[Hype] 1985: Rise of the Territories

[justtxyank]

1984: Alone in his office on September 15th, 1984, Vincent Kennedy McMahon hung up his phone. The answer was yes. It was hard to get elated by the answer but at least it was something. He'd used his father's name one last time to get what he needed. So much for making it on his own he thought.

 

He opened the file on his desk and looked at the numbers. They weren’t pretty. Down 20% since he took over the company from his father. His talks with NBC were laughed off. His negotiations for a closed circuit viewing of a major event had failed miserably. The Wrestling Observer had downgraded his promotion’s top title from World Title status to regional title. Worse, his competition was fierce and met him at every turn. “How could it come to this?” he thought aloud. He’d had such big plans. He was going to change wrestling in America. He was going to bring about The Death of the Territories. Instead…well, instead it was this.

 

The moment of weakness and humility passed and turned to anger. He may have had to use his father's name to bail him out this time, but he was determined. He was going to turn this ship around. “1985 will be THE year” he said as he stormed to the door, ready to go home. He stopped, with his hand on the door knob. The weakness and frustration returned for a moment.

 

“How the hell DID it come to this?”

 

He distinctly remembered the feeling he had when he took over the company in 1982. Dreams of a wrestling mania sweeping over the nation with the WWF at the forefront were dancing in his head. Instead, here he was calling his father's old hand for help as he helplessly watched The Rise of The Territories.

 

 

 

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[justtxyank]

The Hulk & The Funk Brothers

1970's: In the late 1970s, a young worker named Terry Bollea was wrestling in the Alabama territory with good fried Ed Leslie as the Boulder Brothers. While there, the duo caught the eye of promoter Jerry Jarrett and they were signed up to work in Memphis for the CWA. During his time in Memphis, Bollea was set to do a radio spot with the star of the television series The Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno. At the last minute the spot was cancelled as Bollea was asked by Leslie to come to a breakfast meeting to pursue a business opportunity presented to him by Terry Funk who was preparing to go on tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling. Funk and his brother Dory, Jr. had been asked by AJPW promoter Giant Baba to put together a few good men to bring on the tour. Knowing that the Japanese wrestling audience wasn’t familiar with blonde hulking giants like Bollea, the Funk brothers believed he would be a perfect fit. On that day, instead of making his radio appearance, Bollea and Leslie took a conference call with the Funks and the American liaison for AJPW. By the end of the conversation it was settled…The Boulder Brothers were going to Japan. Seeing more star potential in Bollea than Leslie, the decision was made to work them as individuals while on the tour as opposed to a tag team. Bollea would work as Sterling Golden and Leslie would work as Brutus Boulder.

 

By the end of 1979, Bollea and Leslie were wrestling for All Japan Pro Wrestling.

 

Ichiban!

 

In Japan: Aided by his size and unique look, Sterling Golden became a sensation in Japan and easily the top drawing Gaijin as the decade turned. Nicknamed "Ichiban" by the Japanese fans which translated to "Number One", his star status skyrocketed when he won the Champion’s Carnival in 1981 and subsequently defeated Giant Baba for the PWF World Heavyweight Championship, the top title at the time in All Japan. As 1981 came to an end, Golden would also defeat Dory Funk, Jr. for the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, holding both titles as the calendar turned to 1982.

 

His success in Japan led to him getting coverage by wrestling magazines around the world, with Pro Wrestling Illustrated running a headline “The One That Got Away-The Golden Boy of Japan” in 1981. It was this coverage that led to Bollea getting a part in the ballyhooed film Rocky III in May of 1982, playing professional wrestler Thunderlips. The film was such a success that American wrestling promotions were falling all over themselves to bring Bollea back to America. With his popularity soaring, Giant Baba agreed to allow Golden to return to the United States for a showdown with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair as part of AJPW's continuing membership in the NWA. The bout was to billed as a title unification bout between the NWA World Champion and the NWA International Heavyweight Champion. The booking was clear; Golden and Flair would wrestle to a 30 minute time limit draw in Charlotte and Flair would then do a trip to Japan where the two men would again wrestle to a time limit draw followed by a series of tag team contests that would see both men score pinfall victories over the other.

 

July 1982: Sterling Golden arrives in Charlotte in advance of his much anticipated bout with Flair. He meets with Flair and Crockett to discuss the promotion of the match. In the meeting, Crockett makes an unexpected proposal to Golden to leave AJPW and join Jim Crockett Promotions, currently running shows under the Mid-Atlantic banner, on a full time basis. The payoff was a victory over Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, making him the PWF World Champion, the NWA International Heavyweight Champion and the NWA World Heavyweight Champion all at once. Golden declined, wishing to remain loyal to Baba who had treated him so well since 1979. Crockett was disappointed that his recruiting pitch had failed and was skeptical of whether Golden's loyalty to Baba played a factor or whether he just wanted more money. Either way, the three men left the meeting all on the same page. Flair would get all of his spots, Golden would get to turn on the offense and the two would end up going toe to toe until the bell rang. Golden spent the next month hyping up his match with Flair for the coming August. Golden was booked as a heel, playing off the Thunderlips persona of Rocky III. The crowds were enthralled with Sterling Golden, and despite Ric Flair playing the face at the time, they found it difficult to boo the hulking Golden.

 

Once you start down the dark path…

 

June 6th, 1982: Vincent Kennedy McMahon, under the corporate name Titan Sports, purchased the World Wide Wrestling Federation from his father Vincent McMahon, Sr. and fellow shareholders Gorilla Monsoon, Arnold Skaaland and Phil Zacko. At the time of the purchase, the WWWF was in a precarious state. Despite being one of the most profitable territories in the United States, a handful of factors had led to somewhat of a decline. Among them was Bob Backlund’s refusal to defend the WWWF title throughout the United States against top contenders. This led the WWWF title to be downgraded from a world title to a regional title by the well respected Wrestling Observer. Additionally, the Backlund era was wearing thin with fans and the time seemed to be at hand for a change. Almost immediately upon taking over, the younger McMahon changed the promotion’s name to the World Wrestling Federation and started a program to take his company national, undermining the long held rules of the territories. His campaign began with talent poaching; something that while irritating wasn’t enough in itself to derail the fragile balance in the United States. The great offense came later: Using the distribution arm Coliseum Video, McMahon began to work to release tapes of his stars around the country including matches where WWF stars had defeated regional stars at events never meant to be shown locally. He also began to poach some of the higher profile stars in other promotions and sign them to exclusive contracts, a foreign concept for the time period. Aware that the NWA was about to put on a Super Card pitting the international superstar Sterling Golden against NWA Champion Ric Flair, McMahon panicked. Upon his arrival to Charlotte, McMahon contacted Golden and arranged a meeting. While still early in the process, McMahon’s attempts to rapidly grow his company began to set off alarm bells for a few promoters throughout the country. With the right superstar to build his company around, McMahon believed he could deal a death blow to his competition before they ever had an opportunity to mount their defense...

 

August 14th, 1982: Sterling Golden arrives in New York for a few days off of his promotional tour. The main purpose of this trip is to meet with Sylvester Stallone about another cameo in a future film and then work a skit with David Letterman, but he has also agreed to meet with WWF promoter Vince McMahon, Jr. He is weighed down by guilt about making the meeting without approval from Baba, but he figures he owes it to himself to at least listen. At the meeting, McMahon offers Sterling Golden a position with the WWF, offering to make him the centerpiece of his national expansion plans. He pitches an idea to have Bob Backlund drop the world title to The Iron Sheik and then turn Golden into an American hero by going over The Sheik. Ultimately, Golden decides to remain loyal to Baba. Sterling Golden rejected the offer but admitted he was tempted. The two men left the meeting on good terms, but McMahon was dejected. He had mapped out more than a year of bookings around the larger than life Golden. Still, he had been in contact with a number of prominent stars and believed that he could turn any one of them into a national icon. Besides, he wasn't sure this no meant no forever just yet...

 

Back in the Carolinas, Jim Crockett, Jr. hangs up the phone. He has just been tipped off that Sterling Golden has concluded a meeting with Vince McMahon up north on what was supposed to be a business trip. Aware that McMahon has been poaching talent for the past two months as well as violating many of the rules of the territory system, Crockett grows paranoid. Convinced that Sterling Golden was going to jump the WWF, Crockett knew what he had to do. He picked up the phone once again and dialed up his champion…

 

…forever will it dominate your destiny

 

August 22nd, 1982: Jim Crockett, Jr. Presents an NWA SuperCard in Charlotte, North Carolina pitting NWA International Heavyweight Champion Sterling Golden against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. The match has drawn even more attention than anticipated as many mainstream news outlets have given time to Sterling Golden’s trip to the United States due to his popularity from Rocky III. The height of the promotion for the match came in a segment on Late Night with David Letterman when Sterling Golden appeared “unadvertised” and in character to get into an argument with Sylvester Stallone about who the real star of Rocky III was. The segment ended with the two men engaging in an arm wrestling contest that neither man could win. Golden then talked about his match with Flair on air and told Stallone that when he was done with Fair, he was coming for Stallone! The segment was well received and added a tremendous amount of hype to the match. Ted Turner even opted to broadcast the match on TBS, against the objections of Jim Barnett of Georgia Championship Wrestling. When August 22nd arrived, the eyes of the wrestling world and much of the nation were watching Turner’s Superstation to see the international superstar clash with the flamboyant Flair. While this was great news for Crockett, Turner’s interest was less in Flair and the stars of the Mid-Atlantic and more in the drawing power of Sterling Golden.

 

As the men agreed to, Flair gets his usual spots in with Golden playing the bullying heel. The crowd seems unwilling to accept Golden as a heel and cheers every move. Throughout the match, Sterling Golden becomes distracted by Sylvester Stallone, who is the “ceremonial time keeper” for the match. The crowd erupts every time the two men have a war of words, seemingly wanting Stallone and Golden to get into a physical confrontation. Flair and Golden battle for 25 minutes, thrilling the North Carolina crowd with a bloody brawl. After missing Flair and nailing the referee with an Ax Bomber, Golden begins to blatantly cheat. He puts Flair on the ropes and chokes him with the middle rope which brings Stallone out of his seat to a major roar. With less than 30 seconds left before time runs out, Sterling Golden and Sylvester Stallone are barking at each other in the ring as the referee comes to. He orders Stallone out of the ring and Flair rolls up Sterling Golden in a planned spot. As planned, Golden waits for the two count and then kicks out. He gets to his feet and prepares to land a flurry of offense on Flair only to see Flair rolling out of the ring to the sound of a ringing bell. Sterling Golden stands in the ring stunned, unaware of what has just happened. He looks at his friend Sly Stallone who is also baffled. As Jim Crockett, Jr. escorts Ric Flair to the back while the ring announcer declares Ric Flair the winner and new NWA International Heavyweight Champion, it all becomes clear. Jim Crockett, Jr. and Ric Flair have just screwed Sterling Golden in the most watched wrestling event to date.

 

Sterling bolts from the ring for the back, furious, where he is met by Terry Funk who was working dates for Mid-Atlantic as well as AJPW at the time. Funk is livid and rushes Golden to a car outside with brother Dory Funk, Jr. and the three men head to the hotel. A few phone calls later and the NWA has set an urgent meeting for September 2nd, the first day that Bob Geigel can be available. A furious Giant Baba issues an ultimatum to the NWA board: the NWA International title change is to go unrecognized by the NWA with Crockett himself holding up the decision due to the fast count of the referee. Jim Crockett, Jr. is then to be removed as NWA president, Ric Flair is to be punished by dropping the NWA title to Baba loyalist Terry Funk and that Flair be forced to take a trip to Japan to job to Sterling Golden in a rematch in Tokyo to clarify the NWA International Title for the Japanese audience.

 

September 2nd, 1982 will be the most important date in the history of the NWA to date.

 

"A match dropped in a tinderbox…"

 

September 2nd, 1982: The meeting between the NWA directors is heated. Jim Crockett, Jr. is the sitting president, but he is also the subject of scorn at the meeting. Many of the NWA territories are livid at Crockett’s move to alienate Giant Baba and All Japan Pro Wrestling, not to mention that the screw job occurring on TBS has infuriated Ted Turner who had high hopes for Asian co-promotion on his network. Jim Barnett makes his position clear; in order for Georgia Championship Wrestling to maintain its position on the Turner network, the NWA must meet the demands of Giant Baba and severely sanction Crockett and the Mid-Atlantic. Seeing tremendous value in wrestling on cable television, Turner had hoped to promote further special events on his TBS network that would feature the massive draw that Sterling Golden had become. His orders to Barnett were to pacify Baba and get a rematch on TBS or pull out of the NWA. The alternative was Turner would look for a new partner for TBS, with Vince McMahon eagerly bidding for the time slot.

 

As the board members begin to murmur and vocally consider the presentation by Barnett, Jim Crockett, Jr. speaks up and makes his defense. Crockett explains to the members his reasoning for the decision; Sterling Golden, even though he worked in Japan, was becoming a sensation that was garnering attention here in the United States and threatened the prestige of the NWA. Crockett informed the board that he had reason to believe that Golden was on the verge of joining the WWF. This was not a statement to be taken lightly, and Crockett knew it. Everyone in the room knew of McMahon’s expansion plans. Everyone in the room had a worker who’d gotten the phone call from McMahon to go work up north. Everyone in the room had seen one of the videos distributed by Coliseum and knew there were many more on the way. The threat of the WWF was real to most of the NWA. Crockett goes on to explain that he tried everything to get Golden to jump to the NWA. He explains that he offered Golden a title victory over Flair and a lengthy run with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, an offer than Golden declined. This declination, Crockett explained, could be seen as nothing less than further proof that Golden was about to jump ship to the WWF. Crockett finished his remarks stating that it was absolutely imperative that the NWA champion Flair got a pinfall victory over Golden before the massive audience that Turner had provided before he jumped the World Wrestling Federation. Crockett’s position is clear; he has preemptively saved the NWA’s prestige by devaluing the Sterling Golden brand before Vince McMahon can capitalize on the marketability of the worker that has generated so much buzz in the States.

 

When Crockett is finished, Fritz Von Erich is the first to speak. Furious that Sterling Golden was offered a title reign when his own son David had been passed on by Crockett, Fritz Von Erich makes his offer to the NWA board and to Crockett; the NWA World Title goes to one of his boys and in return he votes with the majority, or else World Class is out of the alliance. Jim Crockett, Jr. refuses the proposal, emphatically insisting that the Texas territory is too far out of the main NWA territories to send the title to Dallas and also makes the statement that rumors of drug use among the Von Erich boys were a little more than alarming to the other promoters. Enraged, Fritz Von Erich pulls World Class out of the NWA and storms out of the meeting stating “All my boys need is Dallas anyway!”

 

The stunned meeting sat in silence for a moment when Bob Geigel looked at Crockett and spoke the words on everyone's mind: "Do you realize what you've done son? This whole damn thing is a match dropped in a tinderbox."

 

World Class was out, Georgia was potentially out and Crockett was being seen as the man who brought the whole thing to hell. In an effort to broker peace, Crockett agrees to a great number of concessions to the other NWA territories. To Memphis and Jerry Jarrett he cedes permanent control of the NWA Television Championship, the third ranked NWA singles title in the alliance, with the understanding that it would be defended exclusively in Memphis for their local television programming. The understanding is that the NWA, and the Mid-Atlantic in particular, will begin sending talent to Memphis to challenge for the title, always falling short. Additionally, Crockett gives Jerry Jarrett his word that the fast rising star Jerry Lawler will get a title reign before 1985. He also reluctantly accepts the appointment of Bob Geigel as the next NWA President and agrees not to oppose Geigel for the position for the next two years. Geigel was the promoter of the Central States territory and had recently purchased the St. Louis office from Sam Muchnick. Lastly, he agrees to allow Flair to work the majority of his dates for the remainder of 1982 outside of the Mid-Atlantic, including an agreement that Flair would work a series of matches in Florida against Dusty Rhodes. His concessions agreed to, the NWA majority votes to recognize the Flair-Golden match as an official title change, with the lone dissenter being Georgia. Crockett and Geigel work tirelessly to convince Barnett and the the Briscos to keep GCW in the alliance, but the decision is not there's to make. Disappointed with the outcome, Barnett withdraws Georgia from the NWA hoping to keep his promotion on TBS. As a result of the vote, Giant Baba follows through on his own threat and pulls AJPW out of the NWA. The NWA was suddenly down two important territories in America and had also lost their Japanese counterpart. Crockett left the meeting with a lot of hard feelings towards him evident in the room.

 

His job saved temporarily, Crockett still can see the meeting as nothing short of a defeat. With Geigel set to take over the NWA President’s chair, Crockett would have severely diminished power, and it was an almost certainty that Geigel would put Race over Flair for the title. Still, the numbers on the show were huge. Flair-Golden had drawn the largest crowd in Mid-Atlantic history and was the highest rated program in TBS history. Despite losing Georgia and the TBS contract, Crockett was convinced he would be able to get a major television deal when the networks had more time to review the TBS ratings. Additionally, the mainstream attention brought to his company by Sterling Golden’s foray into America could not be discounted. His promotion had been mentioned by name on network television shows as had his champion. If he could survive a term under Geigel, Jim Crockett, Jr. believed the Mid-Atlantic was poised to lead the American wrestling industry for the foreseeable future…

 

 

[justtxyank]

Knight to King 4...

 

Late 1982: The fallout from the Sterling Screw job was sending waves throughout the wrestling industry as 1982 came to a close. Vince McMahon began to panic as he saw the prestige of the Mid-Atlantic territory rise. His further attempts at recruiting Sterling Golden had been rebuffed, and there were rumors that he was disenchanted entirely with the wrestling industry. Desperate for an opening to grow his brand, Vince McMahon seized the opportunity when death and retirement struck the Portland territory of the NWA. Purchasing Pacific Northwest Wrestling in October of 1982, an NWA territory, Vince McMahon was proud to thump his chest at the other NWA promoters. Most onlookers found the purchase strange, however, as PNW was far from McMahon’s home territory and maintaining a presence in both the Northeast and the Northwest seemed a daunting challenge. Their observations would prove prophetic, as PNW would be a drain on the financial resources of the WWF for many years to come. One of the workers that McMahon acquired in the sale, Billy Jack Haynes, would prove to be a significant problem for McMahon, despite receiving a push upon his arrival.

 

November 9, 1982: Joe Blanchard pulls the Southwest territory out of the NWA, hoping that promoting as an independent promotion will give him a leg up on the other territories in his area. Additionally, he purchases the Houston territory from Paul Boesch, who is leaving the business due to failing health. The absorption of the Houston area should help SCW emerge as a major player in Texas.

 

November 16, 1982: Disenchanted with the wrestling business after the events in the Mid-Atlantic and worn out from the brutal wrestling style in Japan, Sterling Golden has informed Giant Baba that he wishes to discontinue his wrestling career and pursue a career in Hollywood with his friend Stallone. Baba is devastated but agrees. In a card that sells out in less than 20 minutes, Sterling Golden faces Giant Baba for the last time, dropping the PWF World Title in a 37-minute classic. The emotional sendoff for Golden is well received in Japan, and the match is considered an instant classic. Sterling fulfills his duty and leaves Japan on his back, making his way to Hollywood.

 

December 1982: Georgia Championship Wrestling is struggling. Despite the WCW broadcast slot on TBS, Georgia is seeing a decline in attendance without the NWA banner. Jim Crockett’s promotion is thriving in the Mid-Atlantic and there is a clamor that fans outside of Georgia are eager for a wrestling program alternative featuring Flair. Jim Barnett reaches out to Roddy Piper, working in Puerto Rico at the time, about a return to the Georgia territory. Piper returns and the promotion tries to rebuild itself around a Roddy Piper feud with Georgia star Paul Orndorff.

 

December 25th, 1982: World Class Championship Wrestling presents Christmas Star Wars to a sold out Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX. In an effort to get some payback against the NWA, AJPW has agreed to co-promote with a few of the independent organizations in the US, WCCW now among them. The card for the critically acclaimed event included two inter-promotional matches that the Wrestling Observer raved about:

 

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta draw with Kerry & Kevin Von Erich in what is likely Giant Baba’s last match in the United States

Genichiro Tenryu d. David Von Erich for the renamed World Class Universal Heavyweight Championship (a not so subtle attempt to imply their title was more important than the NWA World title) in a steel cage match after Michael Hayes slammed the cage door in the face of David Von Erich while Tenryu was looking the other way. The match would serve as the launching point for a massive feud between the Von Erichs and the Freebirds.

 

The card is a major critical success and brings a great deal of attention to World Class. For All Japan the card is another step in its efforts to push Genichiro Tenryu as the next star in Japan. He returns to Japan and defends the World Class Universal Championship on a tour, ultimately losing the title to Bruiser Brody, an employee of World Class, in early 1983.

 

All in all, the co-promotion attempt gives both companies what they were after. Still, the financials for World Class do not look good. The company is caught in financial quick sand and without the NWA banner to hang on it is questionable how much longer Fritz and his sons can hang on and promote in Dallas.

 

January 1983: As expected, Bob Geigel’s next reign as NWA President leads to Harley Race defeating Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a decision that infuriates Jim Crockett, Jr. but thrills Vince McMahon and the other competition for the NWA.

 

Stampede Wrestling, dealing with major political pressure in Canada is struggling financially. Vince McMahon begins poking his nose around, looking for a potential bargain. He is pre-empted and further frustrated when Verne Gagne makes a surprising move and bids on Stampede, purchasing its assets and talent to infuse his promotion with much needed freshness. Gagne, it appears, has been convinced by many in his organization that now is the time for the AWA to become the dominant promotion in America and the infusion of talent from Stampede will be the perfect fit. Within a few weeks of the purchase, Stampede talent begins appearing on AWA cards. In a brutal match, AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel successfully defends the strap against newcomer Bad News Brown in the first major event with Stampede talent.

 

His frustration growing, Vince McMahon decides the time has come to end the Bob Backlund era in the WWF. Backlund has been getting worse and worse reactions in the Northeast and was being eviscerated in the rag sheets for his refusal to face top regional talent for his title. McMahon decides that he will put the title on Jesse Ventura, a rock star face that has been getting immense reactions since joining the WWF.

March 1983: Jim Crockett, Jr. convinces Bob Geigel to file a tortuous interference lawsuit on behalf of the NWA against Vince McMahon, Jr., with Titan Spots and Coliseum Video as named co-defendants after McMahon releases a video nationwide en masse entitled “The Greatest Stars of Wrestling.” The 2 hour tape features stars of the WWF defeating stars of the NWA in matches that were never meant to be seen outside of the Northeast. Included on the video is Andre The Giant defeating Ric Flair from the late 1970s and Ken Patera defeating Harley Race in 1982. The quality of the matches on film was not good, but the fact that these matches were released was infuriating to the NWA. Particularly frustrating was that the film referred to both Harley Race and Ric Flair as NWA World Champions. The case is dismissed outright when a federal judge in St. Louis rules that as McMahon owned the footage of the events it was his right to broadcast it, further stating that the fact that the NWA allows promoters to refer to its champions as members of the NWA even in co-promotional matches (such as with the AWA and previously with the WWWF) it has no claim to exclusive use of the name. The court issues a judgment forcing the NWA promoters on the suit to pay McMahon’s legal fees. The embarrassment of the loss severely injures Bob Geigel’s standing within the NWA and most promoters now feel that the NWA is doomed…

 

An ever changing world

September 1 1983: The time has come. The WWF is ready to move on from the Bob Backlund era. Vince McMahon has decided to make Jesse Ventura the star of his promotion and needs to get the world title onto him fast. The title has been downgraded to regional for the past few years and McMahon is looking to make it the most prestigious in the United States. His initial pick for a transitional champion is The Masked Superstar, but Backlund refuses the pick, opting instead to drop the title to Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. Valentine takes the title in a controversial decision and Backlund heads to the back realizing his WWF career is probably over. He has a few more dates to work for McMahon and then he will be a free agent.

 

September 8th 1983: Disgruntled over the events that transpired the year prior, Giant Baba is looking for a rebirth of sorts in All Japan. He makes the decision to end some of the ties to the last few years and discontinue the PWF association. Baba makes the decision to end the PWF World Title and the former NWA United National title, now simply known as the United National title. On September 8th, 1983 Giant Baba defeats Jumbo Tsuruta to become the first All-Asia World Heavyweight Champion.

 

Meanwhile, rival promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling has been struggling due to the immense growth of All Japan since 1980. Some in Japan are even beginning to speculate the Baba will buyout New Japan within the year. Frustrated, the legendary Inoki realizes he has to change his business model if he is to survive.

 

September 17th, 1983: Vince McMahon’s efforts to capitalize on the purchase of PNW have thus far been a failure. Instead of opening the West, the purchase and the subsequent attempt to promote WWF shows on the west coast have been a financial drain. At a show in Portland, Vince McMahon books Billy Jack Haynes, who has received a monster push since joining the WWF, to lose the Intercontinental title to The Spoiler and then turn heel by attacking Tito Santana later in the night. Haynes refuses to job in his hometown and further refuses to turn heel. Furious, McMahon fires Haynes on the spot and a physical confrontation breaks out. Rumors spread that Billy Jack Haynes punched McMahon, but they are not confirmed. Either way, Billy Jack’s career seems to be derailed, if only temporarily.

 

The failure of the show and the further money loss convinces McMahon to heed the advice of Pat Patterson and stop promoting in the area.

 

November 15th, 1983: Jim Crockett, Jr.’s Mid Atlantic has been dominating the NWA wrestling scene since the Sterling incident the year prior, and his success has taken its toll on the NWA territories. Bob Geigel’s prestige within the NWA has taken a serious hit after the lawsuit and many territories are seriously questioning the worthiness of the alliance when Crockett seems to be the only one prospering. Seeing the writing on the wall and bleeding money, Geigel realizes that his promotions are only delaying the inevitable by staying in business. He reluctantly accepts a buyout offer of his two promotions and sells to Crockett, leaving the wrestling business behind. Harley Race opposes the sale, but being a minority owner is without power to stop it. Instead of going to work for Crockett, Harley Race elects to go work for Verne Gagne in the AWA. With Geigel’s departure from the NWA, a meeting is held to elect a new president. The decision is obvious, even if it is controversial. Hoping to tie Crockett down to the NWA and get him reinvested in the goals and interests of the other promotions, the members elect Jim Crockett, Jr. back to the position of president, just a little over a year after he was forced out. With the territory under his control now significantly larger, Crockett stops promoting under the Mid-Atlantic banner, redubbing his territory “Jim Crockett Promotions.” JCP now has a foothold in both the Mid-Atlantic and the Mid-West.

 

October 15th, 1983: Jesse Ventura defeats Greg Valentine for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in what McMahon hopes will be the launching off point of his national explosion. He has thus far been met with very little success in his attempt to go national, but he is convinced that he can turn anyone with charisma into a superstar. With a lot of expensive promotion and hype, he is convinced that Jesse Ventura will launch a mania across the United States and become the most popular worker in the world.

 

December 9th, 1983: Believing his promotion is being left behind as JCP expands and one of the few promoters who were against the re-election of Crockett, Bill Watts decides it is time to launch a bid for national of his own. He has received very little help from the NWA in terms of top draws coming to his promotion to help keep his Mid-South territory on top in a region fiercely contested by WCCW and SCW. Withdrawing from the NWA, Watts rebrands his Mid-South territory as the Universal Wrestling Federation and intends to begin a campaign to promote his brand throughout the Mid-South and South-West. With this decision, the NWA is now entirely without a representative in the Mid-South and South-West territories. A debate erupts between Ron Fuller, Jerry Jarrett and Jim Crockett, Jr. as they try to determine which of their respective promotions is best equipped to attempt an expansion into the area. Ultimately a compromise is reached and Jarrett votes with Fuller to allow his Southeast Championship Wrestling (SECW), currently based in Alabama, to make the expansion. Eddie Graham votes with the duo in an effort to keep SECW from further expanding into Florida. The decision enrages Crockett who realizes that despite being president of the board, he is limited by a voting bloc that seems determined to keep his own expansion in check. The line has been drawn…

[justtxyank]

An Alliance No More…

 

March 9th, 1984: Jim Crockett, Jr. strikes a deal to broadcast his wrestling events on ESPN under the banner “NWA All-Stars.” The show will be the exclusive rights of Jim Crockett Promotions featuring only his stars. Outraged that Crockett has launched programming on a national network, the remaining few members of the NWA call a meeting to attempt to oust Crockett. They believe they will have the majority as Graham, Jarrett and Fuller are likely to vote in tandem. The decision is made that Jarrett will be named the next NWA President. Aware of their intentions, Crockett refuses to attend the meeting, instead sending a courier with documents for each member of the NWA. As the men gather at the meeting to hold their vote, each opens and reads the documents. The contents are stunning.

 

Jim Crockett, Jr. has sent a letter from his attorney to each member of the NWA, including promotions in Mexico and Europe. Not just any letter, but a “cease and desist” letter. Crockett’s attorney asserts Jim Crockett, Jr.’s full ownership rights to all trademarks associated with the National Wrestling Alliance and orders all promotions to discontinue use of the NWA name, logo, title belts and any other affiliated item immediately under threat of lawsuit. The other members are furious. The letter also includes an addendum from Crockett offering to buyout any territory that is dissatisfied with the instructions and wishes to leave promoting behind. The meeting goes forth as planned but reaches an unexpected impasse; Ron Fuller nominates himself for the president’s chair and is supported by Frank Tunney. Jarrett is supported by Eddie Graham. With the Mexican and European promotions not having a vote (their vote is recorded “in agreement with the majority”) there is no tie break outside of sitting President Crockett.

 

Jerry Jarrett offers to resolve the dispute by radically changing the NWA. His proposal is to merge the remaining NWA territories into a new system dubbed “Pro Wrestling USA.” As a cohesive brand they could compete with Crockett, the WWF, the AWA and even the UWF and WCCW. The goal would be to implement a Southern Strategy. Cut off Crockett from the South completely and kill his expansion. While the talks initially seem productive, ultimately a power sharing agreement cannot be reached and the talks fall apart. With no compromise in sight, Eddie Graham offers the suggestion of electing Frank Tunney the NWA President. Jarrett reluctantly agrees, and Frank Tunney is elected the new president of the NWA, ousting Jim Crockett, Jr. from the official position and declaring Jim Crockett Promotions an outlaw promotion. The meeting adjourns with the promotions agreeing not to agree to Crockett’s demands. They will hold a Supercard in Florida in May under the NWA banner in order to “declare war” against Crockett.

 

April 27, 1984: It’s less than a month away from the Florida Supercard and the unraveling continues. Jim Crockett, Jr. has filed suit in federal court against the other NWA promoters, requesting a stay prohibiting them from putting on any future shows under the NWA name. A judge has granted an immediate stay to the shock of everyone involved and has ordered that no promotions in the United States are to promoter their shows under the NWA banner until a decision is rendered later in the summer.

 

May 10th, 1984: Frank Tunney, the longtime promoter of Maple Leaf Wrestling and sitting “president” of the NWA, passes away. As one of the few remaining NWA territories, the decision about what to do with the promotion after his death is paramount to the internal power struggle now taking place. Jack Tunney assumes control of the company and opts to leave the NWA, believing it to be a lost cause and the feud with Crockett to be a money pit that is of little relevance to the Canadian promotion. Instead, he settles for selling the promotion to Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. The purchase of MLW is a major victory for McMahon and he hopes it will help turn the tide in what has been a brutal several months for the WWF. For the NWA members, the loss of Tunney’s voice in the dispute is a major one. Now down to just a handful of small promoters, the struggle against Crockett seems like a losing battle.

 

May 12th, 1984: Jerry Jarrett and Eddie Graham hold a private meeting to determine their next course of action. With the NWA falling apart and most of the former power brokers now self promoting, it seems like a lost cause to continue to fight for the NWA name. Jerry Jarrett believes the NWA brand itself is key however, asserting that it is still the most recognizable name in the industry. He believes that whatever promotion holds that name will have a better chance at surviving as a national promotion. He once again offers to Graham to combine their promotions and make a run for national together. Jarrett believes that between Jerry Lawler and Graham’s star Dusty Rhodes they have the talent to make it to the top. Graham however, has been dealing with severe depression brought on by financial disputes and the NWA dispute. He has seemingly lost the interest in continuing the fight. Graham reveals to Jarrett that he has been approached by Jim Barnett and the Briscos in Georgia about a buyout using a loan from Ted Turner. He offers Jarrett the chance to beat the offer, something both men realize can’t happen. When his last attempt to convince Graham to join him fails, the meeting ends with Championship Wrestling from Florida on the verge of being sold to Georgia Championship Wrestling.

 

May 22nd, 1984: With the sale of Championship Wrestling from Florida complete, Jerry Jarrett stands on a thin line in opposition to Jim Crockett, Jr. with only the Fuller Brothers still standing. The Mexican and British promotions never had a legal claim to the NWA banner in the United States anyway and so have simply quit using the name in their promotions per Crockett’s initial demands. Jarrett and Ron Fuller decide to continue with their lawsuit against Crockett, but they realize they must continue promoting shows in order to stay in business. No longer about the name itself, both CWA and SECW quit using the NWA name in their promotions. The Fullers rebrand their promotion Continental Championship Wrestling and strike a working agreement with Jarrett. The resolution to the lawsuit will likely not come for some time, but Jarrett is confident in victory. Either way though, one thing cannot be denied: The National Wrestling Alliance is dead.

 

June 19th, 1984: International Championship Wrestling, owned and promoted by Angelo Poffo, has reached its breaking point. With the debt piling up, Poffo elects to close his promotion. Jerry Jarrett successfully purchases the company’s carcass and brings in the talent. With an injection of talent, Jarrett’s Continental Wrestling Association is another promotion to watch for…

 

The Best Laid Plans…

 

July 30, 1984: Jim Barnett contacts Jerry Jarrett and encourages him to settle his lawsuit against Crockett. Georgia is struggling financially and the loan given by Turner to purchase the Florida territory needs to be repaid in the next 60 days or Turner will seize the promotion, his apparent goal all along. Now owning the debts and assets of Graham’s company, GCW would be in line to receive a portion of any settlement and is desperate for the cash. Jarrett resists the idea, still believing he has a winner, but realizing that the lawsuit is almost certain to fail if GCW tries to settle on its own, Jarrett agrees to accept the settlement offer made by Crockett. As part of the settlement, Crockett will retain all rights to the NWA name, logos and trademarks with the noted exception of the World Television Title which will remain with Memphis. Crockett will pay a sum of $5,000,000 to be divided by the remaining members of the former NWA. Barnett’s share is just enough to pay off Turner, saving his promotion for the time being.

 

August 15th, 1984: The test results aren’t good. Jesse Ventura has just been diagnosed with a fungal infection of his lungs. He’s broken the news to Vince McMahon, devastating the promoter. He’s not sure what he’s going to do. It’s true that Jesse Ventura hasn’t become the sensation he had hoped for, but nonetheless he was still the top draw for the WWF. Ventura makes it clear to McMahon that he’s not sure how many more matches he has in him and that he has to drop the belt. A difficult run has left McMahon without any real credible main event heels so he calls on the company man who transitioned from Backlund a year earlier: Greg Valentine. Valentine agrees to once again be the transitional champion. The question is, transitioning to whom? McMahon thinks it over and decides whom he has to call. He gets Pat Patterson on the phone and asks him to help him convince an old hand to return to the ring and carry the company once more.

 

September 1, 1984: It’s a brilliant idea. A bold idea. Jerry Jarrett, Jim Barnett and the Brisco brothers conclude their meeting with a smile. With Georgia's debt problems continuing to mount, Barnett is ready to get out of the business himself, so he agrees to sell his portion of Georgia Championship Wrestling to Jerry Jarrett for Jarrett’s share of the Crockett settlement. The Brisco Brothers agree as well, with the stipulation that they get lifetime jobs with the new promotion. The deal will be complicated and will require Ted Turner’s approval as it will rely on keeping the broadcast position on TBS, but once it’s done, Jarrett and the Briscos plan to rebrand the promotion as The United States Wrestling Association and go national. The Fuller brothers elected not to participate in the merger, hoping to keep their struggling promotion alive.

 

September 9th 1984: Jesse Ventura drops the WWF title to Greg Valentine in Madison Square Garden. Concerned about his health, Ventura works a very weak match. The match ends in 7 minutes with Greg Valentine once again the WWF Champion. The crowd reacts with disdain to the title change. Sitting in the back watching from the Gorilla position, McMahon realizes he’s in trouble. Despite some successes, he has been met with stinging defeats since taking over the promotion from his father. Jesse Ventura was a draw as a champion but hardly the kind he had hoped for. He had sunk quite a bit of money into promoting Ventura nationally, and despite interest seemingly high, he had just not been able to get much of a return on his investment. Merchandise was falling, attendance was STILL declining. Patterson blames the fall in attendance on McMahon’s efforts to promote outside of the home regions, a fact that also increased operating expenses significantly. As McMahon listens to the crowd in Madison Square Garden, of all places, boo his new champion mercilessly (and not in the good way) McMahon crosses his fingers and can only hope that his attempt to reach out to an old hand is successful. He needs SOMETHING big to go his way. Rumors of a mega promotion down south…he doesn’t even want to think about it.

 

September 22nd, 1984: Jerry Jarrett hangs up the phone. It’s been about 3 days since the merger was made official and he just got the great news he was hoping for. He’s reached a co-promotional deal with All Japan Pro Wrestling that will include All Japan reactivating the PWF World Title for a one-night defense in the USA to create a unified world title in the US. Jarrett is ecstatic. As part of the agreement, Baba gets to book the new champion for a short stint with AJPW after the title match. Baba’s last stipulation was that he would be allowed to pick the new champion, conscious of the fact that his last co-promotion did not end so well…

[rvdjrv2002]

wow absolutly cant wait for this if there is ever anything you need dont hesitate to pm me.

[Hive]

So the premise is a WWF without Hulkamania?

[mike b]

MY GOD

 

Genadi has started a 80's revival:)

[justtxyank]

Need feedback real quick guys.

 

I'm debating what pic pack to finish and use. I have the Grafitti pack obviously that I've done and there's Genadi's kyky. However, I'm not in love with backgrounds and have this alternate style. I want people's feedback whether they like it and whether they'd use it:

 

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/justtxyank/Jimmytest.jpghttp://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/justtxyank/KernodleTest.jpghttp://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/justtxyank/MaskedSuperstartest.jpghttp://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/justtxyank/abc.jpg

 

Basically it's organic. Nothing is done to the background, it's left natural. I personally love it as I feel it adds a lot of character to the mod which is particularly helpful on mods in this timeframe. It also allows me to fill gaps with whatever pics I want, including using KyKy if need be or graffiti. It's nice not needing to have everyone matching...

 

So...

 

Feedback please?

[jgriff3029]

I really like the feel of those pics. It makes the workers stand out.

[Hive]

I've always liked pics without any artificially inserted backgrounds. In fact, your graffiti pic pack is the first I encountered with a special background that I actually liked. So the "organic" one looks good to me. But like I said, so does your graffiti pack. I'd definately say one of those two.

[jhd1]

Basically it's organic. Nothing is done to the background, it's left natural. I personally love it as I feel it adds a lot of character to the mod which is particularly helpful on mods in this timeframe. It also allows me to fill gaps with whatever pics I want, including using KyKy if need be or graffiti. It's nice not needing to have everyone matching...

 

So...

 

Feedback please?

 

I do this anyway, so I'm all for it. While I appreciate the work that goes into cutting pictures, and I can understand why people like it, to me it is unnecessary and can in some cases lead to a real drop in quality. Plus, it's far easier to add/take away from a pic pack like this.

[Hive]

While I appreciate the work that goes into cutting pictures, and I can understand why people like it, to me it is unnecessary and can in some cases lead to a real drop in quality. Plus, it's far easier to add/take away from a pic pack like this.

 

Yeah I feel the same.

[SHaynes23]

I'm so excited for this, 85 is a mod I have always wanted to play and even started working on myself before. I can't wait to take over WWF and book WrestleMania from the very beginning. Let me know if you need help with stuff and I'll try my best.

 

I really like the pictures you put up as well, gives the game a more dynamic feel to it.

[mike b]

I know this is a fantasy mod but may i make 1 point if i may.

 

If you are planning in your story to have McMahon Sr. help his son in his battles with the territories i would not. He was a big old style promoter who believed in the system of territories. It was not untill Vince had total control of the company and his fathers passing i believe that Jr then started his expansion.

 

Vince McMahon himself stated this in a interview that his father would not have approved of the direction in which he wanted to take the WWE.

 

Any hows just my 2 cents and i must say i think this will be a great mod also.

[justtxyank]

Thanks for the input Mike. Vince Sr. won't be helping Jr. By the time of the first post in this thread, Vince Sr. was already dead. I'll be giving the immersion posts this week so people will get a feel for the history I'm creating. I'm trying to use only realistic possibilities for how things transpired.

 

I actually need a consultant to bounce some things on who can give me some critique on my decisions before I finalize. If someone wants to volunteer, please pm me. I need them to have real knowledge of the era.

[Wextor]

[Vince McMahon, Sr.] was a big old style promoter who believed in the system of territories. It was not untill Vince had total control of the company and his fathers passing i believe that Jr then started his expansion.

 

Vince McMahon himself stated this in a interview that his father would not have approved of the direction in which he wanted to take the WWE.

 

Just wanted to throw in my two cents on this particular topic. I've heard Vince saying this, but I believe this is just an example of the WWE using kayfabe in modern times. Most wrestling historians agree that Vince, Sr. was very much in the loop of what Jr. was planning, and in fact supported his son in this endeavour. As with most WWE documentaries, they put their own spin on the truth.

[mike b]

Actually i heard Vince say this on a non WWE show awhile ago.

 

Anyhows lets see what the creator of this mod has in store for us.

[justtxyank]

2nd post updated with the initial part of the story. I will use that post going forward to build the backstory with a new narrative each time. Each new narrative will be marked with a bold and larger title so it will be easy to pick up where you left off.

[justtxyank]

Story further updated...

 

Need a volunteer to help me finish the cuts. I want to have at least all active workers with a pic my way vs KyKy. They are easy to do as long as you have photoshop.

[Ping von Erich]

I do this anyway, so I'm all for it. While I appreciate the work that goes into cutting pictures, and I can understand why people like it, to me it is unnecessary and can in some cases lead to a real drop in quality. Plus, it's far easier to add/take away from a pic pack like this.

 

This.

 

Backgrounds are needless. All that work and time and in the end most of the pictures are butchered. I fully endorse organic backgrounds. Quick, easy, and gives a really unique and natural look to the workers. Allows for the use of profile shots or ones where the subject isn't necessarily "upfront and center."

 

The back story so far is great. The idea Hulk was drawn to Japan seems like a natural progression of real life events. He did (and does) have a love for Japan so the idea of him gravitating to that world and making his name there works really well. His stats will probably be better I'd imagine... decades working alongside Jumbo, Baba, Hansen, The Funks, Brody, Tenryu, etc. would have to have a positive impact on his skills. Not saying he'd be flying around the ring like Muto or grappling like Misawa but I have in my mind a really refined Hogan, a world class brawler.

 

I can't wait to see what's become of the WWF, rebuilding the empire without Hulk will be an awesome challenge. Maybe have Beefcake, bitter about his friends success, find himself in McMahon's employ? He did have a good look.

 

I'm no expert or anything but I consider myself having a pretty good knowledge of wrestling history. If you want an ear to throw ideas into, I'm completely open to helping out story-wise.

[justtxyank]

This.

 

Backgrounds are needless. All that work and time and in the end most of the pictures are butchered. I fully endorse organic backgrounds. Quick, easy, and gives a really unique and natural look to the workers. Allows for the use of profile shots or ones where the subject isn't necessarily "upfront and center."

 

The back story so far is great. The idea Hulk was drawn to Japan seems like a natural progression of real life events. He did (and does) have a love for Japan so the idea of him gravitating to that world and making his name there works really well. His stats will probably be better I'd imagine... decades working alongside Jumbo, Baba, Hansen, The Funks, Brody, Tenryu, etc. would have to have a positive impact on his skills. Not saying he'd be flying around the ring like Muto or grappling like Misawa but I have in my mind a really refined Hogan, a world class brawler.

 

I can't wait to see what's become of the WWF, rebuilding the empire without Hulk will be an awesome challenge. Maybe have Beefcake, bitter about his friends success, find himself in McMahon's employ? He did have a good look.

 

I'm no expert or anything but I consider myself having a pretty good knowledge of wrestling history. If you want an ear to throw ideas into, I'm completely open to helping out story-wise.

 

Ping, I will probably email you some of my stuff tonight to review and give your feedback. To your point about Hogan, the answer is obviously yes he would be a better worker. If you go look at his matches against Muta in the early 90s they are so much better than anything he did in the WWF. Heck, even his stuff against Bock in the AWA was pretty good. The guy could easily have been a good worker. No, he probably would never have been Flair, but there's no reason he couldn't be remembered as a worker at the level of at least a Piper or an Orndorff.

 

As far as the story, glad someone is reading it! I'm moving it slowly while I complete the modding, but I will post enough depth to flesh out a new world for 1985 that is totally organic and gives players a lot of options to run without feeling constrained by history whatsoever. I don't think anyone will play this mod and feel compelled to make any decisions based on what happened in real life.

[Wextor]

Really enjoying the story, and looking forward to the mod!

 

As pointed out, Hogan actually had good wrestling skills, and showed a more technical side of his repertoire while wrestling in Japan. However, the majority of the fans that watched American wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s didn't want to see Hogan doing good, technical wrestling. They wanted to see the traditional Hogan-match, which is rather fun when you see it for the first time; the hero getting in major trouble, an incredible fightback using well-known deal-breakers, 1-2-3. Fun for the casual fan, not so fun when you see it for the n'th time.

[Mattywood]

Loving the story you've added so far. Can't wait to see who the WWF tries to call upon to be their "it" guy. BTW, just wanted to make sure you got my PM from last night.

[Rick Savant]

The pic pack looks great and the idea is even better. I love the brightness of the pics especially. PM me if there's anything I can do to help out.

[smwilliams]

Love This

 

This is a fantastic idea and I'm a big fan of alt reality stories/mods/whatever (Back To The Future 2 is my favorite, for example).

 

I'm guessing you'll be taking this in a way where a bunch of promotions at regional/cult level own their little section of America (the World?) and part of the fun will be taking one of those and becoming what the WWF ended up being.

 

Or, I may be completely wrong, and it'll be something completely different. Either way, I'm pumped to play this after I finish with the Default Cornellverse game I've been playing.