Best There Is, Best There Was, Best There Ever Will Be

[SHaynes23]

I am the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be!
- Bret Hart

"The kid just has 'it'". That's what people have been saying about me ever since I started working for my dad's wrestling promotion, Calgary Stampede Wrestling a few years ago. You might have heard of Pops, his name is Stu Hart, and in my eyes, he is a true legend. He has taken me and my brothers, Bruce, Keith, and Owen down to what we call the Dungeon, where he has turned us into the greatest wrestling family that Canada will ever see. I don't know what 'it' is, but if 'it' means a legendary work ethic and a strive towards excellence, then sure, I've got 'it'.

Ever since Pops got some of the wrestlers working with him to show me around the ring a little bit at one of his shows, I've been hooked. I trained with Pops or some of the other guys constantly, and my hard work paid off. I shot up the ranks of Stampede Wrestling like few before me, and I am currently the company's top champion, the CSW North American Champion. It is an honor to hold this title like so many greats before me have, and I plan to hold onto it for a very long time to come.

A lot of people are saying that I'm a star in the making. If that is so, then I'm happy to embrace it, but I'm just in this to make my family proud. I know that I can't stay in Calgary forever, but while I'm here I might as well give it my all and carry on my proud name, Hart. People are saying that I'm on the verge of making it to the big time, but to me, this is the big time. It's all I've ever known. Traveling from town to town here in Canada, giving these hard working people what they want to see night in and night out. Who knows if America will come calling? We'll just have to see when we get there. But for now, I'm just going to go out and bust my butt to be the best that I can be.

1983 is going to be a good year for me, mark my words.....1983 is the year that "The Hitman" takes wrestling by storm.

[SHaynes23]

[theoutlaw321]

Great start. Can't wait for this to get going.

[SHaynes23]

[SHaynes23]

Stampede Wrestling
May 5, 1983
The Prairies (Canada)
Attendance: 4,134


Bret Hart vs. The Mongolian Stomper

This match pitted the North American Champion of CSW, Bret Hart, against one of the meanest men ever to step into Stampede Wrestling, The Mongolian Stomper. Most people would be terrified of this very deranged individual, but Hart showed why he is the champion as he took the fight to the Stomper early and often. The Stomper took control around the five minute mark with a serious low blow, then he went to work on the young champion. He stomped him all over and delivered multiple bodyslams to Hart. The Stomper's one weakness came out though as he had Hart in a headlock, the crowd started chanting, Let's Go Bret! That set off Stomper's unique inner-ear disorder which caused him to let go of Hart and become disoriented. Hart then got up and nailed him with a piledriver, but Stomper kicked out at two. The next ten minutes then belonged to Hart, who softened up Stomper as he tried to regain his bearings. Hart slammed Stomper to the mat, then went up to the second rope and nailed his signature elbow drop, setting the crowd into a frenzy. Stomper started to get back up, then he went crazy and bit Hart in the forehead, but Hart responded right back with a slap to his face. Hart then nailed another piledriver, busting the Stomper open. Then instead of pinning him, Hart locked in the Sharpshooter, and the Mongolian Stomper had no choice but to tap out as the crowd sent his ear troubles to an even higher level.

Winner: Bret Hart
Match Time: 17:30
Match Rating: B-

[SHaynes23]

Stampede Wrestling
May 12, 1983
The Prairies (Canada)
Attendance: 4,321

Bret and Keith Hart vs. The Karachi Vice Kingpins (The Great Gama and Makhan Singh)

Bret Hart started the match off in the ring with The Great Gama, and he dominated Hart early in the match. He wouldn't let Hart leave his feet as he locked in some deadly looking submission moves to the arms of Hart, who tried for more than two minutes to get out of the clutches of Gama. He finally did and dropped Gama where he stood with a beautiful dropkick. He then quickly tagged in his brother Keith, but Gama got up and pushed Keith around just like Bret. Keith was able to eventually slip out of a wrist lock, and he tagged Bret back in, and he absolutely exploded into the ring. He dropped Gama with a series of punches and kicks, and then leveled him with the pendulum backbreaker. He went outside after that and dragged Gama towards the corner, where he smashed his knee on the ringpost, warming him up for the Sharpshooter. Bret then reentered the ring, then out of nowhere hit the lariat bulldog off the ropes, and he pinned The Great Gama for the three count, and just like that it was over.

Winners: Bret and Keith Hart
Match Time: 6:20
Match Rating: F

[SHaynes23]

May 13, 1983,

Last night's show was pretty good, me and Keith are defiantly a good team, we know what each other is going to do before they do it. It's the same with Bruce and Owen too. Once Owen matures a little more I have a feeling that we will be a great team and go far together.

But after last night's show I was kind of tired of being thrown into random matches, so I had a talk with dad about setting up a feud for my North American Championship. We agreed that Bad News Allen would be a formidable opponent for me. He's the kind of down and dirty heel that could really build my face character, that is if I am able to beat him and keep my title. Sure he's mean and will beat you up in the ring, but I think we can give the fans what they want. I hope it just doesn't blow up in my face though. We'll just have to see.

The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be....
Bret Hart

[SHaynes23]

May 16, 1983,

As we usually do just about every day, my dad and my three brothers were messing around with stuff at the house, not doing much except talking about wrestling. We talked about everything. From other promotions up here in Canada, to what we think about Stampede, to the superpowers in America like WWF and MACW.

As fate would have it, my dad's phone rang and he picked it up, and all we heard was, "Um hum...really? When did this happen? Well good for him." When he got off the phone my dad seemed pretty happy. He informed us that at a WWF In Your Neighborhood event last night, Bill Eadie, who is known to wrestling fans as The Masked Superstar put an end to the long title reign of Bob Backlund by hitting his signature move, the Superstar Neckbreaker, and possibly ushering in a new age into one of the powers of professional wrestling.

I've personally never met Bill, but I hear he is a great guy. The fans boo him night in and night out, but the man that they have never gotten to know helps out everybody from what I've heard, and is willing to put personal gain to the side to help out a friend. Congratulations Bill, you earned it.

The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be,
Bret Hart

[SHaynes23]

Stampede Wrestling
May 19, 1983
Ontario (Canada)
Attendance: 824

Bret and Keith Hart vs. Steve DiSalvo and Hiro Saito
Hardcore Rules

Bret Hart and Steve DiSalvo started the match off, and Hart used his good technical ability to get DiSalvo off his game, but that was quickly turned around with a series of hammer-like blows from DiSalvo. After beating down Bret enough, he let Saito into the ring to get his share, but he was quickly met with a gutwrench backbreaker from Bret. Bret then tagged into his brother Keith, who hit a suplex on Saito, then went to the second rope where he connected with a big dropkick. He then got Bret back into the match, and he looked to put it away with the Piledriver, but he was unable to connect after trying several times. DiSalvo made his way back in and went after Bret again, but Hart started some offense, then tagged in his brother Keith, and he nailed a gutwrench suplex, then locked in the Boston Crab, and DiSalvo tapped out from the pain, giving the Hart's two wins in two weeks.

Winners: Bret and Keith Hart
Match Time: 14:40
Match Rating: C

[SHaynes23]

Stampede International
May 21, 1983
The Prairies (Canada)
Attendance: 4,170

Bret Hart vs. Bad News Allen
Two out of Three Falls Match

Before the match Bret Hart was standing in the ring when Bad News Allen made his way to the ring. Hart elected not to pay attention to Allen and just warmup, which came back to bite him. Allen sprinted into the ring and attacked Hart from behind, then dominated the first five minutes of the match. He used his arsenal of underhanded tactics, like rope chokes, and even an attempted brass knuckles shot. Hart looked to turn it around, but Allen just came back stronger. Finally Hart got things on his side, and he hit a series of Excellent Suplexes on Allen. Hart looked to put the first fall away with the piledriver, but Allen blocked it, but Hart came right back with the drop toe hold, which he floated straight into the Sharpshooter, and Allen quickly gave up, conceding the first fall to save himself more damage than neccessary.

The second fall of the match was up for grabs, and Hart looked for the Sharpshooter right away again, but Allen was able to get out of it before Hart had it locked in, and he went to work on the Hitman once again. He started blatantly choking out Hart again, but this time the referee saw it and asked Allen to quit doing it. He then worked over Hart for another five minutes, but Hart avoided one of his moves and hit a bodyslam, then went to the second rope. He then leaped off the ropes and tried his elbow drop, but Allen moved, then nailed Hart with a roundhouse kick, and he then pinned Bret's shoulders to the mat, evening up the score 1 to 1.

The third fall got off to a fast start as Allen when for the Ghetto Blaster, but Hart avoided it and went for the piledriver. Allen also avoided this move, then decided he had enough and grabbed Hart by the back of the head and threw him straight over the top rope, earning himself an automatic disqualification, and giving Hart the win, 2 to 1.

Winner: Bret Hart (2 to 1)
Match Time: 16:40
Match Rating: F

[chris caulfield]

Nice start and great to see another wrespi diary.

[SHaynes23]

Stampede Wrestling
May 26, 1983
The Prairies (Canada)
Attendance: 4,006

Bret and Keith Hart vs. The Karachi Vice Kingpins

This match started just like their last meeting, with The Great Gama dominating Bret Hart. The Kingpins came prepared though as they switched up their strategy as Makhan Singh got in early, but that was a mistake as Bret Hart threw him around the ring like he was an amateur. Bret had Singh weak, then decided that Keith could finish him off, so he tagged in his brother. After a couple of suplexes Singh slipped out of a Keith Hart move and tagged Gama back in, and he went to town on Keith Hart. Keith finally was able to get out of the ring and Bret came in and he and Gama were in about a 12 minute battle back and forth before Bret got Keith back in, who hit a second rope dropkick, then tagged Bret back in. Bret quickly took Gama down and locked in the Sharpshooter, but Singh was able to break the hold up. Bret then waited for Gama to get back up, and when he did he nailed the piledriver, and this time the three count was completed, and Bret Hart finished up his perfect month of May.

Winners: Bret and Keith Hart
Match Time: 24:50
Match Rating: E

[SHaynes23]

End of May 1983

Record
5-0

[captainlou]

This is a great start and it is very good, IMO.

Keep up the great work!

[SHaynes23]

Stampede Wrestling
June 5, 1983
The Maritimes (Canada)
Attendance: 915

Bret Hart vs. Bad News Allen

This marked the second meeting between these two big players in Stampede Wrestling in less than a month, and Allen was going to have to even up the series if he wanted a legitimate shot at Bret Hart's North American Championship. The fans were not as rowdy as the Calgary crowd, but Stampede was working on expanding their influence by visiting The Maritimes, which played a big factor of this match not having a big fight feel. Hart was warming up in the ring like he usually does, and Allen attacked him again. He then went for some punches, but Hart avoided them and took control. After some swift action Hart gained control with an Excellent Plex, and then he dropkicked Allen right into the corner. This allowed the Hitman to slide to the outside, where he wrapped Allen's leg around the post and smashed it against the cold hard steel. He then got in the ring and took Allen back down with a backbreaker, then hit the spread-eagled stomp, straight into the Sharpshooter, and once again Allen tapped out to the devastating maneuver, giving Hart the decided upper hand in this feud.

Winner: Bret Hart
Match Time: 6:10
Match Rating: F