angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 "The AWA roster throughout the 1970s and early 1980s was a virtual who's who in professional wrestling. By 1983, Gagne had assembled the largest and deepest roster in the business, featuring everyone from stalwarts like Nick Bockwinkel, Mad Dog Vachon, and Baron Von Raschke, to up and comers like Hulk Hogan, Jerry Blackwell, Rick Martel, and Curt Hennig." -Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Wrestling_Association#1986-1991:_The_downfall_of_the_AWA For many years, the American Wrestling Association was the training ground for future superstars. Therefore it is a wonder that as we near 1991, the AWA is slowly reaching toward going under. Ticket sales have been lower and lower and Verne Gagne's money has been slowly dwindling down toward oblivion. It also doesn't help that the WWF and WCW have poached most of the talent from the AWA, including the latest signing for WCW: 'The Living Legend' Larry Zbyszko. In December of 1990, Gagne's money has dwindled into debt and it looks like the AWA is going to become a casualty of that debt. That is, unless, someone can step in and become the savior and purchase the company before Verne has to do the ultimate disgrace and sell out the company's rights to Vince McMahon, one of the top men who stole wrestlers from Verne's company, including the top draw of the 1980's: Hulk Hogan. Witness the rebirth of the AWA. http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/AWA.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 "The rich man is always sold to the institution which makes him rich. Absolutely speaking, the more money, the less virtue.” -Henry David Thoreau Verne Gagne was on the verge of bankruptcy. His company that he had built for so long, the American Wrestling Association, had lost that midas touch that he had for so long within the early 1980's. So many of the superstars that travelled through the AWA turned to gold later on and even some within their time spent in the AWA. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Road Warriors, The Freebirds, The Rockers, they all spent some time within the AWA. But Verne's son Greg did not have the touch with booking that he had and the company began to fade and fall into mediocrity. The lowest point in the company occuring in November of 1989 with the 'Turkey On A Pole' match. By late 1990, most of the wrestlers had left the AWA with only a handful of loyalists remaining who basically had nowhere to go: Baron Von Raschke Buck Zumhofe D.J. Peterson Del Wilkes (The Patriot) Ed Wiskowski (Col. DeBeers) Eric Bischoff Jake 'The Milkman' Milliman Joe Blanchard Mike Enos Mr. Saito Wahoo McDaniel Wayne Bloom And of course Verne and Greg Gagne themselves remained within their company. Those were the only two who technically weren't costing the company any money with a contract. Instead, they were losing money with each show they promoted, shooting several shows in an empty arena because they couldn't fill the seats. Away from the world of the AWA, an indy wrestler was making a very good living on the independent scene. This man had become indepedently wealthy as a result of some very good business investments and wrestled because of his love for the sport, especially as it pertains to the history of the sport. Due to his fortune within the stock market and other things, this man has amassed enough money that he has a meeting with Verne and Greg Gagne on December 1st 1990 to speak about a possible purchase of the AWA. I am Jack's successful dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 "The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." -Benjamin Disraeli The meeting which took place between this man, Jack Avatar, and Verne and Greg Gagne went about as well as anyone could expect it to. Verne and Greg were both given lifetime contracts as long as they wished to have them and Jack was given the majority ownership of the company. Verne and Greg were both still investors and had a small say in how things were run but for the most part this was now going to be Jack's dream come true. It is his opportunity for success or for failure. Due to the image of the product and how it had fallen into the sewer, Jack made the announcement that the AWA would not be broadcasting anything within the month of January, the beginning of 1991. They would be 'going dark.' During this time, Jack would be evaluating the talent roster he wished to have and possibly resetting the product that he wishes to make the AWA go into. Coming soon: The AWA's Return Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyKnuckles Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Sounds good, I'll be reading this for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad5226 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I really like the little quotes you're using. It adds to the diary nicely. It will be nice to see how you go about turning this company around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Sounds good, I'll be reading this for sure. Thanks! It's always good to have a reader. Feel free to send in some feedback any time. I really like the little quotes you're using. It adds to the diary nicely. It will be nice to see how you go about turning this company around Thanks your way as well! I hoped the quotes would do just that. And it won't be easy righting this ship. The initial roster isn't exactly filled with a 'who's who' of wrestling here and the AWA starts out as a Cult fed. I also deleted the tv show they had so I could go dark for the first month and shipped off Larry Zbyszko to WCW like he did in r/l. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexa90 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 You know that I will be reading this put please tell me that you're not finished with the USPW diary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 You know that I will be reading this put please tell me that you're not finished with the USPW diary Nope. Not done with my USPW diary but I do like to have a real world diary going at the same time for when I feel like dabbling in the real world. Gonna kinda go back and forth with these two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 The initial signing within the Jack Avatar era is one that he considers to be a major signing. This man has wrestled all over the world, including Canada, Mexico and Japan. He is most known for his technical wrestling skill though he can also brawl and fly with the best of them. Introducing to the American Wrestling Association: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/ChrisBenoit1995.jpg 'The Crippler' Chris Benoit! The second signing by Jack Avatar is another New Japan Pro Wrestling talent. He has also wrestled in Mexico and in Japan, honing his skills for an American debut. He will get that chance here in the American Wrestling Association. Introducing: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/Eddie_Guerrero8.jpg EDDIE GUERRERO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 This next signing is one that Jack considers almost his crown jewel so far. This man is a former AWA World Tag Team Champion. After several unsuccessful shots at the AWA World Title he left and went to hone his skills in the NWA. And now he appears poised for a successful return here to the AWA. Returning is none other than: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/Scott_Hall7.jpg 'BIG' SCOTT HALL! Following Scott Hall's return will be the debut of a British aristocrat. He made his pro wrestling debut at the wee age of fifteen years. He has wrestled all over the United Kingdom and now comes to the AWA to make his American debut: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/StevenRegal.jpg 'LORD' STEVEN REGAL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 The AWA has been home to some great tags over the years: The Road Warriors, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Destruction Crew, among others. In this great tag team tradition comes another team that blends speed and power together into a lethal combination of youth and energy. With a tag team finisher that has to be seen to be believed: Introducing to the AWA fans: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/JohnKronus.jpghttp://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/PerrySaturn.jpg JOHN KRONUS AND PERRY SATURN THE ELIMINATORS! Speaking of new tag teams, another team has signed on to be a part of the AWA tradition. This is a dangerous team who has wrestled briefly within the World Wrestling Federation. They also bring their lethal Super Bomb to the AWA. Introducing: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/AnthonyDurante.jpghttp://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/GaryWolfe.jpg ANTHONY DURANTE AND GARY WOLFE THE PITBULLS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Jack Avatar stepped up and made another coup in capturing another former AWA superstar! This man is a former AWA World Tag Team Champion with Ken Patera and a former top contender for the AWA World Heavyweight Title. He has been known as the Mountain From Stone Mountain and as The Crusher. Bringing back to the AWA: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/JerryBlackwell.jpg 'THE CRUSHER' JERRY BLACKWELL! This next signing was the 3rd Runner Up as Rookie of the Year in Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1990! He had a chance to compete within the NFL but decided to pursue wrestling instead. He is descended from the Lumbee Native American tribe... http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/ChrisChavis.jpg 'THE WAR EAGLE' CHRIS CHAVIS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Our next wrestler is known as the Iceman for his cold, stoic demeanor. He is a very gifted technical wrestler and a second generation superstar also wrestling in Japan. But he has come back to America to partake in the revolution that is the AWA. Introducing to AWA fans... http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/DeanMalenko.jpg 'THE ICEMAN' DEAN MALENKO! Another tag team has been brought on board here in the AWA. Both of these men graduated from the famous Hart Family Dungeon in Canada so they both have a pedigree to become future superstars. Introducing to the AWA family... http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/ChrisJericho.jpghttp://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/LanceStorm.jpg CHRIS JERICHO AND LANCE STORM THE THRILLSEEKERS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BYU 14 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Good luck with this, I will be following. It is tough financially to compete in 1991 with a reborn promotion as I found out with my resurrection of Georgia. I'll be pulling for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Good luck with this, I will be following. It is tough financially to compete in 1991 with a reborn promotion as I found out with my resurrection of Georgia. I'll be pulling for you. Thanks! I've enjoyed your resurrection of GA as well! And while I'm posting I wanted to say that I'm gonna cut down on the contract announcements here and move more toward the meat and potatos approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldschool Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I 've enjoyed all your work and obviously I'm a sucker for nostalgia... Here's hoping your roster stays alive long enough (5 dead and 3 could be deads ;-) for you to be succesful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 While watching your television set, a commercial comes on, showing some various wrestling clips while these words are spoken over the top. ...So many have passed through these hallowed halls... ...Names like Nick Bockwinkel, Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, The Road Warriors, The Fabulous Freebirds and more... ...And now all of you shall be witnesses.... ...You all shall be witnesses to the return of one of the greatest starting places in wrestling history... ...AWA REBIRTH... ...Coming In February... http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/shawkes/AWA/AWA.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angeldelayette Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 I 've enjoyed all your work and obviously I'm a sucker for nostalgia... Here's hoping your roster stays alive long enough (5 dead and 3 could be deads ;-) for you to be succesful! I am definitely hoping that most of my roster stays alive. lol. But I know what you mean. Thanks for reading, though! And feel free to drop a comment any time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D16NJD16 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Dead or? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.