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WWF News

 

-Vince McMahon is said to be very happy with the way that the world title tournament has played out in the major cities. Expect next weeks, semi and finals to be big shows for the WWF. With the field set, Saturday's show in the Meadowlands will be headlined by Randy Savage taking on Ted Dibiase and Hulk Hogan taking on Big John Studd... with the winners of each match headlining the next night in Madison Square Garden. Local reports are such that if you bring your ticket stub from Saturday night to the Sunday show at the Garden, you will get a discount off from tickets not yet sold.

 

-Expect more matches to be announced for Sunday's card on Superstars. The WWF does already locally advertise Andre the Giant being at the show along with a world tag team title rematch with the Briscoes taking on The Russians along with Gino Hernandez defending the IC title against Sgt. Slaughter.

 

-There is talk of a feud ender with Sgt. Slaughter amassing a team to go up against Lord Alfred Hayes' bunch with Slaughter's career and Lord Alfred's managing license on the line. No word on the outcome as Sgt. Slaughter has recently voiced his opposition to his place on the card and would like to be showcased as a more premiere worker. Lord Alfred is not much for the road and could be used in an event center setting.

 

- Those close to Vince McMahon said he was livid at the news of the CWA jumping from the NWA to join with the USWA. It is no secret that McMahon and current USWA figurehead Bill Watts have had their issues. Watts feels like McMahon stabbed him in the back while McMahon raided Watts' talent pool to re-figure the WWF. Randy Savage among others have dates in Memphis and this could cause a stir when it comes to bookings. Some even think that McMahon would send Savage to Knoxville to try and hurt CWA attendance.

 

-Roddy Piper has been recently brought up as a name to go out on the road. Piper is being used heavily on WWF television but still has ties to the Portland area. No word on if the arrangement will come through.

 

- A lot of new faces popping up in the WWF means that some could be out the door. Ivan Putski is one name floating around that may be looking for work in the not to distant future. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty are two of the WWF's jobbers who may be fleeing the company to try and get a shot as regulars in the future.

 

-With Jimmy Hart coming into the WWF, some have wondered how this will play a role in Bobby Heenan's future. Heenan and Hart are two prominent managers and some have said they have already spoken about talent and who will have what. Hart debuted this week with Orton and Slater and is expected to expand on that stable in the future.

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East Tennessee

 

- Major news coming out of Smoky Mountain Wrestling is Matt Borne has walked out on the promotion before it even began. He was said to have been very upset he wasn't going over in the heavyweight title tournament. This puts all of Ron Wrights plans into disarray, 4 days before their debut show in Knoxville. Matt Borne was being put forward as the lead babyface, and now those plans have all gone up the wall, putting the promotion into chaos.

 

- Ken Lucas and Jody Hamilton have been on the phone to all their former Alabama contacts, trying to get wrestlers in for the show this Monday. With lead babyface Matt Borne waking out 4 days before the show, who knows what's going to happen.

 

- Former Southeastern wrestlers Larry Hamilton and Josh Stroud have signed deals to come in and team, it's likely they will go under a masked moniker.

 

We will be back over the weekend with more news in the build up to the big show on Monday evening.

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Lutte Internationale News

 

-Lutte Internationale is now finalizing their plans to organize the 1st Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup, honoring the memory of the late legend who passed away in May of 1983. The event will take place from August 27 to August 29 at the Montreal Forum. The format will feature a 32-men singles elimination tournament featuring a stacked field. Lutte Internationale has reached out to every territory and they've all accepted to send a 4-men delegation to represent their territory in the tournament. Every territory have already sent to promoter Frank Valois the names who'll be competing in the tournament except for the AWA, who will divulgate their representatives in the next couple of days. It is a sure deal that Johnny's nephews, Jacques & Raymond Rougeau will enter the tournament as well as Rick Martel. The other name has yet to be unveiled. The names of the participants in the tournament will be revealed starting next weekend on Lutte Internationale TV.

 

-A scary incident took place during the Scaffold Match between Gilles Poisson and Mad Dog Lefebvre on Sunday night as Lefebvre took a nasty fall while climbing the scaffolding early in the match. Lefebvre tripped and fell awkwardly on his shoulder and referee Adrien Desbois stopped the match right away, under the 5-minute mark. It was feared that Lefebvre would've also suffered a neck injury and/or a concussion, which is why he was stretchered out for safety precautions. However, Lefebvre will be OK and will be able to resume his in-ring activity for the next slate of shows. However, Lutte Internationale's officials have decided to book him in tag team matches for Friday night in Montreal and Sunday night in Quebec City to ease his workload.

 

-Bob Backlund's situation with Lutte Internationale is a bit in limbo as creative plans for him have changed multiple times over the past few weeks, which resulted in increasing frustration on his part. Backlund hasn't directly expressed it to management and hasn't made noise in the locker room to distract everyone but management caught wind of it anyway. Lutte have already some options into place and the situation should be resolved as early as next week as an unnamed territory have already expressed their interest into bringing in Backlund.

 

-Sherri Martel's debut has made a very good impression on everyone, as well as Eddie Gilbert's first appearance on the most recent episode of Lutte TV. It's interesting to mention that management is looking at the possibility of having Gilbert wrestle sporadically on TV, much like they're doing with current International Heavyweight Champion Greg Valentine, since they see him as a very special attraction. Also, Gilbert is nursing a minor injury but nothing that will prevent him from being inserted in the house show loops by the end of the summer. Lutte is being extra cautious with how they treat Gilbert because they see him as a potential top heel in Montreal and they hope to have him face Rick Martel & Dino Bravo in the next couple of months.

 

-Plans also call for Andre the Giant to return to Lutte Internationale for a special TV appearance in late October. It's been years since Andre has worked in the Montreal territory and promoter Frank Valois is hoping to book Andre more often in the future. It's a known fact that Valois & Andre are close friends and Andre has always enjoyed working in Montreal. No word yet on who'll be his opponent then.

 

-Speaking of Lutte Internationale TV, the ratings on CFCF 12 and their French affiliates have been so good that CFCF has requested for Lutte Internationale to air some special 2-hour episodes at various times during the year. The November 3rd date has been targeted for the first 2-hour special. In the meantime, Lutte will air 2 special 90-minute episodes in August and in October in their regular Saturday morning slots and everything will be adjusted accordingly, depending on the ratings for those specials.

 

-Tune in next Saturday morning as finally, the Rougeau Brothers will take on the Masked Cowboys. You DON'T want to miss this episode, as well as the announcement of the first Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup participants!

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Pacific Northwest (PNW)

 

The PNW Roster has grown a bit. The following talent is scheduled to start shortly:

John Nord (late August)

​Fidel Sierra (doing a Cuban gimmick)

​Johnny Rodz (Asst Booker & wrestler)

​Kelly Kiniski

​Scott Casey

Jesse Barr (Son of Sandy)

​Marty Jannety

 

​PNW also exchanged some talent with Smokey Mountain with Johnny Rich (unhappy with his push) and Tom Pritchard (turned heel on partner Koko Ware). Coming to Portland are Dan Spivey & "Maniac" Matt Borne. Borne will be in a tag team going after Jaggers & Embry, while Spivey will be the newest member of the Albano stable (Jagger/Embry/Spoiler) Spivey will get a big push due to his size. It will be interesting to see on how well he does.

 

​Blackjack Lanza has already finished up with PNW and Ken Timbs left due to personal reasons.

 

​Joes Estrada will be coming in full time as will "Maniac" Mark Lewin. Lewin could be a team with Borne from what we have heard

 

​Jonathan Boyd will become a full time Babyface manager. He will manage a young tag team to start with and the promotion will go from there.

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Pacific Northwest (PNW)

 

The PNW Roster has grown a bit. The following talent is scheduled to start shortly:

John Nord (late August)

​Fidel Sierra (doing a Cuban gimmick)

​Johnny Rodz (Asst Booker & wrestler)

​Kelly Kiniski

​Scott Casey

Jesse Barr (Son of Sandy)

​Marty Jannety

 

​PNW also exchanged some talent with Smokey Mountain with Johnny Rich (unhappy with his push) and Tom Pritchard (turned heel on partner Koko Ware). Coming to Portland are Dan Spivey & "Maniac" Matt Borne. Borne will be in a tag team going after Jaggers & Embry, while Spivey will be the newest member of the Albano stable (Jagger/Embry/Spoiler) Spivey will get a big push due to his size. It will be interesting to see on how well he does.

 

​Blackjack Lanza has already finished up with PNW and Ken Timbs left due to personal reasons.

 

​Joes Estrada will be coming in full time as will "Maniac" Mark Lewin. Lewin could be a team with Borne from what we have heard

 

​Jonathan Boyd will become a full time Babyface manager. He will manage a young tag team to start with and the promotion will go from there.

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Smoky Moutain/East Tennesse

 

- Well what a weekend makes to the changes in the wrestling world in Knoxville, out go some of big names in Matt Borne, Billy Spears and Dan Spivey and in come Sunshine (amazing run down in Texas last year and early this year with Southwest Championship Wrestling working with Tully Blanchard and the late David Von Erich), Johnny Rich (almost a year spent at the top of the card in Alabama with the Fullers going head to head with the Studd Stable and then "Bullet" Bob Armstrong) and also Tom Pritchard (one have of the Heavenly Bodies with Bobby Eaton and Jim Cornette in a successful run in Alabama, Georgia and the AWA in the past year).

 

- Also coming in are the trio from the now defunct ICW in Lanny Poffo, Pez Whately and George Weingroff. All 3 men have superb talent and add a lot to the roster. Expect Angelo Poffo to come in also in some shape or form.

 

- Tonight's show looks stacked with a 7 match card with a new Smoky Moutain Heavyweight Champion being crowned. We are hearing word the direction of the company has change with recent additions.

 

- How long will Smoky Mouthain be out in the wilderness when it comes to a governing body? We know for a fact USWA has been in contact due to the geographical location of CWA but on the other side of the territory they have Mid Atlantic which is the NWA big boy and also has Ric Flair Ron Wright feels that to protect his assets he needs to side with one or the other to prevent invasion.

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WWF News

 

-There is a lot of excitement in the WWF this week with the big broadcast from MSG this Sunday night. The event will be taped at 5pm Eastern and then shown at 8pm. With a quick turnaround, the WWF production team is said to be firing on all cylinders right now. Still no word on who the finals will be but with Savage vs Dibiase and Hogan vs Studd, all four men have potential to draw a good crowd. The main thing will be to see how the rest of the card shapes up on Sunday morning.

 

- Hulk Hogan's deal with the WWF has been a spark among some wrestlers as he has kept his Japanese dates. The same goes for Masked Superstar who will tour quite a bit. This is one of the signs that the Hulkster may not be winning the title this weekend and they go with someone who will be around more... namely Savage or Dibiase. This does leave Studd as an option as he could be a big champion for Hogan to pick off when he comes back from a tour.

 

 

- Word going around the WWF is that John Nord may be out of the WWF in the coming weeks. He hasn't been too happy with his booking and would rather be a singles star than a tag team act.

 

- Expect the next couple of weeks to be big ones for the WWF as they try to lock in a deal to show their Philadelphia Spectrum shows on Prism, and subsequently the Meadowland shows on MSG Network.

 

- There is also talk of the WWF running in St. Louis and Chicago in coming weeks. Vince McMahon has locked in syndication deals for the Midwest and tours may start up within the next two months.

 

-Sgt. Slaughter is still being shopped around as he was vocally upset during the house shows this week. He doesn't lie being the 2nd tier star on the secondary show... we will see who will pick up his tab and feed into his demands.

 

-Randy Savage has been in contact with his father about doing some joint work. Savage's schedule would allow him to work with the elder Paffo, but will the WWF allow Savage (who also works in Memphis) to go over to the other side of the Smokey Mountains?

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PNW News:

 

​The revolving door in regards to the talent is coming to an end. After the talent exchange with the USWA, the promotion won't be looking to bring anyone else in, unless something falls into their lap.

 

​Speaking of talent, NWA Champ "Nature Boy" Ric Flair is coming to town from August 17th/20th. Flair will defend against both Heels and Faces during those 4 days. Flair might end up in a tag match one of those nights.

 

​Portland was hoping to bring in "Rowdy" Roddy Piper for a show Monday, August the 20th as a mystery partner for "Cowboy" Scott Casey, but a scheduling snafu has changed plans. The promotion has recovered quickly and has another big name lined up for that spot. The angle will now take place on Friday, August 17th on the normal live TV show.

 

With Kevin Sullivan coming in and with "Maniac" Mark Lewin already making his debut and with Bob Roop suppose to start at the next TV show, Booker Johnny Rodz wants to put the "Army of darkness" together in Portland. With Lou Albano and his charges Bobby Jaggers/Eric Embry/The Spoiler already the top Heels in the territory, people are wondering on how 2 strong factions will work in a smaller promotion. With Dan Spivey scheduled to debut shortly as a Heel, plans might have to change with Spivey a bit or make Sullivan's group tweeners.

 

There is talk of having Jay Youngblood go solo and have is younger brother Mark drop down the card a bit.

 

​Cocoa Samoa will form a team with The Tonga Kid

 

​Scott McGhee will form an Irish/Scottish team with Rick McGraw

 

"Mean" Mike Miller has always been a Heel in Portland, but it appears that he will be a Babyface to start out.

 

​"Maniac" Matt Borne returns this week also and will most likely feud with Mark Lewin. It will be interesting to see how long Borne can keep his job with the promotion, as he had legal "issues" in the past that forced him to leave the area.

 

​Koko Ware is getting over better then originally expected and will be the #2 Babyface behind Brett Sawyer.

 

​Plans might have changed in making Jonathan Boyd a counterpart of Lou Albano's and might be looking at someone to do that job. If that's the case, expect Boyd to slide down the card and be a JTTS for the remainder of his tenure.

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WWF NEWS

 

-There was a lot of excitement and worried feelings coming out of the MSG Network special this past weekend. Word has it that Vince McMahon and his television production people had to meet with the MSG Network representatives and discuss the graphic nature of this past week's show. McMahon talked about the attitude of the WWF changing but the representatives were not too please. This on top of the fact that the WWF is trying to get a deal with the Prism network to air Philadelphia Spectrum Shows and possibly expand with the MSG Network to show Meadowlands shows, the WWF could be in serious issue with these companies.

 

-Speaking of Philadelphia, there are some who feel that two events in a row with cage matches may end up killing the town as the WWF won't be able to draw without the gimmick while others know Philadelphia is more of a "rough and tough" wrestling town and they like the action. We will see how it shakes out after next week's show in Philadelphia, will the WWF be able to secure a deal with Prism or will they need to tone things down?

 

- The biggest news coming out of the shows was the World Title win of Hulk Hogan. While most saw this coming a mile away, some were still concerned about the Hulkster's schedule as he has plans to go to Japan in November, December, and January. How will the WWF fair with its number one draw out of the country?

 

-There is call for a big blow off match between Roddy Piper and Randy Savage to take place. No talk on the specific gimmick, but some are looking for it to be the monster launching point for both men to different heights of their respective careers.

 

- Roddy Piper was said to be possibly going up to Portland to do shots but Don Owen turned down the deal at the final hour. Word is that Piper and the WWF wanted to make sure Owen's business was legit before giving up dates for a star like Piper. Piper is said to be open to going, but we will see how it works out in the long run. The same goes for Randy Savage who has spent time in Memphis. Both of these men have made huge names for themselves outside of the WWF and that potential "blow off" match could be the stepping stone for both of their superstardoms in the WWF.

 

- Steve Williams is said to be shopping around for his services... he like Sgt. Slaughter aren't happy with their current positions and would like them to improve of for their contracts to be void.

 

-The WWF will be bringing in Andre the Giant next week on the road to team with Hulk Hogan against John Studd and King Kong Bundy. These are expected to be monster shows.

 

-Gino Hernandez has quietly been the workhorse of the "B" shows as of late. He has been a successful WWF Intercontinental Champion and some are wondering if and when we will see the big championship match with him and Hogan.

 

-There are preliminary talks of the WWF and Lutte International coming together for a special joint show around Thanksgiving. Word from the officials is that they are going to book all the matches as six-man tags as they have been popular gimmicks in the joint shows as of late.

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PNW News: Short Update.

 

​There news of a TV Title being created and possibly starting up in Mid-Sept. The Title will be defended every week on TV in a 15 minute match. The title will automatically be on the line at house shows within the first 15 minutes. If the champ is pinned at the 15 minute mark, then the title will not change hands.

 

August 31st, The Road Warriors are coming in for 1 night.

 

​The biggest news is that Don Owen will be running up into British Columbia and possibly, Alberta. There is also talk of Owen into Northern California.

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-In big news, the USWA has struck a deal with the CWA and the Mid-South Coliseum to run its Labor Day Spectacular there. This is the also the first time that the USWA will return to Memphis since Memphis left the USWA a few months back. It will be interesting to see how they are accepted in what used to be their home base.

 

-Also expect major changes in the USWA roster over the next few weeks as major contracts in both the Mid-South and World Class Championship Wrestling come to an end. The organization will have to make decisions on such names as Rocky Johnson, The Sheepherders, Buzz Sawyer, Wahoo McDaniel, and Billy Jack Haynes. The rise of The Perfect Alliance (Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton) may make many of them expendable but we will just have to wait and see.

 

-The face of World Class Championship Wrestling has changed with the return of Skandar Akbar. He can bring the heat like no other and it will be interesting to see how much of a push Fritz is willing to give his men, The Iron Sheik and The Muslim Connection.

 

-The USWA and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling are still trying to work out the wrestler to be named later in that bizarre deal that included television time slots on WTBS. We will just have to wait and see who appears in Mid-South!

 

-USWA is said to be very excited over the ticket sales for their show in Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.

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  • 3 weeks later...

WWF NEWS

 

-It is safe to say that the WWF went ALL IN this past week with the MSG special. They are looking for a huge rating but also a kickoff point for the fall "season" of the WWF. With the NFL starting up, it will be interesting to see how the WWF responds but right now, it appears they are going balls to the wall with former feuds and new ones.

 

Old rivalries die hard...

-Two of the biggest feuds coming out of the MSG show are the Funks vs Briscoes, however there is no word on if Terry will ever be back to continue his end of the feud. The other is the "Real World Title" feud in which Nick Bockwinkel returned with the older version of the WWF Championship belt. This will be the big feud on the A shows to culminate towards the end of the year, but with both Bock and Hogan having Japanese tours, it will be interesting to see how the WWF juggles all of these scheduling concerns.

 

When a man loves a WOMAN

The WWF shockingly brought Woman into the promotion to work with Gino Hernandez as the opposite of the Randy Savage/Elizabeth dynamic. while it is said that Savage and Liz portray more of a regal presence, that of Hernandez and Woman will be more of a rock n roll relationship that may end up being more captivating to the fans. Hernandez is already a cult hit in the WWF with younger men at the shows which has recently caused some issue with Randy Savage who is the clear babyface.

 

What happens in Canada...stays in... wait...

WWF official were not overly upset but plan to work out the concern with Bret Hart showing up on the Rougeau Memorial Cup with Jimmy Hart. Hart has primarily been working as a babyface but with these happenings, one would assume he could be turning heel.

 

Grass isn't always greener...

The money was there... the high profile feud didn't happen... this is the safe assumption as to how Ted Dibiase has been used in the WWF. He has already spoken out about possibly going back down south where he can be the showcase of a promotion rather than playing second fiddle in the top heel role.

 

TV Woes...

Once again, the WWF is in trouble with its television providers over the Piper's Pit angles over the past couple of weeks. Word within the company is that the Pit has already been pulled for the time being. We will see how Piper's role changes with these changes. This isn't helping the WWF's chances of getting on Prism for the Philadelphia Shows in the near future...

 

Midwest Invasion

The WWF has its first television tapings in St. Louis this week. Word has it that they will pull out all the stars for the tapings. Plus they will be in Chicago in early October. Look for more Midwest shows to pop up for the WWF in the coming months.

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Lutte Internationale News

 

-A crazy schedule just concluded for Lutte Internationale as a batch of live events as well as the Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup recently concluded. The Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup is considered a success, both creatively and financially, as attendance for all 3 nights were excellent. There were concerns given the close gap between the Memorial Cup and the next supercard on September 13 but those quickly disappeared. The plan was all along for Rick Martel to lose in the finals but it was decided only on the 2nd day of the tournament that Terry Gordy would be winning it. As for the Rougeaus in the tournament, it was decided that the opportunity to further their angle with WWF's Bob Orton & Dick Slater for the upcoming supercard in September 13 at the Forum was more important, given that this would be the only chance Lutte had to do something for that angle while Orton & Slater were physically there.

 

-This stretch also saw 2 title changes as the Caribbean Connection defeated the Wild Samoans to capture the International Tag Team Championship in Sherbrooke on August 25 while Dino Bravo captured the International TV Championship against Gino Brito last night in Montreal at a stadium event at the Jarry Park. For the International Tag title change, it's been revealed that Sika has been working with broken ribs recently and Lutte officials were not sure if he could've been able to work the September 13 event but after finding out that Sika would be able to do so, it was decided to stick along with the plan but to book the rematch between both teams for that supercard. As for the TV title switch, it was said to be an idea from Gino Brito himself, who pretty much does the booking nowadays. Brito thought that the Dino vs Billy Robinson feud was lacking something and throwing in the TV title in the mix would increase the stakes for the fans. Lutte management also felt like the "Schultz leaving Lutte if he loses" stipulation is enough to keep interest in the rivalry.

 

-As mentioned in the last report, Lutte is planning to bring in Andre the Giant for a TV taping in late October and while we still don't know who he'll be facing yet, the plans have become a bit clearer. It appears that Lutte Internationale will be looking to use Japanese talents going forward for a stretch of time and it's now been set in stone that the first Japanese talent they'll bring in will main event the TV taping to face Andre. No word yet on who it is or when this will come into effect but we should be set in the next couple of weeks once the announcement is made.

 

-Finally, it seems that Lutte's product is garnering some interest south of the border. WCAX in Vermont has approached promoter Frank Valois a few weeks ago to air Lutte TV episodes in the Vermont & Champlain Valley area. While Lutte has no intentions of touring the United States (or at least the Northeast), Frank Valois is clearly excited by this new offer as it could expand the interest for Lutte events, especially when they run the Toronto market or for the supercards at the Forum. More to come soon.

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WWF NEWS

 

-Bret Hart seems to be a top name being talked about around the WWF. Those in power are very high in the youngster as they are going to showcase his run in the Johnny Rougeua tournament this weekend on television along with moving him around to some other markets to get his name out there. No word on whether it will be a team or singles situation for Hart, but expect him to move up the card.

 

-A couple of big moves over the weekend as Chavo Guerrero was brought in to join Hector and Mando Guerrero. We also saw Kevin Sullivan come into the WWF and some have said it has to do with the signing of Woman. Sullivan and Woman have been romantically linked in the past couple of months and this could be due to that.

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WWF News

 

-Word has it that Ted Dibiase has asked to be released from his contract from the WWF. He is said to be unhappy with his recent bookings and wants out. He has already been in talks with Bill Watts to come back and there were even discussions with the AWA to return as their top star. There are also reports of Dibiase being looked at by Giant Baba in Japan. The Funks have a lot of clout in Japan and there may be discussions of Dibiase being a full timer there and then coming in for a couple of months at a time in the US.

 

-We saw the turn of both Bret Hart this past week on television. He was slated to work with Jimmy Hart for the Johnny Rougeau Memorial Cup and then it was built this weekend on television. Hart is expected to have a major role in the WWF and his eventual feud with Jim Neidhart is going to be major in the fall.

 

-There were a lot of people surprised to see John Nord back in the WWF but it appears as though it is going to end up being short lived. He has already had issues with management about his position in the group with Kevin Sullivan and wants to be booked as a singles star. He was actually taken off television this week and substituted with Sullivan and taken off house shows. We will see where he ends up in the future.

 

- Hulk Hogan is in continuous talks to do tours as the WWF Champion in Japan. Nothing has been cleared yet by McMahon and the WWF but the exposure could help Hogan and the WWF if they decide to team up and do some shows in Japan.

 

-No word on if Terry Funk will come in and work with the WWF for this Funk vs Briscoe feud... no one has heard from Terry since his retirement but many within the WWF are hoping that Dory can talk him into a comeback for the feud.

 

-WWF has plans to utilize Dick Slater and Bob Orton in different roles as it was seen this week. They lost the tag titles to the British Bulldogs who are expected to have a nice run with the titles which have been called the hot potatoes as of late. There are already bookings with Bob Orton teaming with Roddy Piper and Slater having a short run with Hulk Hogan.

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USWA WRESTLING NEWS

 

-At a recent meeting between Fritz VonErich, Cowboy Bill Watts and the other members of the USWA Board of Directors there was a discussion on how to keep up with other wrestling programs. All agreed, that while the NWA territory system was king just a year or two ago, the world of professional wrestling is quickly changing. The NWA is now focused around the Mid-Atlantic instead of the entire nation and it is thriving. Other organizations like the AWA, and the WWF are also seeing great success as National Promotions. Watts and VonErich agree that they must work together in order to stay alive. World Class Championship Wrestling and Mid-South are great territories but with limited areas, they understand they have a limited fan base. In the World of Cable TV, a limited fan base means you won't be around for long.

 

- When examining their rosters, both agreed they would have had a top roster in the territory system of 1983 but with so few wrestling organizations still alive as we had to a new year, their rosters are average at best. They have decided to combine the rosters of World Class Championship Wrestling and Mid-South Championship Wrestling to allow their parent company, USWA, a chance to compete.

 

- There are still discussions as to venues for TV, house shows and major events. Most likely the days of the tiny TV studios is going to be a thing of the past. Television shows will be taped in mid-size arenas while some of the interview segments will be pre-taped. Both weekly shows will come from one event. Except for one main house show per week, the roster will run two shows a day with the larger venue getting the "A" listers.

 

-The Title structure of the USWA may have to be revamped but those discussions are on-going. One idea is to keep everything the same except for the Texas Heavyweight Champion which could be renamed the TV title but that has not been finalized. The other thought is just to change the name of the title to the state where the event is... when in Texas... Texas Champion, When in Louisiana..... Louisiana Champion. This could add some excitement to the "B" roster,

 

- As to venues.... The USWA is in contacts with many of the major arenas throughout the Midwest, Gulf States, Southwest and Rocky Mountain region in order to become a more national program.

 

 

*****The real reason for changes is my schedule has become more difficult as I have taken a second job along with having 2 children under the age of 4 and I am doing anything I can to keep going.

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  • 3 weeks later...

WWF NEWS

 

​-Ted Dibiase has supposedly given his notice to WWF Officials. With Duggan and Williams leaving over the last couple of months, there aren't many "Mid South Guys" left from the turnover from McMahon. There is a lot of talk of Dibiase being promised the WWF title but with the Hogan acquisition, the plans were changed. With the Heenan Family as the top heels, he doesn't have a spot there. With Savage as the number 2 babyface, it is hard for him to work up to that spot. We will see how this develops over the next couple of weeks.

 

-The WWF has brought in a newcomer named Haku. He went under the name King Tonga. Initial plans were for him to come in as a heel, but it looks like he will be joining up with Jimmy Snuka and Tonga Kid over the next couple of weeks. The WWF is in dire need of some babyface tag teams right now with the Bulldogs on top and the Briscoes locked into a singles feud with Dory Funk. Some could see Tonga Kid and Haku/King Tonga as a team in the future.

 

- There is talk of WWF adding another title or a "title" in some way in the beginning of the year. There has been a lot of issue with Hulk Hogan's dates in Japan and as those dwindle in 1985, he has already secured those dates and must commit. With his absence, the WWF may look to do some kind of special attraction in January to keep the level of hype up.

 

- The British Bulldogs are the WWF Tag Team Champions, but they are supposed to be on a tour of Japan in November and December. No word on whether or not they will take the titles with them. It could happen and the WWF would like the press, but the home markets may be hurt with the Bulldogs gone as champions along with Hulk Hogan gone as champion.

 

- The One Man Gang is in for a cup of coffee. He is lined up to work a program with the Hulkster at some point but is doing a good job laying out jobbers week in and week out. This was part of a special three way trade of talent between the WWF, MACW, and AWA. With the feelings being good right now, it could take a simple straw to break this camel's back to see everything fall apart.

 

- The WWF is already beginning the planning stages for 1985 and there are supposedly 6 week tours on pace. These six week tours will have tv tapings from 6 different places. Allentown PA, Hamburg PA, Hershey PA, Poughkeepsie NY, and St. Louis MO are already being used and there are talks of adding a Canadian or Florida spot for TV tapings due to markets and the boys respectively. The Saturday and Sunday shows will still be utilized with the Meadowlands and MSG, Houston and Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago, and Boston and Miami being on tap, with the addition of Montreal and Toronto to go with the Canadian TV tapings and then the possibilities of Detroit, Kansas City, Indianapolis, or even Denver being a big town for the WWF. Some even thought that a tv taping would take place from California to set up a California tour with Los Angeles and San Francisco being the big towns and even traveling up to Portland. There is a lot of space for the WWF to move and some have thought that the 6 week tours may hurt business. Others have talked about the crews splitting and going to each on loops. Regardless, the expansion is moving forward in 1985 and it is just going to be how it goes down that makes a difference.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lutte Internationale News

 

-The big story coming out of the gate is the growing collaboration between Lutte Internationale and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. After Bob Backlund and Adrian Adonis going on loans, Lutte has featured a non-title Street Fight between NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard and Superstar Billy Graham and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive as fans were very hot for this match, who was placed in the semi-main event slot on Saturday night. But this won't be the end of the collaboration between both territories as in fact, it's getting more serious. Promoters Frank Valois and Jim Crockett are getting along extremely well and we can officially report that Frank Valois has filed an application for Lutte Internationale to join the National Wrestling Alliance. The interest is said to be mutual as the NWA never really had much of an exposure outside of the United States and this partnership would certainly allow them to do that. The discussions are still at an early stage but Frank Valois is hopeful that Lutte becomes an NWA affiliate by the end of 1984.

 

-One question being raised about a possible NWA affiliation for Lutte pertains to existing working agreements with other territories. Frank Valois has been adamant that he still has a very good working relationship with everyone and that in no way, this will affect those. Valois has allegedly reached out to Vince McMahon in New York about this situation and McMahon is still willing to work with Lutte Internationale for joint shows. The only thing he has requested is for no NWA talents appearing on the WWF/Lutte joint events going forward, should Lutte officially join the NWA. Frank Valois has also reassured Verne Gagne in the AWA that he will still be able to use Rick Martel in their current working agreement. In fact, Lutte Internationale isn't intending on sticking to those as they've started discussions with Smokey Mountain Wrestling for a working agreement for 1985 but those are still "very preliminary".

 

-Japanese attraction Rusher Kimura made his official debut for Lutte Internationale at Saturday night's live event at the Centre Paul-Sauvé in Montreal, defeating Adrian Adonis. He will be working many Lutte events until November 21st, when he will return to All-Japan. Of course, this includes his most significant match of his excursion being on TV in October 27th against Andre the Giant. A stipulation could also be added to the match but this has yet to be discussed.

 

-Many people felt uncomfortable in last week's episode when Eddy Creatchman spoke about Rick Martel's deceased brother, Michel, in a promo on TV but we're told that this was all discussed between Martel and Creatchman beforehand but only the both of them knew about it, along with Frank Valois. Also, many felt it was a bit too similar to the angle between Jim Cornette and the Rougeaus earlier so perhaps it could've been brought up in another way.

 

-Finally, expect a big name in the wrestling business to join Lutte Internationale in January as he'll be slated to become one of the top draws in the territory. And with the possible NWA affiliation coming up, this could mean some VERY interesting programs going forward.

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  • 2 weeks later...

WWF NEWS

 

- Big news out of the WWF this week is that Vince McMahon is still letting his talent go to Japan for tours. A couple of guys will be gone over the next month which may hurt the WWF, but they supposedly have some big gimmicks lined up for those shows to not hurt the house.

 

- The WWF will continue its working relationship with Lutte International and will hold a major event in November. Every match on the card will be a six-man tag team match. This has been a constant with Lutte over the Summer in terms of main events and such, so WWF is looking to capitalize on the gimmick for one night. The next month in December, WWF will start to add the Montreal Forum to its tour dates for Lutte. They will hold the Montreal Show on Saturday and then the Toronto Show on Sundays. They still view Toronto as the bigger market, thus making the move to Sunday.

 

- Detroit's Joe Louis Arena is also on the books for the WWF in early 1985. The WWF will be expanding to a six-week tour in which there are six different places to tape television. This also means that there will be 12-major markets hit. Word has already come through that the Hollywood, Florida Sportatorium shows may be changed to go into Miami. We will see how this affects television markets.

 

- The WWF is planning on running some Philly Spectrum shows on the Prism Network in the coming weeks. Word coming through is that the November show may be televised. This will alternate with the MSG shows which are televised. When the WWF moves to the six-week tours, this could change things up. For the Philly shows, Gorilla Monsoon is going to be in the booth and some have heard that Lord Alfred Hayes may be returning in an announcer role. One other duo that has been discussed in Gene Okerlund and Jesse Ventura.

 

- A lot of discussion has been going around about Bruno Sammartino. The WWF has sent feelers out to Sammartino to possibly make a comeback to the WWF in some ways. No word on if it is going to be an active role in the ring or someone who maybe has a power role.

 

- The WWF has begun plans to put on its own big show in December in Madison Square Garden. This is said to be the biggest show of the year for the WWF and they will be pulling out all the stops for it before giving the guys a break and starting up 1985 fresh. They have even sent feelers out to Terry Funk to come back, but have not gotten a response yet. Dory Funk has got some nagging injuries and is said to be trying to get a full time position with All Japan and using his WWF dates as leverage.

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NWA: Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling

 

News and Notes:

 

The next big hyped show for MACW is out of Atlanta and the Omni. This will be taped for a VHS release later in the year. This is why we are seeing the main programs climax inside a Steel Cage. Bob Backlund and Ric Flair was a program we were going to see going into Starrcade, but it was decided to finish it here, at least for now. Tully Blanchard and "Superstar" Graham will also be decided at the Omni inside a cage. This was set up at Fall Brawl and a special attraction during a Lutte International show. More on the relationship with Lutte in a few. There maybe one more announced cage match for this show, but nothing is official at this time.

 

Mid Atlantic and Lutte International have always had a good working relationship in the past. Recently, it has started to grow. We have seen a non-title brawl to help set up the cage match for Tully and Superstar. There is talk of an invitation into the NWA for Lutte, and details and contracts are still being discussed. MACW is hoping to get Lutte to participate in this year's Starrcade, on Christmas night from Greensboro, NC.

 

A small roster change took place after Fall Brawl, which usually does after big closed circuit event for MACW. A trade with USWA took place, and saw Rocky Johnson and Mr. Wrestling II enter the territory. Some concern about losing younger talents and bringing in some older talents, but the idea will be to let the younger talents work with the older veterans in the coming weeks to give them better experience. The first round of house shows will just to get them over with the audience.

 

With a lot of the major territories expanding all over the country this year, and MACW only growing into Georgia, some are feeling the pressure to expand further. However, MACW is comfortable in their area right now. The NWA would like to grow, and become more of an international presence, but nothing has been said as to how they'd like to go about that.

 

That's all the news for this round. Good day everyone!

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  • 3 weeks later...

WWF NOTES

 

-There was some tension at the most recent joint WWF & Lutte Shows. Vince McMahon is said to be pretty unhappy with the Lutte move to the NWA. This may cause McMahon to become more aggressive in his Canadian expansion. There are many in Lutte trying to keep McMahon happy with the agreement as the invasion of Toronto and Montreal could hurt the market.

 

- Speaking of Toronto, this past weekend we saw AWA star Tito Santana on the show as he was a surprise entrant with Hulk Hogan's team. The AWA may not be too excited to hear how he was used in regards to a talent deal with Lutte. Word has it that the WWF has sent compensation to AWA for use of Santana on the show.

 

- Terry Funk returned to the WWF last weekend in a big angle with the Briscoe Brothers. Everyone in the WWF has been waiting for Terry to pull the trigger on his return and it went over in a big way. Expect this to be a highlight feud for the next couple of months to cap it all off.

 

- There is word that the WWF is looking to bring back Bruno Sammartino to be an authority figure and also do PR for the company. Bruno has been on and off with the WWF recently but has said to have some interest in the role but wants to bring David with him. Not sure what that would look like.

 

- This may be one of the final tours for Hulk Hogan as Vince is trying to get complete control of his dates even with his Japanese commitments. This may bring up bigger issues with the Bulldogs and Andre in the future who also go to Japan quite regularly.

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Lutte Internationale News:

 

-Obviously, the big story around Lutte Internationale is the upcoming affiliation with the National Wrestling Alliance, which is creating a buzz in the pro wrestling world at the moment. While everyone is excited about what's coming up, Lutte officials are still a bit concerned with the repercussions that this will have on their current working agreement with the WWF. Indeed, Vince McMahon didn't hide his displeasure at Frank Valois' next move and the hope for Lutte is that while McMahon never hid his interest in the Canadian market, that this will not trigger any hostilities. Frank Valois did meet Vince McMahon during the joint weekend shows and while it was tense, it was still very civilized and professional.

 

-Speaking of the Lutte/NWA announcement, a joint press conference has been called to take place in the upcoming 7 days. In addition to officially welcoming Lutte Internationale to the National Wrestling Alliance, it is expected that Jim Crockett will also announce his plans for Starrcade '84 and how Lutte Internationale will come into play.

 

-In regards to Lutte joining the NWA, Frank Valois & booker Gino Brito are now working on retooling their roster a bit to maximise their potential success with the NWA. So the roster could see some interesting changes until 1984 wraps up, in addition to the expected arrivals. Some moves will likely made official during the month of November.

 

-Not everything is hunky-dory in Lutte at the moment as while everyone is excited for the future, Dino Bravo has started to express his frustration towards his creative situation. Bravo didn't hide his anger at being left off the supercard on Friday night and also about the constant creative changes. Bravo was scheduled to feud with Mad Dog Lefebvre over the International TV title but Brito opted to build Mad Dog as a strong champion by going after multiple opponents. Then, Bravo was supposed to feud with Eddie Gilbert but Gilbert is currently on loan to the AWA at the moment so once again, Dino found himself without a program. Valois & Gino also assured Dino that he'll get his rematch with Mad Dog Lefebvre by the end of the year.

 

-As seen on Lutte Internationale TV, Samu has been "suspended" following the main event on Friday night's supercard at the Centre Paul-Sauvé against International Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel. Actually, this was done to write off Samu since he's taking part in the 5th MSG Super Tag League as Hulk Hogan's tag team partner in the tournament. Samu will return afterwards and cap off his feud with Rick in late December. In the meantime, Martel will finish off his feud with Greg Valentine over the International Heavyweight Championship during Samu's absence.

 

-Expect manager Frenchy Martin to work more in-ring matches until the end of the year. Not necessarily as Frenchy Martin but as masked man UFO, a character he has used in various occasions throughout his career. This shouldn't last too long, as it's more of a card filler thing in live events for now.

 

-And finally, while Rusher Kimura's expedition was considered a success by Lutte officials, it is unsure as to when they'll bring back Japanese imports. Lutte will probably focus on the Fresh Faces draft coming up to find its potential new star.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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USWA NEWS:

 

It appears that there is trouble in paradise between Cowboy Bill Watts and Fritz VonErich. While the USWA promotion has seen great success, the two men are having trouble working together. A few of the sticking points are:

 

1. The VonErichs: Fritz is hell bent on his sons being the center of the promotion while Watts sees a lot of potential in such major players as Butch Reed, Ted Dibiase and Tommy Rich to name a few that he feels the VonErichs should be more of team players and not have everything centered around them.

 

2. The future of tag team wrestling: Watts loves the traditional tag team match and steady tag teams while Fritz says the future is in larger tag team matches like 6 man or 8 man matches. Again, Watts argued that this was just to better his own sons.

 

3. Expansion: While there seems to be a push to more national promotions going on, such as the WWF and the AWA, Fritz believes that a Dallas based promotion would be the most financial successful and that there is no reason to leave Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana. Watts believes that a market without pro wrestling is a great market for the USWA. He has been the driving force into going to Denver, St. Louis and Nebraska. In fact, he has contacted Eddie Graham and Robert Fuller about getting something more steady going throughout the Gulf Coast States.

 

4. Wrestler Contracts: Fritz believes less is more and that anybody along with his sons can make a good promotion as long as the angles are interesting. Watts believes that star power and physical power are huge in the wrestling industry. With expiring contracts for people like Hacksaw Duggan, Tommy Rich, Billy Jack and JYD, this roster could see some major overhaul if VonErich gets his way.

 

5. The USWA Heavyweight Title: With these two at odds with each other and they both most agree on a title change, it seems unlikely Rhodes will drop the belt anytime soon. The best thing for the USWA would be to add more members to the "Board of Directors"

 

Whatever happens here, one thing is for sure. Stay Tuned! Anything could happen. Have we seen the end of the USWA as we know it. Could we be headed back to Watts and VonErich running their own separate promotions like we say earlier in 1984 with World Class and Mid-South? Maybe we are on the verge of the "death" of the USWA? Do they have the money and resources to battle Vince McMahon if they go it alone? Do they have the roster talent to split in to two? Could they survive with 3 smaller promotions if the bring back Florida and Eddie Graham?

 

We will just have to wait and see!

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