Even though the Hart Legacy promotion nearly sold out the Pavilion in
Calgary, as I’d been warned ahead of time, financial problems were
numerous as they spent so much that they were going to be losing money
even with a sellout, which is never good business. It appears the
promotion is already shut down with the February shows being canceled. A
lot, if not most of the people from the first show were paid late.
Many were finally paid on 1/29. Some were paid before that date,
although one source said it was just some Americans. Checks for both
Lance Storm and El Generico bounced, although the promotion told them
they would make good on them. Even though it was called Hart Legacy
Wrestling, the key people in charge were not members of the Hart family.
Teddy Hart and his father, B.J. Annis, were involved. Bret Hart made
it clear he had nothing to do with it. Neither Bruce or Keith Hart were
at the show. Wayne Hart worked as a referee and Ross Hart was at the
show, as was Diana Hart Smith, since her son, Harry, worked the show.
Everyone who got advances were, which would be the stars since as a
general rule name wrestlers get half their money up front.
The people
who worked behind the scenes and some of the local wrestlers hadn’t been
paid at least as of last word. At the show, several were promised
they’d be paid this past week with a bonus, but the week came and went.
There were between 1,000 and 1,200 paid with seats ranging from $25 to
$45, with 200 comps. It was not a sellout, but it was pretty full.
Expenses for the show were pushing $40,000, between trans, hotels,
building rent and advertising. After the show, promoter John Oniston
held a meeting and told people none of the guarantees or trans would be
made that night. Spencer Tapley, who worked behind the scenes, Teddy
Hart, who was the major booker and put some money into the show, his
father, who also put money into the show, all took Oniston to task in a
very business like fashion for him to at least pay the wrestlers. When
that failed, they wanted him to at least come up with when everyone
would be paid. Oniston claimed Ticketmaster and the Pavilion box office
wouldn’t release the money until Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. He then
promised everyone a $100 bonus to compensate for the delay and bank
transfers would be made by Wednesday.
On Friday, several went public.
Oniston said he was out of town and that Ticketmaster wasn’t settling
until 1/29, which was the day he promised to pay. That day came and
went with some paid and others not. Other said that Oniston was also
late in releasing money before the show for transportation, so plane
tickets were purchased late and thus cost way more than they should
have. The CBC in Canada ended up running a news story on the fiasco and
also noted that the hotel where the promotion was to put up the
wrestlers ended up being owed $3,200. Teddy Hart was on that report
saying most of the staff had been paid and claimed the hotel was
supposed to provide the rooms for free in exchange for advertising.
Hart was still talking like there would be a show in Calgary on 2/22.
The February shows were to include names like Kevin Nash and Jushin
Liger, and it is believed they have been canceled, but nobody seems to
know for sure. Liger, Gedo and Jado were booked and Massao Hattori, the
longtime ref and foreign booker and New Japan President Naoki
Sugabayashi were going to come to scout talent on the 2/22 show. New
Japan was already talking about a relationship because they remember the
old days in the 80s where they would send younger talent to Calgary and
thought this could open that up again. After word got out about what
happened on the first show, New Japan had insisted that Liger, Gedo and
Jado be paid in advance or they wouldn’t send them.
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