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B. J. Annis

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B. J. Annis
Birth nameBradley Joseph Annis
Born1947 (age 76–77)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materUnited States Merchant Marine Academy
Spouse(s)
Georgia Hart
​
(m. 1975)​
[1]
Children4, including Teddy Hart
FamilyHart
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)B. J. Annis[2]
Billed weight238 lb (108 kg)[2]
Billed fromBoston, Massachusetts
Trained byStu Hart
Debut1986[3][4]

Bradley Joseph Annis (born 1947)[5] is an American retired bodybuilder, powerlifter, fitness guru, professional wrestler, gym owner and firefighter.[6][7] Annis is best known for his work for Stampede Wrestling and his ownership and handling of the Calgary gym at which many of the wrestlers trained.[8] Annis is married to Georgia Hart, the daughter of wrestler Stu and wrestling promoter Helen Hart.

Early life

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Annis was born in Boston in 1947.[5]

He earned a degree in marine engineering at the Kings Point military academy.[9][10] He has also served a tour in Vietnam, he was a pilot.[5]

Career

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Bodybuilding

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Annis started bodybuilding at the age of 15.[11] He competed mostly in Hawaii, which was also where he opened his first gym.[5]

Stampede Wrestling

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Annis wrestled sporadically for Stampede Wrestling. He had singles matches against wrestlers such as Kerry Brown,[2] Mike Hammer, Cuban Assassin, Vladimir Krupoff, Gama Singh, Johnny Smith, Adolph Barbee, Makhan Singh, Karl Moffat and Drago Thomas among others.[12] Annis participated in several tag teams together with Mr. Hito, Con Kovidis, Rick Patterson, George Skaaland and brothers-in-law Keith and Owen Hart, respectively.[12] During his time wrestling for Stampede Wrestling he also challenged for the Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Championship with George Skaaland and participated in a Battle Royal in 1986.[12] Annis' favorite catchphrases were exclaiming "Ahhh Christ!" and "What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!"

Annis was the only one of Stu Hart's sons-in-law not to be stretched by him in the Hart family dungeon.[13]

B. J's Gym

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Annis also owned the gym located at 604 7 Ave. S.E. in Calgary where many of the wrestlers of Stampede Wrestling trained, such as Dynamite Kid, The British Bulldog and the McGuire twins,[14][15] called B.J's Gym.[16] The gym opened in 1972 and stretches 12,500 square-foot and contained with cardio equipment, weights and a juice bar.[9] Bret Hart trained weekly at B.J's gym while recovering from his stroke.[17]

The gym closed in 2011 and Annis has stated that he has no interest in opening a new one, instead enjoying retirement with his family and possibly buying a new house.[18] In November 2011, his daughter Angie Annis staged an art exhibition at the gymnasium prior to the establishment closing its doors.[19][20][21] Much of the outer walls of the gym were filled with graffiti, often featuring hearts, as a reference to the Hart family.[8]

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Annis appeared for WWF in 1997 at the PPV In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede, he and his brother-in-law Wayne were punched and thrown over the guard rails by Stone Cold Steve Austin.[22] Annis and his son Edward have held free presentations in Calgary to show the dangers of pro wrestling moves if performed incorrectly, and make people understand that everything that people see in the ring is carefully choreographed.[23] Annis did this mostly because of worry that young children would try to imitate the movies they saw on TV and end up injuring themselves or others.[24] In 2013 Annis participated in promoting a Next Generation Wrestling show in which parts of the profit went to the For the Love of Children Society of Alberta charity.[25]

Personal life

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Annis is married to Georgia Hart, seventh child of pro wrestling patriarch Stu Hart, and the sister of Smith, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Ellie, Bret, Alison, Ross, Diana and Owen Hart.[26] Annis and Hart did not reveal their marriage to Hart's family for several months after the fact, which caused volatile reception from the Hart family.[27]

Annis had with his wife four children, Edward, better known under his ring name Teddy Hart, Annie, Angela and Matthew Annis. Matthew wished to become a professional wrestler like his brother but died in 1996 at the age of thirteen.[28]

Annis has a grandson, Bradley Matthew Annis, from his son Ted and his ex-girlfriend Kim.[29]

In the late 1970s, he urged his brother-in-law, Keith Hart, to try out for the Calgary firefighter department. Hart passed a test and was accepted into the Calgary firefighter department. As a result, Hart largely reduced his wrestling commitments.

Brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith has stated that due to the fact that Annis's son had died of a staph infection he recognized an infection in both of Smith's legs and informed him that he needed to get antibiotics right away.[30]

Annis lived in the East Village in Calgary from 1972 to 2012.[31]

Championships and accomplishments

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Bodybuilding

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  • Alberta Canada Masters Bodybuilding Champ (1989)[11]

Professional Wrestling

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References

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  1. ^ Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 153 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  2. ^ a b c Stomper Gouldie (10 August 2014). "Kerry Brown vs BJ Annis". Retrieved 11 January 2018 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "BJ Annis". cagematch.net.
  4. ^ "Match Statistics for BJ Annis". wrestlingdata.com.
  5. ^ a b c d Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 152 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  6. ^ Gilchrist, John (September 26, 2012). "From headlocks to stockpots". SWERVE. Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  7. ^ Madigan, TJ (April 30, 2003). "Carrying on the family business". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015 – via Canoe.com.
  8. ^ a b McCoy, Heath (November 22, 2011). "Wrestling den marks last days with urban artists showcase". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2017-12-19 – via PressReader.
  9. ^ a b "Calgary Gym Icon Closing Up Shop". impactmagazine.ca. 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19.
  10. ^ Erb, Marsha (2002). Stu Hart: Lord of the ring. ECW Press. p. 11. ISBN 1-55022-508-1 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b Liz Coff (18 September 2012). "Alberta Canada Masters Bodybuilding Champ 1989". Retrieved 11 January 2018 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ a b c "BJ Annis: Matches". cagematch.net.
  13. ^ Gerritsen, Chris (October 24, 2003). "Tribute to the King of Harts". Calgary Sun. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved 2017-12-19 – via Canoe.com.
  14. ^ "Surviving The Dungeon part 2/11". Documentary.
  15. ^ Hart, Diana; McLellan, Kirstie (2001). Under the Mat: Inside Wrestling's Greatest Family. Fenn. p. 14 pp. ISBN 1-55168-256-7.
  16. ^ Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 39 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  17. ^ Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 292 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  18. ^ SCHNEIDER, Katie (June 25, 2011). "Iconic gym finishes strong". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  19. ^ McCoy, Heath (November 23, 2011). "Final days at B.J.'s feature artworks, not workouts". Calgary Herald. Retrieved January 19, 2012. [permanent dead link‍]
  20. ^ Tiangha, Reginald (October 28, 2011). "It was a Ring-a-Ding-Dong Dandy! Pitch 3: The B.J.'s Gym Show". awesomecalgary.org. Awesome Foundation Calgary. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011.
  21. ^ Ward, Candice (November 18, 2011). "Historic city gym preps for final workout". Metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  22. ^ Wrestling Observer Newsletter, July 14, 1997
  23. ^ Harvey, Lyle (July 20, 2000). "Grapplers hit ring to show kids hazards of the sport". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on September 1, 2000 – via Canoe.com.
  24. ^ "Wrestler warning". Medicine Hat News. July 21, 2000. p. 5. Retrieved 2017-12-19 – via NewspaperARCHIVE.
  25. ^ "For the Love of Children Society of Alberta: Wrestling for a good cause" (PDF). For the Love of Children Society of Alberta. January 2014.
  26. ^ "Hart Family Profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  27. ^ Erb, Marsha (2002). Stu Hart: Lord of the ring. ECW Press. p. 186. ISBN 1-55022-508-1 – via Google Books.
  28. ^ Heath McCoy (2007). Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling. ECWPress. p. 244 pp. ISBN 978-1-55022-787-1.
  29. ^ Hart, Bret (2001-10-06). "'Princess among pirates' My mother's a special lady". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved 2010-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  30. ^ "One on one with The Bulldog". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Feb 2, 1998. Archived from the original on September 1, 2000.
  31. ^ Marcello Di Cintio (May 1, 2014). "The Walls That Divide Us in Calgary". .avenuecalgary.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016.
  32. ^ Kiue, David (December 3, 2012). "The Hart Family inducted into the Kocosports Combat Sports Hall of Fame". kocosports.net. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014.
  33. ^ "Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame". Slam! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. April 3, 2016. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015.

Further reading

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Books
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