Death of the Territories Page 13

  While that idea was in the works, few people knew that McMahon had already set the wheels in motion to secretly purchase Georgia Championship Wrestling out from under Anderson.163 With help from Jim Barnett, a minority owner of the company, and the Brisco brothers, McMahon obtained 51 percent stock and controlling interest in what was, in essence, the Georgia territory. Anderson temporarily blocked the purchase by obtaining a restraining order, and pending court action was the only thing holding McMahon back from officially taking charge and replacing World Championship Wrestling with WWF programming on WTBS. In no way did Anderson want to sell, especially to McMahon, but because of the structure of the company’s articles of incorporation, he was in an extremely vulnerable spot. By May 1984, news of McMahon’s actions broke nationally, and Anderson remained hopeful that a Georgia court would side with him and declare the sale unlawful.

  Invading the Meadowlands was a big deal for the National Wrestling Alliance, which hadn’t had much traction in that part of the country since “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers ruled the roost in the early 1960s. Even then, the NWA name didn’t hold much weight. But times had changed, and with WXTV and WTBS promoting their cause, Crockett and Anderson wanted to make the most of their opportunity. The proposed 17-city tour was scaled back to concentrate on an East Coast run from the Meadowlands beginning on May 29, 1984, and going through June 9 in Baltimore. The circuit included Roanoke, Atlanta, Raleigh, Norfolk, Richmond, and Greensboro, and saw the two promoters pool their resources at a crucial time to offset McMahon’s first offensive in the Mid-Atlantic region. On May 31, the WWF was going to debut in Richmond, followed by shows in Winston-Salem, Norfolk, and Hampton.

  Tensions were high. The talent grabs by McMahon hurt Crockett where it mattered most, and only worsened when Bob Orton Jr. left in March. A lot was riding on the NWA’s Meadowlands show, and the spectacular was dubbed “A Night of Champions.” Headlined by world champion Ric Flair defending against Ricky Steamboat (who had returned to the ring in March after being offered a $10,000 check by Crockett), the program featured the Road Warriors, Stan Hansen, Dusty Rhodes, and Wahoo McDaniel. As anticipated, Flair and Steamboat put on a wrestling clinic, one of their absolute best, and the undercard thoroughly entertained the 12,000 in attendance. Among the other competitors was Carlos Colon, a Puerto Rican superstar and holder of the World Wrestling Council Universal championship. Colon was a fantastic lure for Spanish viewers of WXTV, and he successfully defended his belt against Tully Blanchard.

  Two nights later, the WWF stormed into the Richmond Arena and featured four former Mid-Atlantic stars: Greg Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Snuka, and the Iron Sheik. (Andre the Giant, who usually spearheaded the WWF forays into new territories, was in Japan at the time.) Prior to McMahon’s invasion, sportswriter Jerry Lindquist noted in the Richmond Times Dispatch that there used to be an “unwritten law” in pro wrestling when it came to promoters and the various territories: “You don’t encroach on mine and I won’t encroach on yours.”164 That law was broken by both the NWA and WWF. But the WWF didn’t see the results they wanted in Richmond. The WWF drew a gate of only $6,000 on May 31, and a journalist called the effort “ill-advised.” In contrast, Crockett, the reporter claimed, had recently drawn an $82,000 gate at the Coliseum.165 With more recognizable performers, Crockett and Anderson held the advantage in the Mid-Atlantic States, but the turf war was just beginning. Combining talent to outgun outsiders was an old promotional tactic, one that the NWA had used throughout history. By conjoining their rosters, promoters were giving fans a never-ending string of dream shows, and that was the upshot of heavy competition. Of all the battleground regions, there was no territory receiving a better blend of top wrestling talent on a monthly basis than St. Louis. Always known for its impressive lineups, St. Louis took on an even greater sense of importance after the WWF debut in December 1983, and in the fight for fan support, both McMahon and the NWA’s Bob Geigel were pulling out all the stops. On paper, Geigel’s appeared to be the stronger of the two operations. In early 1984, he was receiving the cream of the crop from at least five territories, in addition to the AWA, to help pad his programs. His coalition of stars included Flair, Harley Race, Dick the Bruiser, Dory Funk Jr., and AWA world tag team champions Crusher Blackwell and Ken Patera. King Kong (Bruiser) Brody was a significant attraction for Geigel’s outfit since he’d previously worked for Larry Matysik’s outlaw group, and his placement against NWA workers was notable for St. Louis fans. On January 6, 1984, Flair and Brody at the top of the bill drew a sold-out crowd to the Kiel Auditorium, Geigel’s first in many months. The WWF was putting up a good showing as well with two TV tapings at the Chase Park Hotel and a local arena debut at the Kiel on February 10. Geigel tried to siphon off attendance by advertising his next big Kiel event, still a week away, on the same day as the WWF’s show.166 But attendance was respectable for both promotions, and neither was anywhere near ready to fold up shop.

  The Von Erich Brothers were longtime favorites in St. Louis and important allies for Geigel. Kevin, Kerry, and David each had runs with the Missouri State championship, and were popular box office attractions. In addition, Jack Adkisson sent Chris Adams and Jimmy Garvin to St. Louis in 1984, with their respective valets, Sunshine and Precious. The quartet was engaged in one of wrestling’s most talked about feuds, and gates were up all over Texas and Oklahoma because of the heat brewing between them.167 The relationship between Adkisson and Geigel, as firm as it might have seemed, was being impacted by the influence of Vince McMahon. The latter made no attempt to hide the fact that he wanted to do business with the Von Erichs, and the possibility of working together seemed very real.168

  Between April 22 and April 27, 1984, McMahon’s top star, Andre the Giant, made three appearances for Adkisson in one of his final tours for a non-WWF affiliate. Adkisson also withheld his sons from the St. Louis wrestling war from January 7 through the end of May, as it would’ve shown preference for one promotion over the other. But with the WWF gaining TV in Dallas, and talk of a future invasion, Adkisson shut down any speculation and remained loyal to the NWA. Kerry Von Erich appeared for Geigel on June 1 and drew with Ric Flair. Notably, Kerry and Flair had been part of an even bigger match on a much bigger stage just a few weeks before. On May 6, Adkisson held a special memorial event for his late son, David, at Texas Stadium. The Parade of Champions show drew more than 32,000 spectators and Kerry went over Flair in the main event to capture the NWA world heavyweight crown. It was a touching moment, mixed with emotion and excitement, and finally a Von Erich was world titleholder.

  Kerry’s reign lasted 18 days. He lost a rematch to Flair in Japan on May 24. The title switch ensured Flair would be back in the U.S., wearing the belt, for the important Night of Champions program at the Meadowlands on May 29.

  McMahon had another big surprise for the wrestling world. On the same night as the NWA’s Meadowlands debut, he presented the first episode of his new weekly series, Tuesday Night Titans, on the USA Network. “Wrestling TNT” was the first of its kind, an entertainment-driven primetime interview and clip show featuring sit-down discussions with various stars, comedic segments, and lots of improvisation. McMahon hosted the program alongside former wrestler Lord Alfred Hayes. The debut episode included a visit with “Dr. D” David Schultz at home with his family, a cooking segment with the Wild Samoans, and a lengthy appearance by “Captain” Lou Albano. By the end of the two-hour program, it was clear that McMahon had created something both noteworthy and cringe-worthy.

  The invasions continued, and the WWF targeted Jerry Jarrett’s territory next. On June 24, 1984, McMahon held a loaded show in Memphis, showcasing the world, I-C, and tag champs, along with Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, Jimmy Snuka, and Mil Mascaras. Hulk Hogan’s opponent in the main event was Moondog Rex, half of the Moondogs tag team, which had formerly held belts for Jarrett’s promotion. Of all the regions McMahon had invaded, Memphis required a unique approach, and packing his card
s with “New York” stars didn’t win over patrons. Memphis fans responded to emotionally charged feuds, built with a steady hand, and acted out with precision. So the random booking of Hogan and Moondog Rex without any backstory or psychological investment was of no interest to fans. As a result, the WWF’s draw in the Memphis area was remarkably unimpressive. Nevertheless, Jarrett was ready to combat the WWF in Memphis. He went all-out to prove his local supremacy, booking a special extravaganza billed as Star Wars ’84 for the next evening at the Mid-South Coliseum. The venue was sold out, with 11,000 fans dwarfing the WWF’s attendance of 1,200 at the Convention Center. Jarrett gave the fans nine big matches, among which were Lawler and Austin Idol against the Road Warriors, and the Fabulous Ones against the Pretty Young Things. The event was Jarrett’s biggest to date, and the following month, Star Wars programs were staged in Nashville and Louisville as well, within days of the WWF’s second local card. The Louisville show, on July 22, had eight matches, with Lawler teaming with pro footballer Ron Mikolajczyk against Rick Rude and Jim Neidhart in the headline bout.169

  Florida was another unique territory with its own traditions. Promoter Eddie Graham was as old school as they came, and though wrestling fans loved his creative management style, the territory struggled in 1983, suffering from a lack of strong attractions. At one point, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter described the territory as “crumbling,” saying its rebound depended on a talent upgrade.170 Things did pick up before the end of the year, and by early 1984, Graham was once again reaping hefty box-office rewards. Youngsters Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, and Billy Jack Haynes were fast becoming his bread and butter, and Dusty Rhodes continued to carry the territory as the top fan favorite. On the heel side, Kevin Sullivan was doing a masterful job portraying a madman, supported by the likes of Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, and “Cowboy” Ron Bass. Ric Flair also made a number of impactful appearances.

  In April 1984, Graham received Andre the Giant on loan from Titan Sports for a week’s worth of appearances. Like Andre’s visit to Jack Adkisson in Texas, this seemed like a gesture of goodwill to ensure the WWF and Florida remained on good terms. But, literally, the day before Andre began his tour, the WWF’s Superstars of Wrestling show debuted in south Florida on WCIX (channel 6). This move could’ve been interpreted one of two ways. One, it was an added outlet in a cooperative enterprise benefiting both Graham and Vince McMahon, or two, it was really step one in the WWF’s expansion into the territory. Two months later, on June 16, 1984, that question was answered when Hulk Hogan and his compatriots marched into the Hollywood Sportatorium in the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale. Possibly due to the respect McMahon, and his father before him, had for Graham, the WWF stayed away from the territory’s primary city, Tampa, and instead focused on the southern part of the state. But Florida was now a battleground state.

  The McMahons also had a long association with Don Owen of Portland. That didn’t stop the WWF from placing Superstars of Wrestling on Portland’s KPTV (channel 12) on April 27, 1984. But their good relations might have slowed any attempt by the WWF to operate in Oregon, for a little while at least. As far as Washington State was concerned, Owen’s deep political connections did the rest of the work. Similar to the situation in Louisiana, Washington officials issued only a single license to promote wrestling, and Owen was locked in. Interestingly, Roddy Piper, who had made his bones working for Owen years earlier, didn’t want to work shows in opposition to his former boss in the Pacific Northwest, though Owen reportedly gave Piper his blessing to do so.

  McMahon invaded Minneapolis on June 17, 1984, with Hogan, Paul Orndorff, Tito Santana, David Schultz, and the tag team champions, Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, at the Met Center before an estimated 11,000 people. Also part of the show were Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon and Jesse Ventura, recent signees from the AWA. In July, McMahon added two other AWA cities to his circuit after placing Superstars of Wrestling in Salt Lake City (KSTU-20) and Phoenix (KNXV-15). The WWF followed up with shows in Salt Lake and Phoenix on July 28 and July 29, 1984, and did fairly well in their debut presentations. The defections of Vachon, Ventura, and TV producer Al DeRusha, who joined the production team for Tuesday Night Titans, had drawn more blood from Verne Gagne. The war was costing him manpower and money and was highly personal.

  In his 20 years promoting in the Twin Cities, Gagne had dealt with competitors before, but the WWF was a different kind of animal. It had the finances, the connections, and the talent — including many former AWA stars — to succeed. But a big question lingered in the minds of many anti-WWF promoters: was McMahon breaking federal antitrust law by taking over talent, venues, and TV stations from rival organizations? In the opinion of some, the WWF was fast becoming a monopoly. If McMahon was able to achieve half of what he was trying to accomplish, he would establish a wrestling syndicate that even the NWA in its heyday would have been proud to call its own.

  Chapter Ten

  Rock ’n’ Wrestling

  For any wrestling promoter not affiliated with the World Wrestling Federation, one word was of central importance by mid-1984, and that was “cooperation.” A fusion of the most experienced minds in the business, fully united and motivated, seemed to be the best way to halt the WWF’s advancement. To a degree, teamwork was already paying off in certain parts of the country. Jim Crockett and Ole Anderson had done well at the Meadowlands and were fortified up and down the East Coast. Jerry Jarrett and Bill Watts had coordinated their efforts and traded talent to nice benefits. Several promoters were sending talent to St. Louis to help Bob Geigel and his partners, keeping the NWA alive in a competitive head-to-head fight. But as the wrestling war intensified, and more territories were drawn into fracas, these businessmen realized it was time to take their cooperation to another level. Their future depended on it.

  Earlier in the year, Verne Gagne and Eddie Einhorn discussed the implementation of a new nationally syndicated program to challenge McMahon in each of the major markets. With good placement on prime TV stations and a slickly produced show, they could potentially stop his momentum, regain their old stars, and even gain ground in the Northeast. The leaders of the NWA–AWA faction debated these strategies at a special meeting in Chicago in June 1984.171 Gagne was joined by a handful of his longtime allies, including Crockett, Jarrett, Watts, and Einhorn, and by the end of the conference, everyone was seemingly on the same page. This union formed what would become Pro Wrestling USA, a syndicated television program and joint promotion. The best of their rosters would travel to a centralized location for a combined TV taping and then to supershows all over the country. As a result of the controversial Georgia Championship Wrestling deal, the NWA was on the cusp of losing WTBS, and needed to secure a national platform more than ever. Einhorn would act as the middleman between the promoters and Syndicast Services Inc., a New York–based syndication outfit. They still needed to locate a venue for the first TV taping, arrange talent, and book the matches, but with handshake agreements in place, the foundation for Pro Wrestling USA was set in stone.

  A number of territorial stars were rumored to be on their way to “New York,” among them Magnum T.A., Butch Reed, Jimmy Valiant, and Mike Rotunda. Bruiser Brody’s name was also mentioned for a big feud against Hulk Hogan. From the WWF’s point of view, a guy like Brody was a potential game-changer, and his jump to McMahon would’ve had ramifications from St. Louis to Japan. The WWF was getting a lot of mileage out of recent signees, specifically Paul Orndorff (who joined the WWF full-time in November 1983), Greg Valentine, Dave Schultz, and Bob Orton Jr. But none of the recent additions compared to the impact “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was having on the organization, and his character was developing into one of the most colorful in the industry.

  Billed as the “Rowdy Scot” from Glasgow, Scotland, Piper was really born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and was 29 when he joined the WWF in early January 1984. Coming off a run as a fan favorite in the Mid-Atlantic region, Piper became a fast-t
alking heel. His wit and bravado gave the WWF an immense personality, and he was a natural manager. He seconded Orndorff and Schultz to the ring and soon became the host of his own TV interview segment, “Piper’s Pit.” He was aggressive, willing to fight at the drop of a hat, and usually made a mockery of his guests. In June 1984, footage of him blasting Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut was featured on TV, and was a perfect display of his ruthlessness. People loved his antics, and Piper was instrumental in helping the WWF turn a corner as it adopted a national touring circuit.

  Far and away, though, Hulk Hogan was the most important figure in the organization. Hulkamania had gripped the imagination of fans, both the young and old, and his free-flowing charisma made him a natural attraction. Wearing bright yellow garb and flexing 24-inch “pythons,” Hogan connected to audiences like few people in wrestling history and was incredibly marketable. In the ring, Hogan couldn’t be compared to Ric Flair or other technically savvy grapplers. His style was that of a brawler, and supporters of the NWA and AWA criticized his lack of depth. But his fans didn’t care. They weren’t interested in seeing Hogan arm drag his opponent. They wanted to see him pummel the crooked foes, deliver a big boot, and land a legdrop for a pinfall. Then they wanted to see him cup his hand to his ear as the crowd celebrated around him.

  During the first half of 1984, he feuded with Orndorff, Schultz, the Masked Superstar, and Big John Studd, and his matches were usually in the five-to-six-minute range. On May 21, 1984, Hogan and Schultz topped a show at Madison Square Garden before more than 24,000 people, and at the end of June, he sold out the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, going over Orndorff in the main event. Hogan was billed as a native son of the Los Angeles area, hailing from Venice Beach, despite originally being from Florida. Venice Beach (home of the famous Muscle Beach) played better for his gimmick as a muscular, tanned superstar, and Hogan never missed a beat. On July 15, 1984, Hogan teamed with Andre the Giant to beat Studd, Adrian Adonis, and Dick Murdoch at the Meadowlands before nearly 19,000 fans, outdrawing the previous NWA effort by about 7,000. Sgt. Slaughter was another major fan favorite, having turned from the dark side to battle the Iron Sheik in a feud that stirred up plenty of patriotism. His popular drill sergeant persona would later become immortalized as a G.I. Joe character, in the TV cartoon and as an action figure. Slaughter and Sheik faced off many times in 1984, and their bouts were filled with passion, in the ring and from the audience. Bloodshed was a common sight in their hardcore cage and boot-camp matches. Former collegiate football star Tito Santana, a protégé of Hiro Matsuda, captured the WWF Intercontinental championship from Don Muraco on February 11, 1984, at the Boston Garden. Adored by fans, Santana reigned the entire summer, turning back an array of quality challengers. He was ultimately beaten for the belt by Greg Valentine on September 24 in London, Ontario. Valentine’s manager, Captain Lou Albano, was as cunning as ever, and 1984 was a remarkable year in his hall of fame career.