5 Wrestlers who fought wild animals

#1 Canadian wrestler Stu Hart takes on a Bengal Tiger

Stu Hart was one of the greatest pro-wrestlers to come out of Canada. He was the founder of Stampede Wrestling where future WWE stars like Owen Hart and Bret Hart kicked off their careers.

Stu Hart used to famously wrestle tigers in Stampede Wrestling. The most famous match between Stu Hart and a tiger was his outing with Sasha "Chi-Chi". The entire presentation was a publicity stunt on behalf of the Calgary Fish and Wildlife Association and bagged the attention of a large number of fans at the time.

Diana Hart, Stu's daughter, stated that he had borrowed a Cheetah as well, and possibly had plans in mind to wrestle the animal.

Stu Hart wrestles a Bengal Tiger. A few minutes later the tiger could be heard roaring as Stu stretched it. pic.twitter.com/1wBH8fBr5G
— Old Wrestling Pics (@OldWrestlingPic) July 17, 2016

Expand Tweet

Stu Hart was seen on several occasions on WWE TV back in the 90s, when Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Owens Hart were top wrestlers in the company. WWE inducted him into the Hall Of Fame in 2010, with Bret doing the honors.

Stu Hart was dubbed by many of his peers as being a tough guy, but no one had imagined in their wildest dreams that he would wrestle an actual Bengal Tiger.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

Know More

Edited by Alan John