What if Ted Turner bought the AWA?

[Autistic Dragon]

As explained in this article, there was a period in Spring of 1990 where Verne allowing WCW use of his tag champions Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom (albeit under masks) lead to Ted making a serious offer to buy the whole AWA from the Gagne family. Per the article the deal would have included....

1. WCW taking over all of the AWA's syndicated TV slots as well as their slot on ESPN.
2. WCW obtaining the AWA's vast video library. 
3. WCW taking over the contracts of all AWA talent. In addition to the previously mentioned Enos & Wayne this list of talent would have included then World champion Larry Zbysko, Mr Saito, Sgt Slaughter, Col Debeers, Tully Blanchard, Giant Kokina (the future Yokozuna), The Trooper (the future Patriot), Baron Von Raschke, John Nord, Scott Norton and others,
4. Greg Gagne would recieve a job in the front office where he'd work directly under WCW President Jim Herd and would book WCW shows in the Midwest region.
5. Verne Gagne would serve in an on-air role as WCW Commissioner. 

The deal, reportedly worth at least a couple million dollars, ultimately fell through over a dispute regarding the fate of the AWA World title. More specifically Verne wanted WCW to recognize the AWA World title while Ted wanted it to be a separate entity like how the WWF treated the Big Gold Belt when Flair brought it over. They couldn't reach an agreement and so nothing came off the offer.

Sufficed to say when I read this article I was immediately intrigued by the idea and thought i'd get other opinions. What do y'all think, how does wrestling change if Ted & Verne manage to reach an agreement? 

[Blehschmidt]

I can see almost all of this working out.

I'm sure they would just fill the syndicated time slots with WorldWide or Power Hour or whatever other B show they had running in their own syndication at the time that wasn't already airing in the market. That's easy enough.

The ESPN slot is interesting, because they probably would have had to come up with a new show for that slot, but I can't remember how many days a week AWA was airing on the channel at that point. Whichever way it goes, I don't think they would have had trouble filling it, and it probably would have been helpful for the promotion.

Knowing WCW, they wouldn't have done jack shit with the library, and it would have just ended up on the WWE Network anyway.

The influx of talent would have been fine, because they would have just been additions to an already bloated undercard, and a lot of them ultimately ended up there anyway. Tully might be interesting if he ended up back in the Horseman, Slaughter could change history if he stayed with the company and we never got the Iraq bullshit and thus Mania 7 gets a different main event, and Del Wilkes signing this early completely changes the trajectory of the GWF.

Greg Gagne is whatever, he's a fine stooge.

Where this all falls apart if Verne Gagne as the on-air commissioner and the AWA World Title situation.....

 

Verne is about as exciting as watching paint dry, and with all of the backstage turmoil in WCW during this time period, his role wouldn't have lasted long.

But the AWA Title Situation is really where the whole thing explodes. Even if they had agreed to recognize the AWA Title, we all know that would have only lasted for a while, and eventually they would have had a unification match, and then Verne being the hard headed old prick he was would have probably tried to sue them or something.

 

So Yeah.... the only real changes I see in the world of wrestling if this happens, other than the obvious AWA dying a year early and being bought by WCW....

 

The Main Event of Wrestlemania 7 changes, the GWF has to find a new top babyface (or someone different to play The Patriot), and potentially Tully Blanchard rejoins the Horseman.