LowBlowPodcast Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 In April of 1987, Jim Crockett purchased the UWF from Bill Watts. In doing so, he took on many of the debts of Watt’s UWF and unbeknownst to him, these debts were higher than initially thought. Along with the debt, Crockett got control of some of the contracts of the UWF including Dr. Death Steve Williams, Terry Taylor, The One Man Gang, Rick Steiner, and Sting. Over the course of the summer of 1987, JCP would utilize UWF as a second brand but were never able to get out of the debt that they took on by purchasing the territory, contracts, and television. Meanwhile,the contracts of Ted Dibiase, Jim Duggan, and Butch Reed were all held up. The three men were heavily courted by the WWF and Duggan even signed before being released due to a drug related incident in May of 1987. Duggan would not be brought back to the WWF and continued to lobby for Japanese dates but was also courted by Crockett. Dibiase also worked exclusively in Japan for big money. He has been heavily courted by both the WWF and JCP during the summer of 87. Starrcade 1987 ended up being one of the biggest busts in the history of JCP. The Ron Garvin experiment backfired in a big way. The false finish of the Road Warriors and Horsemen almost killed the town. Dusty Rhodes days of prime booking were gone as the company continued to hemorrhage money. January 1988, Ted Turner decides to fast track his entry into the wrestling business and purchase Jim Crockett Promotions and fully pays off the debts of the Crocketts. In doing so, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) is born. With this new company, Ted Turner has got money to spend and reaches out to some of the best young talent in wrestling. Along with securing the contacts of Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Dusty Rhodes, the Road Warriors, and Barry Windham… Turner has signed on such names as Curt Hennig and the Rockers from the AWA. Then news broke that some of the contracts in the WWF were up and Turner really went all ina and brought in such names as Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, The Rougeau Brothers, The Hart Foundation, and the biggest signing of all, Jake the Snake Roberts! With these big contracts coming in, Turner then went to work on the big three from the UWF and signed Jim Duggan, Butch Reed, and Ted Dibiase to major contracts and has put WCW on the map of professional wrestling with major talent and the power of TBS, the Superstation behind it. As the WWF dates finish up for those talent, they are expected to show up on WCW Television as soon as February 27th. Turner has already put into place a schedule of big events including a TBS special called the Clash of the Champions on March 27th in the Omni along with the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup on April 22nd & 23rd. Tune in next week as we see the new and improved WCW on TBS the Superstation Saturday Night @ 6:05! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted February 22, 2020 Report Share Posted February 22, 2020 The sudden turn of events involving Ted Turner and his purchase of Jim Crockett Promotions also had many ramifications all the way to Stamford, CT at Titan Towers. With Ted Turner proving to be aggressive and snatching the likes of King Kong Bundy, the Rougeau Brothers, the Hart Foundation and Jake Roberts from under his nose, Vince McMahon was certainly in a bit of an unusual situation. A situation that lead to some of the midcard talents leaving the company and trying their luck elsewhere, whether it is in the other territories still available or perhaps even in Japan. But Vince McMahon certainly had a couple of tricks up his sleeves and while the World Wrestling Federation is looking drastically different than it was a few months ago, the expanding juggernaut has still been able to pull off some major talents. The purchase of the UWF by Jim Crockett and everything that unfolded afterwards still left some scars and a bitter taste in the mouth of several individuals. Terry Gordy certainly was an intrical part of UWF at one point an a former UWF Heavyweight Champion. And while a chance to make a move to the new WCW would've been tempting, there were still some questions as to how well the Freebirds could be used in that environment - especially considering the era of uncertainty now that Dusty Rhodes was seemingly being cast aside following the disastrous year that was 1987. And in the back of their minds, the Fabulous Freebirds had a rare second chance to make a good first impression; Vince McMahon offered them an opportunity on a silver platter to make more money than ever before while gaining national exposure; something that the Freebirds failed to do in their first stint with the company a few years back. The arrival of the Fabulous Freebirds would certainly be considered a major shot in the arm of the tag team division in the WWF. Michael Hayes would also help WWF to bring in another interesting name; "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin, who was teaming with Michael Hayes as the Freebirds in the AWA. Garvin, disgusted by the way Dusty treated Ron Garvin's title reign, didn't hesitate to hand his notice to Turner and sign with WWF. Vince would also secure the services of the Original Midnight Express of Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose as well as the Super Samoans to fill in some spots. But Vince's biggest coup were yet to come as two iconic figures of past territories would soon make their way to the company. Using his connection with Bobby Heenan, Vince McMahon was able to convince the former AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel to sign with WWF to finish his in-ring career with his good friend The Brain and reform the Heenan Family. WWF would also be able to lure more names from the AWA like Larry Zbyszko and Sgt. Slaughter as well as Baron Von Raschke and The Crusher, in hopes to establish a firm grip in the Midwest area and undercut Ted Turner's projected expansion with WCW. But perhaps that McMahon's most shocking move came to convincing Jerry "the King" Lawler to sign with the WWF, a surprising decision for many, considering how legendary Lawler is in the Continental area. It looks like Vince McMahon's strategy was to eventually convince some of the most refractary "former" employees who opt not to re-sign with the company to come back in the fold and be part of that expansion. Time will tell if Vince's strategy will pay off. He realizes that the Four Horsemen is still a driving drawing force for Turner's new company and it's probably why Vince was so aggressive in trying to lure Barry Windham away from them but ultimately failed to do so. McMahon has said privately to his inner circle that this is one of his major disappointments in the whole situation, as he felt like Windham has the potential to be a major star if he had jumped ship to WWF. The World Wrestling Federation certainly has a lot on his plate as the build to Wrestlemania IV at the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ is well under way with the controversial events of the Main Event. While the controversy surrounding the WWF Championship was planned, the same can't be said for the WWF Tag Team Championship; with one half of the tag team champions Strike Force, Rick Martel choosing to leave as his contract expired while being champion, WWF is now forced to scramble and find a way to draw interest in their tag team division. Fortunately for them, there still is a Saturday Night Main Event scheduled for March 12th that could help the company figure out the plans for Wrestlemania in that regard. It will be interesting to see what WWF will book for Wrestlemania IV, which will be straight up against WCW's first Clash of the Champions event on March 27th. In the meantime, many of the new faces in WWF will debut in the upcoming weeks on WWF Wrestling Challenge & WWF Superstars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowBlowPodcast Posted March 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 I would like to formally welcome @icemandave to the mix! He will be joining us with the AWA... but it's not your father's AWA! Australian Wrestling Association (AWA) Owner: Jim Barnett Commentators: Eric Bischoff & Harley Race Interviews: Craig deGeorge On-air authority: Mario Milano (very famous Aussie wrestler from the original wcw era) Jake Roberts Nikita Koloff Kerry Von Erich Rick Martel Jeff Jarrett Ron Garvin Tom Zenk Ted DiBiase Bob Orton Jr Bam Bam Bigelow Kokina Hercules Terry Funk Keiji Mutoh/Great Muta Davey Boy Smith Dynamite Kid Brian Blair Jim Brunzell Brian Pillman Bruce Hart The Warlord The Barbarian Samu Fatu Seepherder Luke Sheepherder Butch Paul E Dangerously Paul Ellering Sensational Sherri Martel Bill Dundee (lord) Steven Regal Cactus Jack Kevin Von Erich Brian Adams Outback Jack Paul Roma Jim Powers SD Jones Steve Blackman DJ Peterson Barry Horowitz Jose Luis Rivera Jose Estrada Tiger Chung Lee Steve Lombardi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted March 12, 2020 Report Share Posted March 12, 2020 Man, that's one solid roster to start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowBlowPodcast Posted April 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2020 I want to welcome @Chachins He will take over Florida Championship Wrestling... Florida Championship Wrestling Figurehead: Jack Brisco Head Booker: Dusty Rhodes Announcers: Gordon Solie & Ernie Ladd Adrian Adonis Al Perez Billy Jack Haynes Blackjack Mulligan Bob Backlund Bob Bradley Brady Boone Corporal Kirchner Danny Davis Dave Taylor Doug Furnas Dr. D Dave Schultz Freddie Blassie George Wells George Steele Great Kabuki Hillbilly Jim Iceman King Parsons Iron Sheik Ivan Koloff Jimmy Jack Funk (Jesse Barr) Junkyard Dog Kamala Ken Patera Killer Khan Koko Ware Manager - Mr. Fuji Manny Fernandez Matt Borne Omar Atlas Pete Doherty Pez Whatley Phil Lafon Reno Riggins Ricky Morton Robert Gibson Rocky Johnson Tony Atlas Steve Keirn Tom Prichard Jimmy Del Ray Tommy Rogers Bobby Fulton Les Thornton Mike Graham Bubba Ottman Percy Pringle Kendall Windham Dusty Rhodes (Currently shared w/ WCW) Dustin Rhodes (Currently shared w/ WCW) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachins Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 Hey guys, I am in the process of sorting out my roster and figuring out who are going to be in each division (I am planning a tag team, singles, and light heavyweight division) and how my tournaments (because I love tournaments) are going to shake out to crown my first champs. In discussions with Rav, I have decided I am going to emphasize tag team wrestling at the top of my cards, with the singles titles being my secondary titles. It will be unique and fun and presents an interesting challenge for my roster. More info coming this week, and I hope to have a show posted by this time next week! This is going to be a small time promotion for now, armories and high school gymnasiums, old school (even by 1988 standards) with an emphasis towards realism over flash, but with coherent rivalries and storylines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted April 6, 2020 Report Share Posted April 6, 2020 No problems, buddy. As long as you have fun, that's what matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachins Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 Eddie Graham. Jack Brisco sat in the office of his and his brothers body shop one evening thinking about his long time friend and mentor. The wrestling industry had taken on a boom lately, with WCW and the WWF going toe to toe. He had even heard of a promotion in Australia ... AUSTRALIA!! ... that had not only top line talent, but was prepared to play upstart to the WWF and WCW. Jack took the time over the next couple days to compile a list of available wrestling talent. While WCW was geographically nearby, he was forming a vision of an upstart promotion of his own. Once the list was compiled, he made a few phone calls, and almost all of the feedback was positive. He got ahold of Eddie's son, Mike, and filled him in. Most importantly, he made a phone call to the one man who would be integral to this happening. Without him, it wouldn't get off the ground. 1988 was a time when contracts and the business side of wrestling was becoming more formalized and corporate, but some guys were still old school and wouldn't let the old school go. Luckily, Jack's old friend Virgil Runnels was one of them. Big Dust liked what he heard. While he might be accused of tampering by today's standards, it would be a false accusation, as Dusty made it clear to Jack he had commitments and he would not be breaking them, even if it meant Jack's grand idea went under before it started. Brisco respected that, and wouldn't have it any other way. However, they devised a way that Dusty could help finance Brisco's operation while not breaking from his commitments to his current employer. In addition, Brisco faxed Dusty his roster list, and Dusty came up with a great idea to help set Florida apart from the others and carve out it's own little niche. And so Florida Championship Wrestling was reborn! Jack took Dusty's idea to heart and crafted a roster in which the headliners and main eventers would originate in the tag team division. Nearly every wrestler he contacted signed up eagerly, wanting to get their hands on some of the money the wrestling industry was generating, thanks to the WCW, WWF, and Australia. One thing Brisco was aware of was that this was the minor leagues. These guys were hungry, old school grapplers who were willing to embrace this unique approach. What Florida might lack in flash and glamour, they will make up for with grit and raw realism. The last conversation between Brisco and Rhodes before Brisco made his intentions public went like this ... Brisco: We'll be the minor leagues, but we are going to steal the show. Once word of mouth gets out, the big boys are going to start feeling the heat. Rhodes: Little fish in a big pond, baby! But that little fish is a piranha, you hear what I'm sayin'? Brisco smiled, and hung up the phone. He knew at that moment, biding his time and crafting quality small time shows for now and setting the foundation, once Dusty was on board full time, bizness was gonna pick up, baby! Jack knew he was going to do Eddie proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chachins Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 Hey fellas, sorry for the long delay for my debut show, but it's coming tonight! Hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirEdger Posted May 3, 2020 Report Share Posted May 3, 2020 No worries! Can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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