Tales of ribs and practical jokes during the crazy world of 1960s wrestling, particularly this one story involving Stu Hart, Austin Idol, and Dennis Condrey, are so inappropriate you have to read it to believe it.
The airplane’s wings were icing over — at least that’s what the pilot said. Stampede Wrestling owner Stu Hart and future NWA world champion Gene Kiniski were on board Stu’s private plane, returning from Edmonton to Calgary.
While the pilot stayed with the plane in order to fly back to Calgary once the weather conditions were better, Hart and Kiniski hitch-hiked back to Calgary.
A few days later, when Hart hadn’t heard from the pilot, he became suspicious. He called the pilot’s number. No answer. So he went over to the apartment. Everything was gone.
The pilot was Sam Menacker, a former Army major in World War II and a veteran pro wrestler renowned for his feats of strength. Had Menacker double-crossed Hart?