Old School Fan
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Posts posted by Old School Fan
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Up in the Northeast, word had filtered back to a wrestling promoter about who might buy the AWA. Having already seen the Turner empire acquire the NWA/WCW, another big money player coming in and purchasing the AWA may greatly impact his business. He was now concerned...very concerned.
The wheels were spinning in his mind at 150 MPH. He knew he needed to act...and fast.
If it's who I suspect it is, either Debbie and John or the Crocketts had better move fast...
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Hmm, the Crockett family getting involved in a return to promoting via buying into the AWA following the previous sale of JCP to Ted Turner? And the plot thickens...
Will still be doing the AWA for a bit.But thinking of possibly switching in the near future to a BTB of early '80s Georgia, Portland (PNW)* or Stampede.
* Hail The Man of the Pacific Northwest...RIP OLIVER!
Not to be too influential, but I'm currently working on a chapter of Rise of a Star that sees Renée Martel make a return to Stampede for an upcoming event that's going to prove to be the start on her road to becoming a major player in women's wrestling (with her win of the Mildred Burke tournament back in February already being just the beginning). That said, I'm also very familiar with Portland and Rip Oliver's work out that way back in the '80s...
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Well, let's see about the previous card...
I only first saw Bobby Heenan when he started managing in the WWF, so I didn't get to see his AWA work first-hand, but I think it's fair to see that "The Brain" (or "The Weasel", as he was being called by his adversaries as far back as his AWA days) is every bit as loud and obnoxious on-camera in the AWA (as seen in both his interviews accompanying Randy Savage and Nick Bockwinkel) as he would later be in the WWF. From a kayfabe perspective, Heenan also seemed to bring out the worst (as in, he made them far more vicious) in most of the clients he managed, which served to draw plenty of heel heat to both Heenan and to his Family back in the day. And as intense as Savage was in the ring and on-camera on his own as a heel, just imagine how he would've been had he actually had Heenan as a manager IRL - this is how I picture Savage being here in this diary, as you showed him in his interview where Heenan accompanied him. As for Savage's match against Buck Zumhofe, well... So much for "Rock 'n Roll".
Jerry Blackwell did what he did best in his heel days as he trounced Koko B. Ware in a squash match.
Interesting to have Jerry Lawler come into the AWA as a heel in this diary while he made appearances primarily as a face there IRL, but his interview with Jim Ross sounds just like classic heel-mode Lawler across the board. I also remember Steve Regal from his real-life heel run in the AWA as Jim Garvin's tag team partner and as the Light Heavyweight Champion, so seeing him go face in his match against "The King" is a bit of a twist.
Hulk Hogan's interview with Mean Gene, in two words - classic Hulkster.
Finally, Tito Santana vs. Bockwinkel's pick - Ken Patera was on a big run IRL as one-half of the Sheiks with Blackwell as the AWA World Tag Team Champions, but I'm guessing in this diary, Patera was still a part of the Heenan Family and helping out with Heenan's dirty work, so having him be the mystery challenger to Santana wouldn't be surprising. Bockwinkel's attempted interference in the match backfired on both him and Patera in a big way though, and led to Santana getting his title shot in an upset.
For the upcoming card, the segments I'm really looking forward to are the Hogan-Saito main event (will "Dr. D" David Schultz get involved in this match as he did IRL?) and the Bockwinkel-Santana contract signing (which I'm predicting will degenerate into a brawl thanks to Heenan's involvement).
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American Wrestling Association @ Winnipeg Civic Auditorium
March 22, 1968 - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Attendance - 5,500
Penny Banner & Renée Martel defeated Terry Majors & Margot Bouchard when Bouchard was disqualified for throwing Martel over the top rope.
René Goulet defeated Eddie Sharkey by submission with a Boston crab.
Mad Dog Vachon defeated Al Tomko* by pinfall following a piledriver.
Luke Brown defeated Dutch Savage by disqualification when Savage rammed Brown's head into a corner post.
Two out of Three Falls
Mighty Igor defeated Dr. X**, one fall to none.
- First fall - Igor used a full Nelson to force Dr. X to submit.
- Second fall - the one-hour time limit ran out during the fall.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Al Tomko was also the Winnipeg promoter for the AWA at this point, both IRL and ITTL; he later took over booking for NWA All-Star Wrestling in Vancouver from 1977 until the promotion folded in 1989.
** Dr. X was an alternate masked identity used in the AWA by Dick Beyer (AKA the Destroyer).
- First fall - Igor used a full Nelson to force Dr. X to submit.
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The Hardy Boyz vs The Four Horsemen
Mayhem Qualifier: Rob Van Dam vs Yoshihiro Taijiri
Mark Jindrak (w/ Stacy Kiebler) vs Kevin Nash
Mayhem Qualifier: Ric Flair vs Masato Tanaka
WCW World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe vs Chris Candido
Mayhem Qualifier: Randy Savage vs Buff Bagwell
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First-time predictor in this diary, so let's throw the dice and see what comes up...
‘The Master of the 619’ Rey Mysterio [vs] ‘Crippler’ Chris Benoit
Steven Richards’ Open Challenge:
‘The Wrestler’s Wrestler’ Steven Richards [vs] ???? (The mystery opponent's going to turn out to be someone who overpowers and pins Richards)
Rapid Fire (K-Kwik & Billy Gunn) [vs] Batista & Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman & JBL (Good big men with skills always come out on top at day's end)
D’Lo Brown & Faarooq [vs] Terri’s Boys (Albert & Saturn) w/ Terri
Marty Jannetty w/ Jerry Lynn [vs] Senior Benjamin w/ The Bucks Of Youth
Edge w/ Christian [vs] ‘The Olympic Gold Medallist’ Kurt Angle
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Samoan Savage vs Jerry Lawler (Gotta go with the King in this one)
Heavenly Bodies vs Chaos By Nature (Any team with Cornette in their corner is bound to have the edge)
Steve Austin vs Cactus Jack (As deranged as Cactus is, "Stunning" Steve will still pull a win out from his sleeve)
Rock N Roll Express vs The Killer Bees (The four-time NWA World Tag Team Champions will narrowly edge this one out)
Nobuhiko Takada © vs Jushin Liger for the WCW TV Championship ("Thunder" is building his legacy as one of the greatest cruiserweights in the business, but for now, that won't help here against Takada)
Ricky Steamboat vs One Man Gang ("The Dragon" takes it via DQ, at least)
Ron Simmons vs Nikita Koloff (The "All-American" is on the rise and working his way to World title contention; for all his power and skills, Nikita won't be stopping Simmons here)
Rick Rude vs Butch Reed (The ever-devious "Ravishing One" will take this one, even though Reed is a former NWA World Tag Team Champ as part of Doom)
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NWA All-Star Wrestling @ Exhibition Gardens
March 18, 1968 - Vancouver, British Columbia
Roy McClarty defeated Karl Von Steiger by pinfall.
Penny Banner & Renée Martel fought Terry Majors & Margot Bouchard to a time-limit draw.
Abdullah the Butcher & Gorgeous George Jr. defeated Rocky Johnson & Don McClarty when Abdullah pinned McClarty following a karate thrust to the throat.
Marcel Martel defeated Assassin II by submission with a figure-four leglock.
NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver)
Danny Reilly © defeated Assassin I by pinfall following a powerslam.
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Glad to be able to see another program from ASW! Feels like I’m getting a genuine old school program.
Wait'll you see what I have coming in the next little while...
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NWA Pacific Coast Heavyweight Championship (Vancouver) (for use in Rise of a Star)
This belt, created for my diary, uses outlines of First Nations totem poles on the side plates as a connection to the title's Pacific Northwest regional roots. Although it originated in 1970 IRL in NWA All-Star Wrestling as the promotion's top singles title, in my diary ITTL, it originated in 1967.
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All-Star Wrestling @ Paul Sauvé Arena
March 11, 1968 - Montreal, Quebec
Marianne Duchesne defeated Sabrina Lafleur* by pinfall following a leg lariat.
Gerard Dugas defeated Terry Yorkston by pinfall.
Dale Roberts** defeated Matt Gilmore by disqualification when Gilmore threw Roberts over the top rope.
Penny Banner & Renée Martel defeated Terry Majors & Margot Bouchard when Renée forced Majors to submit to the Alligator Clutch while Banner and Bouchard brawled around ringside.
Baron Von Raschke & Hans Schmidt defeated Jacques & Johnny Rougeau when Schmidt pinned Johnny Rougeau following a piledriver.
ASW Canadian Heavyweight Championship***
Marcel Martel © defeated Ivan Koloff by disqualification when Baron Von Raschke and Hans Schmidt ran in and attacked Martel as he had Koloff in a figure-four leglock. Post-match, Von Raschke, Schmidt and Koloff continued their assault on Martel until Jacques and Johnny Rougeau ran in for the save and a brawl ensued in the ring until the Rougeaus and Martel ran the foreign heels out.
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* Sabrina Lafleur was created for this diary; she is the other girl (along with Rosalie Paiement) who approached Renée Martel about getting training for a wrestling career in an earlier chapter.
** AKA Buddy Roberts (of Fabulous Freebirds fame).
*** Marcel Martel defeated Baron Von Raschke to win that title in early-November 1967, prior to Von Raschke's defeat of Édouard Carpentier to win the ASW World Heavyweight Championship on November 6 that year in Montreal.
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But something was happening...
Unbeknownst to Verne and the gang, a potential new buyer on the east coast was about to enter the picture. One who already had a lot of experience in the wrestling business.
Yet another twist in this grand saga...
This is gonna get interesting now. Will Debbie and John's third partner be someone else from the entertainment industry, or will it be a money man (or woman) with interests in other areas?
Time will tell...
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The latest news from the All-Star Wrestling arena program is now out, spotlighting the participants of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament:
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And continued on Page Two (along with details on an upcoming card)...
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AGWA TV taping @ Anaheim Convention Center Arena
February 13, 1968 - Anaheim, California
Attendance - 6,990
Aired the weekend of February 17, 1968 on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling:
Dark match
Jan Vallow defeated Serena Harris by pinfall following a bodyslam and legdrop.
Margot Bouchard (with Mae Young) defeated Sandra Hale by pinfall following an elbow drop. Bouchard and Young then joined Dick Lane at ringside for a post-match interview, where Bouchard said that she came close to winning the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament last week and would have beaten Renée Martel to win it if not for being distracted by Earlene Brown showing up at ringside, then she declared that Brown would pay for costing her the tournament, then went on to add that Martel would not get the United States title from Ann Calvello.
Earlene Brown defeated Kim Blanchard by pinfall following a big splash. Post-match, Margot Bouchard showed up at ringside and got into a brief argument with Brown as the two rivals exchanged threats before Bouchard turned around and returned backstage, continuing to make threats against Brown as she went.
Barbara Walker & Claire Lepage defeated Elise Dorsett* & Janet Russ when Lepage pinned Russ following a flying clothesline off the second turnbuckle.
In her AGWA TV debut, Joyce Fowler got the crowd on her side as she took on Lorna Dale and defeated her by pinfall following a dropkick. During a post-match ringside interview with Dick Lane, Fowler acknowledged the crowd and said she was happy to now be a part of the AGWA, then threw her support behind Renée Martel in her match against Ann Calvello, saying she hoped to see her win the United States title from the veteran heel Calvello.
AGWA Television Championship
In a rematch from the final night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament last week, Diane Syverson (with Mae Young) defeated Judy Arnold © to win the title when Syverson, taking advantage of a referee distraction by Young, pinned Arnold after slugging her and knocking her cold with a foreign object passed to her by Young earlier in the match. Post-match, Syverson was handed the title belt, then she and Young celebrated the ill-gotten victory while the fans booed. While interviewed at ringside by Dick Lane afterward, Young congratulated Syverson on her title win and declared that the Queen's Court (Young's heel stable) once again had complete control over the AGWA title picture, then Syverson took a moment to gloat about her win and verbally run down Arnold, saying that she now had to move to the back of the line of title contention. When Lane pointed out the questionable means Syverson used to win the title, Syverson and Young denied it and accused Lane of needing stronger glasses.
Aired the weekend of February 24, 1968 on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling:
Dark match
Sally Vega defeated Addie Trent* by pinfall following a flying dropkick off the second turnbuckle.
Tonette Kadrmas defeated Margo Vincent by pinfall following a vertical suplex.
Georgia Hase (with Mae Young) defeated Samantha Sheridan* by pinfall following a knee lift. In a post-match ringside interview with Dick Lane, Hase congratulated her stablemate Diane Syverson on winning the TV title, then also declared that Renée Martel got lucky in winning the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament last week and that Martel was not going to stand a chance against United States Champion Ann Calvello in their upcoming title match.
Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara defeated Carrie Lloyd* & Jackie Long when O'Hara pinned Lloyd following a double kick to the stomach by O'Hara and Sherill.
In her first appearance on AGWA TV, Ann Casey defeated Ashley Sinclair* by pinfall following an airplane spin. Sinclair was not happy about the pinfall loss and attacked Casey from behind and whipped her to the ropes post-match, but Casey ducked an attempted clothesline and dropkicked Sinclair out of the ring. At ringside with Dick Lane for an interview afterward, Casey greeted the fans and declared her pleasure at the opportunity to wrestle in the AGWA, putting the promotion over as the place where the real stars of women's wrestling compete (as a subtle "take that" to her former boss Fabulous Moolah) and welcomed the opportunity to work her way up to title contention in due time.
AGWA United States Championship
Renée Martel got the title opportunity she earned via her tournament win last week as she faced off against Ann Calvello © (with Mae Young) for the United States belt. Calvello attacked Martel before the bell and delivered a double-axhandle to her challenger's back on the rebound from the ropes. The champion continued her assault with chops, elbows, and fists. She then grabbed the arena microphone and ripped into Martel verbally. Calvello took Martel down with a Russian legsweep and got a 2 1/2-count. Energized by the fans' chants, Martel soon turned the tide as she battled back and put Calvello on the defensive with technical moves, then she went for her flying forearm smash off the ropes, but Calvello pulled the referee into the way. Calvello was disqualified, enabling her to retain her belt. Post-match, Martel continued brawling with Calvello when Diane Syverson, Georgia Hase and Margot Bouchard ran in and helped Calvello quadruple-team Martel for a few moments before Earlene Brown, Joyce Fowler, Barbara Walker and Claire Lepage ran in to chase the Queen's Court out for the save for Renée.
Post-taping dark match
NWA North American Women's Championship
Joan Weston © defeated Mary Jane Mull by pinfall following a shoulderbreaker.
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* All wrestlers so indicated were created for this diary, basically serving as AGWA enhancement talent.
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"Rhodes did mention in the last media scrum he hoped he'd have some good news to share soon,
and since they're not yet in that renegotiation window with ACE, I'd assume that he's hinting at some sort of international deal..
CBN / Canada On-Air / IC:TV
Definitely recognize those logos - patterned after real-life nets Global, CBC and Citytv respectively.
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First-time predictor here...
Al Perez vs Kevin Von Erich
The Steiner Brothers vs The American Males
Southern Rockers vs Fabulous Freebirds
The Journeymen vs The Outsiders
Terrence Taylor vs Brian Pillman
Terry Gordy vs Barry Windham
Lex Luger vs Dan Spivey
Steve Williams vs Big Van Vader
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Meanwhile, a few hours earlier (in the Eastern Time zone) on the night of the AGWA Tucson house show...
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At the Boston Garden during a WWWF card that night, Vince McMahon Sr. was on the phone in his office, in the middle of a conversation. "No, I didn't authorize her to hold the event where she held it, I only told her she was free to run the event herself, but that she was on her own," the WWWF head said to the other end of the line. "I told her that because several of my wrestlers had threatened to quit because of her last time she held such an event, because I had to pull most of them from a card here in Boston to make way for her tournament." Vince then listened to the other end for a moment. "Yes, I don't doubt they weren't very happy with what happened. I can only imagine the confusion holding two such rival events on the same night in the same territory could cause."
As Vince resumed listening to the other end, he then heard what sounded like a woman's scream, followed by cursing and shouting and the clattering of several objects out in the Garden's backstage hallway. "Uh, could you hold on a moment?" he said as he put his left hand to the handset's mouthpiece so he could listen to the commotion outside his office for a moment. "Okay, I'm back... Sorry, say that again?" he then said when he returned to the phone, sticking a finger in his left ear so he could hear the conversation over the noise outside. "Alright, I'll talk to her and deal with this - I'll make sure we don't get a repeat of what happened. Okay, 'bye, Sam."
Vince then walked out of his office into the hallway, where he saw Fabulous Moolah throwing another fit over something that was bothering her. "Hey, Lillian, simmer it down to a slow boil a minute," he told Moolah. "What's got you bothered now - as if I need to guess?"
"Here, look at these!" Moolah said in a huff as she handed Vince a pair of newspaper clippings, sent to her by her Los Angeles contact. The first clipping Vince read detailed Moolah's tournament in San Diego, including the attendance number and the controversy caused by Ann Casey's no-show for the main event against Moolah after Ann won the tournament.
"So, Ann Casey not appearing to wrestle you is what's bugging you?" Vince said. "Besides, you got a good turnout for the event, so I'd think you'd be happy about that."
"That's not the only thing," Moolah pointed out. "The writer said near the end that my speech after Ann no-showed was nothin' more than self-praisin', self-servin' tripe!"
"Well, Lillian, you really should have a thicker skin than that," Vince said. "You, of all people, should know that getting criticized comes with the territory of being a heel in wrestling."
"That don't bother me nearly as much as what the other article says!" a still-piqued Moolah then said. Vince then proceeded to read the other clipping, which detailed the final night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament in Los Angeles - which he not only noticed drew over 3,000 more fans than Moolah's tournament, what particularly caught his attention was that Renée Martel had won the Mildred Burke tournament, earning her a championship match the next week.
When he got done reading, Vince lowered both clippings and shot Moolah a disappointed look. "Renée Martel, again?" he said. "Are you really letting her bother you that much?"
"What's really botherin' me about her is that everything she's accomplishin', she's gettin' done without my guidance!" Moolah snapped. "She even had the audacity to thank Mildred Burke for all the success she's had in the ring durin' her victory speech, when everyone knows damn well that it's ME who's makin' women's wrestling as popular as it is now! ME, not some has-been who's been retired for over a dozen years!"
"Aren't you forgetting that it's that same 'has-been' who trained you for the business, Lillian?" Vince retorted. "Besides that, it sounds more to me like you're not only jealous about Mildred's tournament being more successful, but you're also jealous that Renée won that tournament and that the spotlight's starting to shine on her now."
"Me, jealous? Phfftt!" Moolah scoffed, denying Vince's accusation. "Why would I be jealous just 'cause someone else got a dose of the spotlight?"
"I think I'll pass on answering that," said Vince, who knew Moolah and her self-centered personality all too well. "But now that brings up another issue, your event in San Diego. I just got off the phone with Sam Muchnick a few minutes ago and he's not very happy with you right now."
Moolah's mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief. "What's Muchnick got to complain about?" she said incredulously. "The Los Angeles territory ain't even part of the NWA and it ain't been since 1958!"
"Correction - Gene and Mike LeBell's promotion isn't part of the NWA, but Mildred's group is, and she co-operates with the LeBells," Vince said matter-of-factly. "You put your event on in their territory on the same night as Mildred's tournament to try to undermine her event, and you did so knowing full well what you were doing. Mildred complained to Muchnick that your San Diego event caused confusion down there with some fans who thought she organized that event and they complained to her about it when it ended like that news article described."
"And why should that matter?" Moolah countered. "I'm the World Women's Champion and I can decide..."
"Hold on, I'm not done yet," Vince interrupted. "Mildred also told Muchnick that she found out from one of your now-former wrestlers that she overheard during your tournament that you orchestrated an attack against Renée by a masked assailant at another event of Mildred's the week before, and it was hearing about that incident, among other reasons, that caused her and Ann to quit your employment. Care to explain?"
Moolah let out an exasperated sigh. "Why bother, you're not going to believe it anyway," she grumbled.
"Look, Lillian, we've been friends for over a dozen years now and I've been one of your biggest supporters," Vince said, "and that's why it bothers me that you're so bothered by the success of a wrestler that you don't employ or control - one that you tried to recruit for your camp but couldn't get because she just chose not to join you. Moreover, you're letting it influence and control your judgement to the point where you're risking crossing the NWA by holding a rival event against one of its members in its own territory, simply for spite against that one wrestler and against her trainer - who also happens to be your trainer."
"So, what now?" Moolah asked with a shake of her head, not expecting to like what news Vince was about to give her.
"What now is that Muchnick's decided to pull in the reins on you," Vince said. "Up until now, he and his predecessors in the NWA president's office have allowed you to have control of the NWA World Women's Championship, but for San Diego and your staging of that incident against Renée, the NWA is taking back control of the title and they expect you to start defending it against other wrestlers besides your own students. Muchnick also warned that any future such stunts done without the NWA's approval, like your San Diego event, will result in you being stripped of the title, which will then be put up in a tournament."
"WHAT?! They can't do that!" Moolah snapped.
"Take it up with the Board then," Vince stated simply, referring to the NWA Board of Directors. "And for future reference, next time you put on a tournament, set it up with me first - and don't go behind my back again. Play that card a second time and I'll switch to booking women wrestlers from Mildred Burke - at least then, I'll finally be able to book Renée Martel for my events without needing your approval." Checking his watch, Vince then said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk with Bruno about his match later tonight."
After Vince walked away to go meet with Bruno Sammartino down the hall, Moolah pondered what he had told her and the dressing down he gave her for her recent actions. So, Mrs. Burke and Miss Martel, that's how you want to play it? she thought to herself with a resentful scowl. So be it, then. But you two, your group and anyone that associates with you - even if it means the entire NWA and whoever else - is gonna pay the price for it.
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I like this more descriptive show layout. Getting a closer look at the ladies and how they act in matches.
Yeah, I figured I'd do that for important events, to go more in-depth (like with the ringside interviews I included in some of the TV cards I posted).
I thought Sherrill and O’Hara being a consistent team would give them the win here but the experience and skill of LePage and Roberts was too much for them to handle. Is it just me or does Sherril look like a female buddy rose?It does seem to appear that way from the avatar, but here's a full view of what Sherill looks like in action along with O'Hara.
Baby starts her domination tonight. She’ll be a built while Earlene is handling Bouchard. I could see Bouchard calling on Rocco for help dealing with Earlene in the future. Maybe after Earlene overcomes the post match assaults typical of Mae Young’s Camp.That's a possibility for future AGWA events I post in this diary.
Good ending to the Syverson Arnold contest. I was expecting Syverson to win with help from Young, but keeping this going is a smart idea. I do still think Syverson is picking up the title. She’s consistently on the top of card and would add some prestige to her group.That she's been, and we'll see what happens with that in the upcoming AGWA TV taping.
Bouchard getting the win over Brown by going over the top rope was a good way to keep Brown strong while also having Bouchard cheat by making herself go over the top rope. Brown still hasn’t been beaten but didn’t move on and now has a gripe with Bouchard. One thing I would’ve liked to see is Brown takeover the interview being pissed off thinking Bouchard cheated to get the win. The post match interview was also a good change of pace to add some layers to the show.I was inspired for that angle by
(AKA Nord the Barbarian/Yukon John/The Berzerker) in Winnipeg back in 1985. It looks like the kind of thing Margot/Michèle would've done ITTL to get a cheap win, draw heat and fuel a feud, so I rolled with it here.Renee Martel has done it!! She won the tournament and is headed for Calvello now. Personally I am not a fan of the rival distraction finish just cause it’s been so over done for years. But with that said I get what you were going for with both Brown and Bouchard having a problem with each other now to get Brown moved up the card.Well, as they say in the TV biz, stay tuned...
This is quite interesting! I'm not familiar with many of the names, but I will be followingThanks, glad you're liking what you've seen so far and welcome aboard.
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American Girls' Wrestling Association @ Tucson Garden*
February 10, 1968 - Tucson, Arizona
Baby Rocco squashed Sally Vega when Rocco pinned Vega following a big splash.
Ann Casey & Joyce Fowler (formerly Joyce Grable) made their AGWA debuts as they battled Georgia Hase & Margot Bouchard (with Mae Young) to a no-contest when both teams were disqualified for all four women brawling in the ring at once.
In preparation for her upcoming title match against United States Champion Ann Calvello, Renée Martel defeated Lucille Dupree via submission to the Alligator Clutch.
AGWA United States Tag Team Championship - Two out of Three Falls
Shirley Hardman & Diane Syverson © (with Mae Young) defeated Barbara Walker & Claire Lepage, two falls to one.
- First fall - Syverson pinned Walker following an airplane spin.
- Second fall - Walker evened the match by pinning Syverson with a sunset flip.
- Third fall - Hardman pinned Lepage following a double facebuster by Hardman and Syverson.
AGWA United States Championship
Ann Calvello © (with Mae Young) defeated Earlene Brown by countout when, after Calvello and Brown brawled around ringside and Calvello got thrown back into the ring by Brown as the referee did his 20-count, Brown was unable to follow Calvello back in because Young grabbed Brown's right leg, out of sight of the referee, and kept her from getting back in in time to beat the count. Post-match, Brown decked Young with a right hand for her interference, leading to Georgia Hase and Margot Bouchard running to ringside to ambush Brown from behind and throw her into the ring where they and Calvello triple-teamed their larger foe under Young's direction until Brown began to fight back, then the heels cleared out as Renée Martel, Ann Casey and Joyce Fowler ran in for the save.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* The Tucson Garden was, along with the recently-closed Tucson Sports Center, one of the main sports venues in Tucson prior to the opening of the Tucson Community Center (now the Tucson Convention Center) and its main arena in 1971. No photo of the Tucson Garden could be found to post because, outside of info provided at the WrestlingData.com website, there appears to be very little data available online about that venue.
- First fall - Syverson pinned Walker following an airplane spin.
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On the day after the final night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, Mildred was back at her wrestling school's office sorting through her mail when she got a knock on her office door. "Come on in," she called to whoever was knocking.
"Hi, Mildred, you wanted to see us?" Renée Martel said as she and Claire Lepage stepped through the front door into the office.
"I did, and I'm actually glad you came by when you did," Mildred said. "There's a couple of people here who came to the office to see me for a couple of reasons, and one of them has to do with you, Renée. One of them said she knows you from teaming with you up in Canada three years ago when you were starting out, and the other said she wanted to meet you after hearing about you from the first. They're both over in the gym working out a little right now, so I'll bring you to meet them."
"One of them knows me?" Renée said as a thought occurred to her as she, Claire and Mildred cut through the front office and into the training gym. "If it's who I think it is..."
When the ladies arrived in the gym where some of Mildred's wrestlers were sparring to keep in practice, Mildred called on someone who was observing the sparring sessions from outside the ring. When the woman turned around, Renée gasped with surprise as she recognized her right away. "Joyce?" Renée said upon seeing Joyce Grable near the ring.
"Renée!" Joyce said, pleased to see Renée as she walked over and gave her a hug. "Long time, no see - and it looks like you've changed a little since I saw you last," she added, taking note of Renée's hair.
"Yeah, changing my hair color and style was at a friend's suggestion for my protection after what happened to me in Truro three years ago, but I've come to like it," Renée said with a grin, "and the hair salon I frequent back home in Montreal likes my business."
After having a laugh over Renée's comment, Joyce asked, "So how've you been doing in the ring since we last teamed up? I also heard you were taking part in a tournament recently."
"I did," Renée said. "That was the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament. It's all part of the slow buildup I've worked my way through since I started. But how about you, now - how've you been doing and what brought you up this way?"
"Ah, just going along my merry ol' way working under Fabulous Moolah - at least until last night," Joyce explained. "That connects to why I'm here too. A friend of mine and I both quit Moolah last night and came up here because I remembered Mildred training you and we wanted to talk with her - plus, I wanted to see you and was hoping you'd still be in town."
"They told me about why they came up and I showed them this morning's copy of the Los Angeles Times," Mildred said. "I found out about that tournament Moolah put on down in San Diego just before Joyce and her friend came, then they told me about the reasons Moolah held the tournament - and Joyce even told me she found out that Moolah was the one who orchestrated that attack on you by that masked woman last week, Renée. They both objected to Moolah's reasoning and they walked out on her near the end of the event."
Renée was in disbelief over what she had just heard. "So it was Moolah who set up that attack on me?" she said, sounding clearly displeased.
"And she knew what she was doin' when she staged that attack," a voice said, coming from Renée's right. "Hi, I'm Ann Casey," the newcomer greeted Renée as the latter turned to see who was talking. "Joyce has told me quite a bit about you - Renée Martel, right?"
"Oh, hi," a surprised Renée said with a slight giggle as she shook hands with Ann. "Yep, that's me."
"I figured out why Moolah had you attacked and why she staged her tournament, both this year and last year, in direct competition with Mildred's events," Ann said to Renée, "and they both had to do with you. Moolah sees you as competition and she reacted the way she does with any girl wrestler she sees as competition to her - she becomes jealous and paranoid and she sees the competiton as a threat to her spot at the top of women's wrestling, so she resorts to whatever measures she needs to to draw attention away from her rivals and back to herself."
"Oh, c’est incroyable!" a stunned Claire, who had been listening to Ann's story while standing with Renée, said in French in reaction.
"Huh?" Ann, who did not speak French, then asked.
"Oh, I was saying it's unbelievable, what Moolah did," Claire said with an embarrassed laugh. "Hi, I'm Claire Lepage - I'm a friend of Renée's," she then introduced herself.
"Hi, Claire, nice to meet you," Ann said as she and Claire shook hands.
"You and Claire both have a point regarding Moolah, though," Mildred then said. "On top of what she tried to have done to Renée last week, now I know that Moolah deliberately set up her tournament in my backyard to try to undermine my tournament and create confusion with the fans. I've already had a few phone calls from San Diego this morning complaining about what happened down there last night, and the callers thought I had something to do with promoting that event until I had to set them straight."
"Yeah, I might've had something to do with those complaints," Ann pointed out. "I was booked to win the tournament and face Moolah in the main event afterward, but after I had it out with Moolah backstage over the things she was doing and Joyce confronted her about Renée, that's when we walked out on Moolah before the main event. I don't know what she did afterward because Joyce and I didn't stick around to find out - we left the arena to go back to our motel, then we checked out and left before Moolah and the other girls returned and that's when we came up to L.A."
Renée shook her head and sighed over all she had heard, wondering what she had done that would put a target on her back where Fabulous Moolah was concerned. "So what do we do now?" she asked.
"Well, since I share the Los Angeles territory with the LeBells," Mildred stated, speaking of the owners of Worldwide Wrestling Associates, "and since San Diego is part of that territory, I have to call them and let them know what happened, assuming they haven't already seen this morning's paper. Then, I have to give Sam* a call and see what he says..."**
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* Sam Muchnick, the President of the NWA from 1950 to 1960 and again from 1963 to 1975.
** Even though she is the NWA World Women's Champion at this point, by staging her women's tournament within the AGWA and WWA's shared territory on the same night as the final night of the Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, Fabulous Moolah, for all intents and purposes, had put on an "outlaw show" in direct competition with the AGWA, which - unknown to Moolah - had obtained NWA membership ITTL shortly after its formation, finally allowing Mildred Burke to get the NWA membership she had sought but originally been denied in the 1950s thanks to the manipulations of Billy Wolfe. How Moolah's incursion into enemy territory gets handled will be covered in an upcoming chapter.
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Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament II - Night Four @ Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
February 6, 1968 - Los Angeles, California
Attendance - 16,340
NOTE: Highlights from the tournament matches and the championship matches were taped to air on AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling on the weekend of February 10.
Handicap match
Baby Rocco dominated the majority of her match with Kathy Starr and Lita Marez as she put her size and strength advantage to use to squash her opponents before she big splashed Marez for the pinfall win.
Barbara Walker & Claire Lepage defeated Jane Sherill & Patty O'Hara when Walker and Lepage double-dropkicked O'Hara to allow Walker to get the pin on O'Hara while Lepage prevented Sherill from interfering.
Sally Vega defeated Tonette Kadrmas by pinfall by reversing a rollup pin attempt by Kadrmas and pinning her shoulders to the mat. Post-match, Kadrmas, not happy about the outcome, clotheslined Vega from behind as she got her arm raised in victory and stomped on her a few times before the referee intervened and pulled her away, then Kadrmas ran to one of the turnbuckles, jumped onto the second and raised her arms as she taunted the booing fans.
AGWA Television Championship
Judy Arnold © defeated Diane Syverson (with Mae Young) when Arnold caught Syverson with a cross-bodyblock for the pin, but controversy erupted post-match when Syverson and Young both claimed that Syverson's left foot was on the bottom rope as Arnold had her pinned. After a review of the match ending via instant replay a few minutes later, the referee ruled that a rematch for the title would be held next week.
Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, West Division - Semifinals
Renée Martel overcame the size advantage of Jan Vallow and defeated her by submission with the Alligator Clutch.
Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament, East Division - Semifinals
Margot Bouchard (with Mae Young) defeated Earlene Brown in what would seem, on paper, to be an upset as Bouchard was outweighed by 100 pounds by the 250-pound Brown, the ex-Olympian, who dominated a good part of the match (although Bouchard, with help from some distractions of the referee by Young, would get a few licks in against Brown during the match); after making a comeback and delivering a few forearm shots against Bouchard, Brown Irish whipped her opponent to the ropes, only for Bouchard to go over the top rope and to the floor, which the ref caught and called for the bell to disqualify Brown. Post-match, Dick Lane, the play-by-play announcer for AGWA Women's Pro Wrestling (as well as pulling double duty calling the action for Worldwide Wrestling Associates' Wrestling at the Olympic) interviewed Bouchard and Young at ringside as Lane accused Bouchard of throwing herself over the top rope on purpose to try to get Brown disqualified, which Bouchard vehemently denied while telling Renée Martel that she would now be coming for her in the tournament final.
NWA North American Women's Championship
Joan Weston © had her hands full against the determined challenge of Shirley Hardman (with Mae Young), but overcame the seeming two-on-one disadvantage as Weston used the shoulderbreaker on Hardman to get the three-count and retain her title.
Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament - Final
In the final of the tournament, Renée Martel went up against Margot Bouchard (with Mae Young) in the long-awaited battle between the two archrivals. Martel, the runner-up in last year's inaugural tournament who had been the victim of a surprise attack by a masked assailant following her quarterfinal match last week, had the fans solidly behind her, but she knew there would be no time for her to soak up those cheers as she had to focus on Bouchard's challenge while also needing to keep one eye on Young. Bouchard was hesitant to lock up with Martel and got the fans on her case when she tried stalling. When Bouchard finally did, Martel was able to tie her up in the ropes. Frustrated, Bouchard complained to the referee, as did Young when she got up on the ring apron. When they locked up again, Bouchard used her size and strength advantage to catch Martel in a tight headlock. Martel struggled to work her way free, and when she did, she taught Bouchard a wrestling lesson. Martel grabbed her arm and began applying pressure. Bouchard couldn't free herself from Martel's grip. The technically superior Martel then took Bouchard to the mat and applied a tight hammerlock on her left arm. Martel, the second-generation star, looked like she was in control of the match when she rolled up Bouchard in a pinning position on the mat, but Bouchard powered out before the referee could count three.
Bouchard was determined not to let her popular blonde opponent embarrass her, and she worked over Renée's left arm with arm wringers. She then caught Martel in a front headlock, and Martel dropped to one knee. Bouchard used her strength and superior leverage to wear Martel down. With Renée on the mat, Bouchard cranked her headlock on tighter. At times, Young distracted the referee by claiming Martel was trying to pull Bouchard's hair to force a break of the headlock, allowing Bouchard to take further advantage to weaken Martel by turning the headlock into a choke while the referee was distracted arguing with Young. With the capacity crowd in the Memorial Sports Arena yelling their support, Martel refused to quit. She worked her way back to her feet and backed Bouchard into the turnbuckle. When Bouchard broke the hold, Martel landed a series of chops to her chest.
Bouchard came back strong and landed some blows of her own, then caught Martel and positioned her for a piledriver, but the referee warned Bouchard that she would be disqualified if she executed the move. As Bouchard argued with the referee about the piledriver attempt, Martel turned the match in her favor when she surprised Bouchard with a big back bodydrop. Still, Bouchard turned the match around again by using strength and some well-timed rulebreaking, aided by Young distracting the referee, to further wear down Martel and dominate the contest. As Bouchard scooped up Martel for a bodyslam attempt, Earlene Brown, whom Bouchard had cheated her way past to get to the final, showed up at ringside and started arguing with her semifinal opponent. Taking advantage of the distraction, Renée rolled up Bouchard with a small package and put her shoulders to the mat for the count of three, getting the fans on their feet as they cheered loudly and excitedly with Martel's victory.
Following the match, Bouchard, angry over the distraction by Brown costing her the match, rolled out to ringside and resumed her argument with Brown before the two women started brawling their way back to the locker room area while several referees and arena security tried to break them up. Moments after Martel got her arm raised in victory as the fans cheered, Mildred Burke got into the ring to present Martel with the Mildred Burke Invitational Trophy and a big bouquet of flowers for her tournament win, then Claire Lepage, Barbara Walker, Sally Vega, Joan Weston and last year's tournament winner Judy Arnold came in to join the celebration. After being handed the house mic by the ring announcer following his announcement that she would face Ann Calvello for her United States title next week, Renée thanked the fans for their support throughout the tournament, then particularly thanked the one who made it possible for all the girls currently on the AGWA roster, and for all women wrestlers in general, to be able to compete in the ring at a high level and on par with the men - Mildred Burke herself, drawing a standing ovation from the fans that lasted several minutes.
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Prediction results: (Thanks to all who made their predictions for this card)
Lord Byron - 6/6
Herrbear - 5/6
The Blonde Bomber - 3/6
All-time prediction results:
Herrbear - 71/100
Lord Byron - 32/46
The Blonde Bomber - 19/25
Hitman74 - 10/12
Theheel - 7/10
Dalton - 6/6
auto45 - 5/6
Sco_xY2Jx - 2/6
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The Mildred Burke Invitational Tournament results will be posted soon (I'm still working on a writeup for the tournament final), but in the meantime, here are some YouTube clips involving three of the event's participants:
(not dated, but probably from 1973) -
First time predictor here, and I don't know how well I'll do with my predictions, but joshi puroresu is keeping the spirit of women's wrestling alive in the present day both IRL and ITTL, so here goes:
R1. AZM vs MIRAI
R1. KAIRI vs Koguma
R1. Mina Shirakawa vs Syuri
R1. Mei Hoshizuki vs Tam Nakano
R1. Maika vs Unagi Sayaka
R1. Natsupoi vs Saki Kashima
R1. Hazuki vs Momo Kohgo
R1. Natsuko Tora vs Starlight Kid
-
Backstage at the San Diego International Sports Center following the final of the Women's Classic Tournament, Fabulous Moolah was getting ready for the main event, her NWA World Women's title defence against tournament winner Ann Casey, when Ann came through the curtains into the staging area, carrying the keys for the Oldsmobile Cutlass she had won. "What's this, Moolah?" a displeased Ann snapped as she stopped in front of Moolah and held up the keys. "Is this your idea of a joke?"
"Well, darlin', I'da figured you'd be pleased about gettin' a car as part of your prize for winnin' the tournament," Moolah replied as she adjusted her championship belt.
"That ain't the point," Ann said. "You've been makin' promises for the last couple of years that at some point, I'd get a run with your title. You kept makin' those promises to keep me on your payroll, but you never followed through on them, just like you kept promisin' the moon on paydays but never followed through."
"What? You get paid decently enough," Moolah said.
"Only after you collect the pay from the promoters first and cut yourself in on a piece of the action," Ann then stated.
"Ever hear of booker's fees?" Moolah retorted, leading Ann to curse incredulously.
"I ain't buyin' it, Moolah," Ann replied. "And now you want to ensure my loyalty by bribin' me with a new car while promisin' me the moon again with a title run that I know ain't comin'?"
"And what about the thrill of the chase?" Moolah said. "Ann, you gotta realize that the fans love the thrill of the chase when a challenger pursues the championship - that's what makes it all the better when the challenger eventually wins the title."
"And that's just another excuse for not deliverin' on your promises when you keep puttin' off the eventual climax of that chase," Ann said.
"You're not the only one who's had that problem," a voice spoke from behind Ann, who turned around and saw Joyce Grable, who had just finished getting dressed after coming from the locker room showers, walk up to where she and Moolah were standing. "You promised I'd get a title run, either with your title or with some regional belt, but you have yet to come through," Joyce then said to Moolah.
"So what are you so worried about?" Moolah said. "Your time'll come to have a title run soon enough."
"Like when, when I'm ready to collect Social Security?" Joyce quipped. "Oh, and another thing - what's this I heard about you 'teaching' Renée Martel a lesson last week?"
"What you're talking about?" Moolah said, starting to look slightly worried.
"I overheard you from out in the hallway when you were in your personal dressing room earlier," Joyce pointed out. "You were talking with someone about something that happened involving Renée last week in Los Angeles. I heard you mention sending someone to infiltrate an event in L.A. where Renée was wrestling and to have that someone attack her."
"You must've been hearin' things," Moolah said, attempting to deny Joyce's accusation. "I said no such thing while I was in my dressing room."
"Your door was open slightly and I could hear you say Renée's name clearly and what you had done to her," Joyce pointed out. "I don't even understand why you'd go and target Renée like you're doing."
"And how exactly does this concern y'all anyway?" Moolah demanded to know.
"Because I happen to like Renée and consider her a friend," Joyce stated. "I teamed with her back when me and Cora Combs toured up in Canada back in 1965, that's how I got to know her."
"And I think I know why Moolah's doing what you said she's doing," Ann said to Joyce about Renée. "She sees your friend as a threat, same as with any girl in the business who's better skilled, better looking and more popular than she is and who she doesn't or can't control. I've also heard something about the event she's in - it's a tournament being presented by Mildred Burke up in L.A."
A stunned Joyce then looked back to Moolah. "So that's why you're really putting on this tournament?" Joyce said in disbelief. "You're doing this to sabotage a rival event in its own backyard so you can keep the spotlight on yourself and distract from a rival? It was never really about your wrestlers, was it - it was all about you and what you could do to screw over your competition!"
"You're both crazy," Moolah said, still in denial mode but now becoming more worried about the truth coming to light. "Why would I do something like that?"
Ann simply gave Moolah a wooden look. "I think we've learned all we need to know," she said while glancing at Joyce for a moment before looking back to Moolah. "Here, you can have your Oldsmobile back - we're done," she then added as she took the Oldsmobile keys and dropped them on the arena floor at Moolah's feet, then she and Joyce turned around and walked away, headed back for their lockers to get their gear and then leave the arena.
"ANN! JOYCE! Get back here! I ain't done talkin' to y'all yet!" Moolah yelled as she started to pursue her two stars - only to stop in her tracks the moment she heard the ring announcer start the introductions for the main event. Realizing the show had to go on one way or the other, Moolah was left with no choice but to make her way out to the ring amid the boos and catcalls of the hostile anti-Moolah crowd, deciding on the fly what she would do to salvage the main event as soon as she stepped through the ropes.
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As Moolah was doing her thing back at the arena, Ann and Joyce were already on their way in Ann's car to the motel where the wrestlers were staying, having decided not to stick around for the remainder of the card as Ann was sure she and Joyce would most likely not get paid their night's purse by Moolah for their act of rebellion. "So, what do we do now?" Joyce asked.
"Well, first thing we're gonna do is check out of our rooms and cut out," Ann replied. "We're sure not gonna stick around to get hassled by Moolah, Toni and/or Donna over what we did and said. Way I see it, it's a safe bet that the two of us are done with Moolah - now the question is, where do we go from here?"
An idea quickly dawned on Joyce. "We could head up to L.A. and get in touch with Mildred Burke," she suggested. "I know she was the one who trained Renée, so it sure can't hurt to give it a shot."
After thinking about it a moment, Ann shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not?" she said with a smirk. "After we check out at the motel, we'll go gas up at a service station and head on up." Joyce smiled, pleased that she would get to meet Renée's mentor and hopefully, if she was still in town, get to see Renée for the first time in nearly three years.
Rise of a Star
in Total Extreme Wrestling 2020 Dynasties
Posted
April 1968
At the Hart house in Calgary, Marcel Martel and Stu Hart were discussing a match Stu had Marcel booked for as the main event for an upcoming Stampede Wrestling show while they were seated at the dining room table. "Okay, so what's your opinion on Archie after facing him around the circuit in non-title bouts over the last week?" Stu asked regarding Archie "Stomper" Gouldie*, Stampede's North American Heavyweight Champion.
"I'll tell you, Stu, he's one tough young kid," Marcel admitted. "I heard he already had some success down in Kansas City and San Francisco, and with how he's doing here now, he's got a real future ahead of him. He works stiff too, but I don't mind because it really works to get the fans drawn in and invested in our matches, and his TV interviews and their intensity really get the fans going too."
"Well, he'll be glad to hear that," Stu said.
"Now I gotta ask, when he's available, you think I could get him to come over to Montreal to do a program?" Marcel then asked. "We could do an angle and a feud around my Canadian Heavyweight title over there, see what he can do to draw crowds there."
"You could talk to Archie about that," Stu said, "but right now, he's really liking it here in Calgary with all the sold-out houses he's drawing around the territory, so I think it'd take some convincing to sell him on Montreal."
"I guess, but it sure can't hurt to ask," Marcel said with a chuckle. He then looked over to the living room where his daughter Renée, who had arrived in Calgary the day before to join her father on tour in Stampede, was playing with Stu and Helen Hart's youngest son Owen, helping him build towers with wooden blocks. "Looks like Owen's having fun over there with Renée," he pointed out to Stu as he watched Owen, who would be turning three years old on May 7, put another block on top of a stack of blocks he was building up, with Renée pointing out where to put them.
"I've noticed," Stu said. "He gets along great with her, he has ever since they first met."
Just then, Helen came into the dining room. "Well, the girls' laundry is all folded up and put away," she reported to Stu. "I'll go get Diana and Owen and put them down for their naps so I can get started on the books."
"Sure, go ahead," Stu said.
When Helen went to get Diana, who was in another part of the living room playing with one of her dolls, and Owen for their afternoon naps, Owen, realizing he was about to be taken up to his room for his nap, protested. "Come on, Owen, you know it's your naptime," the Hart family matriarch said to her youngest offspring.
"No! No wanna nap," little Owen said. "I wanna play with Renée!"
Renée then had an idea. "Helen, would you mind if I took Owen and Diana upstairs?" she suggested. "I'll take them off your hands if you need me to."
"Ah, thank you, dear," Helen said, glad that she had that extra pair of hands in Renée. "That'd be great."
As Renée picked up Owen and took Diana with her to head upstairs to where the kids' bedrooms were, Stu called, "When you're done upstairs, Renée, come back down and join us here in the dining room, there's something we need to talk about."
"Okay, Stu, I won't be long," Renée said as she started up the stairs with the two youngest Hart kids.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A few minutes later, Renée returned downstairs to join Marcel, Stu and Helen in the dining room. "Did the kids give you any trouble upstairs?" Helen asked.
"Nope, not at all," Renée said with a grin. "Owen was especially good, thanks to me putting him to sleep with a lullaby."
"Well, now that that's settled, I got some news for you, Renée," Stu said to her as she took a seat at the dining table.
"Okay, what's that?" Renée said.
"Your dad was telling me last week about you winning Mildred Burke's tournament down in Los Angeles two months ago," Stu said. "He said you did really well at the tournament and during the house shows Mildred put on down in Nevada and Arizona."
"Yeah, I did alright down there," Renée admitted. "I had to work for it, but that was okay."
"And that's where my news comes in," Stu said. "I'd been planning this for a couple of months anyway, but after hearing about your performance down in L.A., I'm gonna let you in on it - I brought you over to Calgary for this coming week because I'm entering you in a tournament this Friday at the Pavilion to decide the first Canadian Women's Champion."
Renée gasped at hearing the news. "Really?" she said in amazement.
"That's right," Stu said. "I figured that after hearing about L.A., you're ready for a bigger push, and this tournament's the start of that push."
"Oh, that's great - thanks, Stu, thank you very much," a pleased Renée said, happy to hear the news and glad to know that Stu had enough confidence in her to take her to the next level on the road to wrestling stardom.
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* Archie "Stomper" Gouldie, a multiple-time North American Heavyweight Champion in Stampede Wrestling and one of the biggest stars in the promotion's history, was best known to American wrestling fans (particularly in the Southeast) as the Mongolian Stomper and also had a great deal of success with that gimmick in the Southeastern territories (including in Jerry Lawler's CWA, Southeastern/Continental Championship Wrestling and Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling).