Now that I know for a fact that the various photographers in The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons have gotten copies of the book (finally — but more importantly, they were paid first!), it’s time to celebrate some of what they brought to the table.
First up, we go west to Calgary … Alberta … Canada … and, if I can be serious for a moment, kudos to Bill Cubitt for his help through the years.
Bill specializes in wildlife and nature photography, but is a wrestling fan from way back. He has a lot of WWF shots from the 1980s when the ‘Fed came to town. He has also gotten to know the Harts through the years, and took one of my favourite photos of Stu Hart (at right). Perhaps more importantly than having the shots, the photos he did take are quality. Even the photos he shared from Stu Hart’s funeral were classy.
For Heroes & Icons, we chose a number of photos from Bill — Hulk Hogan ripping off his shirt, a heel Andre the Giant intimidating the referee, and Bret “Hitman” Hart surrounded by admirers with the WWE title.
But it’s the wildlife photography that Bill really excels at. This past December, he had two photos published in the Canadian Geographic magazine for example.
To see more of Bill’s photography, you can head to Fine Art America, which will print, frame and deliver some of Bill’s chosen photos directly to your home, or www.billcubitt.smugmug.com, which has a wider variety of his past work, including some of the wrestling goodies.
Categories: Wrestling
If you guys are in Calgary you should be talking with Bob Leonard. I’m sure he has a veritable treasure trove of photographs from the heydays of Stampede Wrestling.
Bob Leonard will be featured here down the road too. He’s a great guy and has been a part of my projects for years now.
Jamie Kreiser’s piece on Bob from 2005 is still among my favourite stories ever on SLAM! Wrestling: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/04/26/1014099.html