Stampede Wrestling announcer Jim Davies died on August 15, 2021, at the age of 72, though the news was slow to reach those who knew him in Canada. He’d been living on Lake Chapala in Mexico. Terry McConnell, who worked with Davies at the Edmonton Journal, noted on Facebook that “Pneumonia with Covid complications was to blame.” Besides his time alongside Ed Whalen on the Calgary-based Stampede Wrestling broadcasts, he was a well-known journalist. At various times, Davies was a radio broadcaster on CKXL, wrote for the Calgary Herald and then took over the Calgary Sun‘s prominent Page 6 spot. SlamWrestling.net interviewed Davies back in 2006 — Jim Davies got national exposure on Stampede Wrestling — so turned to Stampede manager Abu Wizal (Milad Elzein) for his memories of Davies.
Jim Davies was my friend and tried to help all the boys when he could – and he did.
On the TV shows, he was known as Ed Whalen’s sidekick, but he had his own ideas too. He would discuss the planned interviews with the wrestlers beforehand.
His trademark was his fedora, and it was off-limits to any the boys on the interviews. But one time, Makhan Singh (Mike Shaw) flipped Jim’s fedora and Jim lost it on him. His hat was his gimmick, and he was just protecting it, like any good wrestler.
He liked to have a good time, and he was one of the boys, and would often go out with us to Calgary’s Electric Avenue to keep the fun going.
Jim helped me out considerably in my own career.
During the Calgary Stampede in the summer of 1988, I was at the Stampede with a few boys, and one of the boys stole, yes, he stole two big panda bear stuffed animals. He gave me one, and I asked, “Where did you get this?” And he said he bought it off a fan in the stands. Moments later, the police grabbed me and the other guy, and arrested us for stealing stuffed animals.
They took us into a private area and the Stampede Board decided not to lay charges, but gave us a one-year suspension from the grounds.
Well, I thought it was just for the duration of the Calgary Stampede.
The following Friday, I had just finished a TV interview with Ed Whalen and Jim Davies at the Stampede Pavilion – on the Stampede grounds.
On the way back to the dressing room, the police arrested me and said I was trespassing as per my orders. I was escorted off the grounds and released.
I contacted Jim on Monday — by phone, as we didn’t have cell phones. I explained what happened, and Jim went to the president of the Stampede Board. His argument was that by keeping me away, it was interfering with his own chance to make a living.
After all, a good wrestling promotion needs a good heel manager to draw in the people.
The Stampede Board changed the rules so I could return to the grounds on Friday nights to do the live wrestling shows – but not the rest of the time.
That is an excellent example of how connected Jim Davies was in the community.
People in Calgary knew him from his Calgary Sun column on Page 6, where he noted goings on in the city. On July 10, 1992, he wrote about “The Evil One” – meaning me – getting married, in bold letters. He gave my wife the name “The Wizette,” though I still call her Janice. Jim was at my wedding, as there was an open bar.
I stayed in touch with Jim until he moved to Mexico.
He’ll be dearly missed by the many fans and wrestlers of Stampede Wrestling, and will not be forgotten.
