The Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

supercard produced by the

Hart family The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family was wrestling legend Stu Hart (1915–2003). An amateur and professi ...

that took place on December 15, 1995 at the Stampede Corral in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. Held in honor of Stu Hart, the event featured Stampede Wrestling alumni as well as talent from

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...

and the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. It was the first event to feature an interpromotional "dream match" during the Monday Night Wars-era. The proceeds from the event were donated to the Calgary Quest Children's Society. Nine professional wrestling matches, two of which for championships, were featured on the card. The main event was for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, in which then-champion

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

defeated the challenger

Davey Boy Smith David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...

. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard, including a tag team match between Bad Company ( Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) and the team of

Dory Funk Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...

and

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...

, accompanied by Makhan Singh, which Hart and Pillman won via disqualification. The other match was an WWF Intercontinental Championship match, between defending champion

Razor Ramon Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

and Owen Hart, where Ramon defeated Hart by pinfall after a small package pin.

Event

The Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show featured employees other than the wrestlers involved in the matches. Ed Whalen was the commentator for the telecast. An edited hour-long version of the event was aired on CISA-DT. Besides employees appearing in a wrestling role,

Angelo Mosca Angelo Valentino Mosca (February 13, 1937 – November 6, 2021) was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. He was a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League (CFL). As a wrestler, Mosca was known by the nick ...

, Leo Burke,

Tor Kamata McRonald Kamaka (March 9, 1937 – July 23, 2007) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler known by the ring name Tor Kamata. He won several heavyweight and tag team championships, most notably the PWF World Heavyweight Championship in Al ...

, and members of

Hart wrestling family The Hart wrestling family, sometimes known as the Hart dynasty, is a mainly Canadian family with a significant history within professional wrestling. The patriarch of the family was wrestling legend Stu Hart (1915–2003). An amateur and professi ...

all appeared on camera, either in backstage or ringside segments. Alberta Premier

Ralph Klein Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...

, whose father Killer Klein had refereed for Hart during the 1950s, made a guest appearance to pay tribute to the Hart family.

Abdullah the Butcher Lawrence Robert Shreve (born January 11, 1941), better known by the ring name Abdullah the Butcher, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He has a reputation for being involved in some of the most violent and bloody hardcore wrestling matc ...

and

Dean Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...

were booked to be at the event but later cancelled. ''

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' reported that the original main event was scheduled to be

versus

Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...

for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, however, Davey Boy Smith ended up replacing Michaels who was still recovering from a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

. Several wrestlers were inducted into the

Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame 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 pro ...

including Andre the Giant,

Argentina Rocca Antonino Rocca (born Antonino Biasetton; 13 April 1921 – 15 March 1977) was an Italian Argentines, Italian Argentine Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez (wrestler), Miguel Pérez. He was post ...

, Billy Robinson, Brian Pillman,

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the WWE, World Wrestlin ...

, Edouard Carpentier, The Fabulous Moolah, Terry and

, Gorgeous George,

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federatio ...

Hiroshi Hase is a Japanese politician who is currently the governor of Ishikawa Prefecture. He served as the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Prior to his appointment in the Cabinet, he also se ...

, Killer Kowalski, Jim Neidhart, Larry Cameron, Lou Thesz, Pat O'Connor,

Stan Stasiak George Emile Stipich (April 13, 1937 – June 19, 1997) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Stan Stasiak. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, where he ...

, Johnny Valentine, The British Bulldogs and the Hart family (Bret,

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

Keith Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

and Owen Hart). In celebration of Stu Hart's 80th birthday, the wrestler was presented a bust of his own head for a special in-ring ceremony.

Preliminary matches

The first match on the card was a tag team match between the team of The Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow facing the team of King Lau and Mike Anthony. It lasted 11 minutes and 27 seconds. The Cuban Assassin and Jerry Morrow won the match when Morrow pinned Anthony with a splash off the top rope. The following bout saw Makhan Singh pin The Gothic Knight in a standard match. The third contest had Rhonda Singh against KC Houston in a standard match. Singh won the match when she blocked a sunset flip by Houston and pinned her opponent with a sit-down splash. The next match was between

Dan Kroffat Daniel Kroffat (born June 14, 1945) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling in the 1960s and 1970s, where he invented the ladder match. Professional wrestling career Stampede W ...

and Jesse Helton. This was Kroffat's first in-ring appearance since his retirement in 1985. The two wrestled for around two minutes before Dr. Drago Zhivago came down to ringside and began harassing Kroffat. Kroffat responded by challenging Zhivago to enter the ring. Accepting the challenge, the then 50-year-old wrestler put Zhivago in a sleeper hold and stripped him of his pants. The bout was eventually declared a no-contest. Rad Radford in 1995

After the fourth match ended,

and Rad Radford made their way to the ring for a special "

vs.

" bout. Benoit, representing WCW, was originally scheduled to face

The 1-2-3 Kid Sean Michael Waltman (born July 13, 1972) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his appearances for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under the ring names 1–2– ...

. Benoit and Radford shook hands out of respect before the match started. The two wrestled for over ten minutes. Benoit caught Radford as he climbed to the wrestling ring's top turnbuckle and executed a top rope superplex to pin his opponent. The next match was between Keith Hart and The 1-2-3 Kid. Hart controlled the first few minutes of the match before being thrown out of the ring. The 1-2-3 Kid then performed a pescado, a

slingshot A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...

crossbody Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

where the wrestler goes from the inside of the ring over the top ring rope to the outside, on Hart. This resulted in both men to crashing into the announcer's table. Returning to the ring, The 1-2-3 Kid attempted a

frog splash Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

from the top rope but Hart was able to put his knees up in time. This allowed Hart not only to block the maneuver but also cause The 1-2-3 Kid to injure his leg in the process. Sensing victory, Hart targeted his opponent's knee for the remainder of the match. As Hart attempted to put The 1-2-3 Kid in a figure-four leglock, however, The 1-2-3 Kid turned the tables by trapping Hart with an inside cradle. Afterwards, Hart thanked the fans in attendance and wished his father, Stu Hart, a happy 80th birthday.

Main event matches

The next match was for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, in which champion

defended the title against Owen Hart. The start of the match saw Ramon perform a

fallaway slam Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

and follow up by clotheslining Hart over the top rope. Hart gained control of the match after top rope

missile dropkick Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

. The top turnbuckle snapped off in mid-match after Ramon was whipped into the corner. This caused one of the ring rope's to fall off which Hart used to choke Ramon. The two men brawled on the outside before returning to the ring. Ramon managed to put Hart a backdrop suplex off the second rope, and was preparing to put Hart in the Razor's Edge, when The 1-2-3 Kid came down to ringside to interfere on Hart's behalf. The 1-2-3 Kid tried to dive onto Ramon from the top turnbuckle but the champion dodged his attack and sent The 1-2-3 Kid over the top rope with a clothesline. As the referee was dealing with The 1-2-3 Kid outside the ring, Hart used the house microphone to knock out Ramon and pin him. Although it appeared Hart had won the belt, a second official came to ringside and informed the referee what had happened. The match was restarted and Ramon went on to pin Hart with a small package. WWF Champion Bret Hart

The eighth match of the night was a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

match in which Bad Company ( Bruce Hart and Brian Pillman) wrestled

and

accompanied by Makhan Singh. After a wild brawl, Bad Company were awarded the match via disqualification when Terry Funk hit Hart with a steel chair as he attempted to pin Dory. The last match of the night was the main event between

and

for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Both men were driven to ringside on motorcycles. Bret gave his glasses away to his father Stu Hart who was sitting at ringside. The match concluded with Hart pinning Smith with a reverse roll-up seconds after Smith broke out of Hart's Sharpshooter finisher. It was the last time Hart would defend the title in his hometown.

Results

References

External links

Stu Hart Tribute Show - Showdown At The Corral at Cagematch.netStu Hart Tribute Show at Wrestlingdata.com
{{StampedeWrestling Stampede Wrestling 1995 in professional wrestling Stu Hart Professional wrestling in Alberta 1995 in Alberta Events in Calgary