Western States Wrestling

[Autistic Dragon]

After the sudden collapse of Texas All-star Wrestling in early March Dory Funk Jr was more than a little irritated. The wrestling world had been downright chaotic these last few years. First the NWA the governing body of American pro wrestling since 1948 collapsed seemingly with a snap of Verne Gange's fingers. And that was just the beginning companies merging together to create super territories, Companies either starting then shutting down in less than a year ( tas ) or shutting their doors only to reopen them just as quickly. While Dory was somewhat glad to hear of the NWA's expansion into Texas he was also rather disappointed to see them limit that expansion to the eastern part of the state meaning his beloved hometown of Amarillo ( among others) were once again left out. Then one day Dory had a ephiny, no one else was going to bring wrestling to west Texas ( and perhaps a few other places) well he may as well do it himself. He would need some help of course but luckily he knew just who to talk to. And so it was about mid-march the phone of NWA president Bill watts rang.

[rainmakerrtv]

Great opener, can't wait to see where you take it.

[kevinmcfl]

Love the opening to Western States Wrestling... I think we got a natural.

[spaldoni]

Enjoyed the opener and getting into the history. It seems Dory is the man with a plan. You're onto something big here. 

[Autistic Dragon]

Author's note. Thank you for the feedback gentlemen. Now presenting Western States Wrestling prologue part 2.

Dory could hear the surprise in Bill's voice when he realized who was calling. But watts recovered quickly and the two cowboys were soon trading smalltalk, asking about the others family, sharing stories about stuff that happened to them since they spoke last, it was nice. So nice Dory had to remind himself there was business to discuss. He directed the conversation to the state of the NWA was in and after letting Bill vent a bit about his frustration with the amount of paperwork he had to deal with he took the opportunity to speak his thoughts on the current landscape. Speaking frankly Dory told Bill that the NWA was leaving considerable money on the table by not extending their most recent expansion even further westward. He was pleasantly surprised when watts cut in to offer his agreement. Indeed he the NWA president went further, explaining that there had been heated discussions about incorporating ALL of Texas but between managing his own Mid-South territory AND reintegrating Contenetal into the fold Bill didn't feel he could honestly argue with those who said it was " impractical " though he hurried to say that it had by no means been ruled out for future consideration. Seeing his change Dory suggested that a good way to speed up the process might be to bring in someone new. Someone who knew the area, Someone who knew the areas fans. Someone with experience as a promoter was preferable of course. And if they happened to have experience promoting in the southwest well that'd just be gravy wouldn't it? He could almost hear Bill's grin as he replied " Well hoss I think what would be just absolutely perfect would be if this someone, in addition to the qualifications you set was also a active wrestler himself. You wouldn't happen to know a fella like that would ya? " Dory let himself break into a grin as he answered " You know Bill? I might just know a guy who'd be willing to help ya out "

[kevinmcfl]

And finally we have the perfect use for Dory Funk Jr. in our game!  

[Den Scorpio]

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. Welcome! Crush it...

[Autistic Dragon]

1 hour ago, Den Scorpio said:

I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes. Welcome! Crush it...

Thanks man! I'm putting the finishing touches on my opening stories but I think you'll like what I have planned for the moondogs.

[Autistic Dragon]

The wheels of  corporate bureaucracy had to turn. Several more phone calls followed, some with watts some with other various bigwigs in the NWA'S hierarchy. Personal schedules had to be changed and re-changed and changed again with the meeting about to take place having undergone more than one rescheduling until finally settling on a date in early April. Dory was sitting in waiting room going through the documentation he brought with him one final time to make sure everything was in order. " Mr Funk their ready for you " Dory thanked the secretary and headed into the meeting room chosen for his presentation. " Good day gentlemen " Dory said as he entered the room, he knew the entire NWA board of directors to some degree - albeit he knew some better than others - and had done his best over the years to keep the various relationships at least positive if not outright friendly. " Now I believe we all know why we're here so if No one objects I'll just go ahead and begin " . When no objections were raised he began by restating the reason he had reached out in the first place. Over the past several years one particular region of the country had been largely overlooked by the American wrestling community, the southwest. When one board member raised the point of Pacific Coast Wrestling claim on Arizona and Nevada Dory countered that 1. This still left a considerable portion of the region unclaimed and 2. While running one of their 4 yearly supershows out of Phoenix they largely stuck to the 3 coastal states. This meant the southwest was a largely untapped market that he believed if they worked together they could stake ownership of before anyone else spotted the opportunity. When another board member asked " What exactly are you proposing here Dory? " he launched into his main point. Since as Bill had explained the NWA was not itself in a position at this time to expand any further westward, he would do it for them. " With your help and a number of investors that I have personally convinced we can revive Western States Wrestling under the NWA banner. I'll assume the position of promoter myself and using the contacts built by Funk family has amassed in the region over the decades, bring the NWA to audiences that haven't seen a live wrestling show in years." The board members exchanged glances and some quiet chatter before one asked " And how far west do you believe you could take this venture Mr Funk? " Stating clearly that he intended no confrontation with pcw (to which everyone quickly agreed) he stated that he intended to run not only the western part of Texas left out of their recent expansion but into Colorado and New Mexico, two states that hadn't hosted live wrestling since the collapse of the short-lived Ricky Mountain Wrestling at the end of 84. Dory took this time to show the documents he brought to the board detailing the list of investors he'd secured, others still considering investing, venues he knew he could book and a list of talent that had either committed or could still be convinced. The board discussed this for several minutes before one asked " Bill you've been oddly quiet so far what's your thoughts on all this? " Bill stood up and begin pacing the room " Firstly you all know that I was initially adamant that we incorporate all of Texas into our recent westward expansion, although I do understand and except the boards reasoning that we couldn't. Now in regards to Dory's proposal today, we all know Dory some of us for decades ( he paused while a murmur of agreement passed through the room ) and we all know that he wouldn't bring a idea like forward unless he believed he could pull it off and intended to see it through ( another murmur of agreement) so I'll go ahead and state right now that not only do I vote yes on this proposal I'm prepared to make my own contribution. "  The board looked at each other in confusion and even Dory was curious as to what Bill was getting at. Finally a member asked " And what kind of contribution were you thinking of? " Bill stood at the head of the table and straightened his back before answering " it's gonna take me some time to completely integrate eastern Texas into existing Mid-South territory " he began " and I've determined that between that and helping Continental settle back in i can't give my existing territory the attention I'd like " he paused as if weighing what he was about to say " so in a show of faith in the success of western states wrestling I'm prepared to in addition of the territory Dory has mentioned grant him exclusive rights to Oklahoma " stunned faces filled the room and Dory was sure he was among them. Before anyone could question what he'd just said Bill asked Dory to leave so they could debate the proposal. Not knowing what else to say Dory did as asked. Half a hour passed with Dory sitting in the same waiting room as before helping himself to the coffee and snacks available. Finally the secretary from earlier approached him " Mr Funk they've decided " Dory braced himself and reentered the boardroom and immediately relaxed seeing the big smile on Bill's face. The NWA president stood from his seat and simply said " Welcome to the family Dory "

[kevinmcfl]

Really well done.  You know are game better then we do.  Amazing!

[spaldoni]

This is really cool getting a behind the scenes look at the business. It seems Dory had all his ducks in a row and impressed the board along with Watts. Cant wait for the Western States debut! 

[Scarlet-Left]

I'm also really enjoying the more inside look at the counter-factual history we've weaved together.

[Autistic Dragon]

As announced by NWA president Bill Watts on last night on Mid-South's three hour special last night the NWA has a new addition to their family in the form of Western States Wrestling and in a joint NWA/WTBS press release the two entities went into greater detail on the new company. NWA Western States Wrestling will officially relaunch on April 27th with a event called Resurrection to be hosted in the Sports Arena in Amarillo Texas where the new company will house its headquarters. No cameras will be present for the event to in the words of a WSW official " Create a more intimate experience for the live audience who will be experiencing the first pro wrestling event in Amarillo in many years ". Those fans lucky enough to get a ticket seemingly in for a treat as the NWA has agreed to have both its top titles defended. In the main event Magnum T.A will defend the NWA World championship against Amarillo's own Dory Funk Jr. NWA World tag team champions Ted DiBiase & Steve " Dr Death " Williams have taken the bold step of issuing an open challenge in the words of Mr Williams " Any two men on God's green earth with the guts to step up to best tag team in the world "  We can confirm this challenge has been answered by Mr Tojo Yamamoto on behalf of his clients whom he refers to as Zaibatsu. Mr Yamamoto has thus far refused to reveal the individual identities of his clients saying only that they are " The greatest athletes in Japan " and swearing new champions will be crowned. Also addressed was the news that the new promotion has already secured a tv deal with WTBS with a network official stating " The relationship between Turner Broadcasting and the National Wrestling Alliance has been been extremely beneficial to both parties and Mr Turner was happy to strengthen the relationship with a third program ". It was revealed that the new hour will begin airing live from KFDA-TV tv studio in Amarillo tx the first Saturday in May at 9:35 AM.  The full card for WSW Resurrection shall be revealed in the coming days stay tuned for all available updates.

[SirEdger]

Just dropping in right now to say that you seem to have a knack for this and I'm already enjoying what you put forward. I think you'll be pretty good at this!

[kevinmcfl]

1 hour ago, SirEdger said:

Just dropping in right now to say that you seem to have a knack for this and I'm already enjoying what you put forward. I think you'll be pretty good at this!

Agreed!  

[spaldoni]

Huge debut card coming with the NWA champs coming in for title defenses. This is big time! 

Not only is Resurrection coming but WSW has acquired a deal on WTBS. Things are getting better and better. 

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Full card for Western States Wrestling Resurrection.

NWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.                          Magnum T.A (C) vs Dory Funk Jr 

NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS.  Ted DiBiase & Steve " Dr Death " Williams (C) vs Zaibatsu (?&?)w/ Tojo Yamamoto

Johnny Mantell vs Chicky Starr 

The Tribal Nation (Chris & Mark Youngblood) vs Radiance ( " The Flamboyant " Eric Embry & " Pretty Boy " Doug Somers )

Al Perez vs Kim Duk

Cocoa Samoa vs Alexis Smirnoff 

Kendall Windham vs " Killer " Tim Brooks w/Skandar Akbar 

The Glamor Boys ( Steve Doll & Steve Simpson) vs The Invaders ( 1 & 3 )

Bell time 7pm. Tickets on sale now.

[Autistic Dragon]

I don't know why Magnum' s name looks like that it looked fine when I typed it. 

On a better note in gratitude for the support I've received from my fellow writers I'm giving you a chance to make your own contribution to Western States. Look over my roster and if you think of any theme music you think would work for a certain act message me and I may use it! You can suggest as many songs as you want but please specify which wrestler(s) you think should go with which song. Looking forward to hearing from you.

[kevinmcfl]

The Sports Arena is going to be the place to be!  Like how you are running with this Western States Promotion.

[Autistic Dragon]

Western States Wrestling

Presents

Resurrection 

Sports Arena

Amarillo, Texas 

Sunday April 27th, 1986

Bell time 7pm 

Steve Stack enters the ring and welcomes the packed crowd to Resurrection! He then introduces Ms Amy Simons who won a locally held competition to sing the national anthem. Once Ms Simons finishes singing Stack announces the start of the opening contest. 

The Glamor Boys (Steve Doll & Steve Simpson) vs The Invaders (1&3)

A high speed match that saw excellent team work from both pairs. Double team moves abound as the advantage changes hands several times. Eventually The Invaders manage to isolate Simpson and really work him over with both impressive teamwork and a willingness to bend the rules, their favorite trick seems to be taking advantage of their identical gear to illegally switch participants every time referee Bobby Pico turns his back. After a grueling several minutes Simpson manages a hot tag to Doll who unleashes his pent up frustration on both Invaders. After battering both men he tosses one to the floor and, after tagging Simpson back in scales the ropes to flatten the remaining Invader with a missed dropkick. Meanwhile Simpson also climbs to the top rope and as Doll stands guard deliveries a crushing splash for the 1..2..3

Winners: The Glamor Boys 

Kendall Windham vs " Killer Tim Brooks w/Skandar Akbar 

Brooks wastes no time try to drag this one into the gutter, assaulting the 19 year old before the bell rings and pummeling him in the corner. Referee Alex Perez has to physically drag Brooks off him which allows Akbar to choke Windham on the middle rope. Brooks takes the fight to the floor and alternates between driving Windham back first into the apron and the barricade. He stops to jaw with fans before trying to whip Windham into the guardrail again but this time it's reversed it's Brooks who crashes back first into the steel. Seizing the moment Windham tosses Brooks into the ring and works his man over with hard-hitting and surprisingly fast-paced offense. Brooks retreats to the corner but it offers no sanctuary as Windham climbs to the second rope and with full support from the Amarillo faithful rains punches down the head of " Killer Tim. Windham dismounts and Brooks stumble to the center of the ring. Seeing a opportunity to close this one out Windham runs the ropes seemingly aiming to deliver a lariat. Desperate to save his man from defeat, Akbar grabs Windham's boot and holds on for dear life. Enraged Windham reaches through the ropes and pull the manager onto the apron by his ears. With the crowd egging him on Windham rears back ready to deliver a massive right hand, before he can however Brooks drives his knee into the small of Windham's back. As Akbar falls to the floor Brooks delivers a backbreaker then climbs to the second rope for diving leg drop and a tainted victory.

Winner: " Killer " Tim Brooks w/ Skandar Akbar 

Cocoa Samoa vs Alexis Smirnoff 

Smirnoff is irritating the crowd waving the soviet flag as Cocoa makes his way to the ring. As soon as he enters he has to duck as Smirnoff swings the flag straight at his head. As Smirnoff turns for another swing he gets caught with a stiff right hand that causes him to drop the flag as the bell rings. Nothing fancy here just 2 guys beating seven shades of hell out of each other. The end comes as Smirnoff misses a splash in the corner then staggers into a samoan drop for the win.

Winner: Cocoa Samoa 

Al Perez vs Kim Duk 

The young ladies in the crowd quickly took a liking to Perez and the rest of the crowd was quick to follow being impressed by Perez's athleticism and mattwork. Duk for his part countered with stiff strikes and power moves that had Perez on the defensive for a good portion of the match. The man known as the " Latin Heartthrob " touched it out and managed to slip behind Duk as the Japanese brawler had him up for a shoulder breaker and score a bridging German suplex for the win.

Winner: Al Perez 

Interestingly as a frustrated Duk headed to the back Tojo Yamamoto meet him in the aisle way and the two men left together.

The Tribal Nation (Chris & Mark Youngblood) vs Radiance ("The Flamboyant Eric Embry & " Pretty Boy " Doug Somers) 

Radiance almost immediately earn the ire of the crowd by arrogantly strutting around the ring and showing off their sequence robes. They're so busy preening that they don't seem to notice the Tribal Nation until the Youngbloods interupt their strutting with dual dropkicks. The brothers control the first several minutes with quick tags and impressive teamwork. However a knee to the back of Chris by Somers allows Embry to take control and Radiance spend the next few minutes technically picking apart the younger Youngblood. Finally Chris ducks a Somers clothesline and tags Mark who unloads on Radiance with chops, hip tosses and dropkicks. A flying tomahawk chop to Somers almost ends it but Embry breaks it up. This brings in Chris and starts a four way brawl. In the chaos the official doesn't see Somers retrieve a chain from his robe pocket and wrap it around his fist. As Chris and Embry take their brawl to the floor Somers catches Mark on the chin then stuffs the chain into his trunk. 3 seconds later this one's over.

Winners: Radiance 

Johnny Mantell vs Chicky Starr 

A back and forth contest that sees both men shine. Starr establishes himself as a clever tactician luring Mantell several traps which nearly net him the victory several times. Mantell for his part fights back with grit and a combination of his own technique and good old fashioned brawlng. In the end Starr's scheming isn't enough and he falls to Mantell's Russian leg sweep.

Winner: Johnny Mantell 

NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 

Ted DiBiase & Steve " Dr Death " Williams vs Zaibatsu (?&?)w/ Tojo Yamamoto

Zaibatsu are revealed to be the tandem of Mr Pogo and Kendo Nagasaki. This is a wild match that goes past 20 minutes with the brawling ability of Pogo, the martial arts technique of Nagasaki, the blend of amateur wrestling prowess and raw power of Williams and the technical ability of DiBiase all on full display. Several times it seems the deciding factor will be the presence of Yamamoto who when he isn't yelling abuse at the crowd interferes in every conceivable manner be it tripping DiBiase & Williams when they get too close, getting on the apron to distract the referee or his seeming favorite, jabbing the opposition with the tip of the Japanese flag he brought to ringside. Towars the end of the match DiBiase is isolated for what seems like an eternity and is beaten mercilessly by the Japanese duo. He finally makes the tag however and Williams erupts on his opponents with clotheslines, shoulder tackles and suplexes. His rage almost works against him as a clothesline meant for Mr Pogo catches referee Bobby Pico instead creating an open which Yamamoto seizes on. Sliding into the ring with the flag he first lowblows Williams then as Pogo holds him, prepares to  crack Williams in the head with the flagpole. As he rears back however DiBiase charges in and tackles the manager to the mat. Nagasaki manages to pull DiBiase off of Yamamoto who rolls to the floor while Nagasaki and DiBiase brawl through the ropes. While this was happening Pogo grabs the flagpole and tries to strike Williams but is blocked. The two men have a brief tug-of-war which ends when Williams boots Pogo in the gut. Seeing the referee collecting himself Williams looks at the flag then the crowd and upon receiving their enthusiastic encouragement cracks Pogo in the back then tosses it outside picks up the Japanese bruiser and plants him with the oklahoma stampede for a hard fought win.

Winners and still NWA World Tag Team Champions: Ted DiBiase & Steve " Dr Death " Williams 

As the two exhausted champions celebrate with the fans Tojo produces a walkie-talkie and shouts into it in Japanese summoning from the back Kim Duk & Jumbo Tsuruta! They rush the ring and jump the still celebrating Champs. DiBiase and Williams try to fight back between their own fatigue and the element of surprise they are quickly overwhelmed. Things get worse as Yamamoto rouses Pogo & Nagasaki and they all join in a several minutes long beating that leaves the champions in a bloody heap. As his men stand tall Tojo has Duk hand him the titles, which he passes to Pogo & Nagasaki, and the house microphone.

Tojo Yamamoto: Take a good look. This is what happens when you mentally retarded Americans think you can outwit papa-san! Banzai!

With that Yamamoto & co leave the ring belts in hand to thunderous boos.

NWA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

Magnum T.A vs Dory Funk Jr 

Funk receives a welcome fit for a conquering hero a he can't help but take a moment to bask in the love of his hometown crowd. The Champions reception is more mixed, most of the crowd do welcome him warmly but a sizable minority boo him by virtue of his not being a Funk. As for the match it starts with a handshake and a excellent display of matt wrestling. Funk has the technical edge and pushes it for all its worth. Magnum does better when he keeps the action standing and it becomes a battle of both men trying to impose their match on the other. A recurring theme is Magnum repeatedly attempting his patterned belly to belly suplex only for Funk to counter any way he can. Another thing fans notice is that as the match passes 20,30,40 minute mark the good sportsmanship fades away and the technical display of the opening minutes gives way to increasingly desperate brawlng by both men. At around the 50 minute mark Magnum shocks the crowd by hitting the belly to belly suplex seemingly from nowhere. Unfortunately for him he preforms the move too close to the ropes and Funk gets his boot on the bottom rope at the last possible second. Excitement and panic sweep through the crowd as Steve Stack comes on the house mic to give the one minute warning which turns to joy as around the thirty second warning Dory locks in the Cloverleaf! Funk sinches it in with all he has left while Magnum uses his last reserves in a frantic attempt to get to the ropes. The struggle on until Stack's voic again comes on the house mic.

Steve Stack: 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1

bell rings

Stack: Ladies and gentlemen, the time limit has expired. This boutique is a draw!

[Scarlet-Left]

This was a great opening card. A high intensity broadway to top it all off gives it a perfect territorial feeling. It made sense to follow up establishing such a villain in Tim Brooks with a couple of feel-good wins for the crowd. Good job!

[kevinmcfl]

Awesome first show.  

Like how you kept the name of the Glamour Boys from the past.  Good opening match with a lot of action.

Akbar proves to be a force in the second match.  I bet Kendall is ging to be looking for revenge.

Smirnoff is great on this roster even if he only wins TV squash matches.  He gets the crowd into it and pumps them up for the bigger matches.

Embry and Somers are just the kind of guys West Texas people would love to hate in the 80's.  Nice pairing.

I like Johnny getting the win here.  He has a chance to be one of your top stars.  

OH BOY.... Doc & Dibiase get Pearl Harbored by some real Japanese sneak attacks... AND THEN TAKE THE TITLES..... THIS MEANS WAR!!!!

The broadway between T.A. and Dory shiuld do a lot for Western States Wrestling.  

AWESOME START!!  So glad you joined us.

[spaldoni]

WSW kicks things off with a bang! Nice touch with the winner of a local contest singing the national anthem. 

Great choice for the opener as the Glamor Boys pick up an exciting win over the Invaders. 

It's tough to beat Brooks with Akbar in his corner.

Cocoa could be huge here.

I loved what Rain did with Perez in Pacific and you picked up right where he left off. 

Radiance, what a great name. Embry and Sommers totally fit the gimmick. 

YES! Johnny Mantell is back in the game!

Cool seeing a lot of the Texas All-Star alumni back in action. 

Williams and Dibiase retain but Tojo made his mark tonight by introducing a very dangerous stable. LOL, your Tojo promo was spot on. Tojo is going to cause a lot of trouble in Texas. 

After all that, we get a thrilling 60 minute draw between Magnum and Dory. Perfect booking as the champ leaves with the title and Texas hero Dory looks strong. 

Great job! I liked the match order and results. This is going to be an exciting promotion. 

 

 

 

[LowBlowPodcast]

@Autistic Dragon Pretty great first show and out of the gate you've got a lot of pieces to be taken serious and some really fun write ups. The thing about these games is to try and keep yourself interested in your stories. You've got a lot of great talent ready to make a splash in this era. I look forward to checking in with your work.

[SirEdger]

You're definitely a natural at this, there's no doubt about it. You got your moving pieces right away and from top to bottom, you had some pretty good matchups. For me, the highlight is that you made Zaibatsu a big deal right away by having them steal the NWA World Tag Team titles from Ted Dibiase & Dr. Death. Great main event too between Magnum TA and Dory Funk Jr going Broadway on this one. You couldn't have started better than you did with that show!