Keith quickly found himself side by side with Bruce and a young Bret in their family’s war with J.R. Foley. Foley immediately saw the road to gold went through the three brothers. I know time fuzzes all memories but to this day I can't recall any of Keith’s opponents getting out of one of his holds without a run in by Foley or his men. Why Keith never took a run at the North American heavyweight title is still a mystery. Perhaps he was happy to be tag champ? Perhaps he was happy to share the spotlight with his brothers?

Keith passed on the torch in his own unique way. Bret learned from this in ring strategy and found a healthy balance between brawling, which later helped him to come out on top with wars against bruisers like Bad News Allen, and Archie "the Stomper" Goldie, yet also be able to wrestle on the mat with The Dynamite Kid. This experience definitely could be seen in his later career wins in the WWF. Keith quietly helped to build the Hart Brothers wrestling school. Behind the scenes he helped to pave the future for young superstars of the 80's and today: Chris Benoit, Owen Hart, and Brian Pillman. Strictly from a fans point of view I see so much of Keith's submission style in Chris Benoit. Seeing him apply his cross faced chicken wing on WWF superstars gives me chilling memories of Keith almost crippling Kerry Brown years prior.

While Keith was quiet in the ring and mostly worked behind the scenes later on in the 80's,Bruce Hart's Stampede career took a different path. Bruce was possibly the most vocal of Hart brothers and later on kept a strong in ring presence in the 80's. Like Keith, Bruce was shorter in stature then his opponents in Foley's army. But he quickly found his place in Stampede Wrestling history in the mid-heavyweight and tag team scene. Often crossing paths with Dynamite kid and the Great Gama. Bruce learned to temper Dynamite’s raw power with patience and... fists. You just can't fly while being pummeled. Bruce also had a rock solid elbow smash that would wear down his opponents, a move seldom seen today. Bruce was the first of the Hart brothers to introduce aerial moves to the Hart Brothers legend. He used flying dropkicks and flying clotheslines more and more, perhaps learned from his encounters with Dynamite. His dropkicks were on target 100%of the time and always had his opponent on the mat in a perfect position for a figure four or tag in with his tag partner.

But what separated him a bit from his brothers was his vocal temper in the ring. He often would yell encouragement to his brothers from his corner. But with the vocal cheering came his temper. He always seemed to lose it when referee Cedric Hathaway would always seem to turn at the right/wrong(depending who you cheered for) and then would have the referee chastising him while Kerry Brown and Duke Myers used their infamous quick tags to wear down Bret. Foley quickly was able to use this to his advantage whenever Bruce was in ring. Bruce fed off the fans ringside and in turn they fed off him often coming up to ringside to voice...displeasure with Foley or the...ref.

I remember a exasperated Bruce unable to tag in because Bret was being cut off the whole match, then being pummeled. He hopped down from ringside, stormed around the ring and carried Bret back to his corner and tagged in. He didn't wait for the usual electrifying tag in! Bruce found himself in several tag combinations in the 70's most notably with Davey Boy Smith in wars with Dynamite and Great Gama. Bruce passed the torch in the mid 80's in Stampede to Owen. While Bret and Owen never tagged up in Stampede, they shared tagging in and out with Bruce. After Stampede returned after the big wrestling shakedown, gone were Bret, Davey, and Dynamite. But familiar faces remained like Bruce. Like a big brother does he looked over Owen's shoulder as he flew through the air in Stampede rings. He could have joined Owen as he did Bret and Keith. He could have become a manager. He could have even done announcing since tandem announcing was now the in thing to do. All three of these would have kept Bruce in Stampede memories. However that’s just not Bruce Hart. While tagging with Owen did happen from time to time, Bruce was content to see Owen focus in singles. Bruce then found himself in a bitter feud with Karachi Vice's head, The Great Gama Singh. Violent and bloody Bruce and Gamma traded the Mid-heavyweight titles back and forth, and stole the show from the heavyweights at times.

As Owen’s popularity grew Bruce remained firmly in the fans eyes. A young football star with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Calgary Stampeders arrived in Stampede Wrestling by the name of Brian Pillman. Young, brash, and reckless, he pretty much screamed out for patience and Bruce's experience as a tag team specialist. Brian and Bruce formed the team of Bad Company(months BEFORE Tanaka and Diamond even teamed up in the AWA). Brian, like Ben Basarab, Chris Benoit, and Owen brought a fresh breeze to wrestling in aerial moves. Not content with clotheslines Brian and Bruce worked on flying dropkicks off the top ropes. They choreographed their moves in sync so that Brian came off the top rope while Bruce clotheslined the other opponent. Brian electrified fans in ring with these moves. I remember he would check the ceiling height when he mounted the ropes in a temporary wrestling venue. Bruce handled the ground assault with elbows, and fists while Brian flew off the ropes with dropkicks and belly splashes. However, they didn't steamroll their way through the competition like The Masters of Disasters did years past. In their way was a intense tag team of The Viet Cong Express. Straight from Japan they too brought aerial moves to Stampede and brought Bad Company’s skills to new levels. Bruce began to perfect his flying clothesline. I honestly thought at times he would break someone's neck with it. Back and forth titles were traded in a feud that escalated to Stampede’s ultimate match in a steel cage.

Bad Company became brash and bold. No Hart brother had ever stepped out of the quiet, reserved shell. Not even Bret. All the Harts came to the ring, did their work, then left. Bruce along with Brian became the First "good guys" to push the edge. They then held the International tag belts for over a year and at one point came close to being booed by fans when they got a bit too boastful with announcer Ed Whelan. But despite the fast paced wrestling flooding Stampede, and the fact Bruce was one of the promoters sons, he wasn't above paying his dues. On a fateful summer night at the old auditorium where I watched Stampede live (with NO air conditioning!!), Bad Company went toe to toe with another tag team force hot on the heels of Bruce and Brian called the Midnight Cowboys (veteran Kerry Brown and flamboyant Rip Rogers). Kerry and Bruce were no strangers to each other and carried their bitter 70's feuds into the 80's with their young apprentices at their sides. Back and forth Bruce and Rip vocally showed their... displeasure with each other before the match. Times indeed had changed as Bad Company bent the rules. After the match, low blows started by the Cowboys were followed in same by Bruce. Brian flew through the air as the ghost of Foley must have infused a resurging Kerry Brown.

I saw one of my childhood heroes fall that night and pay his dues, as Kerry and Rip got Bruce in his own corner and busted him wide open with a little bit of help from recent turncoat Johnny Smith. Bruce fell to the corner while Karachi Vice took turns on Brian. Only a run in by Benoit could push them off Brian. Oddly, I remember watching Bruce lay there perfectly still thinking, "Something just ain’t right here". HE laid there what seemed an eternity face down until his blond hair turned red. Quickly the match was off and auditorium staff ran to the ring and turned Bruce over unconscious. I felt my stomach turn as someone wiped blood of his mouth and put him on an old stretcher.

Bruce was ok and he turned up on the next Calgary TV show bandaged but still brash and holding the straps. When Stampede’s rebirth wound down I never saw Bruce wrestle anywhere else. It wasn't until Bret beat Curt Hennig for his Intercontinental championship that I saw Bruce again. Like a good brother should he stood side by side his father Stu when Bret came up into the stands. Who could forget Bret's pay per view showdown with Steve Austin when a still hot tempered Bruce Hart jumped the railing and got himself involved in their match. "Yup, that’ s Bruce all right!! HAHA!!", I exclaimed as I watched on.

Bruce and Keith never rode on their brothers stardom. Before Bret and Owen found success, Bruce and Keith helped pave their way like all good brothers do. Bret's submission moves are a direct result from tagging with Keith in the early years. His in your face punches, elbow smashes, and... brashness was a direct result of Bruce's...not being above bending the Hart rules. They where never given titles just by being a Hart. They paid their dues in bitter feuds, blood and stitches at the hands of Foley, Karachi Vice and Jason the Terrible. They gave as good as they got and for a wrestling fan that’s good enough.

Owen Hart... who gave too much and paid the price.