Stewart Edward "Stu" Hart, CM

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

 (May 3, 1915 – October 16, 2003) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 amateur wrestler, professional wrestler

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

, promoter

Professional wrestling promotion

A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...

 and trainer. Hart founded Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...

, a promotion based in Calgary, Alberta, and was the father of famous wrestlers Bret

Bret Hart

Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...

 and Owen Hart

Owen Hart

Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...

. Along with Bret and Owen, Hart's trainees included future world champions Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho

Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...

, Edge

Adam Copeland

Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....

, Christian

Jason Reso

William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...

, Mark Henry

Mark Henry

Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...

, and Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit

Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...

.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

WWE Hall of Fame

The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...

 in 2010 by the Hart family

Hart wrestling family

The Hart wrestling family is a Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family is wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart, amateur and professional wrestler, promoter and trainer, who not only owned and operated his own wrestling...

.

Early life

Hart played football for the Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...

 in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. Stu Hart began amateur wrestling when he joined the YMCA in Edmonton in 1929. By 1937 he won a gold medal in the welterweight class from the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada. His amateur career peaked in May 1940 when Hart won the Dominion Amateur Wrestling Championship in the light heavyweight category. It must have been a bittersweet win for Hart as by that time the Phoney War had ended in Europe, and World War II had erupted. This led to the cancellation of the Olympics ending one of Hart's greatest dreams. Hart did enlist in the Canadian Navy and served as the Director of Athletics.

Hart was trained in catch wrestling

Catch wrestling

Catch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...

 as a young boy by a bunch of older boys. They used to 'streim every day, but Stu kept coming back. Stu once said "his head would be blue by the time they let go of him". Stu taught this 'shoot style' to all who trained under him in the 1980s and 1990s with the thought that teaching his students real submission moves would make their pro wrestling style sharper.

Career

It was during his service that Stu was introduced to professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

. After recovering from a car accident, Stu competed in various exhibition matches to entertain the troops. In 1946, while receiving training from Toots Mondt

Toots Mondt

Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt was a former wrestling promoter who revolutionized the wrestling industry in the early to mid 1920s and co-promoted the World Wide Wrestling Federation...

, Hart debuted in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and embarked on a long, eventful career, at one point wrestling a tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

 and a grizzly bear

Brown Bear

The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...

.

In 1948, Hart established Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...

, which was responsible for developing many second generation wrestling superstars. Three years later, he purchased a mansion in Patterson Heights, Calgary. The Hart House

Hart House (Alberta)

The Hart House is a residence located in the Patterson Heights neighbourhood of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Once owned by Stu Hart, it was home to his extensive family made world famous for their accomplishments in professional wrestling...

 is now considered a historical site for the many famous figures that had passed through its doors. Its basement, known as the Dungeon, provided training grounds with an extensive legacy all its own.

A coach and mentor to countless young athletes, and a generous supporter of community life in Calgary, Hart, a loyal benefactor to more than thirty charitable and civic organizations including the Shriners' Hospital for Crippled Children and the Alberta Firefighters Toy Fund was appointed on November 15, 2000 to the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

. He was investitured on May 31, 2001.

Family

For 53 years he was married to U.S. born Helen Smith (February 16, 1924 - November 4, 2001) and together they raised twelve children in the Hart mansion. Many of his children went on to become wrestlers or were otherwise involved in wrestling. The couple have thirty-six grandchildren and three great-grandchilden (Teddy Annis's son Bradley, Kristin Neidhart's son Locklin and Jade Hart's daughter Kyra) Tommy Billington's three children, Bronwynn,Marek and Amaris are also included in his list of grandchildren and Bronwynn's daughter Miami is also referred to as one of his great-grandchildren.

Death

Hart was admitted to Rockyview General Hospital on October 3, 2003 for an elbow infection and then developed pneumonia. He also suffered from ailments associated with diabetes and arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....

. He had a stroke and died 13 days later at the age of 88.

In 2005 the City of Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

 announced that a street in the city's new Blairmore Suburban Centre development will be named Hart Road in Stu Hart's honor.

On March 27, 2010, Hart was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame

WWE Hall of Fame

The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...

.

In wrestling

Wrestlers trained by Hart

• Abdullah the Butcher
  Abdullah the Butcher
  Lawrence Robert "Larry" Shreve best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times The Madman from the Sudan, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler known as one of the most brutal or "hardcore" professional wrestlers of all-time...
  
  
• Kip Abee
• Gene Anderson
  Gene Anderson
  Gene Anderson was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his brother Ole Anderson.-Career:...
  
  
• Ben Bassarab
  Ben Bassarab
  Ben Bassarab is a Canadian former professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion throughout the 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:...
  
  
• Chris Benoit
  Chris Benoit
  Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
  
  
• David Hart Smith
  Harry Smith (wrestler)
  Harry Smith is a Canadian professional wrestler of English descent. He is currently working for Inoki Genome Federation and is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he won the Unified Tag Team Championship along with Tyson Kidd before being released from his contract on August 5, 2011...
  
  
• Tyson Kidd
• Craig Baranieski
• Steve Blackman
  Steve Blackman
  Steve Blackman is a American professional wrestler who is best known for his career in the World Wrestling Federation under his own name.-Stampede Wrestling and South Africa :...
  
  
• Bad News Brown
  Allen Coage
  Allen James Coage was an American professional wrestler with the WWF and Stampede Wrestling among many other companies, better known by his ring names Bad News Brown and Bad News Allen. He was also the 1976 Olympic bronze medal winner in judo, in the heavyweight division...
  
  
• Larry Cameron
  Larry Cameron
  Larry Cameron was an American professional football player and wrestler.-Football career:Larry Cameron was born and raised in Chicago. When he was a teenager, he played football in high school and college. He was drafted in the Canadian Football League, where he played with the British Columbia...
  
  
• Justin Credible
• Christian
  Jason Reso
  William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
  
  

• Dynamite Kid
  Dynamite Kid
  Thomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
  
  
• Edge
  Adam Copeland
  Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
  
  
• Ricky Fuji
  Ricky Fuji
  is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known under his ring name .-Professional wrestling career:Morimura started training in the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in 1984. He then left Japan in January 1987 for a training expedition in Canada, where he was trained in the Dungeon by Stu Hart and...
  
  
• "Superstar" Billy Graham
• Bret Hart
  Bret Hart
  Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
  
  
• Bruce Hart
  Bruce Hart (wrestler)
  Bruce Dennis Luis Hart is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. The second son of Stu Hart, Hart is a member of the large Hart wrestling family.Hart substitute teaches for the Calgary Board of Education.-Career:...
  
  
• Keith Hart
• Dean Hart
  Dean Hart
  Dean Harry Anthony Hart was a Canadian professional wrestler, referee 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.-Career:Born to Stu and Helen Hart, Dean Hart began wrestling in his...
  
  
• Owen Hart
  Owen Hart
  Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
  
  
• Ross Hart
• Smith Hart
  Smith Hart
  Smith Stewart Hart is a former professional wrestler. He is the eldest child of Stu Hart.-Career:He wrestled in his father's Stampede Wrestling promotion and in Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council in the 1970s. As well as trips to Japan, England, Germany and Holland...
  
  

• Shinya Hashimoto
  Shinya Hashimoto
  , was a Japanese professional wrestler. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the "Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid 1980s and dominated the promotion in the 1990s....
  
  
• Hulk Hogan
  Hulk Hogan
  Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
  
  
• Billy Jack Haynes
  Billy Jack Haynes
  William Albert Haynes, III is a retired American professional wrestler better known as Billy Jack Haynes.-Early career :...
  
  
• Mark Henry
  Mark Henry
  Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
  
  
• Johnathan Holliday
• The Honky Tonk Man
  The Honky Tonk Man
  Roy Wayne Farris , better known by his ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American professional wrestler. A 1975 graduate from University of Memphis with a B.S. degree in Education. Coached high school football 2 seasons at Munford High School in Munford, Tennessee...
  
  
• Chris Jericho
  Chris Jericho
  Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
  
  
• The Junkyard Dog
• Gene Kiniski
  Gene Kiniski
  Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...
  
  
• Klondike Bill
  Klondike Bill
  Bill Soloweyko , better known by his ring name Klondike Bill, was a Canadian professional wrestler trained by Stu Hart in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He wrestled in various NWA territories throughout the 1960's and 70's, before moving onto World Championship Wrestling.-Career:Bill was trained by Stu...
  
  
• Tim Le Strange

• Jos Leduc
  Jos LeDuc
  Michel Pigeon was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc. Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc...
  
  
• Paul LeDuc
  Paul LeDuc (wrestler)
  Paul LeDuc is a former Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for teaming with his kayfabe brother Jos LeDuc.-Career:LeDuc began wrestling professionally in 1957 at age 18. He began his training in Montreal, Quebec and later moved to Mexico for further instruction. He talked a friend,...
  
  
• Jushin Liger
  Jushin Liger
  , better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
  
  
• Luther Lindsey
• Mike Michaels
• Michael Majalahti
  Michael Majalahti
  Michael Majalahti is a Canadian-Finnish professional wrestler, singer and artist, better known by the stage name "The Canadian Rebel" StarBuck. His bands include , and...
  
  
• Gorilla Monsoon
  Gorilla Monsoon
  Robert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
  
  
• Jim Neidhart
  Jim Neidhart
  James Henry "Jim" Neidhart is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya...
  
  
• Reggie Parks
• Eduardo Miguel Perez
  Eduardo Miguel Perez
  Eduardo Miguel Perez is a former professional wrestler. Known as a hybrid wrestler, one of the first competitors who combined elements of the Mexican Lucha Libre style with a strong background in the Catch Wrestling mat based style...
  
  
• Brian Pillman
  Brian Pillman
  Brian William Pillman was an American football player and professional wrestler best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling....
  
  

• George Scott
  George Scott (wrestler)
  George Scott was a Canadian professional wrestler, booker and promoter. From the 1950s until the 1970s, he and his younger brother Sandy competed as The Flying Scotts in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance, particularly the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic...
  
  
• Sandy Scott
  Sandy Scott
  Angus Mackay Scott , better known by his ring name Sandy Scott, was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked with his older brother George from the 1950s until the 1970s as The Flying Scotts in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance, particularly the Midwest...
  
  
• Ken Shamrock
  Ken Shamrock
  Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American mixed martial arts fighter, UFC Hall of Famer and professional wrestler...
  
  
• Gama Singh
• Davey Boy Smith
  Davey Boy Smith
  Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
  
  
• The Stomper
• Lance Storm
  Lance Storm
  Lance Timothy Evers known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling...
  
  
• Greg Valentine
  Greg Valentine
  John Wisniski, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine.-Training:...
  
  
• Nikolai Volkoff
  Nikolai Volkoff
  Josip Nikolai Peruzović , better known by his ring name of Nikolai Volkoff, is a professional wrestler who is best known for his performances for the World Wrestling Federation...
  
  
• Fritz Von Erich
  Fritz Von Erich
  Jack Barton Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the Von Erich family...
  
  
• Terry Marvin
• Rowdy Roddy Piper

Championships and accomplishments

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  Cauliflower Alley Club
  The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America....
  
  
  • Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2001)
• Stampede Wrestling
  Stampede Wrestling
  Stampede Wrestling is a Canadian professional wrestling promotion based in Calgary, Alberta and was for nearly 50 years one of the main promotions in western Canada and the Canadian Prairies...
  
  
  • Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
    Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
    The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to the sport. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is not...
    
     (Class of 1996)
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  World Wrestling Entertainment
  World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
  
  
  • WWE Hall of Fame
    WWE Hall of Fame
    The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
    
     (Class of 2010)
• Other titles
  • Northwest Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Pat Meehan and Luigi Macera
  • Dean Youngs Foundation

External links

• Canadian wrestling patriarch Stu Hart dies - By Judy Monchuk - Canadian Press
• Stu Hart Biography
• Walk of Fame shuns Stu Hart
• Hart Family News
• WWE Hall of Fame profile