best of my knowledge, the promotion is run by Bill Bell and Devon Nicholson. No where in that do I spy even a hint of a Hart.)
Now, I suppose when you're talking about killing promotions, it's only fair to bring this man to light...
Yeah, I guess I really should include Vince. After all, the guy did buy out Stu, and did kind of raid his best talent from hi, didn't he? Yes, yes, he did it to every single promotion he could possible. All of the territories eventually couldn't combat Vince's media outlets, and the promise of more money for the wrestlers. And I guess you could say Vince sold back Stampede to Stu after he had raided him of his best talent (I.E. Bret, Davey Boy, Dynamite, you get the drill). So yeah, it'd be pretty simple to say vince is completely at fault.
But then again...
I mean, when you really think about it, Vince actually allowed for Stampede Wrestling shows to take place, even after the buy out. Granted, those shows were also presented as subsidiaries of WWE programming, but Vince was also providing financial support to Stampede. Vince was to provide a hundred thousand dollars a year for ten years, plus ten percent of the gate of Calgary and Edmonton shows. Vince, in return, took Calgary's television slots, and also allowed for Vince to hire the top talent of Stampede. Granted, seems lopsided, but when you come to think of it, the actual core of the promotion was still there. Stampede could have kept touring, and stayed alive for a good portion of time. Yes, Vince deserves some of the blame, but after all, it wasn't just him that led to the death of Stampede.
No sir, some of that indignity falls upon the shoulders of a booker for that promotion, Bruce Hart. Surely you know the last name, but who was he, you ask? Only the most egomanical and manipulative of all the Harts, with a little bit of bitter feelings towards Vince, to boot. Selected as a member of Creative when the agreed deal of signing talent occured, Bruce was always unhappy with how he felt his voice was heard in the WWE. Always a man that had to have a say in everything, Hart felt the position was mere table scraps, when in reality, the real issue was that his massive ego was damaged by not wielding the power that he used to. Thus,(and this is where I tend to get a bit fuzzy with what actually occured) when a group of investor's went to Bruce to start the idea of a "new" Stampede Wrestling, away from Vince's jurisdiction, Bruce jumped at the chance. Namely, because doing so would mean a return for him to the booker position. Thus, he accepted a deal in which would make him the new owner of Stampede Wrestling. Thus, Vince's deal with stu was broken. All of the money in which Vince was going to give Stu went completely down the drain, and Stampede was completely drained of talent that could have otherwise made sporadic returns in the region. In short, Bruce Hart assured that Stampede Wrestling, and in turn, Stu Hart, received absolutely nothing in the deal they made with WWE, and lost everything. Bruce would attempt to flog a floundering "new" Stampede Wrestling, but fans didn't turn out nearly as much as the original form. Perhaps, if the deal hadn't been breached by Bruce Hart, Stu could have been left with at least something.
Then again, perhaps Stu's a bit at fault himself. When you attempt to run your business in such a chaotic fashion as The Hart Family found to be the norm. Stu, while owning a terrific wrestling mind, had just as poor a mind when it involved running a business. The Harts were known for expenditures that can only be described as curious. One can only look at a household such as The Hart House to see the many frivolous spending Stu was notorious for, including, amongst other things, a fucking wrestling bear. Also, while Stu could see all of the flaws of his sons , such as Bruce, from a booking standopoint, Stu never once stepped in, and put Bruce back into his place. Still, Stu allowed for Bruce to wreak havoc, preferring to let his son beat Stampede right into the ground with horrible decisions and terrible booking. Shouting matches and fights were the norm for members of The Hart House, with Stu and Helen unfortunately caught within the middle. Still, Stu never stepped in when something was wrong, and to some extent, even isolated himself more from his business. By the time Bruce had run Stampede into the ground, all of the huge names had left for Vince's burgeoning company, with no hope of ever having them come back. Still, Stu allowed for Bruce to run his creation into the ground, without some sense of order, or firing Bruce Hart. You may wonder why I'm calling for a father to have fired his son, but from a business standpoint, it behooved Stu to keep Bruce away from the booking side. Still, he allowed Bruce to book his company into oblivion, and by the time Vince came calling, the man was too tired and drained to fight against Vince's corporation. Stu had every chance to stop his company, yet seemed too wrapped up in an already chaotic and otherwise destructive family to allow himself to do good business, and to have kept Bruce as far away from booking as possible.
Perhaps this all boils down to something I will discuss later in a future thread... Stu was a wrestling mind, but he, like many promoters of this period, was surely not a business mind. And unfortunately, running a wrestling business required just that.
Look, I'm not trying to get Vince off the hook here. Without Vince, perhaps Stampede would still be running. And I'd still argue that it's highly possible Stampede would have died a painful death, due to the chaotic booking and politics that seemed to destroy the promotion from the inside out.
So again, who, in your opinion, is to blame for The Death of Stampede Wrestling?