The Kaos Engine XVIII

[Skaos]

XVIII
The Afflictions and Tribulations of the Hart Dungeon
I - Tragedy

Hello All
Today I bring you the first of a new trilogy in the Kaos Engine series. However, this trilogy will be less rhetorical then the last and it will be easy to read. Before I embark on semi retirement from this column writing expose, I wish to kind of go out on a bang. Semi retirement means I will be, at some point, dropping the weekly column and probably sticking to fortnightly work. Time consumption means this may be a necessity. But no fear, I am not leaving you totally...well, maybe not. Let us see what the future holds for now.

Today, I wish to discuss the Hart Dungeon. To those not in the know, the Hart Dungeon was an infamous home in Calgary Alberta Canada, (the basement of that home to be more precise) that belonged to Stu Hart. Stu Hart (and his wife Helen) were the parents, and the head of possibly the most well known and famous family in the wrestling industry. Bret Hart was probably the most famous member of this family to the modern generation. But we can name more. Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, Dynamite Kid, Nattie Neidhart, DH Smith, Teddy Hart and so on. The family had spread over generations. Recently the Hart Dungeon ceased to exist and it was closed down. The home was sold to someone else. This officially means the Dungeon is no longer training anyone to wrestle. This, in itself is a huge loss to the business. It also means that we now have a defined three generation tier of wrestlers, past present and future. This, in part is what I wish to discuss with you today. This is a personal piece of work for me; however it may come across as more factual then prose like my normal work does.

The Hart Dungeon, for all its merit, also seems to be tainted. For those of you who know I worship HBK, well done. What no one knows about me though, is that when I first got into wrestling I marked hard for Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid. Seriously, I didn’t think there were two better wrestlers on the planet. To this very day, yes that opinion hasn’t changed. Just because both men are inactive, doesn’t mean I have forgotten what they did for the business (and me as a fan). And just because I love Shawn Michaels, doesn’t mean I can’t still hold thee two in high regard. However, coming back to tainted. After studying this topic for some time (and finding some interesting subjects) it seems that people who study or studied in the Hart Dungeon have something in common. Apart from the want to better themselves and make their presence known on the wrestling world, most of the people seem to have a misfortune following them. Now, this may seem like a bad thing. Sometimes this misfortune is purely career based, and sometimes the misfortune is a little closer to home. In some cases, it may seem that the wrestler is just experiencing the normal rigors and wear and tear of wrestling. Whichever the case, I am going to help you break them down into some type of categories. This week, I start with the most tragic of cases, ones that totally overwhelm wrestling and take us into reality. These cases show us that wrestling sometimes HAS to take a backseat. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

“Pound for pound, the greatest wrestler who ever lived!” – Bret Hart

Possibly the greatest British wrestler to ever step foot in a ring, Dynamite Kid (or Tom Billington to you smarks) has truly defined wrestling for the modern generation. Many of you will remember Kid as the tag team partner of Davey Boy Smith (The British Bulldogs). For you who know little more about this man, Kid is, and will always be, classed as one of the purest wrestlers in history. His was cousin to Davey Boy Smith. He was married to the sister of Bret Hart’s first wife Julie (Michelle). From an early age, this man was taken into the Hart Family and became one of its regular members. In turn, he was scouted by Stu Hart and trained in the fabled Dungeon. Eventually he would be picked up by WWF and would form the aforementioned team of the Bulldogs. Success was small for this team who ended their tenure with WWF in 1988. This marked little more then four years in the company. Davey Boy would go on to be a household name in WWF, and Dynamite Kid would make his mark in the independent territories, mostly Japan. The team soon split after losing status and Dynamite took Davey to Stampede Wrestling. They would reform their extremely successful chemistry and win the tag titles there. It seems a shame that many people forget about Dynamite Kid. His WWF tenure was short. But it was by no means innocent and plain sailing.


Due to heavy loyalty and fan base, The Hart Foundation (Bret and Jim Niedhart) would fight some extremely tight, perfectly executed and technical matches against The British Bulldogs. However, when Kid got injured in 1986 (his first of many infamous back problems), Vince McMahon asked the team to forfeit the titles. He sent Bret to the hospital to retrieve the belts from him. Kid said no. After Kid discharged himself (against doctors orders) Vince proposed the idea again. Kid, by now known for his toughness and hard knocks approach, refused to drop the belts unless it was to The Hart Foundation. Vince wanted the belts to go to Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. Considering the Hart Foundations prestige, Vince agreed and that is what happened. The pre-match was a shambles, with Davey having to carry an immobile Kid to the ring on his back. He took a shot to the head from a Jimmy Hart megaphone to excuse him from the match. Kid couldn’t move in the ring. The Bulldogs lost the belts...Unfortunately, that would be the last time the Bulldogs would see decent tag team action. Fable would serve correctly that that Kid was a little aggressive backstage. Famous for his non kayfabe rivalry with Jacques Rougeau, Dynamite once took four punches to the face during a punch up, and remained standing. This was despite the fact that he lost four teeth in this altercation. Despite McMahon having due respect for this show of toughness, it was this event that ceased the Bulldogs WWF’s careers. Dynamite also made an enemy of Brutus Beefcake, who insulted someone close to him. And who can forget when The Bulldogs worked stiff on a couple of newcomers to WWF, one being a very little known wrestler in Mick Foley. Foley remembers he couldn’t eat solid food for some weeks following this bout. He also tore ligaments in his jaw. Kid was famous for his stiffness and was once warned off attending a bar by Savage (WCW wrestlers were there socialising). And who can forget the news that he pulled a shotgun on his wife, a wife that he apparently beat on occasion? Obviously, this is just subjected rumour. Kid has not denied or confirmed this happened. Seems this stiffness was an all round trait...


Dynamite Kid was not that successful in WWF. It is no secret that his legacy will always remain. If you wish to see how Dynamite Kid has transcended into modern wrestling, look at Chris Benoit. Benoit idolized Billington as a child. His move set followed along the lines of Kids. Benoit even cited Kid as being his main influence in becoming a wrestler. Seriously, watch their diving headbutts and notice the similarities. The reason I mention the diving headbutt though, is this. Mr Billington is now confined to a wheelchair. Harley Race has spoken out about this. He wishes he had not invented the diving headbutt, and emotionally regrets this. Kid watched Harley Race perform this move and in return, dedicated the move to him. Problem is, like many Benoit admirers will know, this move causes damage to the head, neck and spine. Because of this associated damage, Billington can no longer walk. His doctors told him in 1997 that he could not walk anymore, as a result of the complications from the surgery in 1986. Billington was also paralysed in his left leg, and more recently had that leg amputated. It is a sad affair for a wrestler who inspired a generation and in turn, became one of the most famous names in the business today. However, it is a fair and evident display of what wrestling can actually do a person. Tragic this is; but a true display of pride and commitment from our often suppositional stars.

"Owen is the only guy you could have a 2-hour show for, and no-one would say a bad word about him." – Shawn Michaels

If there was ever a true phenomenon waiting to happen in wrestling, Owen Hart was that quandary. From an early age (if not always) Owen would live in his big brothers shadow. Being the youngest (and only in WWE) brother of Bret Hart to wrestle for the same promotion was always going to bring a comparison. Pity really, because Owen Hart, for some similarity was a totally different wrestler. For a start, yes he did win the King of the Ring tournament; a year after his brother did for the second time (Bret also won in 1991 for those not in the know). He went on to become a four time World Tag Team Champion with various partners (including his brother in law Davey Boy Smith and Yokozuna). Considering Owen came to profile in a tag team with Koko B. Ware, this always seemed to be his destiny in life. Yes, he was fighting Bret for the WWF Championship at times, but some people didn’t see Owen as the perfect main event talent. True, his chemistry with Bret was spot on, but he didn’t have “it” so to speak. However, as fate may have it, being flexible with different tag team partners had it benefits. It was this period that launched Owen into the singles scene, and would bring him two Intercontinental Championships. Before all this fame, Owen had also wrestled in Stampede Wrestling, New Pro Japan and WCW, all under the radar, and thankfully without mention of his heritage. Owen had the chance to prove himself out of his family shadow...and did so.

Owen wrestled Mr Perfect at aged twenty three. He has already made his mark in the aforementioned promotions before this happened (at Wrestlemania V, under the guise of the Blue Blazer). WCW chose to hire him but Owen refused on part of moving his family around. Instead he resigned with WWF and formed the New Foundation with Jim Niedhart, Bret’s former partner. After a short stint in the tag division with Niedhart, Owen pursued a singles career but was quickly thrust back into a tag team with Koko B. Ware. It was this tag team that got Owen noticed by his peers. At the time, high flying moves were rare. Owen was using them more so then most. Survivor Series 1993, Owen teamed with his brothers Bret, Keith and Bruce for a four on four traditional Survivor Series match (Originally against Jerry Lawler and his knights, Lawler was indisposed so Shawn Michaels took his place). Owen was the only member eliminated, at fault of Bret and the feud was built. From here Owen would gain acclaim for his contests with Bret Hart and define himself as a prospect in WWE. His tag team titles aside (which were designed to help build up Owens’s heel persona) Owen was a very successful competitor in the ring. His contests with Shawn Michaels, British Bulldog and Bret Hart are all classics. Hell, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin all have one thing in common...they were pushed to the main event off the back of feuds with Owen. If that is not a testament to his abilities, I don’t know what is.

On May 23rd 1999, Owen Hart (in Blue Blazer guise) would attempt to rafter into the ring. It was giving of his goofy heel gimmick. He was supposed to stop inches above the ring and fall flat on his face. Endearing as this would have been to the fans (who, despite Blazer being a heel, enjoyed him) this never happened. The release clasp that Owen would use to free himself easily undid (whether by accident or Owen moving around to get comfortable was never determined). Owen fell seventy eight feet and landed chest first on the tope rope (near the turnbuckle) before collapsing to the mat. To WWE’s credit, no footage of this event exists. Sources show that Owen would sit up before collapsing in pain. As he was tended to, he died. Owen had died in the ring, the one place he could amuse us and amaze us in more ways then most. This event sent shockwaves throughout wrestling. By this time Bret Hart had left WWF for WCW and Owen was the sole member of the Hart Family on the roster. He was a young, possibly prime thirty four years of age. I don’t need to tell you that this was a very tragic moment. Owen was fondly remembered by his peers, most notably Mark Henry who cried openly on the loss (on live TV) and Shawn Michaels who wrote that Owen was possibly the only wrestler who could have a two hour show dedicated to him, without derogatory remarks made. Jeff Jarrett dedicated his last Intercontinental Championship win to Owen (even shouting his name on the receipt of the belt), Stone Cold did a one beer salute and his brother Bret would wrestle Chris Benoit in his honour. Owen will always be missed by us all. Unfortunately, for a man who saved money on the road for his family (in aid to retire early) and was known for his fun loving antics, he may be the most innocent victim of the dungeon.

“Chris Benoit is for real” - Tazz

It seems a shame to add Benoit to the past list given that he was only wrestling less then two years ago. To make him part of this list seems a little weird. However, Benoit deserves to be on this list. After all he was one of the few in wrestling of recent times that were Dungeon trained. He was also voted as one of Stu’s best students. Benoit was an avid fan of wrestling from an early age. Emulating stars such as Bret Hart (who he would later fight) and Dynamite Kid, Benoit decided that he wanted to become a wrestler. He would watch hours of pirated tapes featuring contests between Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask from Japan (seriously good wrestling) before deciding this. His father helped him pursue this dream, in turn paying for some weights to use. Benoit would also make the three hour drive to The Hart Dungeon and train under Bruce Hart, and later Stu himself. Benoit would start his career in 1985, thus growing close to the Hart family in the process. He grew close to Bret most, having idolized the man during his youth. Benoit would refer to Bret as a role model. Early nerves would take their toll on Benoit. In homage to his hero, he was billed as “Dynamite” Chris Benoit. However, in his first match he would hit the Diving Headbutt (uncannily similar to Kid) and knock the wind out of himself. Benoit recalls that he would never use this move again. Successful stints in Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, WCW (twice) and ECW followed. During these times Benoit would develop his move set, character and ability. By the time WWF snapped him up (during the WCW buyout) Benoit was considered one of the most adept technical wrestlers in the world. By then he had broken Sabu’s neck in ECW (garnering his Crippler moniker in the process) and formed a team with Biff Wellington, a fellow Canadian wrestler (more on this link later).

Benoit would join the WWF as a member of the Radicalz. He would team with best friends Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero to form the former WCW stable. He was quickly aligned with Triple H before feuding with Chris Jericho. In a month he would win his first Intercontinental Championship. Over the next year he would win it four times, feuding it back and forth with Chris Jericho. It seemed Benoit was always going to be a big thing. He would fight Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, The Rock and Brock Lesnar on his way to establishing himself as a legitimate contender to the top prize. A few years later he would get his wish. In fact Benoit has one of the best runs in WWE history. During his WWF/E days Benoit was one of the most decorated wrestlers in the company. Although he started off as a tag team member, Benoit eventually would reach the big time. He was the twelfth Triple Crown champion in WWE history. He was a three time World Tag Team Champion (with fellow Canadians Chris Jericho and Edge on two occasions), a four time Intercontinental Champion, a three time United States Champion, a one time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Kurt Angle, the first team to win this belt) and who could forget, a one time World Heavyweight Champion. He also won the Royal Rumble to achieve this accolade. In fact, if you include his WCW titles as well he achieved twenty one championships in his career. Not including his Stampede/Japan exploits, this means Benoit held one belt for every year he was active. That is one of the best legacies a man can leave behind. Unfortunately, events would overshadow this magnificent legacy.

On June 25th 2007, Chris Benoit and his family (his wife Nancy and child Daniel) were found dead in Benoit's home. Investigations would discover that Benoit killed his family before hanging himself with his own gym equipment. Benoit has missed several appointments (including several live appearances for WWE). On this concern, a welfare check was carried out and the police found the bodies. The murder weapons were found at the scene and before long, Benoit was named the perpetrator for the crimes. (Sinister was the fact that Biff Wellington, a former Dungeon student and Benoit’s former partner died on the same day by a heart attack). Before these details came about, WWE dedicated a live three hour show to Benoit. Once they discovered the details about the death, WWE began distancing themselves from him. On a marketing standpoint this was standard, but in the process they were eliminating the legacy of a great performer. Now, I am not getting into a debate on this but I do wish to state this. Benoit, THE WRESTLER, should be remembered for his ability, technical prowess (one of the best in the world) and his accolades. As a person that is a different story. However, Benoit had his issues. In fact, if the coroner’s reports are to be understood, his mental state was achieved by overuse of steroids and prescription medicine. It is no secret that Benoit broke his neck during TLC3. In fact, the man had the balls to finish the match before taking a year off for surgery. However, back when drugs were not that much of a concern, Benoit was using steroids in order to heal these injuries. Whether he became accustomed to these or not, we will never know. It just seems tragic that in modern day wrestling, people have to worry about their spot on the card. Revealing an injury could mean the end of your push. Many wrestlers must take this into account before unveiling it. It seems Benoit may have been an early victim of this. The drugs obviously comforted him somewhat during his matches. In fact, as much as he idolized Dynamite Kid, he may have literally followed in his footsteps. Unfortunately, Benoit may never see the Hall of Fame or any significance for his accolades. This in itself is tragic.

"The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be” – Mr. Perfect

All obvious links aside here, when you think of Canadian wrestlers, only one man’s name springs to mind. Before there was Edge, Christian, Lance Storm or the like, there was Bret Hart. There is no man in wrestling (nor will there be) that embodies Canadian loyalty and wrestling technique like Bret Hart. Going back to the ‘80s for a second here, we all remember Bret Hart as a member of The Hart Foundation. He would become one of the pioneering tag teams for our generation pretty much over night. It would not be long until he would branch out into solo work, and become one of the first ever performers to win the three coveted titles in WWF. Let’s face it, the 90’s pretty much belonged to this guy because of his faultless matches against the greatest names in the business. He would also become the most pivotal name in the war between WCW and WWF at the peak of its Monday Night Wars. He would also be part of the most controversial incident, non kayfabe of course, in wrestling history. Bret Hart was no stranger to success. For a man who will always be remembered for his wrestling ability, technique and for helping wrestling get to where it is today, Bret deserved all the accolades his earned. Problem is, in wrestling, success seems to come at a price to many. If anyone embodied that curse, Bret was that person.

You must be thinking what has this got to do with a curse? I mean all this success must have meant something for him to be well remembered? It was no secret that Hart was one of the most talented wrestlers in history. His application of simple holds like arm bars or headlocks made a match gain some credibility. It was primarily his prose in the squared circle that made the 60 minute Iron Man Match at Wrestlemania XII so popular. Coming from a HBK fan, that speaks volumes. And who can forget that he headlined Summerslam 1992, in the United Kingdom for a belt that scarcely even registers in WWE nowadays? He still remains one of few WWF superstars who wrestled on that PPV, in front of WWF’S largest crowd to this very day (79,127). So how is this a curse? Well, for all the woe and misfortune that will be mentioned herein, he still remains one of the few superstars on this list (the past anyway) to still be alive today. But that doesn’t mean he has not had his share of misfortune. Unfortunately, where many people think that Bret brings it on himself, this is indeed, not the case. He may be infamous for the Montreal Screw job, but this controversy pales compared to his personal life.

Firstly, his family have died around him. His family was born and bred into wrestling. His seven brothers all played a part in the wrestling business, backstage or otherwise. His four sisters have all gone on to marry wrestlers in their own right. But that is where the tragedy starts. Apart from Jim Niedhart, (who married his sister Ellie) who still survives to this day, Davey Boy Smith died from severe side effects of a stroke. Davey was married to his sister Diana. Bret also lost his youngest brother Owen (see above). As well as these deaths in the family, Bret has had to endure the death of his brother Dean, who passed in 1990. He was well known as a referee before his death. Bret has also lost both of his parents in recent times, his mother Helen in 2001 and his father Stu in 2003. Despite the fact that there are now thirty one children in the family from Bret and his siblings, this death tally is tragic, if not for the numbers buy the time frame. Aside from the deaths, Bret has also been on the wrong end of luck. He suffered a stroke in 2002 after hitting his head in a motorcycle accident (many think a botched move by Goldberg bought this on) and had to undergo massive physical therapy. He is healthy now. He has also been married four times in his life and as a result has lost out financially on various occasions. It seems for all his merits, that Bret may indeed be the most cursed student of the dungeon. For a man who sought to be the best, maybe its cruel fate that he has the most to lose from all the dungeon students, including his career, close family members and part of his legacy.

Join me next week when I bring you part two of this trilogy, looking at some of the more recent wrestlers in memory, some of which you still idolize and some of which you see in daily doses on Raw and Smackdown. Until next week, Ciao!

[L-Man]

A very great peice of work here. I have read Bret Harts book so I have heard first hand some of the horrors in the dungeon. It was truly a tradgety what happenmed to Dynamite Kid because I have viweed many of his matches and they were perfect.

A great job here

Rock On

[SailorJerrry]

Hey Hun,

Another solid piece here. It was excellently structured and flowed nicely - not to mention I learned a thing or to I didn't know before.

I can't agree with you about Bret being most effected by the curse though. True, it is a horrible thing to lose the people around you; but the curse in fact seems to apply more to those that lose their lives than those left standing over their graves.

Also, as far as having four marriages - he has been married four times because of the success and notoriety he achieved combined with his inability to keep it in his pants. He could have learned his lesson after marriage one or two but did not - and that is the result of a choice rather than a curse.

His injuries are an argument for the curse affecting him - especially because they have ended his career in terms of being able to continue competing; and yet he still makes huge amounts of money from appearances, royalties and book deals that make his life that little bit sweeter than many that never went through the dungeon...

Just one girl's opinion, but I think you made yours well. It was an enjoable read and I look forward to the next installment.

SJ.x

[Martin Riggs]

Very good, very informative, and yet touching, which is awesome, as just from reading the first few paragraphs, i can tell your heart is in this as well as your head!

Very enjoyable, i eagerly anticipate #2!

[TheMonkeyBoy]

Very good column dude.

Really informative and enjoyable read.

Well done

[The Maz]

Great stuff and a tremendous idea. This coming from the 7 dwarves guy shows not only your range and consistency cos you nail them every time. Fortnightly is still better than nothing but you can put me right at the top of the list of guys who will sorely miss a weekly dose of KE. Can't wait for the present (and I assume the future) of the dungeon.

Just keep these bad boys coming as often as you possibly can!

EDIT: And I want to know more about Beef Wellington

[cicero]

Fantabulous work.

[Blackwell]

Good read.

It's just a shame why I consider the Hart Family the Canadian equivalent of the Von Erichs.

[Hustle]

Nothing will ever come remotely close to the Von Erich curse/story.

Skaos, another fine piece of columny goodness, sir. Your columns never really fail to impress me. I applaud you for that. Please keep up the good work, whether it's weekly or fortnightly.

[Stinger]

Great column Skaos, wonderful look at four great Dungeon wrestlers whose careers or lives did not end the way they should've. There is another student of the Dungeon who things didn't end well for, who I was a huge fan of, but I won't mention him in case you write about him in one of the other two parts.

You, Skaos, are easily one of my favorite columnist going today, so I'll read your columns whenever you can write them; be it weekly or bi-weekly, or whatever. As long as we still see The Kaos Engine around, all will be good.

Again, great read.

[Kano]

Dude, Awesome stuff yet again, quite an interesting topic.

This well done, and juistice was served for these wrestlers in the way you wrote about them. Tragic the ending, great the career and match's all these 4 guys put in thoughout their careers. I look forward to the next installment whether it be tomorrow or next week. You truely deserve CotM this month man, and my vote will be going to you

Looking forward to KE XIX

[Skaos]

Feedback

All - Hey people. Thanks for the nice comments and the support. I know working forniightly will appeal me to me and be easier with my new schedule. There is still a very solid chance I may retire from column writing in total but the jury is out on that as of now.

Thanks for your support and all the comments on this piece. I will be bringing you the next piece ASAP.

[Hustle]

If you retire, I will be forced to thrash you.

[Skaos]

If I do, you won't be able to stop me lol.