Dirt Sheets

SirEdger · August 6, 2017

Lutte Internationale News

In his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed some light on the whole Midnight Rockers situation, who bolted to WWF last week only to return a few days ago.

Basically, if Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty had decided to take some bookings anywhere other than WWF without notifying Lutte Internationale's management, at worst, they would've gotten a fine, probably a hefty one, but still, that would've been the extent of it. But since they did go to WWF, this didn't go down well at all. They don't want to relive the Dino Bravo departure all over again but the Rockers' situation is even more tricky than many would think.

On what might have lead to the Rockers first jumping ship:

My understanding is that it's a payoff issue from the Charlotte card when they defeated Rick Martel & Gino Brito for the NWA Canadian International Tag Team Championship. It wasn't a matter of not getting paid - they did and it's probably bigger than they could've ever imagined at that point - but how much they got paid. Obviously, Lutte wasn't going to pay the Midnight Rockers as much as the top local guys or even the current NWA World Tag Team Champions, Lord Humongous & Botswana Beast but I definitely know that they were expecting a bigger paycheck as the tag team champions of the territory. It's important to mention that it wasn't Vince McMahon who contacted the Midnight Rockers but the other way around; of course, Vince McMahon wasn't gonna pass on the opportunity to stick it to Lutte Internationale again and robbing them of their tag team champions. However, this whole thing backfired when the Rockers' party habits caught up to 'em and they were told that their services were no longer needed prior to the Madison Square Garden show. So basically, the Rockers came back with their tails tucked between their legs because they knew that word would be spreading around and as popular as they are, many top promoters would be hesitant to sign them.

The Midnight Rockers' booking going forward:

When I said that their situation is tricky, it's because after the Rougeau Brothers, the Rockers are the most popular tag team in the territory. They're very reminiscent of the Fantastics, and Fulton & Rogers were very over whenever they were booked from Mid-Atlantic. So, they instantly filled that void. Time will tell if the Guerreros could've played that same role but that's probably unlikely for now. As of right now, the plans are to incorporate the situation into TV very soon. The Midnight Rockers have been stripped of the NWA Canadian International Tag Team Championship and new champions should be crowned on August 17 at Heatwave. The second option Lutte is considering is going the boxing route and having Interim NWA Canadian Tag Team Champions crowned at Heatwave and have the official unification match shortly after. From what I understand, this could tie in with another big angle that took place at Beach Brawl with Bruno Sammartino helping his son David to defeat Dusty Rhodes inside a cage. It's gonna be interesting to see where they're gonna go with this.

The rebirth of the NWA World Women's Championship:

Right now, the plans are for a bigger push of women wrestlers on TV and reactivating the NWA World Women's Championship. I know that Frank Valois has been in communication with Jim Crockett & other board members of the National Wrestling Alliance about this and I've been hearing that Jim Crockett is considering letting go of his women on the roster as he doesn't have any rock solid plans with them. So, in that optic, it would make sense to have Luna & Madusa, pop up on Lutte Internationale for that division. The ladies should be featured soon on live events and it's highly possible that those matches would be featured on TV rather than taping women's matches in studio. It seems like the NWA is looking for each of their territories to have specific attractions; Smokey Mountain has been featuring the NWA Jr. Heavyweight title tournament and it seems like Lutte will be featuring the NWA World Women title. They're hoping to have a new champion crowned at Starrcade at the end of the year, if not sooner.

rainmakerrtv · August 17, 2017

Latest news out of the AWA locker room :

It didn't take long for Tojo Yamamoto's arrival in the AWA to stir up drama. Tojo had been specifically brought in to help with the training of the AWA's considerable stable of rookies, joining a training team that now consisted of himself , Kendo Nagasaki, Leo Burke and Bob Roop. Up until this point, a considerable push had been given to Rick Steiner, the favorite of Burke and Roop, but Tojo, with the support of Kendo, has argued in favor of British Steel and Badd Company, and the company has gotten behind them. Al Perez, perhaps sensing a change in the weather, has asked to have matches allying himself with Badd Company, which has angered Burke, who had previously been in his corner. Perez has really gotten the fans behind him in a big way, which gives him some protection from the ire of Burke. Steiner has recently been overheard grumbling about his loss of status, which may mean he is not long for the AWA.

LowBlowPodcast · August 21, 2017

WWF NEWS

-The WWF is very happy with the preliminary reports from Saturday Night's Main Event and the show itself may have set the WWF up for up to 5 more Saturday Night's Main Event specials along with at least two more MAIN EVENT specials like the on on September the 30th.

-Speaking of the show on September the 30th, it will be broadcast on NBC and also the MSG network.The will be the 2nd WWF MSG show in September as a new touring schedule is set to start next week.

- The WWF is taking a rare "week off" in terms of touring this week. There will be television tapings and all three shows will air this weekend but the WWF comes back on 8/27 with the new schedule.

-The WWF was in talks with Japan to do a joint tour but negotiations fell through and it is said to be an issue with timing on both ends. There is still a chance at a joint tour in the future and it is said that both parties are excited about the possibilities that it brings.

-The WWF has been scouting some rookies throughout the world of wrestling and have said to have made some preliminary offers to some younger talents to come in. With a show like All-American, they have a chance to build up the talent before putting them on a bigger stage.

-Speaking of television, the WWF will run its three shows on weekend television and syndication while also running an MSG special on the MSG network once every 4 weeks. MSG has said they would like the consistent showing of the WWF and they have agreed and to go with it television to be aired which means more money for the WWF in this relationship.

- There is a rumor going around that Hulk Hogan wasn't overly big on working with Nikita Koloff... and that after their match at SNME there were some heated words. There are some who think Hogan is just frustrated that Nikita has a better physic that Hogan while others have voiced Hogan's concern for Nikita's ability in the ring. If Hogan were to get hurt during a match with Nikita, it would really spell trouble for the WWF with no clear cut #2 babyface to come up and take charge in his absence.

GeneJackson95 · August 31, 2017

UWF Continental Championship Wrestling News

It's been revealed this week that Fritz Von Erich has become majority owner of Continental Championship Wrestling. His first act as majority owner is pulling completely out of Florida effective September 1st. Fritz has argued that they are spreading themselves too thin trying to cover from Texas down through Florida. Apparently, the scheduled Orange Bowl show in Orlando in October will be moved to Texas Stadium in Dallas which will include the big Bruno/David Sammartino vs. Dusty Rhodes/Partner tag team match. It's assumed that now Dusty's partner will likely be Kevin Von Erich. Bill Watts has stated that the UWF may find another way to utilize Florida in the next few months if no one else moves in.

Another point of contention is the fact Fritz wants to change the name of the promotion to World Class Championship Wrestling. So far Ron Fuller has convinced him to keep it as Continental but only time will tell. It's unclear where they will tape television now that they won't be going to Tampa, Fuller is pushing to bring it back to the studio in Dothan, Alabama while Fritz wants to tape television at the Sportatorium in Dallas while doing the Sunday shows at Reunion Arena and Mondays in Birmingham, Alabama. Joe Pedicino will be taking a producer role with the show hosted by Gordon Solie and Bill Mercer and Marc Lowrance handling all the announcing duties. They have a year long deal on their television Superstation in Florida so they will still be seen there for a few more months at least.

SirEdger · August 31, 2017

Lutte Internationale News

-Many headlines coming out of the Heatwave event held on August 17 at the Centre Paul-Sauvé in Montreal. Notably, the official kickoff of the feud between Rick Martel and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. The feud is scheduled to last through the duration of 1985 with its conclusion possibly at Starrcade '85. It's said that both Mid-Atlantic & Lutte Interntionale are looking to add a little twist to the feud to keep fans' attention in both territories.

-Jacques Rougeau came out victorious of the tournament to crown a new NWA Canadian International Heavyweight Champion, following Andre the Giant vacating the title due to his freelance commitments. No definite plans as to who Jacques' first major contender for the title will be but the names of Alexis Smirnoff and Bob Backlund has been discussed among others. It's not impossible that Lutte could go all the way to Mid-Atlantic to find Jacques' contender. As of right now, Jacques is expected to be the champion come Starrcade and he'll be defending the title there. It's interesting to note that Raymond is the only Rougeau without a title at the moment (Armand is the current Quebec Heavyweight Champion) and this could come into play down the road....

-The Midnight Rockers have regained their NWA Canadian International Tag Team Championship by defeating the Vachons the night after Heatwave but as of this moment, nothing could be more unsure about their future. Despite all of their good words when they came back, it seems like the Rockers' party habits are hard to kick out and it could eventually cost them the titles. We know right now that the Vachons are scheduled for a rematch on September 8 in Trois-Rivières. If things don't change, expect another title change and it might be the last time the Rockers touch gold in Lutte.

-Following the success of the pre-Bash tour earlier this summer, Lutte Internationale is doing it again and is going on a US loop at the end of September. The first stop of the tour will be Southfield, MI on Friday September 27th. On Saturday September 28, Lutte will hold their event in Jupiter, FL and will conclude that loop in Jackson, MS the following night on Sunday September 29. The dates in Jupiter & Jackson will be co-promoted in association with Continental Championship Wrestling. It's an interesting turn of events, considering new majority owner Fritz Von Erich' desire to move away from Florida but it might seem like Fritz is seeing as a good opportunity for Continental to shine on those nights. We can confirm that the invitation has been extended to Continental by Frank Valois to send some talents for their first October loops in Toronto, Calgary & Edmonton.

-As announced in the previous report, Lutte is going forward with the resurrection of the NWA Women's World Championship and the plan still is to crown a new champion around Starrcade. However, for the moment, they chose not to feature the women on TV yet and they'll wait for the crowd's responses for the first shows in September. The first official women's match is scheduled for September 13 in Sudbury and expect Luna Vachon to be heavily featured in that first loop.

-Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen are expected to work the territory on a more regular basis. They'll be treated as special attractions but there has been talk of making Abdullah part of the Creatchman Family in some capacity.

-Finally, there are still some shuffling on the way, mainly in the midcard & tag team division. Expect some unusual names to show up in the territory.

kevinmcfl · September 3, 2017

UWF NEWS.......

Trouble is back! In just a few short months since loosing control of the USWA, Fritz VonErich is stirring the pot. Jerry Jarrett, wanting to focus on what he knows best, made Tennessee the pride of the USWA and allowed Ron Fuller to promote in Texas.

Now, somehow, Fritz has gained control of Continental Championship Wrestling and what is the first thing he has done. Well it looks like he has rushed home and made Texas the main event for CCW. Watts and Fuller are beside themselves and it will be interesting to see how CCW is treated in Music City Mayhem which is supposed to showcase all the talent throughout the UWF.

It is said that many wrestler are choosing sides and we may see defections from one UWF promotion to another. Bill Watts is actually threatening to revamp the entire UWF where there are no territories but just UWF shows!

For one, Dusty Rhodes is sick of all the backstabbing and wants out but Watts knows that he can not just release his superstar wrestler. It has been said that Watts is shopping the Dream around but so far..... No takers!

GeneJackson95 · September 4, 2017

UWF Continental Championship Wrestling Update

Following today's earlier report out of the Bill Watts camp, sources close to Fritz Von Erich say that the differences are only getting worse. Rumor is Fritz told Ron Fuller that he can buy him out of Continental and keep the name and the territory if he so chooses. Word is that Fritz has already been in contact with Paul Boesch and Dory Funk Jr about bringing back World Class and running all over the state of Texas including Houston and Amarillo as well as parts of Oklahoma. It's not clear how close this is to happening or if this is all just being blown out of proportion. It's also been said that Fritz is the one who agreed to work together with NWA Lutte Wrestling this month which Fuller was not happy about...nor was Fuller happy about Fritz reaching out to Vince McMahon to book Andre the Giant for Beach Brawl ironically around the same time his son Kerry debuted for the Fed. Apparently the bad blood for Fritz started when Watts/Fuller/Jarrett bulldozed Fritz on Lawler winning the UWF World Championship at Beach Brawl with Fritz making the argument that putting the UWF World title on Lawler was crazy since he's not on any of the full time UWF promotional rosters and what would stop another promoter outside of the UWF from booking Lawler and having him drop the UWF World title to a wrestler whose is not bookable by the UWF. Allegedly Watts' response was "Lawler wouldn't do that to us." A few weeks later Fritz bought a bigger chunk of Continental thinking it would give him more leverage but he was still outnumbered on UWF decisions by Watts/Jarrett/Fuller. Time will tell how all this will play out but it should be interesting regardless.

GeneJackson95 · September 15, 2017

Huge News coming out of UWF Continental Championship Wrestling

Sources close to Fritz Von Erich say "all hell broke loose" this week as Fritz watched the UWF Music CIty Mayhem event. Word is that as soon as John Nord (Vlad the Russian Hammer) squashed David Sammartino, Fritz called the Fairgrounds cussing out Bill Watts accusing him of sabotaging his main event for Reunion Arena in Dallas. After some heated words, Watts hung up on Fritz. Things have already been in turmoil as Ron Fuller refused to come to Dallas for television resulting in them running "clip shows" the past two weeks. Things got worse as Watts then had the Road Warriors pin BOTH Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu who have been heavily pushed by Von Erich....Fritz called Ron Fuller and told him to meet him in Birmingham on Monday night as he would sell him his interest in Continental after the show and that he would be going back to Texas to reopen World Class Championship Wrestling and that "Watts and Jarrett can shove the UWF up their ass!"

This brings forth another issue as Bill Watts has told Dusty Rhodes that he cannot appear at the David Von Erich Parade of Champions in Dallas, Fritz however has offered to double Dusty's pay if he makes the shot. So now the question is....Will Dusty work the show since it won't be a UWF sanctioned show? Will Fritz have David Sammartino pin Dusty as revenge for the John Nord squash?? It will also be interesting to see which wrestlers end up where when the dust settles from all this!

LowBlowPodcast · September 18, 2017

WWF NEWS

-Interesting notes out of the WWF this week as they have cancelled the house shows with some scheduling concerns along with travel. This is the 2nd time in the last couple of months that the WWF has done this. With the WWF running 6 house shows a week, 52 weeks a year, along with two shows every weekend, and an MSG show every 4th Monday, some could argue that it is okay to take some time.

-The MAIN EVENT is set to be a big spectacle for the WWF. It will be televised on the MSG Network and NBC however both broadcasts will be different. The NBC show will be hosted by Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura while Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes will be hosting the MSG show. Additionally, the NBC show will be heavily produced around the main event match of Hogan and Nikita while the MSG show will actually have some of the "dark matches" air with Gorilla and Hayes doing commentary.

-The WWF has already started pushing the October 26th Saturday Night's Main Event show from Long Island. Some think it will be the Hogan vs Nikita III match with Hogan getting his Revenge on Nikita for taking the title. Could the WWF actually take the title off of him? With the quick turnaround, it does make sense to pump it up for another big card in a couple of weeks but surely the idea of a heel champion and Hogan's revenge would have to be built for a longer period of time. There are also some who don't think Nikita could carry the company, even for 3 weeks, and Hogan has been vocal about his in ring abilities... or lack thereof from his point of view. Anything could happen over these next couple of weeks.

-The WWF has also been pushing the benefactor angle to pump things up. Gary Hart or Bobby Heenan have been the key figures behind this role. Some have spoken of either of these men bringing in a "KEY PLAYER" to be the lead dog or perhaps taking Nikita under their wing and giving him the extra rub while others are expecting Roddy Piper's return to the company to be behind everything.

-The Tag Team division of the WWF is expected to get some more shine in the coming weeks with the likes of Demolition, the Hart Foundation, the Fantastics, and the current champions of the Dynamic Duo getting more television time along with being highlighted as major players. Some other regional teams have been discussed to be brought in.

-Sting has debuted as the "Blade Runner" on All-American. He has done some house shows but hasn't really been pushed as of late. He is still young in many people's eyes but has had a lot of experience in Japan which has helped him grow.

LowBlowPodcast · September 28, 2017

WWF NEWS

There is a lot of intrigue and questions going into this week’s Main Event II on Monday night. A lot of the discussion has been about the pay of Nikita Koloff and subsequently, Ivan Koloff for their roles in the main event match. Hulk Hogan will of course be paid handsomely for his participation but there are some in the Koloff camp who are saying he is the draw. With Nikita’s recent push, one has to wonder if it isn’t true. He has been the one on television winning week in and week out. Hogan has solely done promos. Who is the draw and who should be paid more for the event?

Speaking of pay, there are many who are calling for the WWF to put out more closed circuit events to have generate more revenue for the company. At this point, the WWF is eyeing WrestleMania II next March, and then looking at possibly a summer show. That summer show would look to be held in a stadium or arena that could be outdoors with a bigger capacity, much like the Showdown at Shea. Is there a match that the WWF could attract that kind of attention for?

On the WWF house shows this weekend, look for a special card from Cleveland. They are calling it a Survivor Special, much like they did last November with Lutte International, the WWF is doing a card comprised of elimination matches. There are four, four on four matches signed for the card and the WWF is really taking a risk with this kind of show as Cleveland is usually a good house for them and this could end up backfiring if not successful.

There has been chatter of Kerry Von Erich wanting to go back down to World Class with his father with its revival on a full time basis. Kerry was promised some things from Vince that have yet come to fruition… could he be out the door?

Andre the Giant has been on the road more for the WWF in the last couple of weeks and expect that to lessen in the winter months. The Giant has a hard time traveling across the country and is said to be looking to go back to Japan.

There is talk of the WWF trying to bring in a couple more tag teams to build the division up more. Expect Sika and Missing Link to become a full time team to start this build. Plus, Paul Roma & Jim Powers are beginning to get a push as a lower level team. They have good looks and a good makeup to be successful… but could they be successful against a team like the Harts or The Dynamic Duo?

The WWF has been very high on “The Blade Runner” as of late. The athlete formerly known as Sting has really done well on the house shows and the All-American tapings. There is said to be a huge target on his back to be a big time star for the company if he can carry the load.

There are some who think that the nightlife of the East Coast is getting the better of Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams who are known for their recreational drug use history. They are in a prime position for the WWF and should a problem occur… it could be a big deal with these two being removed from the company...

SirEdger · September 29, 2017

BREAKING NEWS

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TALENTS TO APPEAR ON LUTTE CARDS NEXT WEEKEND!

In the midst of a successful weekend in the United States, Lutte Internationale has invited World Class Championship Wrestling to appear in their next loop and WCCW will make its first appearance in Canada next weekend when Lutte Internationale tours in Toronto at the CNE Coliseum on Friday October 4th, in Calgary on Saturday October 5th and in Edmonton on Sunday, October 6th. WCCW will be featured in Toronto & Edmonton as they'll appear in the main event on both nights. Here is the complete cards for all 3 nights

CNE COLISEUM, TORONTO

Friday October 4th

MAIN EVENT

6-MEN TAG TEAM MATCH

Gino Brito, Rick Martel & Kevin Von Erich vs WCCW World Heavyweight Champion "Handsome" Harley Race, Adrian Adonis & David Sammartino (w/"Classy" Freddie Blassie)

(After almost being defeated by that trio in Jackson, MS, Eddy "The Brain" Creatchman placed a call to his friend Freddie Blassie to make sure he takes care of those 3 thorns to his side. It looks now like The Brain is afraid that the Von Erichs could go after his NWA World Tag Team Champions!)

NWA CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Jacques Rougeau © vs Richard Charland (w/Frenchy Martin)

GAUNTLET MATCH

NWA World Tag Team Champion Lord Humongous vs Matt Borne vs "Hangman" Bobby Jaggers vs Armand Rougeau vs Hector Guerrero vs Chavo Guerrero

NWA World Tag Team Champion Botswana Beast (w/Eddy "The Brain" Creatchman) vs Chavo Guerrero

Raymond Rougeau vs Boris Zhukov

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody vs Masked Confusion

Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels

*********

STAMPEDE CORRAL, CALGARY, ALBERTA

Saturday, October 5

MAIN EVENT

GUEST REFEREE - STU HART

Richard "Le Magnifique" Charland (w/Frenchy Martin) vs Bruce Hart

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

The Rougeau Brothers vs Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody

GUEST REFEREE - BRUNO SAMMARTINO

Masked Confusion vs The Guerreros

Boris Zhukov vs Abdullah the Butcher

The Creatchman Family (The Great Samu & Prince Alofa Fatu, w/"Pretty Boy" Floyd Creatchman) vs Alexis Smirnoff & Steve Strong

Armand Rougeau vs NWA World Tag Team Champion Botswana Beast (w/Eddy "The Brain" Creatchman)

Shawn Michaels vs Baron Von Raschke

****

NORTHLANDS COLISEUM, EDMONTON, ALBERTA

Sunday, October 6th

MAIN EVENT

10-MEN TAG TEAM MATCH

The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques & Armand), Hillbilly Jim, Iceman "King" Parsons & Rocky Johnson vs The Pringle Dynasty (Big John Studd, WCCW World Tag Team Champions The Mercenaries, The Grappler & "Maniac" Mark Lewin, w/Percy Pringle)

(Did we also mention that Eddy Creatchman also wants to get rid of the Rougeaus? Nothing new. Only, for this occasion, The Brain placed a call to Percy Pringle and Pringle will bring his Pringle Dynasty to Edmonton to do Creatchman's bidding. Some of its members are no strangers to the Rougeaus; the Mercenaries are former Creatchman Family members!)

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

Jos LeDuc vs Abdullah the Butcher

Raymond Rougeau vs Chavo Guerrero

Stan "The Lariat" Hansen vs NWA World Tag Team Champion Lord Humongous (w/Eddy "The Brain" Creatchman)

Boris Zhukov vs Gino Brito

Rick Martel & "Hollywood" John Tatum vs The Guerreros (Hector & Mando)

"Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal vs Bruiser Brody

WOMEN'S ACTION

Judy Martin vs Leilani Kai

LowBlowPodcast · October 3, 2017

WWF NEWS

Preliminary ratings are in and the WWF did exactly what they wanted with their Main Event II special on NBC. This has secured the WWF rights to promote more Saturday Night’s Main Event shows over 1985-1986 and also to promote a Main Event III, although that won’t be for a while. WWF officials are very happy about the working relationship with NBC and hope to continue to build off that in the future with 1986 already having six Saturday Night Main Event specials on the books.

Speaking of events, the WWF is closing in on a deal to promote TWO closed circuit events next year. The first coming in March with WrestleMania II and the other coming in August. This event would be a bigger summer blow off show to load up for the winter months.

In regards to WrestleMania, multiple cities have put in claims to host the event. While Toronto and Los Angeles are the top contenders, many wonder if going out of the country is too much of a risk. While the WWF is very strong in Toronto and Montreal, Lutte and the NWA still have claim to that territory and that is a stronghold for them. Detroit, Chicago, and Miami have all be notable locations for WrestleMania II as well… but unlikely given their markets in comparison to that of a New York or Los Angeles where the show is likely to end up.

Kerry Von Erich has returned to World Class following his departure from the WWF. Von Erich was promised some big things from Vince McMahon but not really fulfilled and knew it would be better to get back home where he is without a doubt the biggest drawing card in the promotion. The Fabulous Ones will be coming into the WWF and one has to wonder exactly what their role will be. Early talks have them joining up with Jimmy Hart, but where does that leave the Hart Foundation?

At the television tapings last night, it was Mr. Fuji, not Gary Hart coming out with Sika and the Missing Link. It looks like they will make that transition quickly on television with Hart’s contract expiring and him being “banished” from the company. One has to wonder if there was just one too much Hart in the WWF locker room.

Expect a resurgence in regards to the Heenan family in the next couple of weeks. There is talk of making Rick Rude and Hercules Hernandez heavyweight contenders for Hulk Hogan while many are wishing and waiting for a Hulk Hogan vs Gino Hernandez match up to take place. There is talk right now of building up Hercules as the world’s strongest man to set up the feud with Hogan.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding what has happened with Nikita Koloff and his release from the WWF and signing with UWF. Why would the WWF give up their biggest heel act? Well the word is out of Koloff… both Hogan and Andre had the ear of Vince McMahon and let it be known that he couldn’t work and they wouldn’t do business with him. Nikita has a monstrous look and someone who could legit threaten Hogan but even the Hulkster wouldn’t let him shine. Hogan was quoted as saying, “Listen brother, at the end of the day it is about safety in that ring. We could draw a sell out for every show we went too, but if I can’t work because of being hurt by my opponent then there is no reason to keep having it. Me and the Boss (Assuming Andre) both gave him a shot, but at this level there is no time to train to be better. You have to be at your best every night or the crowd will notice it. Not only did they notice it, but so did my body. I am in the worst shape of my career after this last month due to those matches and wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. I have to rehab now in order to get back and get out on the road. I work 7 days a week and sometimes work doubles on the weekends. I am entertaining people all across the country night in and night out and I can’t do that with someone who could seriously hurt me, like he almost did.” A lot can be interpreted from that quote by Hogan but everyone is on the page that Hogan was telling the truth or that he was intimidated by Nikita’s look. There was even talk of turning Koloff babyface to have him team with Hogan at one point to try and make a super power team but it was turned down by Hulk. It seems as though there is only one spotlight in the WWF and may only be room for one man in it. That man casts a huge shadow but has got a lot of credibility to back up that he is worth the price, worth the headache, and well worth opinion when it comes to making money and bringing people to the shows.

kevinmcfl · October 8, 2017

UWF NEWS

Coming out of Music City Mayhem, the UWF has reached its pinnacle of popularity. Thanks to all the new loyal readers!

For over a year now, Fritz Von Erich has been a thorn in the sides of both Jerry Jarrett and Cowboy BiIl Watts. Well it has truly heated up again after Mayhem as Fritz once again left the UWF. This time he has returned to his home state of Texas and reopened World Class Championship Wrestling. Most say good riddance but the problem is that he has taken many of the top stars with him including the Freebirds, Iceman Parsons, Dick Murdoch and of course, his own sons. In order to re-stack the roster, Watts and Jarrett turned to the Fullers who brought their Continental roster into the UWF which should allow for a smooth transition.

Speaking of World Class, the UWF has banned any of its roster from working for Fritz on their off days. The problem is that their biggest star, Dusty Rhodes has already crossed this line. Time will tell what the consequences will be. It Watts allows this, it makes him look weak. If he comes down hard on Rhodes, he could walk!

Rumors are flying about why the UWF has let Ted Dibiase leave for the WWF. Truth is, it was getting harder and harder to put Dibiase in the main event as there are many stars who are just more over them than him. Dibiase felt that was still a top star in the UWF. Watts thinks that the hot bed issues of today bring more heat on their own then Dibiase could. Hence the turn toward Butch Reed and the Nation of Domination and when Nikita and Ivan Koloff brought their brand of Anti American rhetoric to the area to join Vlad, it was a no brainer! Watts also sees the benefit in wrestlers that are not purely heel or baby face like the top tag team in the promotion, the Road Warriors Dr. Death.

It has also been decided that to cut cost, their will be one 2 hour TV show per week instead of two one hour shows. The UWF will use various venues throughout the Gulf States, Arkansas and Tennessee for its TV tapings. There will be two major shows per week using the most populated cities in the territory including New Orleans, Memphis, Baton Rouge, Jackson, Birmingham and Nashville.

LowBlowPodcast · October 26, 2017

WWF NEWS

-A lot of little tidbits going around the WWF right now;

-The first bit of major news is that Chris Adam’s knee injury is said to be more serious than expected. He tweaked it during a television taping a couple of weeks ago and has since not been able to rehab it. He was sent home to get some work done on the knee but has already told those who will listen that he isn’t coming back. He has already sent feelers to MACW and the AWA along with heading back to his home base of Texas. It will be interesting to see if he does stay with it and leaves because if he does where does Gino Hernandez go? Hernandez is one of Vince McMahon’s prize pupils if you will. He sees a lot of money in Gino and many wondered why they took the IC title off of him the way they did only for him to regain the tag titles that quickly. Hernandez and Heenan have gotten along well but with so many things, life on the road is tough. There are plenty of rumors surrounding Gino Hernandez’ nightlife and extra curricular activities. He has been pretty good about such things since being in New York and the WWF but still has his concerns. When Gary Hart left the company a couple of months ago, many thought Gino would go too. When Kerry Von Erich when back to Dallas, many thought he would go then. Now with Chris Adams presumably on the go… will this be Gino’s final straw to leave the WWF or will it be the time when we get to see just how bright he can shine on the biggest stage in professional wrestling?

-Expect a quick push for the Fabulous Ones. They have come in with some high praise from Jimmy Hart but also Randy Savage. The Fabs were actually set to come into the WWF in July but plans changed that quickly. It appears now they have some muscle behind their arrival and time will tell how well they do under the microscope of the WWF.

-Andre the Giant is back healthy and ready to go. There were some grumblings about him not going on the road with the rest of the boys, but his back has been giving him trouble recently due to his weight gain, so it is an understanding that he is going through some tough physical times.

-Jake Roberts has been very vocal of his lack of push. He feels like there is money to be earned in other places around the country and has sent out feelers. Nothing has come back to where he will go but he could slither away if the right opportunity showed itself.

-The WWF dropped the Hercules Strongman gimmicks after a recent news article broke about kids trying to pull each other with chains and being choked. This is in no way the first time this angle has been done but perhaps the first time it was done on this big of scale. The WWF legal team took care of things but don’t expect Hercules to be pushing any cars around soon and that could spell trouble for him.

-The WWF is supposedly offering contracts to some wrestlers they scouted at the 1985 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Gerald Brisco was in attendance and saw some talent that he was high on and could end up with the WWF before too long.

-Expect to see some younger talent coming through while older talent is being fleshed out over the next couple of months. The WWF is looking to get some younger guys in including a young rookie from Florida named Ed Ganter. He has got a great look and the WWF things there is money to be had. Look for him to jump on to All American in the coming weeks.

-Lord Alfred Hayes has left the company and will no longer be hosting All-American. That duty now goes to Gene Okerlund and Pat Patterson. While the WWF is on the road, they will tape special segments in which Patterson tries different foods and sees different sights from around America. Okerlund and Patterson are closer, personal, friends so this will be a good pairing. In regards to comedy, it will be there, entertainment it will be there, but wrestling… that may be the one thing this show will lack.

SirEdger · December 1, 2017

BREAKING NEWS

RICK MARTEL IS THE NEW WCCW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION; JACQUES ROUGEAU LOSES THE NWA CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP IN DALLAS

The road to Starrcade just got a bit more interesting after the Thanksgiving Star Wars and dual-branded Holiday Wars events in Montreal and Dallas over the past few days. In an unexpected turn of events, Rick Martel captured the WCCW Heavyweight Championship at Holiday Wars by defeating Harley Race to the delight of the fans present in the Sportatorium. However, Jacques Rougeau didn't have the same luck as he lost the NWA Canadian International Heavyweight title in controversial fashion because of a rag soaked in ether. In addition, after he invoked his rematch clause in Dallas, Jacques won the match but via countout as Black Bart walked out, getting tired of the beating Jacques gave him. It seems like the Desperados and the Rougeaus will have some score to settle and Starrcade might be the next chapter for them. This also means that at the moment, the lesser known brother of the family, Armand, is the only Rougeau titleholder since he recaptured the Quebec Heavyweight Championship from Boris Zhukov at the Montreal portion of Holiday Wars.

With that in mind, what does this mean for the future? Can we expect a bigger partnership between World Class & Lutte Internationale. Here's what Dave Meltzer had to say in his recent Newsletter:

First of all, nobody expected Rick Martel to walk out of Dallas as the WCCW Champion. Like literally no one. My understanding is that the call was made very late going into the event to have Rick win the title and to go into Starrcade for his NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match vs Ric Flair as the champion. Rick is said to be loving to work with the guys in Dallas and the Rougeaus have also echoed the same sentiments to the booking office in Dallas. This definitely caught the attention of Frank Valois in Montreal. He and Fritz Von Erich seem to get along very well and that may be because they find themselves somewhat in the same situation; in both their territories, the local boys are the biggest stars; the Rougeaus in Montreal and the Von Erichs in Dallas. Both territories have some very interesting options to throw in as top programs either in Montreal or Dallas.

Dave Meltzer also added what he thinks the future holds as well with Mid-Atlantic:

Right now, I don't think that anything will change with the partnership between both territories because after all, Lutte is part of the NWA and they're very pleased with everything. I obviously cannot speak for Fritz Von Erich but when you look at the possible matchups involving his boys and the Horsemen with Mid-Atlantic or even a possible Magnum TA vs Harley Race program, it has to be salivating for him. Add to that the resurgence of the WWC in Puerto Rico - also members of the NWA - and you have quite a solid core going forward for 1986. As for Starrcade itself, Martel vs Flair really got a bit more interesting as they could go the champion vs champion match in a Unification Bout or just going for bragging rights. But to think that you could have cards all over North America involving Mid-Atlantic, World Class & Lutte Internationale, this has to be very enticing. And let's not forget that really, the only promotion that Lutte is at odds with is the WWF in New York. The one thing I can say for sure is that Rick Martel has no intentions on alleviating his schedule. He's got a ton of respect for Verne Gagne in Minneapolis and he will keep fulfilling his monthly commitment over there. But yes, it is a very exciting time in pro wrestling right now.

GeneJackson95 · December 3, 2017

WCCW Dirt Sheet News

A lot of shocking developments recently with WCCW with Rick Martel winning their World Championship from King Harley Race and their co-promotion with NWA Lutte International. Although it was not originally in the cards, word is that Fritz Von Erich is 90% sold on the idea of joining the NWA. It would seem having the World Class World Heavyweight Championship involved in a Champion vs. Champion match at Starrcade may be the first step in that process. It will be interesting to see how this develops. The only question that remains is if WCCW joining the NWA would cause friction for Fritz and Vince McMahon who is currently using WCCW as a place to develop his younger stars such as Ray Traylor and currently Sting. If Fritz can work that out it seems this could be a great partnership for everyone involved especially with Mid Atlantic currently in a state of flux with some booking changes within the Crockett organization.

The only person who doesn't seem to be happy with this turn of events who was said to be unhappy with dropping the title to Rick Martel as Fritz had promised him he would be champion until at least March where he would likely drop the belt to Kerry Von Erich who may not be thrilled with these developments either. It's been said that Harley may be looking to leave WCCW due to all this change but there's also a chance that Fritz can appease him and keep him in Texas. We will continue to follow this story as it develops.

spaldoni · December 10, 2017

NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling News

A lot is happening behind the scenes in MACW as the booking committee has undergone many changes in the past month. The timing couldn't be worse as the NWA's biggest card of the year, Starrcade is right around the corner. However, Jim Crockett has assured everybody that the show must go on and is confident that Starrcade will be a huge success. He's very pleased to now be working with WCCW, PR, and Lutte. He thinks with all of these territories working together, the NWA will be a true wrestling force. Top name wrestlers from these territories have been booked for Starrcade. Crockett is also very excited that both Quebec and Greensboro will be hosting Starcade. He feels that this event will have a real international appeal to it.

Speaking of Starrcade, NWA World Champ Ric Flair is more than confident he'll be walking out of the event as the unified champion. Some say he better be careful because his Horsemen buddies will be in Greensboro while he's in Quebec. Then again, we know Flair has tricks up his sleeve as we saw recently with his bounty shenanigans.

It looks like Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard will headline Starrcade in Greensboro. Magnum will defend his US title against Tully, inside the cage!

Roddy Piper sure caused some waves in WCCW. He hosted a Piper's Pit with Jimmy Garvin, Precious and Eric Embry. Things got out of control fast. The end result? Piper will wrestle Garvin at Starrcade. Both men developed a serious hatred with each other in a very short amount of time.

Also at Starrcade, will be the huge 2 ring battle royal with wrestlers coming from all over the NWA to participate. Everybody wants that bonus check. With WCCW, PR, Lutte and MACW all sending in wrestlers, this year's battle royal winner would sure have some bragging rights and a claim for a major title shot.

Ole and Arn Anderson said they're more than ready for the Creatchman Family at Starrcade. They said after steamrolling through the tournament, the NWA tag titles are as good as theirs.

Back to MACW, due to the changes in the booking committee, look for a roster shake up. Rumor has it that Harley Race has worked out a deal with MACW and made his intentions known, that he wants another run at the NWA World title.

Terry Taylor is now in the territory. A source said if he didn't get a match at Starrcade, then there was no reason to come into MACW. He feels that a star of his stature should be given a high profile match at the event.

Also coming in is Kamala, Sika and the Missing Link. Sources say Gary Hart had something to do with this.

Leaving MACW are Terry Funk, Dick Slater, Baby Doll, Kokina and John Tatum.

spaldoni · December 10, 2017