5:08:58 PM
♥ BRUCE HART ♥
that time, was considered the Cadillac of ’roids. Dynamite would definitely get bigger, but, contrary to what they say about ’roids being performance enhancing, I’d vehemently argue that his performance would only decline — as would his health.
When Dynamite and I returned to Calgary in mid-November, Art was still in charge, but business was down and morale was as well. Bret and Keith were not pleased with the way they were being used and a lot of fingers were being pointed. Dynamite and I figured that since Art hadn’t been setting the territory on fire with his heavyweight pals he might be inclined to use us a bit more. That didn’t prove to be the case, however; on our first night back, he had us in the prelims, working in inconsequential matches.
Around the same time, my brother Dean, who’d been living in Hawaii and helping new promoter Peter Maivia get his outfit off the ground, called and said that business was great and that we could make more down there than we could back in Calgary. He also said that the promotion would provide us a luxury condo on the beach, free of charge. That sealed the deal for me and Dynamite
— we were soon headed back to Hawaii.
80
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Upon our arrival, we found that my brother Dean had stretched the truth a bit.
The luxury condo he’d mentioned was a cockroach infested dump inhabited by derelicts and drunks. Dynamite and I soon found that business, which Dean had told us was great, was in shambles; promoter Peter Maivia had recently lost his television show and gates were abysmal. I probably should have jumped on the first plane out of there, but I felt kind of sorry for Peter and company.
Having seen my dad go through similar trials and tribulations, I could relate to what Peter was going through. Dynamite and I decided to hang in there.
Peter lived in the same apartment building — on the floor directly above us, in a slightly larger but equally squalid place. Peter lived with his wife, Lia, his son-in-law Rocky Johnson (who’d wrestled for my dad back in the ’60s), his daughter Ata (who was married to Rocky), and their teenaged son Dwayne, or Dewey, as they called him back then. (Today he’s better known to most of you as simply the Rock.)
Although we didn’t make much money, Peter treated us well and started giving us a pretty good push. For some reason, he had me wrestling as a heel and though I was a fair bit smaller than Peter, Rocky and other babyfaces, such as Don Muraco and Haku, he put the Polynesian heavyweight strap on me 81
StraightFromTheHart.indb 81
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♥ BRUCE HART ♥
and had me going over every night. I also worked a pretty hot program with Dynamite, who was a face over there. Business began to improve.
Unfortunately, they were only running two shows a week, so our salaries were still quite lean. Dynamite decided to head back to Calgary and urged me to do the same, but I had no desire to work for Admiral Nelson. I also wanted to repay Peter and Rocky for having had enough faith to put the belt on me.
In March, my brother Keith came down to Hawaii for a few matches. Like me, he’d been given the big sales pitch by Dean. For a bit of fun in the sun he also brought along my brother Owen, who was on Easter break from high school.
On Keith’s first night over there, he and I were booked in some kind of grudge match against Peter, the High Chief of all Samoans, and tag partner Rocky Johnson. Peter set up this finish where Keith and I were supposed to bust him open with a foreign object. He was supposed to do the mega sell and then give Rocky the hot tag — at which point, Peter would be helped back to the dressing room to get patched up. In the meantime, Keith and I were supposed to stop Rocky and bust him open also. We’d start getting strong heat on him as well — until Peter, taped up, was supposed to come back and kick our asses. At that
♥ BRUCE HART ♥
that time, was considered the Cadillac of ’roids. Dynamite would definitely get bigger, but, contrary to what they say about ’roids being performance enhancing, I’d vehemently argue that his performance would only decline — as would his health.
When Dynamite and I returned to Calgary in mid-November, Art was still in charge, but business was down and morale was as well. Bret and Keith were not pleased with the way they were being used and a lot of fingers were being pointed. Dynamite and I figured that since Art hadn’t been setting the territory on fire with his heavyweight pals he might be inclined to use us a bit more. That didn’t prove to be the case, however; on our first night back, he had us in the prelims, working in inconsequential matches.
Around the same time, my brother Dean, who’d been living in Hawaii and helping new promoter Peter Maivia get his outfit off the ground, called and said that business was great and that we could make more down there than we could back in Calgary. He also said that the promotion would provide us a luxury condo on the beach, free of charge. That sealed the deal for me and Dynamite
— we were soon headed back to Hawaii.
80
StraightFromTheHart.indb 80
10/8/10 5:08:58 PM
Upon our arrival, we found that my brother Dean had stretched the truth a bit.
The luxury condo he’d mentioned was a cockroach infested dump inhabited by derelicts and drunks. Dynamite and I soon found that business, which Dean had told us was great, was in shambles; promoter Peter Maivia had recently lost his television show and gates were abysmal. I probably should have jumped on the first plane out of there, but I felt kind of sorry for Peter and company.
Having seen my dad go through similar trials and tribulations, I could relate to what Peter was going through. Dynamite and I decided to hang in there.
Peter lived in the same apartment building — on the floor directly above us, in a slightly larger but equally squalid place. Peter lived with his wife, Lia, his son-in-law Rocky Johnson (who’d wrestled for my dad back in the ’60s), his daughter Ata (who was married to Rocky), and their teenaged son Dwayne, or Dewey, as they called him back then. (Today he’s better known to most of you as simply the Rock.)
Although we didn’t make much money, Peter treated us well and started giving us a pretty good push. For some reason, he had me wrestling as a heel and though I was a fair bit smaller than Peter, Rocky and other babyfaces, such as Don Muraco and Haku, he put the Polynesian heavyweight strap on me 81
StraightFromTheHart.indb 81
10/8/10 5:08:58 PM
♥ BRUCE HART ♥
and had me going over every night. I also worked a pretty hot program with Dynamite, who was a face over there. Business began to improve.
Unfortunately, they were only running two shows a week, so our salaries were still quite lean. Dynamite decided to head back to Calgary and urged me to do the same, but I had no desire to work for Admiral Nelson. I also wanted to repay Peter and Rocky for having had enough faith to put the belt on me.
In March, my brother Keith came down to Hawaii for a few matches. Like me, he’d been given the big sales pitch by Dean. For a bit of fun in the sun he also brought along my brother Owen, who was on Easter break from high school.
On Keith’s first night over there, he and I were booked in some kind of grudge match against Peter, the High Chief of all Samoans, and tag partner Rocky Johnson. Peter set up this finish where Keith and I were supposed to bust him open with a foreign object. He was supposed to do the mega sell and then give Rocky the hot tag — at which point, Peter would be helped back to the dressing room to get patched up. In the meantime, Keith and I were supposed to stop Rocky and bust him open also. We’d start getting strong heat on him as well — until Peter, taped up, was supposed to come back and kick our asses. At that
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