Death of the Territories Read online

  If you pull back even further and look at wrestling on a global scale, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, and many other countries featured some level of big-time professional wrestling. Organizations were well defined in those locations, offering their own heroes and popular feuds to excite and grow the fanbase. By the end of 1982, the belief that the sport was, indeed, in some kind of decline was hard to imagine. Well over a dozen booking offices in the U.S. were doing pretty good business, and although daring promoters were looking at expansion, the NWA continued to protect the integrity of the territories. But 1983 would see a change for pro wrestling, and there was nothing the NWA, with all of its finely crafted bylaws, could do to stop one enterprising promoter from taking on the world.

  Chapter Six

  A New Era in Professional Wrestling

  The establishment of the American Wrestling Association in 1960 was a landmark moment in the history of pro wrestling. Verne Gagne, a grappler since 1949, was behind the bold move, one of only a handful of star-caliber performers with the clout, business sense, and political capital to successfully (and peacefully) branch off from the National Wrestling Alliance. An NCAA champion and Olympian, Gagne was a hot commodity in pro rings from day one, and he was a pawn in many promotional quarrels during the 1950s. After making his bones as a leading box-office attraction, he began to push back at the bully tactics of power-hungry promoters. Having served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, Gagne was no pushover, mentally or physically. He liked the idea of being in charge, and the AWA gave him that freedom.

  Beginning with a humble circuit in and around his home state of Minnesota, Gagne’s AWA grew to include the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and sections of Illinois, Iowa, and Colorado. In late 1965, he teamed with Wilbur Snyder and Dick the Bruiser, two fellow wrestlers who had also launched an independent promotion in Indiana, and purchased the Chicago territory from Fred Kohler.83 That investment gave both the AWA and Snyder and Bruiser’s WWA (World Wrestling Association) a stranglehold on a top media market with the potential of millions in gate receipts over the long run. The move signified Gagne’s willingness to increase his market share and put his organization on the national stage. He targeted Los Angeles in 1969, and although the scheme was well intentioned, it failed financially.84

  In 1981, Gagne returned to California with an invasion of the Bay Area, and by the middle of 1982, he was firmly in the driver’s seat with regular shows at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. The AWA then annexed Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, completing its path from Minneapolis to the Pacific Coast. Gagne’s crew was impressive, and live events featured world champion Nick Bockwinkel, Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, Rick Martel, Andre the Giant, and the promotion’s leading fan favorite, Hulk Hogan. Hogan was the public’s choice to replace Bockwinkel as titleholder, and a title switch was seemingly just a matter of time. In April 1982, Hogan nearly won the belt in St. Paul, but AWA president Stanley Blackburn vetoed the decision, much to the chagrin of spectators. People remained hopeful, and in terms of riding Hogan’s popularity, shifting the title to him appeared to be sound.

  But Hogan wasn’t a technically sound grappler in the vein of former AWA champions, and Gagne was hesitant. As a 10-time titleholder himself, Gagne brought credibility to the championship, similar to what Lou Thesz did for the NWA belt, and he didn’t believe punch-and-kick brawlers like Hogan were genuine enough to represent his group. There was no question that Hogan was a much-improved grappler since his time in the WWF. He was the kind of guy whose sheer charisma in interviews and advertising could build a strong house, and his drawing power was nearly unrivaled anywhere in the business. His 1982 appearance in Rocky III, which grossed more than $122 million domestically, combined with his showings in Japan, made him an internationally recognizable name. Despite these immense positives, Gagne remained tentative.

  A vigilant businessman, Gagne strengthened his political influence by purchasing stock in St. Louis and forging important relationships with promoters in Toronto, Houston, San Antonio, and Memphis. Further expansion wasn’t out of the question either. In early 1983, much of Gagne’s energy went into promoting Super Sunday, a massive program slated for the St. Paul Civic Center on April 24. He booked Hogan and Bockwinkel yet again, and the stage was set for the most-anticipated title bout in years. An estimated 20,000 fans packed the arena, with another 5,000 at a nearby venue watching on closed-circuit television. The total gate was an astronomical $300,000, the largest in AWA history, and the audience wanted nothing more than to see Hogan finally win the belt. They got what they wanted, at least momentarily. Hogan unleashed his famous legdrop on Bockwinkel and scored a three count as the crowd erupted into a cosmic explosion. The celebration was cut short, however, when it was announced that AWA president Stanley Blackburn was once again reversing the decision. Hogan was disqualified for tossing his opponent over the top rope, and Bockwinkel was still champion. To many observers, it was simply unbelievable that Gagne went back to the well and reused that particular finish in such an important bout. The reverse-decision disqualification was anything but satisfying to fans, and the atmosphere of jubilance immediately turned to anger. AWA loyalists were dismayed by the turn of events, but Super Sunday concluded on a high note when Gagne himself returned to the ring to partner with his old rival Mad Dog Vachon in a bout against rulebreakers Jerry Blackwell and Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie. Needless to say, the good guys won.

  Gagne wasn’t always right, but he was resolute, and had decades of experience and accomplishments to support his way of thinking. For 20 years, he had pushed himself as a headliner, and fans responded to his routine style of working. But by the early 1980s, wrestling was changing at a rapid pace, and people weren’t looking for authentic wrestlers. They wanted larger-than-life personalities, and Hogan represented that side of the pro wrestling spectrum. But the AWA was Gagne’s ship to command, and the successes and failures were his to own.

  The same went for Wilbur Snyder and Dick the Bruiser in their Indiana-based World Wrestling Association. Since 1964, the WWA had been a thriving regional promotion, with big outlets in Indianapolis and Chicago and extending into Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan. Bruiser was the center attraction, and his wild style never ceased to entertain. He held the WWA world title 13 times during the course of his career.85

  Other champions included Gene Kiniski, Blackjack Lanza, Baron von Raschke, Ernie Ladd, and King Kong (Bruiser) Brody. The best in the business toured through Indianapolis, and the territory thrived throughout the 1960s and ’70s. In 1982, Snyder retired, but Bruiser continued on. His booking style was unchanged, and his own placement within the promotional structure remained the same. He was still on top, and the lack of strong, youthful newcomers narrowed the playing field, especially when compared to out-of-town promotions featured in WWA cities on cable. The WWA was losing momentum, and considering the amount of competition, it was a poor time to be facing a decline.

  Ex-wrestler Angelo Poffo ran another independent promotion out of Lexington, Kentucky. His company, International Championship Wrestling, was considered to be much more of an “outlaw” group with few ties to other organizations. During the summer of 1979, he filed an antitrust suit against more than a half dozen established promoters claiming there was a wrestling monopoly.86 In the meantime, he promoted upwards of 30 towns in Kentucky, many of them in rural communities, and also ran programs in surrounding states. His two top stars were his sons, Lanny Poffo and Randy Savage, and both had reigns with the ICW world heavyweight championship. Angelo, who set a consecutive sit-up record in 1945 (6,033) and held a claim to the U.S. title during the 1950s, was still getting in the ring himself, competing as the Masked Miser. He was determined to make ICW a success, but, like Dick the Bruiser in Indiana, he was in a practically unwinnable situation. There was cooperation between some non-NWA and NWA booking offices, and relations were pretty good between Alliance members and the AWA and WWA. Dick the Bruiser
, notably, appeared regularly in St. Louis for Sam Muchnick. But when it came to pure “outlaw” organizations, there was little to no cooperation. Since 1948, NWA members had worked to protect each other from any rogue entity that could gain too much power and jeopardize the balance of professional wrestling. To date, the organization had been successful in minimizing exterior threats, but with the marketplace changing in a cable TV environment, paranoia amongst NWA affiliates was growing by leaps and bounds.

  Georgia Championship Wrestling had promoters all over the map dealing with the consequences of World Championship Wrestling on WTBS. The Gordon Solie–hosted program was immensely popular, and the stars of Georgia were national wrestling celebrities. Reaching into Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, it advertised its live shows as “A New Era in Professional Wrestling.” Booker Ole Anderson was leading the charge, and he knew cable TV opened the door for a coast-to-coast promotion. Spurred on by high ratings and the fact that house show gates on the road were bettering those at home, Anderson was motivated to take a bigger step in expansion, and the Georgia circuit almost became of secondary importance.

  Coincidentally, another Georgia-based outfit was looking to branch out, but this one had yet to stage a single show. The group was Global Wrestling, run by Ann Gunkel, and by early November 1982, she had pitched a new syndicated TV show to 14 different stations in the western United States. In fact, in a special memo to station managers, Gunkel claimed to “have the exclusive West Coast franchise from the National Wrestling Alliance to promote live wrestling cards in the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Nevada.”87 Global Wrestling made its TV debut in Tucson in December 1982 and in Phoenix in January 1983, and later in New Mexico and California. The show went on the air in Florida as well, with Gordon Solie as announcer. Eddie Graham instituted a Global tag team title, and talks began about a special heavyweight title tournament. On February 4, 1983, Gunkel reached out to NWA secretary Jim Barnett and asked for all of world champion Ric Flair’s available dates for 1983, 1984, and 1985.88 Her idea was to use Flair on both Global TV and in live events. With respect, Barnett denied the request, stating that it was unfair to NWA members to book Flair so far in advance.89 In a follow-up letter to Blair Television, the syndicator of Global Wrestling, NWA attorney Tench C. Coxe explained that Gunkel’s outfit was not officially a member of the Alliance, dispelling the earlier claim.90

  With enthusiasm waning, Graham dropped the Global experiment in May 1983, but Gunkel was not ready to throw in the towel. By that time, GCW’s Ole Anderson was taking a unique approach to his expansion plans. He arranged for his “A” squad, the wrestlers Georgia fans knew and loved, to tour nearly exclusively outside of the Peach State and return only for important Omni Coliseum shows and weekend WTBS TV tapings in Atlanta. But otherwise, Georgia would see an entirely new lineup of talent, headed by Bill Dundee and manager Jim Cornette and known as “Georgia Superstars.” This outfit fulfilled dates on the normal circuit and were featured in a separately produced TV program from Chattanooga. Anderson, meanwhile, led Tommy Rich, Mr. Wrestling II, and the top stars of his group across Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and then, surprisingly, to Texas.

  Texas was new ground for GCW. Anderson worked a deal with Joe Blanchard of Southwest Championship Wrestling to share talent, and with Blanchard’s USA Network coverage, the two had an incredible lock on cable TV. It should be noted that back in March 1983, Blanchard’s son Tully had called Jim Barnett about NWA membership for Southwest Championship Wrestling. Barnett explained that a formal application had to be submitted six months prior to the annual convention, and since the 1983 meeting was to be held in August, Blanchard had to wait until the summer of 1984 for consideration.91 That was approximately 17 months away. Southwest couldn’t wait that long. The promotion was in a fight for its life, battling World Class in an all-out war for the territory. For Southwest to find an ally in GCW was interesting, as Anderson’s group was an official member of the NWA. As far as most people knew, GCW president Jim Barnett was a high-powered officer in the Alliance, but Anderson wasn’t on the same page as Barnett. There had been infighting between the two for years, and by this juncture in 1983, Barnett wasn’t calling the shots, Anderson was. And Ole was apparently taking a renewed look at the wrestling scene, even calling into question his allegiance to the NWA. In July 1983, Dave Meltzer acknowledged the rumor that GCW had withdrawn from the Alliance in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter and noted that the World Championship Wrestling telecast failed to mention that Harley Race won the NWA belt in June.92 It was strange, to say the least. There was another facet to the budding Anderson–Blanchard combine, and that was the fact that Ann Gunkel was also in on the deal.

  Gunkel attended a Southwest Championship Wrestling TV taping in early July 1983.93 She appeared on camera for an interview and promoted a combined Georgia–Southwest program under the Global banner in Albuquerque on July 6. Interestingly, though, a local advertisement in the Albuquerque Journal promoted “champion” Ric Flair, though Flair was in South Carolina fulfilling dates for Jim Crockett.94 The hype was completely baseless and didn’t reflect well on Global. In the main event, hero Tommy Rich battled his archnemesis, Buzz Sawyer, with Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, and Stan Hansen appearing on the undercard. Anderson and his Georgia workers appeared in several other western cities, and there were preliminary talks of touring Salt Lake City, Denver, and Southern California. The latter never happened.

  Georgia’s talent pool was experiencing high turnover in 1982 and ’83, with some wrestlers leaving for Japan and others for neighboring territories. The loss of the Masked Superstar, Bruce Reed, and Paul Orndorff was significant, and Anderson’s roster was considered too thin for a sustained national campaign. Neither Blanchard nor Gunkel were in any position to supplement the talent needed, and the entire proposition was doomed to fail. Anderson was in a precarious position and his promotion was losing much more than it was gaining by the endeavor. His home territory was weakened by the “Georgia Superstars” project, which area loyalists felt was a step down from the usual offering. Anderson was risking the alienation of his core audience in his attempt to reach new fans far outside the southeast.

  On top of that, several important on-air angles were lambasted, particularly Killer Tim Brooks’s victory over Orndorff for the National heavyweight title and his subsequent “sale” of the championship to Larry Zbyszko for $25,000. In the tag team division, Anderson was setting up a title run for Matt Borne and Arn Anderson, but Borne was arrested in Columbus, Ohio “on a fourth-degree felony charge,” according to the Associated Press, forcing an immediate change in direction.95 Ole Anderson brought in a pair of powerful weightlifters from the Midwest, dubbed them “the Road Warriors,” and named Paul Ellering their manager. Hawk and Animal, as they were known, were physically intimidating in and out of the ring, and their charisma made up for their rawness. Anderson gave them the National tag team belts, claiming they’d won a tournament in Chicago, and the “Roadies” were soon to become the hottest tandem in pro wrestling. As for the Georgia–Southwest Global deal, it ended quietly.96 Their expansion effort was over.

  The WWF was faring a little better. The investment Vince McMahon Jr. made in southern California was paying off, and the territory was experiencing a revival. An estimated 3,000 people saw the promotion’s regional debut in San Diego on March 5, 1983, and the Los Angeles Sports Arena improved upon that number by 1,000 the next day. Andre the Giant was undoubtedly the biggest sensation. He won battle royals and handicap matches on both cards, while WWF champion Bob Backlund went over Ray Stevens and Buddy Rose in separate affairs. Behind the scenes, McMahon relied on Arnold Skaaland, Pat Patterson, and Chief Jay Strongbow to organize and run events, and Mike LeBell assisted with publicity and booking prelim talent.

  Attendance improved to 5,500 in Los Angeles on April 23, and superstars Jimmy Snuka and Mil Mascaras were highlight attractions. There was a
nother big-time name on the bill, former three-time National champion Paul Orndorff. Known for his appearances on WTBS for GCW, Orndorff was a noteworthy addition to the WWF. But as it turned out, Orndorff wasn’t kickstarting a big run for McMahon. He was filler and jobbed to a local guy, Billy Anderson, on the undercard. The next day in San Diego, he drew with Chief Jay Strongbow. These matches were highly forgettable, but for anyone paying attention, there was logic behind the way Orndorff was booked. Around this time, the talk of GCW invading Los Angeles was still prevalent. If GCW’s former champ couldn’t win over prelim workers on a WWF show, what did it say about Georgia’s level of talent in comparison? Back in the kayfabe era, these details were critical to promoters.

  McMahon didn’t miss a chance to potentially devalue his rival, and the move was demonstrative of his hard-nosed approach to the business. Of all promoters, Ole Anderson had proven to be the biggest thorn in his side. First it was Ohio, then Pennsylvania, and now with pending operations in Baltimore and Los Angeles. And although the latter endeavor didn’t bear out for Anderson, his efforts in the east continued undaunted by the growing power of the WWF. Anderson was also hard-nosed, and he was all too ready to fight fire with fire. During the summer of 1983, he booked a special preliminary match for Augusta, Georgia.97 On one side it was Chief Joe Lightfoot, a well-known journeyman, and on the other a relative unknown with a surprising name: Vince McMann. It is not known if this was a comedic bout or if Lightfoot took on the symbolic duties of a GCW representative in pummeling “McMann” into submission. For those present with insider knowledge, it was probably entertaining either way.