Twenty years ago today, on February 25th, 1992, Gene Kiniski’s final appearance in the ring occurred in Winnipeg, Canada for the West Four Wrestling Alliance (WFWA) promotion. Kiniski would perform in four matches on the card. The fourth, and final bout, was a three man tag team match with Kiniski’s partners being a young Chris Jericho and Lance Storm. Their opponents were “Bulldog” Bob Brown, “Champagne” Gerry Morrow, and The Natural. “The Natural” went on to be known as Don Callis (a.k.a. The Jackel and Cyrus).
Welcome back to another Stampede Wrestling classic encounter as we once again travel back in the pro wrestling time machine and return to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This time around I have discovered what could very well be the first ever televised ladder match. The ladder match is of course a very popular event made very famous in the WWF. However unlike what some younger pro wrestling fans may think,Vincent Kennedy McMahon did not invent the ladder match. This type of match had been done long before it ever made its way to that big time federation. It was actually Stampede legend Bret Hart himself who suggested the ladder match type should be used in the WWF. So,when was the first ladder match, you ask? The first ever ladder match is up for some minor debate, but most “wrestling historians” strongly suggest that Dan Kroffat, way back in 1972 , invented the first ladder match in Stampede Wrestling. Kendo Nagasaki has also been mentioned, by some, as perhaps inventing the match around that same time but less confedently. In either case, no televised account of either match seems to exist but I do remain hopeful that there is some evidence of the first ladder match somewhere. I do, however, have one of the first ever internationally televised ladder matches. It involves Bert Hart and his opponent Bad News Allen ( Brown), two men who had been feuding for some time in the Stampede territory. Of course in the years to come they would continue this feud in the WWF. Enjoy this classic ladder match, possibly the first on TV, and I will return next time with more Stampede Wrestling classics! If you want more “PatMan picks” or you like video game podcasts, chech out www.wonderpodonline.com !
Its time once again to travel back into Calgary’s rich wrestling past for some classic Stampede action. This time around I have a match showcasing the members of my favorite tag team of all time, the famous British Bulldogs. Or should I say future favorite tag team of all time. The catch is, this match takes place well before they ever teamed together, left for the WWF to became world champions, dominated in Japan and then returned back to Calgary once again. As a matter of fact , as you will soon see, Davey boy Smith is VERY young and practically unrecognizable when compared to his much more muscular, future Bulldog self. It is very evident that both of these yet to be world famous British Bulldogs are clearly not spending the same time working out in the gym and are not “into the juice” at this point in their careers. This is a great match for the Stampede mid-heavyweight title , held by the” heel ” Dynamite Kid as he defends against a very popular new ” face”, young Smith. As usual the crowd is very into the match, and also as usual in Stampede Wrestling the referee acts both idiotic and blind, driving the crowd nuts with his final decision. Worth noting this time around is the post match interviews with both future Bulldogs. This is where you will really see how young these future legends both were at this time and also how much time they must have spent in the gym soon after! Enjoy this classic encounter that took place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and I will see you for another ” Ring -A- Ding- Dong- Dandy” next time. Dont forget to check out www.wonderpodonline.com for more “PatMan picks” , also episode 84 of our video game podcast and much more!
Welcome yet again to another trip down Stampede Wrestlings historic and classic past. As Ed Whalen would perfectly put it, last week I had a “Malfunction at the junction”, but I am back this week for a ” Ring-A-Ding-Dong-Dandy!”. This time around lets have a look at tag team wrestling in the form of two very good teams. First up is “The Kiwis”, a tag team who became very famous later in the WWF under a new name “The Bushwhackers”. The Kiwis opponents on this particular night were two brothers who belong to one of the most famous families in the sports history, the Harts. This time around a young Bret teams up with his big brother Keith. Perhaps it was because he was older, or because he wanted to help his famous father run the family wrestling business, or maybe Vince just didn’t see the same potential in him, Keith Hart would not become a famous WWF champion as his little brothers Owen and Bret both did. That said, however, he was still a major force to be reckoned within the Stampede promotion and in my opinion could have made it just as big as his little brothers became worldwide. Although the Kiwis would become international wrestling stars in the future it was in Stampede that they really started to shine as a tag team. The extra time training in the famous dungeon along with the experience on the road across Canada gave the Kiwis their first ever tag team titles, right here in the Stampede promotion. Worth noting in this match, in classic Stampede Wrestling style, the referee turns a blind eye to most of the Kiwis heel tactics while preventing the hometown boys from making clean tags. Man, did those Stampede Wrestling Refs ever drive the fans crazy back in those days! Enjoy the tag team action and I will return again with more Stampede Wrestling classics next time!
Welcome to another episode of classic wrestling, Stampede Style! This time around I am featuring something a little different than my usual old school wrestling matches. Don’t worry, all the dungeon trained future super stars and Stampede alumni will return to wrestle it out for our enjoyment next time. Today, I am featuring a “strong man” competition, or powerlifting showcase if you prefer from 2 of Stampede Wrestlings most powerful men. Hell 2 of the WORLDS most power full men at the time. Legitimate “Worlds Strongest Man” winner Bill Kazmaier “mans up” against former power lifting champion Ted Arcidi. With new and younger powerlifters and strong men entering the scene, the decision for both men to become pro wrestlers was a complete no brainer and coincidentally both men found them selves in the Calgary promotion at the same time. Of course this was a great chance for Stu Hart to promote big matches between these massive muscle men in the future. Sure, these guys could not actually wrestle very well. However unlike the smaller guys in Stampede, they didn’t have to know all the wrestling holds and moves to be noticed, they just had to be in the ring beating the crap out of people. Because of their fame as strong men and their intimidating size, they automatically gained all the attention they needed to get a good days pay. lets watch the “Competition” unfold and of course because this is taking place in a Stampeded Wrestling ring, you can rest assured that things wont exactly go smoothly! Worth noting is the actions by Ted Arcidi later in the competition that, of course, sets up a big feud between 2 of Stampede Wrestlings strongest men to ever step into the ring.
Welcome again to another fun trip back in pro wrestling history. Today we will visit a match involving one of Stampedes biggest stars at this point time, Dr. D David Shultz. Although a star in places like AWA, WWF, Japan and Stampede Wrestling , Dr. D is probably most famous for his big mouth both inside and outside the wrestling ring. It was his “open had slap” assault on a network reporter who mentioned that “Wrestling was fake” that is what most people remember Dr. D for. Ironically, it was that very event that put a halt on his career in the big wrestling organizations as his actions were rumored to result in a costly law suit that followed. Dr. D’s opponent in this classic match is the AWA World champion Nick Bockwinkle who, like other AWA world champions, would venture to the Calgary promotion several times per year to take on who ever was at the top of the card at the time. I am not sure where this match took place as it is not in the usual Stampede pavilion venue that the majority of Stampede Wrestling events were televised , but appears to be a smaller venue. Stampedes territory stretched across western Canada and even into north western US, so it could have been anywhere really. The crowd was pretty hot for the match and that’s all that matters for the Wrestlers putting on a show and Ed Whalen was there for the TV taping. Worth noting this time around is the fans chanting Nick “Bullwinkle”. Enjoy the match and decide for your self if it was a 2.5 count or a 3 count at the end ! And if you like videogame podcasts, feel free to check out wonderpod episode 79 on i Tunes and also at our website www.wonderpodonline.com where you will find all sorts of fun stuff! See you next time !
Its that time again people, its time for some classic wrestling action. Welcome to another journey back in time as we explore Stampede Wrestlings great historic past. This time around lets watch a very good match between 2 former wrestlers from the Calgary promotion who were actually WWF employees at the time battling it out for the world tag team titles on the biggest stage of them all. However, in between their feud in the WWF, both men took time to return to their roots and lace up the boots in a Stampede Wrestling ring once again. Those 2 men were one half of the Hart foundation, Bret Hart, and his brother in law Davey Boy Smith who was of course one half of the British Bulldogs. Bret played the “Heel” in this classic encounter as Davey boy played the “Face” but lets face it, the crowd in Calgary loved both of these alumni. Worth noting is the appearance of the Dynamite Kid near the end of the video and of course and as always the classic commentary of Ed Whalen. Enjoy this great match and I will see you on the next episode of PatMan picks next time!
Welcome to another episode of classic wrestling here at Wonderpodonline.com. As usual, we will travel back in time once again to our destination of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The home of Stampede Wrestling! This time its Owen Hart, the future WWF tag team champion, “slammy” award winner and the man destined to become the “king of Harts” in the WWF. His opponent in this match is a famous Stampede Wrestling veteran by the name of Bad news Allen. You will likely know Bad news Allen as Bad news Brown from his time wrestling in the WWF in some great matches, including Wrestlemainia moments against Owens very own brother, Bret Hart. This match showcases young Owens early talents in the ring as he spends much of the match dominating Allen in the technical aspects of pro wrestling. However, this match will also show off the toughness, experience and never die attitude of Bad News Allen that made him a star and a multi time champion both in Calgary and around the world. Worth noting near the end of the video is the appearance of Owens greatest rival in Stampede Wrestling ,Makhan Singh, who was also known as Bastian Booger in the WWF ( I still feel so, so ,sorry for him about that terrible gimmick). Enjoy the fun, excitement and action of this match and I will return with another PatMan Picks Stampede Wrestling Classic next week! In the mean time and in between time ,check out www.wonderpodonline.com for more PatMan picks PC classics and also wonderpod videogame podcast!
One of the great things about Stampede Wrestling was its inter promotional matches. Many classic encounters took place in Calgary between the Stampede roster and champions from other wrestling territories such as the AWA, NWA, Japan and even other Canadian organizations. Here is a classic encounter out of Stampede Wrestlings rich past thats bound to interest wrestling historians. A young Bret Hart challenges the 4 year world title reign of the legendary AWA heavyweight champion, Nick Bockwinkle. Bret was legitimately injured at this time and, of course, in the early “learning phase” of his career. However that did not stop Bret , the future “best there ever will be” and Nick,who was at the time “the best there was” from putting on a good wrestling match for all the fans. Worth noting is the mention of Davey Boy Smith winning the Stampede light heavyweight title, earlier in that same night. Worth also noting are the post match interviews by Ed Whalen with Nick Bockwinkle and “Dr. D” Shultz ,who of course, competed in Stampede for several years. Dr. D also competed in the AWA, NWA, WWF and is most famous for his assault on a reporter who told him wrestling was fake! Enjoy the classic match, check out www.wonderpodonline.com for more PatMan picks and videogame podcasts, and I will see you all back here for another “ring-a-ding-dong-dandy”, next week!
Once again G has invaded your regularly scheduled PatMan Picks Saturday throw back to the Stampede Wrestling article. Yep, and once again I am here to screw it up by referencing a promotion that is not the one from Calgary. This week, we go way back to 1994 and the fallout from WrestleMania X. (more…)
