5 Things You Didn’t Know About Stu Hart

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Stu Hart 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Stu Hart – Ringside News

Stu Hart is one of the most important figures in wrestling history and there’s no disputing that. In addition to being the patriarch of the Hart family, Stu trained an entire generation of wrestlers including his own sons. The legendary Hart started training in his early years and went on to become a household name in Canada. Stu’s influence on pro wrestling cannot be stressed enough. With that being said, here are five things you probably didn’t know about Stu Hart.

Stu Hart was a bona fide athlete in his formidable years. He began training in amateur wrestling in his younger days and would win countless local championships and tournaments. Such was Hart’s athletic prowess that he qualified for the 1940 Olympics.

Unfortunately, the advent of the Second World War in the late forties brought about the cancellation of the games and Stu eventually had to give up on his dreams of becoming an Olympian. That, however, didn’t stop him from diversifying his skill set.

World War II prompted a distress call from countries around the world. Much like most of his peers, Stu Hart enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in the early years of the war. The Navy knew the value Hart brought to the table and appointed him as the director of their athletics division.

Hart would continue to stay with the Navy for a couple of years, competing in various sports, including fastball and wrestling. Working in the seas taught him valuable life lessons and Hart would impart those teachings to his sons.

Stu Hart’s amateur wrestling aspirations led him to buying a mansion in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 1951. He would covert the basement of his mansion into a training facility. Aptly named The Dungeon, the facility created future stars and champions.

In addition to training his own family, Hart would train aspiring wrestlers in The Dungeon. The facility was anything but fancy, characterized by a low ceiling and a wrestling mat on the floor along with some weight lifting equipment.

Before he would set up The Dungeon, Stu Hart co-founded Klondike Wrestling with his close friend Al Oeming in 1948. Over the years, Klondike Wrestling would see different name changes until the owners settled down on Stampede Wrestling.

With an initial run lasting until 1989 — and a year off after being briefly owned by WWE — Stampede proved to be a popular promotion in Canada, airing on television for decades and introducing a number of future stars who’d make their way to WWE.

The Opera House Cup is one of those wrestling gems lost to time. The tournament debuted in the first half of the 18th century and saw participants wrestle in numerous matches, with the winner becoming the number one contender to the World title.

Stu Hart would win the tournament in 1948 but would prove to be the final recipient of the trophy, which would remain in his house for decades. The tournament would be revived by Major League Wrestling in 2019.

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