It's fairly safe to say that without his infamous appearance in "Beyond the Mat," Dennis Stamp would be another territorial wrestler lost to time. His name appears constantly in old results and he can be glimpsed in old television footage, but he never had the national exposure that propelled so many to immortality. Instead, that came later.
For those of you who haven't seen "Beyond the Mat," you're missing out. At the time of its release nearly two decades ago, the film was a shocking look inside the world of professional wrestling. As the years go by, it becomes an unforgettable time capsule of several wrestling eras. Stamp appears in a somewhat brief, but poignant, look at what happens to a man who became respected by his wrestling peers yet not necessarily remembered by the wrestling fans.
In the movie, Stamp stubbornly refuses to attend Terry Funk's 1997 retirement show after The Funker forgets to book him. Stamp's often repeated catch phrase of "I'm not booked" became one of the favorite moments from the film for many, as did his exercises to keep in shape for the next match. Equally as amusing is when Stamp returns to the site of the match and accepts Funk's offer for him to referee the main event that night. According to producer Barry Blaustein, the latter sequence was totally unexpected.
I had the pleasure of meeting Stamp, when he was booked, at a Legends of the Ring convention several years ago. This was likely one of the first times that Stamp got to witness his new found popularity in person. He was a pleasure to meet and, as I mentioned above, totally seemed to appreciate his fans born from the movie. He even had a pair of ticket stubs in his jacket from when he claimed was the last time that he wore it. What were those stubs from? A premiere of "Beyond the Mat."
Beyond a magazine/program cover or two and some photos, Stamp had little memorabilia in his likeness. One unique item bearing his signature was shown here a little under three years ago. It's a '70s-era cocktail napkin from a bar in North Dakota signed to a drinking buddy fan from three then-AWA stars. Those wrestlers? Dusty Rhodes, Ivan Koloff, and Dennis Stamp.
It had been reported in recent weeks that Stamp's cancer had returned. He had been in remission for some time, returned to the ring for a few matches, and continued to make appearances around the wrestling world. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Dennis Stamp in this difficult time.
Thank you, Dennis, for letting us buy a ticket to see you whenever you were booked. It was worth every penny.
Dennis Stamp
1946-2017
What a terrific post.
ReplyDeleteStamp was booked for another LOTR a year or two ago with Terry Funk (as part of the Superticket); however, he canceled his appearance after Funk pulled out doe to poor health. I never did have another opportunity to meet him. Gone way too soon.