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 until 1984 when 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.
73-669: Professional wrestling championship Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship [REDACTED] The original championship belt Details Promotion Stampede Wrestling Date established February 28, 1968 Date retired 1989 & 2008 Statistics First champion(s) Archie Gouldie Final champion(s) Randy Myers Most reigns Archie Gouldie (14) Longest reign Davey Boy Smith (521 days) Shortest reign Stan Stasiak and Geoff Portz (1 day) The Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship
146-577: A road agent came to discuss the match. Stasiak considered this a formality as he had been having the same discussion, nearly verbatim, in every major city on the Eastern Seaboard for the past two months. However, this time it was different, as the agent told Stasiak that he was to win the championship. According to fellow wrestler Frank Dusek , the WWWF wanted to make Bruno Sammartino champion again, but did not want Sammartino to defeat Morales in
219-492: A 3-way match to win the vacant title. — Vacated September 9, 2005 — — — — Championship vacated for undocumented reasons 137 TJ Wilson November 25, 2005 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 105 Defeated Harry Smith in a tournament final to win the vacant title 138 Apocalypse March 10, 2006 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 189 Apocalypse eliminates Wilson in
292-429: A battle royal in which the title was on the line 139 TJ Wilson September 15, 2006 CFL game Calgary, AB 2 15 This match took place during halftime of a Calgary Stampeders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers CFL game at McMahon Stadium . 140 Apocalypse September 30, 2006 Stampede show N/A 2 479 Belt returned as Apocalypse claimed
365-794: A fan of wrestling as a youth, attending shows in Chicoutimi . Stipich and his friends became known for throwing sucker punches at wrestlers; on one occasion, wrestler Don Leo Jonathan blocked Stipich's punch and knocked him unconscious. As a young man, Stipich worked in an aluminium mill while playing ice hockey in the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association but became known for his lack of discipline, with his final coach encouraging him to switch to professional wrestling. Stipich trained in Montreal , making his debut in 1958. He initially wrestled as "Emile Koverly" for
438-573: A few days later, after Bret Hart proved that he owned the rights to the footage of his matches. Stampede Wrestling was famous for "The Dungeon", a professional wrestling school located in the basement of the Calgary mansion Hart House , home of the Hart family. Stu Hart and Mr. Hito were the main trainers in the Dungeon. The school trained a number of ECW , WCW , WWE and NJPW stars, including
511-641: A fictitious tournament final to win the revived title 130 Richard Pound April 20, 2000 Stampede show Michigan 1 358 Fictitious title change. 131 Bruce Hart April 13, 2001 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 68 132 Michael Modest June 20, 2001 Stampede show Lethbridge, AB 1 367 133 Bruce Hart June 22, 2002 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 28 — Vacated July 20, 2002 — — — — Hart vacates
584-751: A lack of approval by the Calgary Wrestling & Boxing Commission to promote shows. The next attempt was around December 1991 by Abu Wizal, but only lasted a couple weeks. Between July 1995 and July 1997, Bruce Hart promoted one-off shows periodically at the Rockyford Rodeo in Rockyford, Alberta. On December 15, 1995, a special Stampede Wrestling tribute show was held at the Corral in Calgary, celebrating Stu Hart's life and career. It featured several Stampede alumni, as well as talent from both
657-619: A loss to Sugiyama, Toyonobori, and the Great Kusatsu. In November 1969, Stasiak began wrestling for the San Francisco, California , United States–based Big Time Wrestling promotion. He quickly formed a tag team with The Gladiator and began feuding with Peter Maivia and Ray Stevens , repeatedly unsuccessfully challenging them for the NWA World Tag Team Championship . In August 1970, he formed
730-646: A masked Hiroshi Hase ). In December 1987, they added a women's championship, the IWA World Women's Championship , with Monster Ripper as their champion, but by January 1989, that championship moved to Japan. Despite a valiant four years trying to resurrect the wrestling scene in Calgary to its former glory, Stampede officially shut down on December 18, 1989. The closure stemmed from long-standing problems between Bruce Hart and Ed Whalen, producer Fred May's constantly editing too much content off TV, and pay disputes within talent. Their final show before closing down
803-1737: A match between Les Thornton and Black Angus Campbell. 30 Black Angus Campbell August 28, 1971 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 N/A Defeated Thornton in rematch. 31 John Quinn October 1971 Stampede show N/A 1 N/A 32 Black Angus Campbell November 6, 1971 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 2 13 33 Bob Lueck November 19, 1971 Stampede show N/A 1 14 34 Kurt Von Hess December 3, 1971 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 73 35 Tor Kamata February 14, 1972 Stampede show Lethbridge, AB 1 109 36 Geoff Portz June 2, 1972 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 21 37 Tor Kamata June 23, 1972 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 26 38 Dan Kroffat July 19, 1972 Stampede show Saskatoon, SK 1 16 39 Tor Kamata August 4, 1972 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 20 40 Geoff Portz August 24, 1972 Stampede show N/A 2 5 41 Tor Kamata August 29, 1972 Stampede show N/A 4 4 42 Geoff Portz September 2, 1972 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 21 43 Kendo Nagasaki September 23, 1972 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 91 This
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#1732794093050876-497: A rematch to win the held up title. 118 Steve DiSalvo May 5, 1986 Stampede show Vancouver, BC 1 7 119 Bad News Allen May 12, 1986 Stampede show Swift Current, SK 4 39 120 Honky Tonk Wayne June 20, 1986 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 70 — Vacated August 29, 1986 — — — — Farris leaves for
949-568: A rematch to win the held up title. 18 Billy Robinson June 26, 1969 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 225 Awarded when Gouldie did not show up for a championship match 19 Abdullah the Butcher February 6, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 14 20 Billy Robinson February 20, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 7 21 Abdullah
1022-813: A short-lived tag team with Pat Patterson . Stasiak left San Francisco in September 1970. In October 1970, Stasiak wrestled in Australia for the World Championship Wrestling promotion. In his debut match, he defeated King Curtis Iaukea in the Festival Hall in Melbourne to win the IWA World Heavyweight Championship - his first world heavyweight championship . He lost the title back to Iaukea
1095-740: A single successful title defense, wrestling Chief Jay Strongbow to a no contest on December 7, 1973. Stasiak faced Sammartino in a rematch in January 1974, but failed to regain the title. In March 1974, Stasiak teamed with Larry Hennig to unsuccessfully challenge Dean Ho and Tony Garea for the WWWF Tag Team Championship . Stasiak continued regularly appearing with the WWF until October 1974. In April and May 1974, Stasiak toured Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling , competing in its inaugural World League round-robin tournament . On
1168-3161: A tournament final to win the vacant title. 76 Leo Burke January 6, 1978 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 65 77 Michel Martel March 12, 1978 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 12 78 Leo Burke March 24, 1978 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 15 79 Michel Martel April 8, 1978 Stampede show N/A 2 6 80 Leo Burke April 14, 1978 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 36 81 Mr. Sakurada May 20, 1978 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 104 82 Paddy Ryan September 1, 1978 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 21 83 Kasavubu September 22, 1978 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 51 84 Alo Leilani November 12, 1978 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 19 85 Big Daddy Ritter December 1, 1978 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 126 86 Jake Roberts April 6, 1979 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 112 87 Big Daddy Ritter July 27, 1979 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 15 88 Larry Lane August 11, 1979 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 5 N/A 89 Leo Burke September 1979 Stampede show N/A 4 N/A 90 Don Gagné November 18, 1979 Stampede show N/A 2 20 91 Mr. Sekigawa December 8, 1979 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 N/A 92 Leo Burke January 1980 Stampede show N/A 5 N/A 93 Bret Hart May 2, 1980 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 65 94 Duke Myers July 6, 1980 Stampede show N/A 1 5 95 Bret Hart July 11, 1980 Stampede show N/A 2 204 96 David Schultz January 31, 1981 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 21 97 Leo Burke February 21, 1981 Stampede show Calgary, AB 6 6 98 David Schultz February 27, 1981 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 203 99 Mr. Hito September 18, 1981 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 14 100 David Schultz October 2, 1981 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 35 101 Mr. Hito November 6, 1981 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 133 — Vacated March 19, 1982 — — — — Hito
1241-688: Is held up by referee Cedric Hathaway after a No Disqualification title but between Gouldie and Killer Khan is stopped due to a bad cut near Gouldie's eye; a rematch is signed for the following week 111 Killer Khan January 27, 1984 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 42 112 Dynamite Kid March 9, 1984 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 21 113 Bad News Allen March 30, 1984 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 80 Dynamite Kid Defeated Allen on April 23, 1984 in Vancouver, BC, however, this
1314-693: The Alberta Tag Team Championship that was retired the year before, which was won by The Kalmikoffs . In 1959, Oeming retired and Hart took full control of the territory. Hart would also retire their version of the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship . In 1965, he changed the name of the promotion to Wildcat Wrestling . Finally, in August 1967, he changed it to Stampede Wrestling , and the name stuck. In February 1968, they created their own singles title,
1387-745: The Calgary, Alberta –based Big Time Wrestling promotion. He also wrestled at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto which included a match with Gino Morella, who was later known as Gorilla Monsoon . in October 1960, he wrestled in the United States for the St. Louis Wrestling Club , where he adopted the ring name "Stan Stasiak", taking it from another wrestler named Stanley Stasiak (real name Ignacy Josef Stasiak) who had died in 1931 from sepsis . By 1961, Stasiak
1460-718: The Minneapolis, Minnesota –based American Wrestling Association in May 1962. In late 1963, he had a stint with the Amarillo, Texas –based Western States Sports promotion, where he challenged NWA World Heavyweight Champion Lou Thesz . From 1964 to 1968, Stasiak appeared regularly with the Calgary, Alberta , Canada–based Stampede Wrestling promotion. He held the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship on four occasions between 1965 and 1967 and
1533-742: The NWA Macon Heavyweight Championship . He lost the title to Mr. Wrestling II the following month. In September 1976, Stasiak and Killer Brooks unsuccessfully challenged The Black Bombers for the NWA Georgia Tag Team Championship . Stasiak left Georgia Championship Wrestling in October 1976. On September 13, 1975, Stasiak wrestled Bruno Sammartino who was WWWF Heavyweight Champion to a double disqualification in Steubenville, Ohio. In November 1976, Stasiak began regularly wrestling for
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#17327940930501606-698: The NWA Texas Tag Team Championship and the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship . Stasiak retired from professional wrestling in 1984. After retiring in 1984, Stasiak worked for Kellum Datsun in Gladstone, Oregon , as a car salesman. After a short time at the Datsun dealership, he moved to Toronto, where he worked as a security guard. When his health began to decline, he relocated back to Oregon in 1994. He
1679-700: The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium . He also briefly held the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship . Stasiak left Texas in December 1972, with his final appearance being a loss to Fritz Von Erich in a Texas death cage match in the Dallas Sportatorium on Boxing Day . In February 1973, Stasiak appeared in Japan with the recently founded All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion. Wrestling as "Crusher Stasiak", he participated in
1752-747: The Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship , which was won by Archie Gouldie (the future Mongolian Stomper). Four years later, they retired their version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship . In June 1978, they introduced the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship , with Dynamite Kid as their inaugural champion during his first tour in North America. In 1979, Stampede would bring back an old championship,
1825-787: The Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship (the title was first introduced in June 1959, before being quickly abandoned), with Dick Steinborn as champion. In 1982, Stampede withdrew from the NWA. On December 2, 1983, a riot broke out at the Victoria Pavilion in Calgary during a match between Bret Hart , Davey Boy Smith and Sonny Two Rivers against Bad News Allen , The Stomper and Stomper's kayfabe son Jeff Gouldie . Longtime Stampede announcer Ed Whalen reportedly became distraught during
1898-835: The Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship on three occasions in 1968. In 1965, Stasiak began appearing regularly with Pacific Northwest Wrestling , where he adopted the fictional "Buzzard Creek, Oregon" as his hometown. He won the promotion's flagship title, the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship , five times in 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1971. He also won the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship four times between 1965 and 1969, teaming with Haru Sasak,
1971-1454: The World Wrestling Federation 121 Makhan Singh October 31, 1986 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 80 Defeated Owen Hart in a tournament final to win the vacant title 122 Owen Hart January 19, 1987 Stampede show Medicine Hat, AB 1 11 123 Makhan Singh January 30, 1987 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 70 124 Owen Hart April 10, 1987 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 392 125 Makhan Singh May 6, 1988 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 217 126 Don Muraco December 9, 1988 Stampede show Medicine Hat, AB 1 105 127 Davey Boy Smith March 24, 1989 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 35 128 Larry Cameron April 28, 1989 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 210 — Deactivated November 24, 1989 — — — — Stampede closed Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1998-2008) 129 Tatanka April 8, 1998 Stampede show Tampa, FL 1 743 Defeated Sid Vicious in
2044-528: The heart punch - "a stiff shot to his opponent's chest, sold as if it could stop the organ from pumping were Stasiak to land his fist just right" - as his finishing move. He was a "large, powerful, bruising" wrestler. Although hailing from Canada, for most of his career Stasiak was billed from the (fictitious) towns of "Beaver Creek" or "Buzzard Creek" in Oregon in the United States. Stipich died of congestive heart failure on June 19, 1997, while awaiting
2117-645: The "Giant Series Total War" tour. His opponents included Motoshi Okuma, Munenori Higo, and Thunder Sugiyama . During the tour, he occasionally teamed with American wrestler Harley Race . In his final match, he and Race defeated Giant Baba and Samson Kutsuwada in a two-out-of-three-falls match . Stasiak returned to the WWF in August 1973, adopting the Grand Wizard as his manager . In his first match, he unsuccessfully challenged WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales; he went on to challenge Morales in multiple subsequent matches. In November 1973, he faced André
2190-649: The Asian title at Maple Leaf Gardens . During the match The Sheik attacked Singh causing Stasiak to lose. From there Stasiak went into a series of matches with The Sheik for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship . Stasiak's popularity rose as fans discovered that he was indeed a Canadian. Later on he fought Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1975, Terry Funk for
2263-533: The Butcher February 27, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 49 22 Jerry Christy April 17, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 14 23 Abdullah the Butcher May 1, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 3 6 24 Jerry Christy May 7, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 7 25 Abdullah
Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-734: The Butcher May 14, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 4 92 26 Dave Ruhl August 14, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 42 27 Sweet Daddy Siki September 25, 1970 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 168 28 Abdullah the Butcher March 12, 1971 Stampede show N/A 5 6 29 Les Thornton March 18, 1971 Stampede show Saskatoon, SK 1 N/A — Vacated August 25, 1971 Stampede show — — — After
2409-2216: The Butcher Jerry Christy Dave Ruhl Sweet Daddy Siki Les Thornton Black Angus Campbell John Quinn Bob Lueck Kurt Von Hess Tor Kamata Geoff Portz Dan Kroffat Kendo Nagasaki Gil Hayes Omar Atlas Larry Lane Harley Race Danny Little Bear King Curtis Iaukea Frankie Lane Gilles Poisson Karl Von Schotz Eddie Morrow Tim Brooks Don Gagné Leo Burke Michel Martel Mr. Sakurada Paddy Ryan Kasavubu Alo Leilani Big Daddy Ritter Jake Roberts Mr. Sekigawa 1980s Bret Hart David Schultz Duke Myers Mr. Hito Bad News Allen Killer Khan Dynamite Kid Davey Boy Smith Kerry Brown Ron Ritchie Steve DiSalvo Honky Tonk Wayne Makhan Singh Owen Hart Don Muraco Larry Cameron 1990s Tatanka 2000s Principal Richard Pound Bruce Hart Michael Modest Karnage Harry Smith Eddie Mustang TJ Wilson Apocalypse Chris Steel Randy Myers Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stampede_Wrestling_North_American_Heavyweight_Championship&oldid=1243481724 " Categories : Heavyweight wrestling championships North American professional wrestling championships Stampede Wrestling championships Hidden categories: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Articles with hCards Stampede Wrestling Along with its wrestling school known as " The Dungeon ", many of
2482-575: The Chase . His repeat opponents included Pat O'Connor , Édouard Carpentier , and Red Bastien . In October 1975, Stasiak unsuccessfully challenged visiting WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino . Stasiak left St. Louis in December 1975, with his final match being a loss to Terry Funk in the Kiel Auditorium . In July 1974 he began to wrestle for Frank Tunney 's Ontario promotion, Maple Leaf Wrestling , he fought Tiger Jeet Singh for
2555-620: The Giant in a series of six-man tag team matches . On December 1, 1973, in the Philadelphia Arena , Stasiak defeated Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship, ending Morales' nearly three-year long reign. The match ended when Stasiak applied a full nelson to Morales and both wrestlers fell backwards in a position where they both had their shoulders on the mat, only for Stasiak to lift his shoulder as
2628-672: The Hart Brothers, Mark Henry , Chris Benoit , Chris Jericho , Ricky Fuji , Hiroshi Hase , Ken Shamrock , Justin Credible , Christian and Edge . The Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame list professional wrestlers and others who have competed in Stampede Wrestling, from Stu Hart's Klondike Wrestling to the original Stampede Wrestling promotion which closed in 1990. General Specific Stan Stasiak George Emile Stipich (April 13, 1937 – June 19, 1997)
2701-600: The Mad Russian, Mighty Ursus, and Tony Marino . In April and May 1969, Stasiak toured Japan with the International Wrestling Enterprise promotion as part of its "World Selection Series". During the tour, he regularly teamed with Dory Dixon and Tank Morgan in tag team matches and six-man tag team matches . On April 12, 1969, a two-out-of-three-falls match pitting Stasiak and Morgan against Thunder Sugiyama and Toyonobori for
2774-614: The NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship four more times. In the early 1980s, he did commentary there and also worked as a photographer. In mid-1980, Stasiak appeared with the Louisiana , United States–based Mid-South Wrestling promotion. In the latter half of 1980, Stasiak competed in Texas once more, appearing with Big Time Wrestling and Western States Sports. During this time, he won
2847-747: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1976, Superstar Billy Graham WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1977 and Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1978. In January 1976, Stasiak began wrestling for the Atlanta -based Georgia Championship Wrestling promotion. He regularly teamed with other heels such as Abdullah the Butcher , Moondog Mayne , and The Spoiler . In March 1976, Stasiak defeated Dick Slater to win
2920-5927: The September 15 match was not a sanctioned match. Wins a 3-way match against Wilson and Duke Durango. — Vacated August 22, 2007 — — — — Championship vacated after Apocalypse suffer an injury. 141 Chris Steel September 21, 2007 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 84 Won a Fatal 4-Way match against Gama Singh, Jr., Tiger Raj Singh, and "Ravenous" Randy Myers to win vacant title. 142 Randy Myers December 14, 2007 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 134 — Deactivated April 26, 2008 — — — — Stampede closed See also [ edit ] Stampede Wrestling References [ edit ] ^ Hoops, Brian (February 28, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/28): Andersen & Hansen win NWA Tag Titles" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 28, 2017 . ^ F4W Staff (May 7, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 7): Jeff Jarrett ends David Arquette's WCW title reign, Nick Bockwinkel Vs. Ray Stevens" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 10, 2017 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) ^ Hoops, Brian (January 12, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/12): The Outsiders win WCW Tag team titles" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019 . ^ Hoops, Brian (February 22, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/22): Sting Defeated Hogan to win vacant WCW title" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 27, 2017 . ^ Hoops, Brian (January 16, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/16): Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton win WCW Tag Team Titles" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019 . ^ Hoops, Brian (February 28, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/27): NXT takes over" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 27, 2017 . ^ Hoops, Brian (September 3, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (Sept. 30): Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk Texas Death Match, Great Muta vs. Sting, Ted DiBiase and Stan Hansen wins AJPPW tag titles" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 10, 2017 . ^ Hoops, Brian (January 14, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/14): Christian wins NWA World Title" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019 . ^ F4W Staff (May 3, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history: Low Ki Vs. Dewitt, Punk wins OVW title, Mutoh wins IWGP belt, Bret wins NA title, Dibiase & Dr. Death, Sheik, Watts, Fargos" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 11, 2017 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) ^ Hoops, Brian (March 21, 2020). "Daily pro wrestling history (03/21): Flair vs. Fujinami at WCW/NJPW Supershow" . Wrestling Observer Newsletter . Retrieved March 22, 2020 . ^ F4W Staff (May 5, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 5): Bruno Vs. Gorilla in Puerto Rico, 2nd annual Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 10, 2017 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) ^ Hoops, Brian (January 19, 2019). "Pro wrestling history (01/19): Ric Flair wins WWF title in 1992 Royal Rumble" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved January 18, 2019 . ^ F4W Staff (May 6, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 6): Verne Gagne Vs. Danny Hodge, 1st Annual Von Erich Parade of Champions show" . Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Retrieved February 10, 2017 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link ) External links [ edit ] Wrestling-Titles.com v t e Stampede Wrestling Stu Hart Al Oeming Championships Main Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship Secondary British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship Stampede Wrestling Women's Pacific Championship Tag Team Alberta Tag Team Championship Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship Other NWA Canadian Heavyweight NWA Canadian Tag Team World Mid-Heavyweight Stampede Wrestling Pacific Heavyweight Championship World Women's Triple Crown Talent Former personnel Hart wrestling family Shows Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show Stampede Wrestling 50th Anniversary Show Miscellaneous The Dungeon Stampede Corral Victoria Arena In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling [REDACTED] Category v t e Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champions 1960s Archie Gouldie Ox Baker Waldo Von Erich Stan Stasiak Vic Rossitani Bob Sweetan Angelo Mosca Billy Robinson 1970s Abdullah
2993-796: The Spray Lakes Sawmill Sportsplex in Cochrane, Alberta, Nicholson would face Abdullah the Butcher after the scheduled main event between Lance Storm and Rhyno was canceled when Rhyno failed to appear. At that same event, longtime tag team partners TJ Wilson and Harry Smith faced each other in Smith's final match for the promotion before leaving for World Wrestling Entertainment. Bruce and Ross Hart sold Stampede Wrestling to Bill Bell in 2007. The promotion ceased operations again in April 2008. Stampede's weekly shows were held mostly at
Stampede Wrestling North American Heavyweight Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-725: The Texas-based Big Time Wrestling and Houston Wrestling promotions, facing opponents such as Bull Curry , Johnny Valentine , and Toru Tanaka . In June 1972, Stasiak defeated Red Bastien to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship at the Big Time Wrestling Parade of Champions event in the Texas Stadium . His reign lasted until October 1972 when he lost to José Lothario in a cage match in
3139-554: The Trans-World Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship ended in a controversial manner, resulting in the titles being vacated; on April 20, Sugiyama and Rusher Kimura defeated Morgan and Stasiak to win the vacant titles. On April 22, Stasiak unsuccessfully challenged Billy Robinson for the IWA World Heavyweight Championship . Stasiak wrestled his final match with IWE on May 5, 1969, teaming with Dixon and Morgan in
3212-422: The Victoria Pavilion in Calgary, with special events held at the Stampede Corral . Stampede Wrestling was the basis for a long-running weekly sports broadcast produced in Calgary showcasing many of the promotion's most popular wrestlers. Hosted by Ed Whalen most of its run, which went from 1957 to 1989, the series was syndicated around the world and reruns continue to be shown in some countries to this day. At
3285-434: The WWF sold Stampede back to the Hart family, with Bruce Hart taking the reins, and by 1986, the Calgary territory was given a shot of adrenaline with new talent such as Owen Hart , Brian Pillman , Chris Benoit , Biff Wellington , and Johnny Smith coming in to tangle with Gama Singh and his Karachi Vice stable (which included Shinya Hashimoto , Gary Albright , and Mike Shaw ) and The Viet Cong Express (which included
3358-534: The WWWF once more. In his first match back, he challenged WWWF Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden, winning by count-out. The following month, he lost to Sammartino in a "Sicilian stretcher" match . In early-1977, Stasiak repeatedly challenged Billy White Wolf and Chief Jay Strongbow for the WWWF Tag Team Championship , with his partners including Baron Mikel Scicluna , Baron von Raschke , and Tor Kamata . Throughout spring 1977, Stasiak repeatedly unsuccessfully challenged Sammartino. During
3431-441: The World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. The main event saw Bret Hart successfully defend the WWF Championship against Davey Boy Smith. In early 1999, Bruce and Ross Hart reopened Stampede Wrestling, showcasing graduates from the Hart Dungeon training school. However, only weeks after their first event, the promotion once again became inactive following the death of Owen Hart in May. Although considering closing
3504-2103: The first champion 2 Ox Baker March 8, 1968 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 7 3 Waldo Von Erich March 15, 1968 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 80 4 Archie Gouldie June 3, 1968 Stampede show N/A 2 105 5 Stan Stasiak September 16, 1968 Stampede show Lethbridge, AB 1 1 6 Archie Gouldie September 17, 1968 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 3 7 7 Vic Rossitani September 24, 1968 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 6 8 Bob Sweetan September 30, 1968 Stampede show N/A 1 1 9 Vic Rossitani October 1, 1968 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 2 10 10 Stan Stasiak October 11, 1968 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 6 11 Vic Rossitani October 17, 1968 Stampede show Regina, SK 3 1 12 Stan Stasiak October 18, 1968 Stampede show N/A 3 60 13 Archie Gouldie December 17, 1968 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 4 92 14 Angelo Mosca March 19, 1969 Stampede show N/A 1 21 15 Archie Gouldie April 9, 1969 Stampede show Regina, SK 5 13 16 Angelo Mosca April 22, 1969 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 N/A — Vacated May 3, 1969 Stampede show Calgary, AB — — Title held up between Angelo Mosca and Archie Gouldie. 17 Archie Gouldie May 6, 1969 Stampede show Calgary, AB 6 51 Defeated Angelo Mosca in
3577-439: The first day of the tournament, he wrestled Antonio Inoki to a time limit draw in an exhibition match held in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo . Stasiak scored 5.5 points in the first round of the tournament, but did not progress past the second round. The tournament was ultimately won by Inoki. In February 1975, Stasiak began wrestling for the St. Louis Wrestling Club , where he regularly appeared on its television show Wrestling at
3650-422: The following month. In August 1971, Stasiak debuted in the northeastern United States –based World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). In his debut match, he challenged WWWF Heavyweight Champion Pedro Morales in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York . Over the following months, he faced opponents such as Gorilla Monsoon , Arnold Skaaland , Víctor Rivera , and Chief Jay Strongbow throughout
3723-427: The northeastern United States. In September 1971, he unsuccessfully challenged Bobo Brazil for the WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship . He went on to unsuccessfully challenge Morales for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship on a number of further occasions. In February 1972, he formed a short-lived alliance with Jimmy Valiant . Valiant left the WWWF later that month. In March 1972, Stasiak began appearing with
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#17327940930503796-399: The process, so they needed a heel wrestler to win it. Stasiak was used as a transitional champion , holding the WWWF Heavyweight Championship for just nine days before losing it to Sammartino on December 10, 1973, in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. Stasiak described his title reign as "the happiest nine days of [my] life". During his brief reign, Stasiak had
3869-419: The promotion's former alumni becoming some of the most popular stars in the World Wrestling Federation and other American promotions during the 1980s and 1990s, the promotion produced one of the earliest televised professional wrestling programs (today considered the forerunner of today's WWE ) that remained one of Calgary's most popular sports programs eventually airing in over 50 countries. Stampede Wrestling
3942-489: The promotion, the Hart family continued to promote events five months later and began touring western Canada. Although successful, the Harts were forced to cancel several tours in late 2001 and early 2002 due to the arrival of a rival promotion backed by a Calgary businessman. The promotion also lost much of its roster due to its rival hiring away top stars. In 2005, promoters Bill Bell and Devon Nicholson took over day-to-day operations for Stampede Wrestling. During an event at
4015-416: The referee made the count. Following the match, ring announcer Buddy Wagner did not announce Stasiak as the new champion, instead asking the audience to applaud Morales; journalist Dave Meltzer suggested that this was intended to prevent the audience from rioting. Stasiak was given little notice that he would be winning the title. According to him, he was sitting in the dressing room in Philadelphia Arena when
4088-470: The remainder of 1977 and early 1978, Stasiak's regular opponents included Gorilla Monsoon , Ivan Putski , Larry Zbyszko , and Peter Maivia . In April 1978, Stasiak unsuccessfully challenged Bob Backlund , who had recently won the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. Over the following months, he teamed with a series of partners including Butcher Vachon , George Steele , and Johnny Rodz to challenge WWWF Tag Team Champions Dino Bravo and Dominic DeNucci , but
4161-403: The riot, in which a woman was trampled, causing him to quit from the Stampede on air. Speaking of the events he remarked, "We're starting to scare the patrons with this violence outside the ring, and I will not be associated with it anymore." The event led to Stampede Wrestling being banned from Calgary for six months by the city's wrestling and boxing commission. In August 1984, Stampede Wrestling
4234-428: The specific champion Days Number of days held No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref. Date Event Location Reign Days Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship (1968-1989) 1 Archie Gouldie February 28, 1968 Stampede show Saskatoon, SK 1 9 Defeated Pat O'Connor to become
4307-405: The time Stampede was revived in 1999, a second Stampede Wrestling TV series was attempted, hosted by Bad News Allen and play by play commentator Mauro Ranallo , but it was short-lived and Whalen was not involved. WWE currently controls Stampede's extensive tape library . In December 2015, the WWE Network began adding Stampede Wrestling shows to its Vault section. However, it was all removed
4380-670: The title to concentrate on defenses of the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship . 134 Karnage August 22, 2003 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 147 Defeated Harry Smith in a tournament final to win the vacant title. 135 Harry Smith January 16, 2004 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 N/A — Vacated April 20, 2005 — — — — Championship vacated for undocumented reasons 136 Eddie Mustang June 3, 2005 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 159 Defeated Karnage and Tiger Raj Singh in
4453-419: The tour, Stasiak faced opponents such as Antonio Inoki , Riki Choshu , Seiji Sakaguchi , and Tatsumi Fujinami . On several occasions, he teamed with fellow Canadian wrestler Tiger Jeet Singh and with the Japanese wrestler Masa Saito . In spring 1979, Stasiak returned to Pacific Northwest Wrestling, where he became a mainstay. He won the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship twice more in 1979 and
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#17327940930504526-411: Was a Canadian professional wrestler , better known by his ring name , Stan " the Man " Stasiak . He is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, where he won the WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1973. He was inducted into the Legacy wing of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018 . George Stipich was born in the village of Arvida, Quebec . He became
4599-427: Was dividing his time between Canada and the St. Louis Wrestling Club. In June 1961, he won his first championship in the Maple Leaf Wrestling promotion, teaming with Man Mountain Campbell to win the NWA International Tag Team Championship . They held the titles until September 1961. Stasiak continued to wrestle in Canada and the United States throughout the early 1960s, including making a handful of appearances with
4672-427: Was formed in 1948 by Stu Hart and Al Oeming under the name Klondike Wrestling , and held their first show on September 11, 1948, at the Sales Pavillion in Edmonton, Alberta. It also become the National Wrestling Alliance 's Calgary territory in Canada. In May 1951, they changed its name to Big Time Wrestling . In February 1958, they introduced their version of the NWA International Tag Team Championship to replace
4745-416: Was held in Edmonton on December 16, with Larry Cameron defeating Bob Emory in the main event to retain the North American Heavyweight Championship. Despite Stampede officially closing down in December 1989, there were several attempts to revive the promotion. The first attempt occurred around March 1990 by Bruce Hart, but it only lasted three months, running smaller towns outside Calgary and Edmonton, due to
4818-402: Was inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995, and (posthumously) into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. For most of his career, Stasiak portrayed a "menacing" heel known for his "rulebreaking tactics". Early in his career he used the nicknames "Crusher" and "the Assassin of Arvida" and a bear hug for a finishing move. Later, he adopted the nickname "The Man" and began using
4891-1129: Was injured 102 Leo Burke March 21, 1982 Stampede show Calgary, AB 7 97 Defeated Duke Myers in a tournament final to win the vacant title 103 Bret Hart June 26, 1982 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 3 69 104 Bad News Allen September 3, 1982 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 44 105 Bret Hart October 17, 1982 Stampede show Calgary, AB 4 89 106 Leo Burke January 14, 1983 Stampede show Calgary, AB 8 109 107 Bret Hart May 3, 1983 Stampede show Regina, SK 5 74 108 Bad News Allen July 16, 1983 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 2 160 109 Archie Gouldie December 23, 1983 Stampede show Calgary, AB 14 28 — Vacated January 20, 1984 Stampede show N/A — — Title
4964-1596: Was injured. 64 Frankie Laine December 12, 1975 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 35 Defeated Butcher Brannigan to win the vacant title. 65 Gilles Poisson January 16, 1976 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 8 66 Frankie Laine January 24, 1976 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 2 13 67 Karl Von Schotz February 6, 1976 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 N/A 68 Eddie Morrow April 6, 1976 Stampede show N/A 1 N/A 69 Karl Von Schotz May 6, 1976 Stampede show N/A 2 N/A 70 Archie Gouldie July 2, 1976 Stampede show Calgary, AB 13 71 71 Dan Kroffat September 11, 1976 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 4 48 72 Larry Lane October 29, 1976 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 4 139 73 "Killer" Tim Brooks March 17, 1977 Stampede show N/A 1 127 74 Dan Kroffat July 22, 1977 Stampede show Calgary, AB 5 42 — Vacated September 2, 1977 — — — — Kroffat retired 75 Don Gagné October 7, 1977 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 91 Defeated Bobby Burke in
5037-670: Was later overturned. 114 Davey Boy Smith June 18, 1984 Stampede show Vancouver, BC 1 521 115 Kerry Brown November 21, 1985 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 120 116 Ron Ritchie March 21, 1986 Stampede show Vancouver, BC 1 0 — Vacated March 21, 1986 Stampede show Calgary, AB — — Title held up between Kerry Brown and Ron Ritchie. 117 Ron Ritchie March 22, 1986 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 2 44 Defeated Kerry Brown in
5110-430: Was sold to the World Wrestling Federation . Of all the talent that WWF took upon their purchase of Stampede, they took only three wrestlers: Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Dynamite Kid. Their last show was held on November 5, 1984 in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a WWF/Stampede joint show. Bret Hart claims that Vince McMahon never actually paid for the territory, and “stiffed” his father, Stu Hart. On October 28, 1985,
5183-474: Was the major title in the Canadian professional wrestling promotion Stampede Wrestling . From its establishment in 1968 until 1972, it was Stampede's secondary singles championship, becoming the top title in 1972 after the previous top championship, the Calgary version of the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (Calgary version), was abandoned. Title history [ edit ] Key No. Overall reign number Reign Reign number for
5256-2607: Was the original British masked version of the character , not the face-painted Japan/US version (although he would also later hold the title as Mr Sakurada in 1978) 44 Geoff Portz December 23, 1972 N/A Calgary, AB 4 20 45 Abdullah the Butcher January 12, 1973 Stampede show Calgary, AB 6 99 46 Archie Gouldie April 21, 1973 Stampede show Calgary, AB 8 67 47 Dan Kroffat June 27, 1973 Stampede show Saskatoon, SK 2 7 48 Archie Gouldie July 4, 1973 Stampede show Calgary, AB 9 42 49 Dan Kroffat August 15, 1973 Stampede show Regina, SK 3 12 50 Gil Hayes August 27, 1973 Stampede show Lethbridge, AB 1 74 51 Omar Atlas November 9, 1973 Stampede show Edmonton, AB 1 49 52 Archie Gouldie December 28, 1973 Stampede show Calgary, AB 10 46 53 Larry Lane February 12, 1974 Stampede show Prince Albert, SK 1 2 54 Archie Gouldie February 14, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 11 8 55 Harley Race February 22, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 14 56 Archie Gouldie March 8, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 12 35 57 Danny Little Bear April 12, 1974 Stampede show N/A 1 101 58 John Quinn July 22, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 137 59 Les Thornton December 6, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 14 60 Larry Lane December 20, 1974 Stampede show Calgary, AB 2 49 61 King Curtis Iaukea February 7, 1975 Stampede show Calgary, AB 1 181 62 Larry Lane August 7, 1975 Stampede show Regina, SK 3 53 — Vacated September 29, 1975 — — — — Lane
5329-463: Was unable to defeat them. Beginning in December 1978, he again teamed with a series of partners to challenge new WWWF Tag Team Champions Larry Zbyszko and Tony Garea . Stasiak left the WWWF in March 1979. Stasiak once again toured Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling from February to April 1979 as part of its "Big Fight Series". His first match, a loss to Riki Choshu , was broadcast on TV Asahi . During
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