goodhelmet Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 JULY 26, 1983 WHO WILL LEAD THE NWA INTO PROSPERITY? The National Wrestling Alliance recently chose Jim Crockett Jr. as its newest President. As President, Crockett will get to book the NWA champion and be the deciding vote when it comes to deciding future NWA champions. There is word that Crockett is pushing hard to make Ric Flair the next NWA champion. While Flair’s last run as NWA champion was highly successful, some want to take a chance on a younger, better looking wrestler such as Canada’s Rick Martel or Fabulous Freebirds leader, Michael Hayes, who is currently considered the industry leader of understanding the MTV generation of pop culture. However, even though Crockett is the new President, the old guard in the NWA still has a very strong foothold on the committee and strongly opposed going younger. One member even suggested putting the title back on Jack Brisco who turns 42 this year. Harley Race, 40 was considered a placeholder for a younger champion and giving the title to Brsico would be turning the clock backward, not moving ahead. Flair, who just turned 34, may seem like the perfect compromise because he is a veteran who has held the title before but isn’t so young, he is completely disconnected from the old guard who love his working style and the gates he draws when in town. Michael “P.S.” Hayes was a name that took me by surprise when I heard it was brought up. Hayes (real name Michael Seitz) is only 24 years old and if he were to win the championship this year, would be the youngest NWA champion of all time. In 1981, Tommy Rich won the NWA Title at 24 years old so the precedent has been set. However, Hayes is not considered a very good wrestler in most circles. When he was hired by Bill Watts, Watts forced Hayes to be the de facto manager while Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts wrestled most of the matches. Terry Gordy is widely considered the best working Freebird and if he continues on his current path, he will definitely be NWA champion one day and one of the greatest to ever to lace up a pair of boots. His talent is so strong, most believe Hayes is holding Gordy back from reaching his true potential. One of the biggest supporters for Hayes came from an unlikely source… Giant Baba. Baba is no fool and he knows that Hayes has popped big gates in several territories. Hayes and the Freebirds revitalized Watts’ business in Mid South, popped the Georgia territory with famous angles such as the Ted Dibiase Piledriver incident and had the Von Erich feud in Texas that set record gates. Hayes is a long shot and things may change if the Birds can pop the Mid Atlantic territory, The knock against Rick Martel is that he is considered too Canadian and too French. Martel, 27, who has a very strong French accent, is by far, one of the best looking wrestlers in the business. He has the great wrestling skills that promoters love and can pull in female fans as well with his striking good looks. If Martel wasn’t a wrestler, you could see him being a model for clothing lines and being plastered all over New York billboards. With his physique of rippling muscles, there may even be a Hollywood career waiting for him. The drawback against Martel is that once he starts talking, it is impossible to understand him and his broken English makes him sound ignorant and foreign. One source has told me that with several NWA board members being veterans of WWII, the French accent is an instant turn off and reminds them how they had to rescue the French and how quickly the French surrendered in the war. While this isn’t a reason to eliminate somebody from title contention, old habits die hard and you have to accept that it was another time and that is the way a lot of veterans feel about the French. Another wrestler considered to be in line was Jerry Lawler from Memphis. However, there is tension within the NWA and the Memphis territory because Memphis insists on working with the AWA champion and Lawler had a classic series off matches with former AWA champion, Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel, one of the few wrestlers that Jerry Jarrett is willing to pay market value for, enjoys working Memphis and it is possible that he would take the WWF title to Memphis to continue his feud with Lawler. This is ironic because one of the most vocal opponents of Lawler becoming champion is WWF owner Vincent McMahon. McMahon was quoted as threatening to leave the NWA if “Lawler was ever to wear the NWA title since he is considered a “gimmick” wrestler”. The truth is that Lawler is capable of wrestling in long technical title matches but prefers to work the blood and guts Memphis style because it is easier on a week to week basis and Lawler intends to retire by the time he is 40. Lawler, 34, has made it known that he has other interests besides wrestling and this has miffed some promoters because they don‘t believe that the champion should have any interests outside of wrestling. It is an industry where you live, breathe and eat wrestling. If Flair were to retire today, he would already be considered the greatest wrestler of his generation. Flair, who has had classic matches everywhere he goes, is considered so good that he could carry a broomstick to a good match. In fact, promoters have no problem putting Flair in the ring with drug addicts and drunk wrestlers because they know he will get a good match out of anybody. There was some concern raised about putting a champion in with wrestlers who could compromise the business by being wasted but it is standard industry practice to work “loaded” and is simply considered part of the business. Most promoters argue that even if a guy is drunk or high, you need him to perform to continue drawing in the fans who are probably drunk or high themselves and can relate to their idols in that fashion. Flair, who is not known for being a drug addict but is known to party hard (see last issue of the Spectator), can handle the travel schedule of the world champion and can light up a territory with only a promo or two announcing his arrival. Recently, in St. Louis, Flair and Race had a classic NWA title match that tore the roof down. This was a Match of the Year contender and demonstrates how great both men are. If Flair is the one to take the title away from Race, it is possible they could have the greatest match in the history of wrestling, two veterans who know each other so well, it would be impossible for them not to have a great match. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH? With the great Wrestling Shake-up of 1983, the NWA is stronger than ever and has more members than ever in its fold. This leads to the question… why so many titles and championships? Including all NWA affiliates (this includes Japan, Puerto Rico and Canada as well), there are over 40 titles being claimed. This doesn’t include World Class which is undergoing restructuring after the recent episode with Fritz Von Erich (covered last month) or consider how Portland titles will be integrated into All Star Wrestling (story below). Several of these titles are vacant and others have multiple title holders. As reported in our last issue, Nick Bockwinkel recently won the Missouri Title, the WWF Heavyweight Title and is in line to also challenge for championships in Japan as well. In Japan, Jumbo Tsuruta and Giant Baba both hold a singles championship and a tag championship. In Puerto Rico, an island smaller than most NWA affiliate markets, they have EIGHT championships with Carlos Colon, Pedro Morales and King Tonga holding multiple titles. All of these titles are supposedly under the NWA banner so there has been some grumbling that too many titles dilutes the value of the “real” championships. There is definitely a need for each territory to have its own regional title to defend while the NWA World champion is on tour. Even though the world title is a great payday, with 17 territories and multiple cities within a territory, it is impossible for the NWA champion to visit every city and territory on a regular basis. One of the issues is that several territories are holding titles that by their very name are considered “world” titles. The WWF, which operates in New York City and the most populous region of the country, is the World Wrestling Federation. By definition, their title is a world title. They have even been known to defend the title in other cities like Houston, St. Louis and Tokyo and bill special World Champion vs. World Champion matches. With that said, Vincent McMahon considers himself a member of the NWA. In Japan, both New Japan and All Japan have International Heavyweight Titles. Doesn’t the word “International” imply it is a “world” title defended internationally? Puerto Rico’s World Wrestling Council has its own Heavyweight title and does not acknowledge any affiliation in its title. The WWA also has its own World Champion in Bobby Colt and it’s a unique title in that the WWA just joined the NWA and the title name could be changed. This doesn’t even take into consideration non-NWA affiliated promotions such as the AWA or ICW which have their own world titles. Jim Crockett, who recently became President of the NWA, has recently announced a tournament for the NWA World Tag Team Titles. There are currently 14 tag titles under the NWA banner. However, we don’t know if these champions will be travelling champions like the World Title or if it is just a designation to indicate Mr. Crockett’s recent status as President, thus he controls the “real” tag team champions. All Japan Pro Wrestling currently has two tag titles, and for such a small roster, there is talk internally that they may merge the title. Puerto Rico has THREE different tag title designations. There are currently three United States titles under the NWA banner and five Junior World titles. The junior title held by Tiger Mask, the WWF Junior Heavyweight Title, is by far the most prestigious considering Tiger Mask is one of the Top Three wrestlers in the world right now. For the United States title, the Mid Atlantic United States title has generally been the most prestigious and the main title of the JCP promotion when the world champion is not in the territory. Right now, the biggest problem with the NWA title picture is that out of the 16 current promotions affiliated with the NWA, nine of them don’t even acknowledge an NWA title as part of their line. The WWF Is in a unique position where it not only has its own brand of titles, but one of the major Japanese offices, New Japan, doesn’t acknowledge the NWA titles either but has WWF International Titles. As one person in the WWF office told me, “The WWF brand name has been built up to the point it would be foolish for us to cast it aside for a loosely affiliated office that isn’t actually a company”. The WWA finds itself in a similar position, only recently joining the NWA, the WWA brand is strong in its area and the name brand would weaken if it were changed to the NWA. In Puerto Rico, despite having eight titles, the office couldn’t find one title to label as an NWA title. We may need to monitor the Puerto Rico going forward as they may make a break with the NWA sooner rather than later. Finally, Memphis is in a tough spot because while they are a member of the NWA, they have often honored their relationship with the AWA and three of their titles are AWA sponsored titles. This puts them in an awkward position because it upsets other members of the NWA but Jerry Jarrett values his relationship with Vern Gagne that you could easily see Memphis leaving the NWA banner and promote solely with the AWA. With so many titles floating around, it would be good for the NWA to get its house in order and start unifying redundant titles and start pushing for uniformity in recognizing all titles under the NWA umbrella as NWA titles. We’ll see if Jim Crockett Jr. will be able to put enough weight on the other territories to promote the NWA brand rather than their own. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ All JAPAN PRO WRESTLING As mentioned last issue, there are different factions trying to determine the fate of All Japan and the creative direction it will go in the future. One compromise that is being considered is the creation of a Brass Knux Title (great, another title… just what we need) in order to give the brawlers and bloody wrestlers a title to fight for that can be self-contained while the more serious wrestlers fight over the more prestigious titles. There is also serious consideration of merging the PWF and NWA International titles creating a Double Crown Title. Speaking of titles, there are already plans in place to merge the International Tag Titles and All Asia Tag titles since All Japan doesn’t really have a large enough roster to support two tag team belts. Early indication is that the replacement of Nick Bockwinkel with Billy Robinson is having little negative impact on the houses during the tour. One of the main concerns with the All Japan office was that replacing a World Champion with a never-World Champion would hurt box office. As an olive branch for the confusion, WWF is sending Ricky Steamboat to All Japan for a week of the next tour which kicks off in late August. Sources in the WWF office were pissed at All Japan, believing that Robinson was a fine replacement for the tour but the All Japan office believed that a champion needed to appear for additional days in order to equal out the time lost. Beginning in September, four All Japan wrestlers will make their way to the United States for the remainder of the year. Mitsuo & Yoshihiro Momota will be going to Southwest Wrestling in San Antonio while Rocky Hata and Nobuyoshi Sugawara will go to Montreal. The goal in sending them to the states is to help these wrestlers create personas that can enhance their standing in the company. Currently, all four are working the bottom of the cards and the hope is that they will get the necessary experience and character development to help propel them to semi-main or main event status. Two preliminary wrestlers that are being given shots in America and Jim Crockett promotions are Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. Misawa and Kawada are young phenoms in the industry and Crockett promotions are happy with their work in the states so far and have asked them to return in December. However, Crockett doesn’t plan on using their first names in the future and they will simply be known as Kawada and Misawa. The announcers had a hard time pronouncing their first names and started calling the team names like Shish-kebob and Mudslinger on television. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING More information has been released about Antonio Inoki’s absence on the current tour. Those with inside knowledge claim that Inoki believes he has the power to make peace between Japan and North Korea by staging a pro wrestling event in North Korea. While information from inside North Korea has been hard to gather, rumor has it that dictator Kim Jung-Il is a huge pro wrestling fan and grew up watching Rikidozan matches as a child. There were even reports that North Korea had attempted to kidnap Rikidozan’s sons Yoshihiro and Mitsuo Momota and take them back to Korea since Rikidozan was actually a Korean who pretended he was Japanese. Inoki’s involvement with North Korea has been frowned upon by the Japanese government and the New Japan office but Inoki believes he is on a mission of peace and can help unite Asia. Cynics believe that Inoki is actually just trying to exploit an untapped market and wants to be the first one on the ground when wrestling takes off in the Communist country. The Fujinami & Friends vs. Ishin-Gundan feud has been a huge success so far on the current tour. The success of the tour makes insiders believe that Antonio Inoki will return sooner than later since his position as ace of the company was usually justified due to the success of Inoki as a draw. If the tour bombed, Inoki would have a stronger position, reminding the office and roster that they can’t draw without him. It is expected that when Inoki returns, he will position himself as the main opponent of Ishin-Gundan. One of the featured feuds on the current tour is Dick Murdoch vs. Abdullah the Butcher. Murdoch and Abdullah are both regulars in Japan and have been touring Japan for years. The dynamic is interesting because when he wants to be, Dick Murdoch is one of the greatest wrestlers ever in the ring. However, he tends to incorporate too much comedy in his matches and is even known to smile when wrestling. Stuff like smiling can prevent you from being an NWA champion even if you are one of the best wrestlers in the world. On the other hand, Abdullah the Butcher is a complete gimmick and is incapable of having good matches. So far, of the two televised matches, the feud is being promoted as a bloodbath with two things standing out. In the first match, Murdoch lifted Abdullah up and performed his Brainbuster move. The move looked like it paralyzed Abdullah but reports indicate Abby was fine. The second match had Abdullah stabbing Murdoch in the eye and resulted in possible permanent damage to Murdoch’s left eye. The violence of the feud will culminate into a finale of a No Disqualification match where there must be a winner. I have to assume that Murdoch will take the fall since he has had no problem doing jobs on television and Abdullah has a long standing policy of refusing to be pinned in televised matches. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ STAMPEDE WRESTLING (CALGARY) Stampede Wrestling, coming off a successful Canada Day show and entertaining television early in the month, has not run any shows since July 8th. In the meantime, Ed Whalen has been charged with showing replays of classic television moments in Stampede history. Whalen interpreted this as showing him interviewing the wrestlers and always shouting them down, a trait that Whalen is known for. One segment shown on the July 16th show had Whalen showing outtakes of his catch phrase “"It's going to be a ring-a-ding-dong dandy!" for over 7 minutes. Advertisers for the show (including Artie’s Frontier Bear Traps, Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop, and the Saputo Dairy Company) were furious because they paid for commercials of first-run content. The big issue, and a common theme occurring in the wrestling industry with promoters, is that Stu Hart has gone missing. Stu Hart (real name Stewart Hart), was last seen leaving the TV tapings on July 8th. A search party was sent for him after he was missing for two days. It is known in the wrestling industry that Stu will sometimes take residence for days at a time with a woman only known as Tundra Terry. When Terry was contacted, she had not seen or heard from Stu in several days. Stu’s sons organized the search party but fights quickly escalated on who would be in charge of the search party. Bruce Hart (born 1950) assumed he would be in charge but since Smith Hart (born 1948) was the oldest child, he wanted to lead the party. Keith Hart (born 1952) who is a real life firefighter, thought his training made him the most qualified to lead the search party. However, Dean Hart (born 1954) thought it would help his career if he found Stu so he wanted to lead the expedition. Since Bruce and Keith were wrestling for the All Star promotion, Bret Hart (born 1957) felt that they were eliminated and since Bret felt he was the best wrestler and strongest of the brothers, he should lead the search party in case Stu needed to be carried. After several rounds of the popular game “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, it was finally decided that brother Ross (born 1961) would be the point man for the search party. This hit a snag when Ross decided to search for Stu at the Canadian-American border. Finding himself on the American side, Ross forgot his passport and identification and was not allowed back on the Canadian side. It is not known if Ross ever made it back to Canada since it is rumored nobody cares about Ross and his whereabouts. Eventually Stu’s wife Helen Hart sent everyone to bed without supper and set out on the Canadian Prairies with a candy bar and jug of water to locate Stu. Helen and Stu’s whereabouts both remain unknown as of press time. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IWA (MONTREAL) Frank Valois has had a meeting with all of the wrestlers and staff to address rumblings about the schedule. The IWA is down to three shows a week and most guys only work two of them. This had been the cause of a lot of concern among the boys. Valois stated that it was done to give the new direction the promotion was moving time to take before booking 4,000 and 5,000 seat arenas and half filling them or less. The prinicipal owner went on to say that so far things were looking up after the 14,500 that showed up at the Forum. Valois was confident that by the end of August he would know how aggressively he could schedule and measures were being taken. Every wrestler that did not wrestle on a card would receive a flat percentage of the gate until more dates were being run. In addition, minority owner Dino Bravo owns several weightlifting gymnasiums around the Montreal area. He had agreed to close one (for a weekly fee that was probably more than the gym made) and convert a portion of it into a full-sized wrestling ring that was set up as close to the IWA ring as possible. As soon as the next afternoon a good portion of the roster took advantage of this. It seems like Valois and his staff were aware that this wasn't going to be an easy transition and had some ideas on how to make it smoother. Rene Goulet, who has wrestled for 26 years, was one of the experienced wrestlers who had expressed interest in helping the young wrestlers improve. King Tonga had a brutally stiff brawl with Gino Brito that saw Brito busted open hardway. Some of the wrestlers backstage were worried while watching from the back. Brito commented that he'd like to work Tonga John to see if he was as tough as his tag partner. King Tonga was arrested later that night for breaking a man's jaw in a fight where he took on four men. Apparently one of the four had gotten a bit too loud and aggressive in his criticism of pro wrestling as "fake". The promotion bailed him out with the caveat that it would come out of his cut on the next show he worked. King Tonga has a history of crazy fights, so this should come as no surprise to anyone. It seems the rumors about Eddie Creatchman and the Rougeaus were some kind of attempt at a rib. The originator of the story is well-known ribber Tony Parisi. Also, Creatchman and Jacques, Sr., despite their strained on-air relationship, are often seen watching matches together from the back and discussing them. Finally, despite the new direction the promotion has taken it's clear they have no intentions of cutting ties with the WWC in Puerto Rico. The Tongan Terrors will be periodically removed from television after committing some great offense against the other wrestlers, the crowd or both. This will allow King Tonga to travel to Puerto Rico and tape segments for TV shows as if he were a part of two promotions. It also seems like a device to put the Tongan wrestlers over as dangerous savages without too much bloodshed or the chance of overexposure. It remains to be seen whether Albano can keep them on the minds of the fans for the week they are gone. The Invaders are said to be coming to Montreal at some point for several months. Sgt. Slaughter has already been on one show in Montreal and is booked for another. There are rumors of Hercules Ayala being booked in Montreal, possibly as a special attraction. It seems like the promotion is trying to boost the gates on it's Montreal Forum shows with outside talent like Rick Martel, Stan Hansen and Andre the Giant during this transitional period. It's not the worst idea in the world, but it's a bad idea rely on that tactic too long. The fans have to be willing to come to the shows to see the local talent to be successful in the long term. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ALL STAR WRESTLING (VANCOUVER) / PACIFIC NORTHWEST WRESTLING (PORTLAND) Editor’s Note: All Star is part of the NWA rendering the entire article last issue about All Star running outlaw meaningless. Update on the Television Trophy: As of press time, the Television Championship Trophy is still in one piece. Al Tomko is officially taking over the Portland territory and will be running the office out of Vancouver with booking help in the United States from Portland. As reported in the last issue, Don Owens was arrested for multiple counts of running a prostitution ring and engaging in lewd acts with a prostitute. Initially, the Portland office thought that because of Owens’ reputation in the Portland area that the news would blow over. However, the details have taken a life of their own and there may be more charges that include: kidnapping, international drug smuggling, money laundering, industrial espionage, impersonating a police officer, mortgage fraud, bribery, occupational health hazards and bribery. A full story will be posted in the next issue but it is official… Don Owens is out of Portland and Al Tomko is in. Don’t miss the next issue when it covers the backstage wrangling for the Portland territory, where Portland wrestlers will end up and complete coverage of the Don Owens criminal proceedings. During the “dark” period for the Portland territory, several wrestlers were described as begging Tom Peterson, a famous electronics retailer in the Portland area, for jobs selling televisions. Peterson, who is famous for his commercials, has had advertising on Portland Wrestling for as long as anyone can remember but he is not willing to hire any Portland wrestlers until the smoke clears and the status of Portland wrestling is more clear. One wrestler, Ed Moretti, was so distraught that Peterson had turned him down, he picked up a brand new model television and threw the set through the dry wall of Peterson’s store. The police were called and Moretti had to be restrained with horse tranquilizers before he could be taken away. Another wrestler, Billy Two Eagles (real name Relampago Leon) offered to do landscaping for Peterson to make ends meet. It is being reported that a select few wrestlers will be kept under Tomko’s wing but others will be considered free agents and can sign with other promotions. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MAPLE LEAF WRESTLING (TORONTO) Ivan Koloff & Super Russian recently won the NWA Canadian Tag Team Titles on July 10th and want to be known as the “Evil Empire” based on a speech from American President Ronald Reagan earlier in the year. However, the team is getting resistance from the Montreal office reinforcing the idea the promotion is secretly Communist. Jack Tunney, who helped shelter draft dodgers who fled to Canada from the States during the Vietnam War, doesn’t think that the term Evil Empire accurately reflects the Russian tag team and actually views the run as a way to bridge the East-West divide and help put an end to the Cold War. They are even considering filming vignettes showing Koloff and the Super Russian at children’s hospitals and orphanages to give them a kinder, more sympathetic image. Koloff (real name Oreal Perras) is actually a Canadian and has supported Canadian charities throughout his career. There is discussion that they may turn Koloff face and would change his nickname to the “Russian Teddy Bear”. New Japan young lion Nobuhiko Takada has been wrestling in Toronto for a short run to help prepare him for a big push in New Japan. Like many other Japanese wrestlers, announcers are having difficulty with his first name and are giving him the nickname… “Rocket” Takada. Even though Canada doesn’t have a credible space program, the promotion still wants to capitalize on the space craze and felt the name was appropriate. On July 26th, Toronto will host the ‘Canada vs. US’ Cup. The tournament brackets are the following… Ben Bassarab (CAN) vs Buddy Roberts (US) "Big" Stephen Petipas (CAN) vs Barry Darsow (US) Leo Burke (CAN) vs Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy (US) Rocky Johnson (CAN) vs Michael P.S. Hayes (US) Rick Martel (CAN) vs "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair (US) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA The Florida office will have to come up with a new idea to capitalize on the media frenzy from Sally Ride’s outer space flight. One long term reader of the Spectator is a NASA official who caught wind of the story in the last issues of the Spectator and notified NASA officials. NASA has sent Championship Wrestling from Florida a cease and desist order to prevent Florida from marketing the name Sally Ride at any of its events. Florida officials, including booker Dusty Rhodes, were upset that their plans were derailed and now plan to debut a woman wrestler with the name Mustang Sally. The wrestler will enter the ring to the popular oldies song “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett. The song has a popular sing along verse “Ride, Sally, Ride”. We’ll keep tabs if this new gimmick makes it out of the gate. Another gimmick being considered by the Florida office is a Pirates of Penzance tag team referencing the famous Broadway play which was recently adapted to a movie. Florida also has sports teams that reference pirates such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the team takes off, they would be a babyface stable to help take on Kevin Sullivan’s Army of Darkness stable. While the office could not technically use the term Pirates of Penzance, the wrestlers would be dressed in pirate gear with eye patches, swords, and bandanas. One suggestion even had them coming down to the ring with a live parrot. The last idea would be really stupid and I can’t imagine any wrestling office ever allowing wrestlers to be accompanied to the ring by live animals. The wrestlers would be announced from the town of Penzance which is a real port in Cornwall, England. Some wrestlers have been rumored to be taking acting classes, trying to learn how to speak like British citizens. Wrestlers rumored to be a part of the team include newcomer Terry Gibbs, veteran Buck Ramstead and Brian Blair. If the act takes off, it is expected that Dusty Rhodes will become their leader even though he has never played a pirate role or been able to speak proper English. There have been many complaints about the Army of Darkness angle from Christian groups around Florida. We will have more on this story in the next issue of the Spectator. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SOUTHEASTERN CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (ALABAMA) As reported here last issue, Ken Lucas and Eddie Hogan both had problems with the Southeastern Office. When Lucas was taken out with a “rib”injury and lost the Tag Titles to the Assassins, he didn’t give notice and immediately left the territory when informed he would not be paid when selling the injury angle. Hogan, who was deathly afraid of the Armstrongs, left and joined the outlaw promotion, ICW. Dutch Mantell (real name Wayne Keown) is legitimately upset he isn’t getting a singles match with Harley Race and threatened to walk out and join non NWA member Southwest who have shown an interest. The issue stems from Brad Armstrong possibly being called back from Georgia and getting a singles match with the champion. Mantell feels there is plenty of deserving talent in the Alabama territory who could use the paycheck fighting the World Champion. When Race is back in the area in September, it will be make or break for Mantell & the Fullers. If Mantell doesn’t get the match, he may leave the territory permanently. As reported in the last issue, there are complaints about nepotism in the Alabama office and Bob Armstrong pushing his kids above the other talent, even his kids that aren’t wrestling in the territory. The Alabama office is looking at pairing a few youngsters together to boost the tag division in coming weeks. Jim Cornette is looking to be more than just an on screen interviewer for SECW and wants to be a “heel” manager but Fuller is happy with Paul Jones’ work so Cornette’s aspirations have been put on hold. Watching Cornette give interviews, I don’t know if he could make it in the wrestling industry at a higher level. His voice is annoying and he isn’t very attractive. Cornette started off as a photographer in the Memphis area and was able to get a job in the industry through his wealthy mother’s contacts. He has yet shown any aptitude as someone who can succeed in the business. Talented trio Bobby Eaton, Tim Horner and Tom Pritchard are being kept apart on TV and house show but look for these guys to mix it up by end of the year. Fuller is trying to keep Eaton happy because he is being courted by other promotions. Eaton has been said to be having top quality matches on house shows but has trouble speaking on the microphone. If Eaton is to have any success, he will need a manager to conduct interviews for him. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GEORGIA CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING There are whispers that Paul Jones and Fred Ward are not taking the loss of the NWA Presidency well. Several wrestlers have reported that empty bottles of whiskey are strewn around the office and that they can barely understand the directives from the office because they are either written in crayon or so badly typed that they are undecipherable. One report said that Ward and Jones were caught in a sad embrace comforting each other for an uncomfortable amount of time. Despite the setback, the Georgia offices are still operating and there have been no reports of the owners disappearing or going mental to the point the territory is not functioning. Another problem within the Georgia office is the outsourcing of talent to Japan. Adrian Adonis & Paul Orndorff are currently on tour in New Japan and Jerry Oates is working in All Japan. The problem most U.S. territories have with the Japanese tours is that the wrestlers are usually loyal to the Japanese offices and many top level wrestlers will not agree to work for a territory if they won’t honor their Japanese dates. The Japanese offices pay better per date and the time between tours allows wrestlers to relax and rejuvenate their bodies. This latest New Japan tour really hurts Georgia because Orndorff and Adonis are two of the biggest stars in the company. Adonis is scheduled for several more tours to Japan but Orndorff is not scheduled for the rest of the year. This issue will really hit the Stampede territory hard at the beginning of 1984 when four of its biggest stars are scheduled for a 6 week run in New Japan. The big feud in Georgia right now is Butch Reed vs. Jake “the Snake” Roberts. After Butch Reed won the National Heavyweight Title Tournament, Roberts appeared, pointed at Reed and signaled he wanted the belt around his waist. In matches around the loop, Reed is retaining the title but Roberts usually walks after getting disqualified after hitting Reed with the belt. To add fuel to the fire, Roberts interfered after a match between Butch reed and Nick Bockwinkel. The match was nearly great but not near the level of the Rotundo vs. Dory Funk match reviewed in the last issue. Reed has certain limitations as a wrestler that will prevent him from ever reaching that level. Bockwinkel can reach that level with the right opponent but Reed is not “that kind” of opponent. After the match, Roberts hit Reed with a DDT and stole a $10,000 check that was part of the match stipulation. If Bockwinkel would have won the match, he would add another title to his already impressive collection. I wouldn’t be surprised if promoters are lined up to give Bockwinkel enough belts he would need a manager with him just to carry the belts. On a follow up from the last issue, Greg Gagne has been behaving himself in the Georgia locker room. Rumors of an encounter in the shower and a broom handle have surfaced but are unsubstantiated. Gagne has offered to put guys over in matches and is even bringing food to the locker rooms for the boys to enjoy. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WORLD WRESTLING COUNCIL (PUERTO RICO) Currently, there are eight titles in the WWC promotion, 5 singles and 3 tag team belts. As one of the promotions rumored to have Communist sympathizers in the leadership, there is discussion of creating more belts so that every member of the roster has a title. In the event of a title change, there is a possibility that WWC will then create a new belt to give to the loser so that they can be champions at all times. Per company policy, none of the belts would have the NWA moniker attached to them. Tim Tall Tree (real name Tim Renesto), brother of Tom Renesto Jr. and son of former Assassin Tom Renesto, has checked himself into rehab following his addiction to crack cocaine, a new powerful form of cocaine that you smoke out of a glass pipe. It turns out that Renesto had been addicted to the substance for over a year but he always looked like a drug addict so nobody noticed. Wrestlers have been complaining that Carlos’s son, four year old Carly, has been going round the locker room taking bites of apples, grabbing his crotch and yelling, “¿Cómo te gusta el tamaño de estas manzanas?” and then throwing the apples at the genitals of the wrestlers as he runs away. It turns out, this trick was taught to him by Dick Slater who cracks up every time somebody falls victim to the prank. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS (MID ATLANTIC) Tensions have been high at recent MACW events with the accusations of head booker George "Low Blow" Scott leaving MACW to take over the head booking job in Portland. Jim Crockett does have plans in case of his departure but as of this point, no one is on the same page. Crockett is bitter that Al Tomko was assuming the territory and even attempted to use his power as NWA presidency to block the takeover of the Portland territory. Pictures of Blackjack Mulligan's son, Barry Windham and mustachioed Magnum T.A. have been spotted on desks at JCP headquarters. This is an indication that Crockett was going to attempt a hostile takeover of Pacific Northwest talent but his plans were thwarted when Tomko successfully rallied the other NWA members to allow the merger to take place. This could damage Crockett’s standing as NWA President. Look for Ric Flair's schedule to get a little bit busier this month. The perennial world title challenger will be on the road from MACW for quite a few dates but is expected to be at all television tapings. Nature Boy Buddy Rogers will be starting up with MACW soon. He will be hosting a special interview segment on television, doing some guest commentator work, and possibly some managerial duties. Some people were wondering what the Nature Boy's role would be, but it looks as though things have been finalized in recent days. There might be an issue using the Nature Boy name since Crockett only wants one Nature Boy advertised and if Rogers continues to use the moniker, it could confuse paying fans. There are rumors they may try to convince Rogers to use another name such as “Mother Nature’s Son” or “The Game Changer” MACW is looking to bring in Terry Funk later this month. There has been some criticism over recent booking decisions with some of the Freelancers coming in. Rumors within the Funk camp still persist that Funk will not be wrestling for much longer and that retirement is more of a reality than a possibility. Word is that Jim Crockett is bemused at MLW promoter Jack Tunney's attempts at promoting Rick Martel vs. Ric Flair as a "super match" for other territories to bring in. Apparently Crockett was never consulted on such an idea, and while he isn't closed to any notion that would give his meal ticket Flair more exposure, word is that he doesn't see Martel as anything more than "Tony Garea's lesser half" and "a second-rate French-Canadian Tito Santana". Michael Hayes is about to release a song and video he recently recorded. The song is called “Badstreet USA” and reinforces the tough street image that the Fabulous Freebirds are trying to convey to the public. The video was recorded on the mean streets off Atlanta with real life street people. It is reported that the band appearing in the video were in fear for their lives but that the Freebirds were having fun. Also appearing in the video is Jimmy Garvin, long considered to be the fourth Freebird. Garvin is currently wrestling for the AWA and Crockett is upset that the video promotes a wrestler not in the NWA organization. Hayes and Gordy threatened to leave Crockett if the video doesn’t get airplay so Crockett backed down. The song was written by Jimmy Papa with help from Hayes and will replace Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” and Willie Nelson’s “Georgia On My Mind” as the song that plays when the Freebirds walk down the aisle. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CWA (MEMPHIS) The Memphis office is upset that outlaw ICW is shown on the national cable show from Georgia even though they are not NWA affiliated. Internal thoughts are the Georgia office is bitter they lost the NWA presidency and may be taking their cable outlet and forming a new cartel outside of the NWA banner. The other rumor is that the NWA may rescind Memphis' membership in the NWA and offer it to ICW in the near future. Many NWA members have been willing to share talent with the small Lexington, KY based promotion. Problems between Memphis and CWF reported last week are fueling the speculation as well. Stay tuned. The Rock N Roll Express defeated The Bruise Brothers to win the Southern Tag Titles on July 11th at the Mid-South Coliseum. The Rock N Rolls use a double dropkick as a finisher and they have been exciting crowds in the Memphis area. Both members of the Rock N Roll Express are tag team veterans even though they are relatively young. Robert Gibson used to team with his brother Rick and Ricky Morton was a regular tag team partner of both Jerry Lucas and Eddie Gilbert. This new tag team wrestles in stylish bandanas and wear leopard and tiger print T-shirts worn by the most successful rock n roll acts seen on MTV. They have been a big hit with the ladies and have helped keep women buying tickets especially since the Fabulous Ones left. If you go to the merchandise table, you can pick up Rock N Roll Express bandanas, posters and T-shirts. They currently enter the arena to the song “I Love Rock N Roll” but Jerry Lawler wants to go into the studio and record a song for the new group. The title of the song is rumored to be “The King of Wrestling and Rock N Roll”. Many around the office believe this is just an attempt by Lawler to make even more money off another popular wrestling act. You can always tell when Jerry Lawler is booking Memphis, a company that he has a part ownership stake in, when you hear about some of the gimmicks being discussed for the territory. Lawler, who has always been into fantasy and comic books, has always pushed the boundaries on the types of gimmicks introduced to the Memphis area. In the 1970s, he introduced the Mummy. For the last year, Lawler has been pushing for an E.T. gimmick to take advantage of the biggest movie in box office history. The idea is that the alien wrestler would light up his finger, blinding the opponent before he hit his finishing maneuver. The wrestler would also wear a mask resembling an alien but it could not resemble the popular movie alien for copyright purposes. Lawler has also been trying to convince long-time Memphis mainstay Stan Frazier to start using the Jabba the Hut gimmick. Frazier, who weighs in access of 500 lbs, is already getting “Jabba” hecklers at the shows and Lawler feels it could generate more money under the Jabba gimmick since Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars film, is #1 at the box office. Speaking of Lawler, Memphis has been notified by law enforcement officials that house shows at middle and high schools are off limits because of Jerry Lawler's troubles being seen with young women. Lawler has been warned and those close to the situation say it has put a strain on Lawler’s marriage as well. Lawler just married his second wife last year and this situation has gotten the relationship off to a rocky start. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ICW (LEXINGTON) One of ICW’s biggest shows of the year was held on July 13th at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. The Poffos pulled out all of the stops for their annual Summerfest event but also advertised matches that politically could never happen, hurting the credibility of the outlaw promotion. The Fabulous Ones challenged The Rock N Roll Express to a match but the Express never showed giving the Fabs a countout victory. It was known by pretty much everyone backstage that the Express would not show up since they are loyal to the Jarrett promotion and this was a cheap ploy to get unsuspecting fans into the arena. To be fair, the Fabulous Ones did wrestle the Anderson Brothers who were there courtesy of NWA territory, the WWF. Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen had a match against each other even though they often tag together in Japan. If you were to force me to say who is better, I would have to go with Bruiser Brody. He has an intensity and look that simply can’t be matched. Brody also is able to work on the mat and can go an hour with any champion in the world. His selling style is also one of the most unique and makes him stand out even more. The main event was Randy Savage vs. Tully Blanchard in a 30 Minute Draw. Those who were there said the match was a classic but my feeling is it probably wasn’t as good as the Brody match since Brody is in a class all to himself. Jimmy Crack Corn writes in, “Summerfest was a great show. I new the Rock-N-Roll Express wouldint show, but still got to see a grate match between the Fabulous Ones and The Andersons. I really likes the Fabulous Ones, especially Stan Lane, and hopes they come bak.” The new ICW tag team champions are The New Generation, Mark Batten and Johnny Wilhoit. They defeated Giant Haystacks and Athol Foley on July 14th in Lexington Kentucky. The match was the finals of a tournament and we’ll see if the New Generation can bring in fans the same way exciting teams like the Fabulous Ones are doing for Southwest or the Rock N Roll Express in the rival Memphis promotion. Speaking of ICW appearing on GCW, Jim Crockett lodged a complaint with GCW but it doesn't seem to have went anywhere. With Crockett the new NWA president it would seem he will be able to exert more and more influence on how the NWA is presented in the future, and could be the biggest roadblock to ICW joining the NWA. Angelo Poffo has been publicly complementing JCP's shows recently though, possibly trying to curry favor. JCP did not credit ICW initially with helping provide the Anderson's appearance in the Mid Atlantic Tag Team Tournament, but that was quickly rectified. ICW wants to reach out to other promotions about bringing in more sons of promoters, talking to the Harts, the Armstrong family and would especially love to get one or more Von Erichs. Savage needs more people on his side besides just Angelo, and those guys would definitely provide a boost to the angle. Gagne was a professional and not hard to work with at all in ICW. Gagne came in for the July 4th show and agreed to work with the Fortunate Sons. He did not want to join the group, and GCW put the kibosh on that too since he's working face on a nationally televised program, but agreed to put the Sons over by allowing himself to be beaten up before the Poffos made the save. If Greg had been drafted by the promotion, he would have been a member of the Sons whether he liked it or not. Tully Blanchard didn't live up to his reputation either, being a good soldier during the joint show with ICW despite rumors that he can be a pain in the ass. Of course, no one asked Tully to do anything he didn't want to do, either. Work is already drying up for ICW wrestlers, as the notoriously cheap Angelo Poffo is running fewer shows and may already be having money trouble. Rumors say they will run more shows next month, but with not as many big names coming in for the reunion shows and no more joint shows on the horizon. The locker room is already grumbling that the reunion shows were a gimmick to make money and now the fans will be seeing the same matchups every month from the regular guys. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WWA (INDIANAPOLIS) The WWA is holding a tournament for the NWA Midwest Television Title. The brackets were as follows… Masked Superstar vs. Bobo Brazil Larry Zbyszko vs. Brickhouse Brown Dory Funk Jr. vs. Jimmy Snuka Blackjack Mulligan vs. Mike Rotundo There was an opportunity for a rematch to the Television MOTY between Dory Funk Jr. and Mike Rotundo but Snuka and Funk wrestled to a draw so Rotundo will get a bye. On the next TV taping, Zbyszko defeated Bobo Brazil by Disqualification for the right to face Rotundo in the finals. We’ll have a full report on the finals in the next issue. Wrestlers interrupted Indianapolis 500 winner Tom Sneva at a local charity event. The idea was that it would get the wrestlers on the news and help promote the wrestling show. However, WTHR 13 News in Indianapolis made it look like it was a few crazed fans interrupting Sneva and made no mention of the wrestling promotion. Wrestlers involved with the stunt were Bobby Colt, Kelly Kiniski and Spike Huber. Indiana University interviewed Dick the Bruiser about his life experiences for an Oral History project. Bruiser discusses his life and hardships. Unfortunately, because he comes from a business shrouded in secrecy, it is difficult to tell how much of the interview is real and how much is embellished. The fact that wrestlers are taught to lie and keep secrets about the business makes it really difficult to separate fact from fiction. One of the hottest summers on record in Indianapolis is affecting ticket sales in a positive way. The heat is actually forcing people to find entertainment inside and walk-up business is strong for afternoon shows. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CENTRAL STATES (KANSAS CITY) Bob Geigel has been taking losing the NWA presidency hard. He finishes his term at the end of the month and it has caused issues with the booking of the Kansas City office. After a spectacular July 4th show, the Kansas City office has stagnated with many of the wrestlers unhappy about a lack of payoffs and scheduled dates. Geigel isn’t the first owner of a territory who has difficulties in the last month. Fritz Von Erich, Bill Watts and Don Owen have all had trouble maintaining their territories and a large amount of wrestlers are getting discouraged about the business. In the case Of Don Owens, his territory has been taken over by Al Tomko and has resulted in inner turmoil with the NWA Board (See story below). After obtaining medical data from an undisclosed Kansas City hospital, it appears that Geigel was admitted for rectal bleeding from hemorrhoids when the stress of the NWA Presidency became too much. In the meantime, the territory has been maintained loosely by Bulldog Bob Brown since Harley Race has been keeping his dates around the country as NWA World Champion. Tony Atlas recently filmed a scene for TV show “The Love Boat”. Atlas plays a bodybuilder with a speech impediment that prevents him from telling the woman that he loves how he really feels. In the plot of the show, the only thing that helps his impediment is alcohol and bartender Isaac inadvertently gets Atlas drunk. Atlas then makes a fool of himself and spends the rest of the show trying to win back his love interest. With help from Doc (actor Bernie Kopell) and Julie McCoy (actress Lauren Tewes), Atlas wins the heart of his woman played by actress Berlinda Tolbert (better known as Jenny on the Jeffersons). Behind the scenes, it is rumored that Atlas was a big hit with the ladies much to the chagrin of the male actors. Fred “Gopher” Grandy was especially upset at the attention that Atlas received and there were whispers that Atlas would disappear on set with Tewes for hours at a time. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MID SOUTH WRESTLING Mid-South wrestlers are openly complaining about paychecks. They have run only two shows in the first two weeks of July and wrestlers have been struggling to make ends meet. There are exceptions to this within Mid-South. Dick Murdoch regularly does tours for New Japan and he has been in Japan this month so he is not feeling the effects of the drought. Masa Fuchi, who is on loan to Mid-South from All Japan, gets paid an overseas fee from the home office so he is not discouraged and has been using the free time for fishing and hunting. There have been rumors that the New York office has been trying to persuade Ted Dibiase to make another run in New York. With an average age of 62 for WWF wrestlers, they are going to be in need of a youth infusion soon and Dibiase is one of the best workers in the country. There is also concern that Watts is wasting away the prime time for his top ace, Junkyard Dog. JYD is a horrible wrestler and usually has subpar matches but he is the most over wrestler in the company. Other companies have reached out for his services but he has been making money doing commercials and guest appearances around New Orleans. One wrestler who has had a rough time is Steve O. There are reports that Steve O has been performing street tricks in Jackson Square for extra money. His trick is lying down on a stack of broken glass and letting people stand on his back. Those around him are concerned for his safety and fear he could be throwing his career away if he gets injured on the streets. One wrestler content on doing nothing is Don Muraco. Muraco recently left New York for Mid-South and has been staying in Tulsa, OK. Apparently, he was upset that Tulsa didn’t have any beaches for him to surf. He had no idea that Oklahoma was not connected to an ocean. When Muraco was told that there was absolutely nothing to do in Oklahoma, he was perfectly content knowing that nothing would be expected of him. As for Bill Watts whereabouts, last issue we reported he was taking up residence in New Orleans with black prostitutes that he constantly refers to as “Brown Sugar”. Even though Watts has practically abandoned his territory, there is a rumor that he wants to start an all Black Female Wrestling Division with the Brown Sugar World Title at stake. Names reported for the female wrestlers include Dark Journey, Sweet Sapphire, Jackie Brown, Queen Kong and Tutti Frutti. Watts is convinced that with the success of JYD, there is a market for black women on the roster as long as they know their place. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (SAN ANTONIO) I got word that Joe Blanchard is furious about the leaks that lead to his plans being printed in the last edition. He has apparently changed his plans from putting the Southwest Heavyweight Title on El Gran Apollo due to the leak, which lead to a very tense situation backstage. El Gran Apollo, in his broken English, made it very clear to everyone in the locker room that the only reason he came back to what he called "esta pequeña promoción de nadies" was because he was promised the Southwest Title and a push as the top star. Tully Blanchard had to be stopped from going to the babyface locker room after hearing everything that Apollo was saying about him. Jose Lothario was seen doing a lot of talking to referee Jack Howe during this and it's suspected that Jose is the one who was making sure Tully heard what El Gran Apollo was saying. Jose Lothario is said to be very bitter that El Gran Apollo is going to be pushed ahead of him and is looking to do anything he can do ruin those plans. There are reports that El Gran Apollo has developed a close bond to David Von Erich. David feels Apollo is similar to Kevin Von Erich in both wrestling ability and attitude. It has gone as far as David encouraging Apollo to cat killing in the locker room. Cat killing was a hobby of Kevin’s that would infuriate note animal lovers in the World Class locker room but David would crack up when Kevin would whip cats around and smash them against the wall. No word if Apollo has also grown fond of killing cats. Animal activists might be upset with the practice but word is that it is just boys being boys and is typical fun-loving wrestler behavior. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WORLD CLASS (DALLAS) Not unlike the disappearances of Bill Watts and Stu Hart, the wrestling world was concerned with Fritz Von Erich and the World Class promotion. However, it turns out Fritz was on his yearly Jesus retreat where he goes out in the woods and talks to God. Fritz, who is a God fearing Christian, and raised his boys to be the same, will spend a two week period in the middle of the woods on his estate, praying to God to watch over his family and promotion. During the sabbatical, in years past, David Von Erich would be in charge of producing footage and getting out World Class product. However, with David in San Antonio, the duty went to Kevin who forgot because he was too busy killing cats and got sidetracked. When Fritz got back, he promptly sent out the most recent television shows and reports of the July 4th Spectacular. Speaking of the 4th of July Spectacular, Spectator reader Steven Williams from Edna, TX sent in the following report… “Hey Wade, just wanted to report on the July 4th show. It was hotter than a coon’s ass at the stadium. Sgt. Slaughter and Bad News Allen fought all over the arena and showed plenty of fire in one helluva match. Hell, they tore it down, built it back up again and tore it down again. In a bust ass main event The Von Erichs were joined by Tito Santana to take on Skandar Akbar’s Devastation Inc. Goddamm, this was a hellacious match. Fat ass Kamala the crazy Kabuki and nasty Big John Studd were not a sight for sore eyes but those bastards were beating the hell out of the babyfaces. Those cocksuckers put a hurting on the Von Erich boys but they made a comeback and came within a cunt’s hair of pinning Kamala but Kabuki made the save. Well, Kabuki blew that mist smack dab in between Tito’s eyes and I thought the match was done. Then Kerry started hitting his Tornado punches and even nailed Magic Dragon and can you believe this… Kerry pinned Magic Dragon for the Six man titles and that son of a bitch wasn’t even in the match! Anyhow, I had a great time except for the flies and critters flying around all day. There wwas plenty of pussy on hand and since I had a bust ass workout, I even got some numbers from some rats who thought I was a wrestler. Oh hell yeah! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AMERICAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION Michael Hayes isn’t the only wrestler going into the studio to record a “rock” record. AWA Tag Team, The Road Warriors, plan on making a rock song to capitalize on their popularity. They are pulling out all of the stops in getting top flight musicians to play on the track. On board for the project are Twisted Sister guitarist JJ French, Rod Stewart drummer Carmen Appice, Hulk Hogan on bass, and Aldo Nova is playing keyboards and producing the record. Road Warrior Hawk (real name Michael Hegstrand) was very excited about the project especially since he was a third chair tenor in his high school choir and he feels this will give him the chance to break out into the mainstream. Road Warrior Animal (real name Joseph Laurinaitis) was known as a bully in high school and would beat up choir and band kids so he is more lukewarm on the project. There is no release date set but the Warriors are planning on going into the studio in October. The AWA has a new AWA Light Heavyweight Champion, “Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin. Garvin defeated Buck Zumhofe in a brief match on July 8th. Sources indicate that after news broke of Zumhofe’s preference for underage girls, the office felt that they couldn’t have Zumhofe as one of their champions and would be an embarrassment for the company. After the story was reported in the last issue, Vern Gagne sent out a memo… “All workers and staff will cut off communication w/ Wade Smeltzer. Anyone caught speaking with that muckraking hack will have to do a week's worth of labor on Verne's farm.” The following promotional tactic was used by the AWA to promote the upcoming July 22 AWA show in Milwaukee. “Verne Gagne organized a "Have a pint with Da Crusher" block party in downtown Milwaukee. For just $5, fans gained access to an all-you-can drink beer garden where Da Crusher and other AWA wrestlers were pouring beers and partying with fans.“ What wasn’t reported was the public relations nightmare that the AWA avoided when several of the wrestlers encountered cast members of the famous sitcom Laverne & Shirley. The sitcom, which went off the air earlier this year was filmed in Hollywood but was based in Milwaukee. Eddie Mekka, who played Carmine "The Big Ragoo" Ragusa on the show, was doing promotional work for a local brewery since it is likely he never gets another acting gig, but he is a legend in Milwaukee for his role on the show. Mekka was at the brewery with Penny Marshall (Laverne) shooting a commercial when several of the wrestlers started making rude comments to Marshall, threatening to stick beer cans in her various orifices. Mekka stuck up for Marshall but was outnumbered. Wrestlers rumored to be part of the confrontation include jobbers Jeff Sword, Javier Cruz and Tom Stanton. Thankfully, Da Crusher was able to smooth things over with the actors, kicked out the jobbers, and even appeared in the background during the commercial. On the AWA July 22nd television taping, Road Warriors & Da Crusher defeated The Wild Bills & Major Cal Manson. The Road Warriors defeated the other team without tagging in Crusher. After the match, they did a semi-heelish interview with Gene Okerlund that would indicate they are moving the Road Warriors to the heel side. As one of the biggest AWA attractions, that would be a huge mistake. Road Warriors merchandise is only slightly behind Hulk Hogan and safely ahead of Vinny Valentino. A heel turn would hurt that revenue source. Later on that night in Milwaukee, The Wild Bills (Wild Bill Irwin & Billy Jack) won the vacant tag team titles when The Road Warriors were attacked by a large man in a hockey mask. Internally, most believed the Road Warriors would win the belts and it was a foregone conclusion. However, Gagne already had Hulk Hogan as the AWA Champion and wanted a tag team that had more workrate than the juiced up Road Warriors who Verne doesn’t respect because they aren’t real wrestlers and are mainly bodybuilders. One employee reported Verne saying, “The only thing those balloons on those boys are good for is popping. Five minutes in the ring with me and I would have both of them boys crying for their mother.” Speaking of new merchandise, with the success of Hulk Hogan’s merchandise, wrestlers are bombarding the AWA office with merchandise ideas. Besides Vinny Valentino, there have been tons of ideas… Da Crusher Beer mugs, Jimmy Garvin hair products, Ken Patera wigs, and a Buck Robley blow-up doll have all been proposed. We will wait and see what products make it to the production stage. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION Ricky Steamboat (real name Richard Blood) won the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Don Muraco on July 5th at Madison Square Garden. With the loss, Muraco has now left the company and will wrestle in the Mid-South territory. Steamboat, who recently left the Mid Atlantic territory, is the 7th champion and 5th wrestler to hold the title. Internally, the belief is that Steamboat is one of the best wrestlers in the world and he could be a possible WWF World Champion someday once the older guys in the territory retire or start dying off. There is currently a rule after the Bob Backlund title reign that they only want guys 45 and older holding the World Title. This could change as bouts of dementia sometimes force the powers in charge to forget their long term plans. The title match was the first of three title changes on the night which would make it one of the most memorable nights in WWF history. Those in attendance say that the match itself was a tale of two different matches. Steamboat worked hard and was a hit with the crowd especially since he is in such good shape and has one of the best natural physiques in the business. Nobody in their right mind would believe this guy ever used steroids. He is just naturally gifted. Muraco, on the other hand, playing up his Beach Bum gimmick repeatedly attempted to have the worst match possible. At one point in the 43 minute match, he had Steamboat in a headscissors, requested a pillow from the timekeeper and took a nap in the middle of the ring for about 4 minutes. At another point, Muraco hooked Steamboat in a sleeper. However, Muraco forgot that Steamboat was the one who was supposed to pass out and Muraco ended up falling asleep while applying the sleeper hold. This allowed Steamboat to escape the hold and basically wrestle a one man match for the next 20 minutes. If you ever want to see a guy wrestling himself to entertain a crowd, this would be the match to watch. Speaking of Muraco, the Japanese offices have sent out a memo to other promoters that none of their Japanese talent are to work with Muraco for fear that he may turn them into bad wrestlers. We’ll keep an eye out on this development. On July 12th, new WWF champion Nick Bockwinkel was wrestling Terry Funk in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan at the Nakajima Sports Center for All Japan Wrestling. According to the WWF, Bockwinkel caught an early flight out of Japan and arrived in time for his television appearance after wrestling in Japan. The problem with this story is that all flights coming out of Japan to Philadelphia would make mandatory stops in Toronto. Well, in Toronto on the day of the 12th, all flights in and out of the Toronto Pearson International Airport were delayed due to a mass moose migration that had overtaken the airport that week. Canadian officials asked the moose to politely leave the area but since moose don’t communicate with people, they did not respond. Canadian officials waited patiently for the moose to move off of the airfields since it would be rude to force the moose out of the area. Even if Bockwinkel were able to leave Toronto, he would not make the TV tapings in time on the 12th. This leads to the question… who was wrestling on WWF TV on July 12th as Nick Bockwinkel? Inside sources in the WWF say the truth is more sordid and deceptive than it first appeared. When it became apparent that Bockwinkel would not be available, Vincent McMahon told Mel Phillips that he needed to find a Nick Bockwinkel doppelganger to continue with television plans. Phillips was able to procure the services of 1970s porn star, Dick Cockblocker. Cockblocker (real name Peter Pecker,) who often made films where he would end up wrestling with his co-stars, is a spitting image of Bockwinkel and he used that fact to make films capitalizing on the wrestling industry. Even though Cockblocker had no wrestling experience, the striking resemblance made McMahon comfortable enough to put him in a bad but unforgettable five minute match with SD Jones. When watching the footage, the camera never focuses on Cockblocker’s face and only the most basic wrestling moves were executed. Pre-taped footage was used for the backstage interviews and the crowd was never informed of the switch. McMahon was concerned with cancelling Bockwinkel’s appearance for fear of refund requests at the box office. When asked if the WWF would continue to use Cockblocker in an in ring capacity, WWF officials had no comment. Speaking of porn stars, another embarrassing moment happened when the WWF office wanted to book Boxing Champion Larry Holmes as a guest referee. Holmes is from Pennsylvania area and they thought co-promotion with the boxing champion would help the card draw a bigger house. However, they accidentally booked porn star John Holmes instead who was insistent on working that night. Holmes was not introduced or part of the show but was acting up backstage, offering favors to the wrestlers in exchange for cocaine. There are no confirmed reports that anyone took him up on his offer. Someone close to the WWF office has said that the word is Bob Backlund is not going to be with the company for much longer. It was expected that he would win the title back from Nick Bockwinkel in the eventual rematch, but according to one local promoter he's set to work a program with Tully Blanchard from Southwest Wrestling (not an NWA affiliate). The storyline has been that Heenan and Bockwinkel are dodging Backlund and won't grant him a rematch, but the reasons for it may go deeper than in-storyline. But all of this said, it would certainly be strange if Backlund did not get a rematch in a blow off with this much build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I hope Parv never sends you a story. I can't imagine he wrote any of that WWF stuff himself and it's all hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 All sources will remain anonymous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I strongly disagree with Javier Cruz being referred to as a "jobber", since he is one half of the beloved tag team the Latin Lovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Someone should have leaked to Smeltzer that WWA is merging it's World belt with NWA very shortly. More to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I strongly disagree with Javier Cruz being referred to as a "jobber", since he is one half of the beloved tag team the Latin Lovers. You should be more concerned that he tried to sexually assault Laverne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I strongly disagree with Javier Cruz being referred to as a "jobber", since he is one half of the beloved tag team the Latin Lovers. You should be more concerned that he tried to sexually assault Laverne. A libellous allegation. Cruz would never dream of laying a hand on her, given that AWA President Stanley Blackburn is quite clearly Laverne's father. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimmas Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I don't want to send in news, because I can tell Will is having so much fun with the Toronto section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Boricua Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Man, all three of those WWC tidbits in the latest newsletter are great. I busted a gut laughing just picturing a four year old Carly Colon doing that with Dick Slater laughing in a corner. The titles tidbit is funny because the number of titles for the territory is ridiculous (but it's always been that way in real life also). The Tim Tall Tree saga is made better and funnier to me by the fact that I legitimately have planned to not use him until August and that, when he does come in, it'll be under a mask. This saga just writes itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 I don't want to send in news, because I can tell Will is having so much fun with the Toronto section. You don't have to send in news about your territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cross Face Chicken Wing Posted July 25, 2015 Report Share Posted July 25, 2015 Once again, Verne is pissed that his employees continue talking with Smeltzer. Verne roamed the AWA office building this morning ranting and raving about the latest Smeltzer report. He then placed copies in each of the building's urinals so everybody could "piss on that flaming crock of shit." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 What is with Wade Smeltzer and his confusing of Ken with Jerry? I have been unable to find anything about Ricky Morton's former partner Jerry Lucas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lucas Ooops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Oddly enough they make no mention of his wrestling career I already have to deal with Joe Blanchard working on cyphers I don't need him getting angry over names. EDIT: Hah! Memory education expert. Good rib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsfan73 Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Issue #2 has been converted to a PDF newsletter format. PM me your email address if you'd like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingsfan73 Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Another great issue! The insider stuff with the cast of "The Love Boat" and "Luverne and Shirley" was hilarious. I love the correspondents' reports with S. Williams and Mr. Crack Corn. And the doppleganger Bockwinkel was ridiculous. And the best part... no MMA coverage in the wrestling newsletter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 What's MMA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisZ Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Again this is pretty damn stellar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Will's parody of Melzter's tastes and writing style is really well observed. Especially the bit where he starts comparing Brody and Hansen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHawk Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Someone should have leaked to Smeltzer that WWA is merging it's World belt with NWA very shortly. More to come. It honestly doesn't even need to be leaked since the date has been advertised on TV for three straight weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beast Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Yeah, maybe Wade doesn't get WWA TV yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 He might just be fast forwarding a lot. It's gotta be tough to watch all the tapes from the U.S., Canada & Japan within a week's time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted July 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Yeah I pay attention to match results and title changes. I read every single post but little details like that get skipped over every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goc Posted July 26, 2015 Report Share Posted July 26, 2015 Anyone that's reading my TV and only looking at match results is going to think my show really sucks. They might still think that reading the promos though so at least with that I could console myself that they didn't have the full picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawho5 Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 I like the changes to your TV, personally. Great stuff on the newsletter! The Muraco stuff was awesome. The little digs here and there crack me up. I think we definitely need more titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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