This book takes readers on a rowdy ride with a focus on the stars and the fascinating Hart family, who ran the show.
Highlights include:
• The rise and fall of Dynamite Kid Tom Billington resulting in his disability and bitter seclusion
• Inside the endless frozen treks across the Prairies as the wrestlers find booze, drugs and trouble
• The accidental death of Owen Hart which lead to the destruction of the Hart family
• The tragic final years of Stu Hart, who survived his two sons and watched his beloved wrestling transformed into a dirty joke
— ABOUT THE BOOK —
Pain and Passion is a book about the history of the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling, a wild western promotion that spawned some of the biggest wrestling stars in the world, from the big names of yester-year like Gene Kiniski and Superstar Billy Graham to modern heroes like Bret Hart, the British Bulldogs and Chris Benoit.
Pain and Passion is based on “Butchers, Stompers and Cheats”, published in the Calgary Herald’s Swerve Magazine, and winner of the Gold Award for Best Article in Alberta at the 2005 Western Canadian Magazine Awards.
This book is more than just a pro-wrestling story. It is a tragedy—the story of the world famous Hart family and their family business. It’s a story of the Hart’s rise and fall from glory. It is also a tale of a wild and brutal bunch, these being the wrestlers that passed through the Hart’s promotion over the years.
Pain and Passion is a fascinating, largely undocumented chapter in the history of western Canadian pop culture. Make no mistake, the stars of Stampeded Wrestling were folk heroes in their day and their legacy is still fondly remembered in the west, and with the wrestling fans across the world.
— ADVANCE REVIEWS —
"Pain and Passion joyfully recreates the colourful cast of characters––and the chaos––that made Stampede Wrestling so much fun."
– Greg Oliver, author, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians
"....drags the reader out of the squared circle for a piledriving peek at the characters of Stampede Wrestling....engaging and unflinching manner––rich with detail, ripe with deceit...."
– Scott Cruickshank, writer, Calgary Herald
"An awesome book....couldn’t put it down....would rank it with any wrestling book ever written....Brutally honest, neither exploitive nor apologetic...."
– Dave Meltzer, editor, Wrestling Observer
— ABOUT THE AUTHOR —
Heath McCoy is an award-winning writer for the Calgary Herald. He was raised watching Stampede Wrestling from his home in Saskatchewan and attended matches in the Saskatoon Arena—which the wrestlers called the "bitter end."
