| Ben Bassarab | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Canadian Louis Ben Bassarab |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 211 pounds (96 kg; 15.1 st) |
| Born | March 3, 1960 Calgary, Alberta |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1983 |
| Retired | 1992 |
Ben Bassarab (born March 3, 1960 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling promotion throughout the 1980s.
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Bassarab was trained by Stu Hart and debuted in Hart's Calgary, Alberta based Stampede Wrestling promotion under his own name in 1983. Bassarab formed a tag team with Phil Lafleur.[1] They faced Danny Davis and Hubert Gallant for the Stampede International Tag Team Championship in early 1984, but the match was ruled a no-contest and the title was vacated.
The acquisition of Stampede by Vince McMahon (owner of the World Wrestling Federation, WWF) in 1985 led to many Stampede wrestlers being signed by the WWF. The British Bulldogs, Jim Neidhart, Owen Hart, and Bret Hart were all hired, but Bassarab was not, though he did face WWF wrestler Brutus Beefcake at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on July 28, 1985. Bassarab substituted for the absent Tony Garea and lost to Beefcake.
Bassarab began pursuing the International Tag Team Championship once more and began teaming with Chris Benoit. On March 1, 1986 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Bassarab and Benoit defeated Honky Tonk Man, Wayne Farris, and Rotten Ron Starr for the International Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to Farris and his new partner, The Cuban Assassin, on March 21 in Calgary.
Bassarab then formed a new team with his brother-in-law, Owen Hart.[2] On August 9 in Edmonton, Alberta they defeated Duke Myers and Kerry Brown for the International Tag Team Championship. They held the title until October 3, when they lost to The Viet Cong Express (Hiroshi Hase and Fumihiro Niikura) in Calgary. Bassarab and Owen feuded with the Express throughout Western Canada, on one occasion fighting to a forty-five minute draw, but were unable to regain the International Tag Team Championship.
Bassarab remained with Stampede for the remainder of his career. He worked for the WWF when they toured Alberta in 1987 and 1988, and retired in 1992.
He married Stu Hart's daughter Alison Hart in May 1983.[3][4] They were married briefly, before leaving Alison when she was pregnant with their second daughter. They have two children, Lindsay and Brooke, both children are close to Davey Boy Smith's children. In her controversial autobiography, Under The Mat, his sister-in-law Diana Hart accused him of participating in various criminal activities and of being a "deadbeat dad". In September 1990, he was charged with steroid possession and trafficking, although the charges were dropped.[3] Subsequently, he went to prison for 18 months for assault.[3]
On March 20, 1991, Bassarab pleaded guilty to aggravated assault by inflicting a deliberate beating as punishment for failing to account for $30,000 worth of cocaine. The assault was inflicted by punches, kicks and assault with a knife.
Bassarab later became a truck driver and, later, a warehouse foreman before retiring to run a vending machine and landscaping business.He now works at a Home Depot.
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