Stampede Wrestling

Stampede Wrestling began on September 11, 1948, when Stu Hart and Al Oeming promoted their first show in Edmonton, Alberta, under the name Klondike Wrestling. The promotion later became Big Time Wrestling, then Wildcat Wrestling, before settling into the Stampede Wrestling name in 1967.

Based in Calgary, Stampede became western Canada’s best-known wrestling territory. Its regular stops included Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and other towns across the Canadian Prairies. The promotion ran in venues like the Victoria Pavilion, Ogden Auditorium, and Stampede Corral, while its weekly television program made Ed Whalen one of the territory’s defining voices.

For much of its original run, the promotion served as Calgary’s NWA territory. Stu Hart combined local wrestlers, Hart family trainees, Japanese wrestlers, British wrestlers, and key touring champions. Legends like Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., Terry Funk, Nick Bockwinkel, Abdullah the Butcher, and André the Giant appeared in Stampede.

Meanwhile, Archie Gouldie, Bad News Allen, Jim Neidhart, Chris Benoit, Brian Pillman, Gama Singh, Mr. Hito, and The Sheepherders formed the promotion’s regular roster, along with several members of the Hart family, including Bret Hart and Owen Hart.

The Dungeon became Stampede’s training base. Located in the basement of the Hart family home in Calgary, it trained or shaped wrestlers who later became major names in Stampede, WWF/WWE, WCW, ECW, and the international wrestling scene. Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya are among the names tied to its legacy.

Stampede withdrew from the NWA in 1982. On December 2, 1983, a riot during a six-man tag team match led Ed Whalen to quit on air and brought a six-month suspension in Calgary. In August 1984, the World Wrestling Federation bought Stampede. Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Dynamite Kid moved to the WWF, and the original run ended later that year.

The Hart family regained control in 1985, with Bruce Hart leading the promotion. That second run introduced or featured names such as Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, Biff Wellington, Johnny Smith, Gama Singh, Shinya Hashimoto, Gary Albright, Mike Shaw, and Hiroshi Hase. Stampede closed again in December 1989.

Bruce Hart and Ross Hart revived Stampede Wrestling in 1999. The revival used Dungeon-trained talent, western Canadian wrestlers, and a short-lived television return with Mauro Ranallo and Bad News Allen. Bill Bell took ownership in 2007, and the regular promotion closed in April 2008.

The Stampede name appeared again in 2011, with Stampede Next Generation tapings in Calgary and a Smith Hart-promoted event in Barrie, Ontario, but it did not lead to a sustained full-time revival.