A brand-new Conversations With Love is LIVE!
Today, we chat with one of Alberta’s most highly-respected professional wrestlers, Steve Rivers! After nearly 30 years in the business, there are few individuals with more insight into the province’s pro wrestling scene than the multi-time champion. Tune in as we run through both Rivers’ career and the Albertan pro wrestling scene as a whole, including:
- Staying busy during the pandemic
- How he broke into the Hart Dungeon
- The experience of getting stretched
- Growing up as a Stampede Wrestling fan
- Why he fell in love with pro wrestling
- The pride of seeing Stampede wrestlers move on to bigger promotions
- Training under “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
- Wrestling his first-ever match for the WWF
- Davey Boy Smith’s WWE HOF induction
- Why Dynamite Kid also belongs in the Hall of Fame
- A brief history of Can/Am pro wrestling
- Getting the opportunity to wrestle in the Middle East
- Becoming a seven-time CRMW Mid-Heavyweight Champion
- Watching Chris Jericho and Lance Storm early in their careers
- Arresting someone at a pro wrestling show
- Why he loves performing for Real Canadian Wrestling
- His tag team partner, Bradley Graham
- How a Calgarian trained at the Hart Dungeon became All-American Steve Rivers
- His feelings on being named to the PWI500
Conversations With Love is proudly brought to you by Beercade YEG.
Conversations With Love 72: A Conversation With Steve Rivers
Highlights:
Getting stretched by Stu Hart:
“Oh god, yeah. I’ve been stretched by Stu a few times. The first time was when I was actually probably junior high, where I went to one of the public libraries where they were doing a wrestling demonstration (with) Keith Hart. Of course, I was dumb enough to volunteer. So, for about an hour and a half, Stu Hart stretched me in front of a bunch of people in the library.”
“Then, at (a) dinner that I was invited to at my friends’ house, Ann, Stu again proceeded to stretch me for an hour-and-a-half on a hard, linoleum floor. So, yeah, I’ve had my bouts being stretched by the Hart family. I’m no stranger to it.”
“It’s never easy, let’s put it that way. It’s never fun, but it’ll toughen you up. It gives you an immediate appreciation for wrestling.”
Wrestling his first-ever match for the WWF:
“I was in high school training in the Dungeon on the weekends, whenever Ross would have a chance. One weekend, Davey was back in town from Florida visiting family, because Diana’s whole family was still here. Of course, (I) went out for dinner with him up to my friends’ house, and he mentioned ‘hey, WWF is going to be coming to town (and) doing some TV tapings here in the future. I’ll get you a match!’ ‘Well, great! That’s fantastic!’ I didn’t really think anything of it at the time, because it (sounded) far off and there was no real specific date, they just said at a later date, they’re coming soon.”
“I was two weeks out of high school, and I got the call to come down to the Saddledome and I was (going to be) getting my first-ever match.”
“It was overwhelming. It was surreal. I always thought I would have my first match probably for Stampede Wrestling in some small town somewhere in front of a couple hundred people. I never would have imagined it would have been in front of a packed Saddledome for TV. Here I am, I’m two weeks out of high school and I’m on the same card as Hulk Hogan. It was overwhelming. It was a very surreal moment. To be honest, I was s**ting my pants.”
“I was originally booked to be in a dark match against the Brooklyn Brawler. Originally, they were going to put me in the dark match, and then they changed that and they put me against Colonel Mustafa, the Iron Shiek on TV. So, first match, against the Iron Shiek, Sgt. Slaughter and all those guys. All things considered, I think I did pretty well. Of course, I got the s**t kicked out of me, but that’s all part of it. It was just a pleasure to be in the ring for the first time ever. It was quite the experience.”
Watching Lance Storm and Chris Jericho early in their careers:
“You can easily pick out who the standouts are. It’s quite easy, and guys like Lance and Chris, they absolutely stood out. You knew they were going to have a really good shot and they were going to have a really good career in the business, which they both did.”
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