AWA 1989: A Financial Savior Is (Badly) Needed

[Captain Kremmen]

MARCH 1990

 

AWA HQ - ST. LOUIS PARK, MN

 

Jim Crockett had called Bill Watts down to his office to discuss business. Crockett also had some big news for Watts.

 

Watts walked into Crockett's office.

 

Jim: Close the door.

 

Watts closed the door and sat in the seat on the other side of Crockett's desk.

 

Jim: I've got some good news, Bill.

 

Bill: What is it?

 

Jim: Remember how we discussed the possibility of dropping WrestleRock in Sioux Falls if we couldn't get a TV slot for it on ESPN.

 

Bill: Yeah.

 

Jim: Well, Mr. Bischoff came through for us.

 

Bill: That's good to hear.

 

Jim: On Sunday, May 20th, WrestleRock will take place on ESPN with a 1pm Central starting time. And the show has been given a two-and-a-half hour window.

 

Bill: Wow! That's really great news.

 

I gotta tell you, Jim, that kid Bischoff is proving himself to be a real valuable asset for this company.

 

Jim: When he informed them that the AWA was under new ownership and sold them on Deborah Harry and John Waters being the majority owners ESPN jumped at the chance to air the program.

 

Bill: Those two are gonna open a lot of doors for us I believe. Who knows how far we can go with them as the main owners.

 

Jim: We've got to start getting promotional work done on the show to start moving tickets ASAP.

 

Bill: I agree. Wrestle Rock is also gonna need a rock act and not a country act like the WrestleRock a few years ago in Minneapolis.

 

Jim: Who was the musical act for that show?

 

Bill: Waylon Jennings. He's hardly the epitome of rock 'n' roll.

 

Jim: He told me he's already ben contacting bands about possibly performing on the show.

 

We also need to put the musical act on in the middle of the show. They had Waylon Jennings perform after the wrestling the last time.

 

They drew over 22,000 for the show and around 20,000 of them left after the wrestling.

 

Bill: Since this is gonna be on national TV, putting the rock band on last could be a bad look if the fans got up and left when the wrestling was over.

 

Has he mentioned any of the bands he's talked with?

 

Jim: The act he's said he's most focused on right now is an all-female metal band called Vixen.

 

Bill: Never heard of 'em.

 

Jim: I didn't, either. Eric told me they had a recent hit single called... let me see if I can find it here as I wrote it down.

 

Jim found the piece of paper he'd scribbled the name of the song on.

 

Jim: Ah! Here it is. The name of the song is 'Edge of a Broken Heart'.

 

Bill: They're a metal band, right?

 

Jim: As far as I know.

 

Bill: Good. Because the name of that song sounds like something Linda Ronstadt would sing. And that's not the kind of music we need considering a large chunk of our fan base would probably be metal heads. We're trying to appeal in many ways to a different fan base than Vince. We want the serious fans.

 

Changing the subject, I looked at the recent list of contenders for the titles the AWA released and it's slim pickins. Every one of our divisions needs an upgrade. I mean, Mimi can only wrestle Richter so many times. And while the people love Jake, they know he's not winning a singles' strap here.

 

Jim: Well, Rome wasn't built in a day. It's gonna take a little time to lure some top guys here.

 

Bill: I believe what we need, and soon, is one major name to jump ship to the AWA. I think that could start the ball rolling on increased interest.

 

Jim: The question is: who can we pick off in the near future?

 

There was a knock on the door. Crockett told them to come in. It was the secretary and she dropped off the day's mail on Crockett's desk. Secretary left and closed the door.

 

Bill: A big question is where are they gonna move the AWA operation? Deb and John need to get that settled quickly.

 

Jim: The new location should be a selling point to lure guys.

 

Bill: Also, I've got to talk with Blackwell, Lee Marshall, Tommy and Cactus about our house show plans for their match. I am not putting that on TV. Nobody wants to see an announcer wrestle. Surprised Verne even booked the idea.

 

Jim: It was kind of shocking considering that Verne is more traditional in his thinking as a promoter.

 

Bill: Well, it's gonna be quietly put to bed under us.

 

Do you think Cactus Jack could be a breakout star as a single? I mean, the fans really seem into the stuff he does. But he'll have a short career if he continues on the reckless path he's on.

 

Jim: But he is different. And sometimes different is real good. He's a pretty good talker, too.

 

I think we should give him a push as a single in the very near future. You'll never know if it'll work unless you try it. He's got a serious upside.

 

Bill: Agree with you 100 percent.

 

Jim: As booker, what do you have on tap for the houses moving forward.

 

Bill: Right now, I've got Sarge defending the AWA World Title against Col. DeBeers; Valentine defending the Heritage strap against Wahoo, but that might depend on whether or not we can get Tully for a few shows if he decides to re-sign with the NWA. If we get Tully for some dates, we'll shift The Trooper into the challenger position for the Heritage belt. I think Mimi needs to defend the belt against a rotating group of challengers at the houses. The Destruction Crew needs new opponents; so I think the Top Guns will fill the bill right now after what just happened on TV. Rich and Cactus will work with Gagne and Milliman. Then I'll put together an undercard. Might have Badd Company work with Patera and Rheingans at the houses.  

 

Jim: No Tom Zenk in the title matches?

 

Bill: Jim, the objective of wrestling is to make money selling tickets to the houses.

 

So, as much as I know this pains you no, Zenk will not be anywhere near the main event unless he accidentally wanders out to ringside during the match.

 

We want fans to want to come to our shows; not flee them in terror.

 

Crockett laughed.

 

Jim: About Ken Patera...

 

Bill: I think we need to turn him heel, get a haircut and bleach his hair blonde. I think it would also be a good idea to give him a new finisher as well.

 

Oh! There was one more thing I was thinking about.

 

Jim: Shoot.

 

Bill: I think we ought to have a couple of tribute shows for Verne Gagne. We'll have a ceremony at each show and bring back some names from Verne's past and also bring in Deb, John and Jerry.

 

And I was thinking of one more thing. When I talk to Herd, I'll see if we can possibly have an NWA World Title defense on each show.

 

I know Sting's injured right now. But they are obviously putting the strap on him. The only question is when. Either way, Flair would have to come in as challenger or champion.

 

Jim: What towns do you have in mind for this?

 

Bill: Two of the AWA's best towns historically: St. Paul and Chicago.

 

I think we could move tickets for these shows because of the nostalgia and it will give fans a chance to say goodbye to Verne in those towns.

 

Plus, throw in an NWA World Title clash and I think we can really sell some tickets.

 

Looking at booking these shows some time this summer.

 

Jim: That would be a nice send-off for him.

 

Bill: I'm gonna go call Herd and see about getting a deal done for  a couple of title matches and, if they sign Tully, look at bringing him in for some house shows.

 

Jim: Sounds good.

 

Watts got up and left the office. Crockett started going through his mail.

 

While going through his mail, Crockett came across a manila envelope that had no return address. On the outside of the envelope it said: Photo! Do Not Bend!

 

Crockett opened the envelope and pulled out its contents.

 

Crockett looked briefly at the photo and then read the brief note that was also sent.

 

The message simply read: March 16, 1990. 9:17pm. La Guardia Airport lounge.

 

There was no name attached to the note.

 

Crockett picked up the picture and looked more closely at it.

 

Jim (under his breath): I'll be a son of a bitch!

 

Just three weeks into the reign of the new regime and they already had a major problem on their hands.

 

STAY TUNED...

[smartman]

Hey, that's a great song! Stupid Crockett. Debbie ought to be able to bring in some kind of hot act.

[Old School Fan]

1 hour ago, piperrulz said:

While going through his mail, Crockett came across a manila envelope that had no return address. On the outside of the envelope it said: Photo! Do Not Bend!

 

Crockett opened the envelope and pulled out its contents.

 

Crockett looked briefly at the photo and then read the brief note that was also sent.

 

The message simply read: March 16, 1990. 9:17pm. La Guardia Airport lounge.

 

There was no name attached to the note.

 

Crockett picked up the picture and looked more closely at it.

 

Jim (under his breath): I'll be a son of a bitch!

 

Just three weeks into the reign of the new regime and they already had a major problem on their hands.

Two words I can think of come to mind here - Vince 😠 McMahon.

[Captain Kremmen]

9 hours ago, smartman said:

Hey, that's a great song! Stupid Crockett. Debbie ought to be able to bring in some kind of hot act.

It is a good song. Vixen had several good, hard-rocking songs back in the day.

8 hours ago, Old School Fan said:

Two words I can think of come to mind here - Vince 😠 McMahon.

Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe it was Pat Patterson and Steve Lombardi having a couple of drinks. 😁

[Saffir]

Doesn't hurt that they're pretty attractive on top of being able to rock. Gotta love the 80s big hair,

[Theheel]

Well that was quite the saga with Verne.  He had to sell he wasn’t that crazy lol.  So it’s 1990 and the AWA is under new management.  I like the idea of a gradual rebuild of the roster.  With Sarge as the AWA Champion I’m wondering what his contract status is or length remaining.  In the RW after the AWA folded he was off to the WWF along with Sheik Adnan Al Kassie and Sheik.  I think I read somewhere Zbybsko was lured to the WWF (could that be the photo?).  At first when I saw the folder I thought of the ill fated “folder” with the pictures over Dusty (since Crockett is there)….Someone needs to solve that mystery.

if I’m Watts the next person I bring up on the roster is Del Wilkes.  The Trooper gimmick is so WWF and the guy had some talent.  There is only so far a guy can get wrestling as a police officer.  
 

Johnie Stewart always reminded me so of Eddie Gilbert in size and look as a heel.  Maybe if Stewart could sit under the learning tree of Tully who could show him how a smaller heel gets over.

The Sam Houston thing has been interesting with Coach Murdoch.  Of course I thought Murdoch would turn on him.  Murdoch could be a salary cut since he’s just managing one guy and doesn’t get in the ring.  
 

Anyway I have really enjoyed this AWA saga.  Keep it going.

[Captain Kremmen]

I've got a white triangle with a red exclamation point in it point above my name.

Does anybody know what it means?

Have I been flagged for something?

[Theheel]

38 minutes ago, piperrulz said:

I've got a white triangle with a red exclamation point in it point above my name.

Does anybody know what it means?

Have I been flagged for something?

I sent you a private message could it be that

[Captain Kremmen]

11 hours ago, Theheel said:

Well that was quite the saga with Verne.  He had to sell he wasn’t that crazy lol.  So it’s 1990 and the AWA is under new management.  I like the idea of a gradual rebuild of the roster.  With Sarge as the AWA Champion I’m wondering what his contract status is or length remaining.  In the RW after the AWA folded he was off to the WWF along with Sheik Adnan Al Kassie and Sheik.  I think I read somewhere Zbybsko was lured to the WWF (could that be the photo?).  At first when I saw the folder I thought of the ill fated “folder” with the pictures over Dusty (since Crockett is there)….Someone needs to solve that mystery.

if I’m Watts the next person I bring up on the roster is Del Wilkes.  The Trooper gimmick is so WWF and the guy had some talent.  There is only so far a guy can get wrestling as a police officer.  
 

Johnie Stewart always reminded me so of Eddie Gilbert in size and look as a heel.  Maybe if Stewart could sit under the learning tree of Tully who could show him how a smaller heel gets over.

The Sam Houston thing has been interesting with Coach Murdoch.  Of course I thought Murdoch would turn on him.  Murdoch could be a salary cut since he’s just managing one guy and doesn’t get in the ring.  
 

Anyway I have really enjoyed this AWA saga.  Keep it going.

Wondered where you went.

Zbyszko has indeed jumped ship to Vince.

I always wondered what was in those pictures as well. They just dropped it cold.

Trooper's gonna be sticking around for a bit. You could argue that his character is somewhat Big Bossman-like.

Never understood how Stewart never became a star in WWF or WCW. He was a good heel.

Tully's not signed... at least not yet.

Murdoch is Sam's Mr. Miyagi. Wax on! Wax off! Paint the fence. Why, there's no way Dick would ever turn on his protege'.

Glad you're enjoying the story so far. Lots in the works.

Good seeing you back, heel.

BTW, I just had to update soemthing in my profile. No big deal.

Edited August 20, 2023 by piperrulz

[Captain Kremmen]

18 hours ago, Saffir said:

Doesn't hurt that they're pretty attractive on top of being able to rock. Gotta love the 80s big hair,

They were easy on the eyes! Gotta love the big hair back then. 😁

[Theheel]

6 hours ago, piperrulz said:

Wondered where you went.

Zbyszko has indeed jumped ship to Vince.

I always wondered what was in those pictures as well. They just dropped it cold.

Trooper's gonna be sticking around for a bit. You could argue that his character is somewhat Big Bossman-like.

Never understood how Stewart never became a star in WWF or WCW. He was a good heel.

Tully's not signed... at least not yet.

Murdoch is Sam's Mr. Miyagi. Wax on! Wax off! Paint the fence. Why, there's no way Dick would ever turn on his protege'.

Glad you're enjoying the story so far. Lots in the works.

Good seeing you back, heel.

BTW, I just had to update soemthing in my profile. No big deal.

Well I was real busy for awhile this summer but now recovering from a surgery (elective one).

I always like Ray “Big Bubba” but wasn’t a real fan of the cartoony Bossman (but his Hells Angel like WCW was worse).  I see Wilkes as a potential title contender someday, but just not as the Trooper.  Just doesn’t pass the “name test”to me.

Stewart just disappeared after the AWA folded.  I never saw or heard of him again, not even in a Smokey Mt or USWA type promotion.

[Captain Kremmen]

9 hours ago, Theheel said:

Well I was real busy for awhile this summer but now recovering from a surgery (elective one).

I always like Ray “Big Bubba” but wasn’t a real fan of the cartoony Bossman (but his Hells Angel like WCW was worse).  I see Wilkes as a potential title contender someday, but just not as the Trooper.  Just doesn’t pass the “name test”to me.

Stewart just disappeared after the AWA folded.  I never saw or heard of him again, not even in a Smokey Mt or USWA type promotion.

Real life always trumps fantasy life. Hope things are well.

I don't think Bossman ever read anyone their Miranda Rights after handcuffing them to the ropes.

The Stewart case is puzzling. Vince probably didn't like him because of his average build. Don't know why WCW would not take a chance on him, though.

[Captain Kremmen]

While you wait for the next AWA '89 storyline post, enjoy this good TV match between NWA Champ Ric Flair and Kurt Von Hess from Mid-Atlantic circa 1984:

 

 

[Old School Fan]

10 hours ago, Theheel said:

Stewart just disappeared after the AWA folded.  I never saw or heard of him again, not even in a Smokey Mt or USWA type promotion.

 

43 minutes ago, piperrulz said:

The Stewart case is puzzling. Vince probably didn't like him because of his average build. Don't know why WCW would not take a chance on him, though.

At least until he resurfaced in Dale Gagne's AWA knockoff promotion in 1996 (later renamed Wrestling Superstars Live after Vince and WWE Legal started throwing their weight around regarding claims of copyright infringement).

Edited August 21, 2023 by Old School Fan

[Captain Kremmen]

7 hours ago, Old School Fan said:

 

At least until he resurfaced in Dale Gagne's AWA knockoff promotion in 1996 (later renamed Wrestling Superstars Live after Vince and WWE Legal started throwing their weight around regarding claims of copyright infringement).

I remember reading about that AWA but it never seemed to gain much traction. Still wish Stewart would have gotten a shot in the WWF or WCW as at least a mid-card player.

[Captain Kremmen]

I just wanted to say it's great to see all the diary/BTB activity on here.

On another site I posted at, it seemed like there could be yawning gaps between new show posts. You could go 3 or 4 days and have only 3 or 4 new posts.

This is a breath of fresh air.

[Captain Kremmen]

(PREVIOUS STORYLINE POST: Jim Crockett gets a surprise in the mail.)

 

MARCH 1990

 

AWA HQ - ST. LOUIS PARK, MN

 

Jim Crockett buzzed Bill Watts on the phone intercom and told him he needed him to come back down to his office.

 

Bill: Right now? I was just about to call Jim Herd and see if we could work out some sort of a deal for trading talent.

 

Jim: This really needs our attention immediately. It's about something I just got in the mail.

 

Watts (annoyed): Alright. Be right down.

 

Watts left his office, walked down the hall, opened the door and walked in.

 

Jim: Close the door.

 

Watts shut the door and sat down at Jim's desk.

 

Watts: What's this about?

 

Crockett slid the picture and note he'd just received across his desk to Watts.

 

Watts picked up the picture and looked intently at it.

 

Bill: It's kind of fuzzy.

 

Jim: Look closer.

 

Watts then picked up the note sent with the pic that mentioned the pic was taken on March 16 at a lounge in La Guardia Airport.

 

Watts read the note, put it back down and re-focused on the pic.

 

Bill: What the... That's Vince and Bob*! Why is Bob meeting with him?!

 

Jim (sighed): Yep. That's Vince and our World Champion.

 

Bill: We've got no choice, Jim. We've got to confront Bob over this. Is he looking to go back to the WWF? Did he already cut a deal with Vince?

 

Jim: Verne just put the belt back on him and now he may be looking to fly the coop.

 

Bill: The weekend's coming up. I suggest that we hold off talking to Bob about this until promo day next Tuesday here at the studio. We'll wait until the promos are cut and then have a sit down with him.

 

Jim: Do you think it can wait that long?

 

Bill: Good lord, I hope so! Knowing Bob as well as we do, I don't think he'd just vanish overnight. But, he is dealing with a snake like Vince. I still suggest holding off on a meeting with him until next Tuesday. He'll be there. He'll want everyone to think it's just another normal work day.

 

Jim: What if he tells us he's leaving?

 

Bill: After I call Herd, I'll start drawing up a couple of 'just-in-case' scenarios. If he says he's gone then we've gotta get the belt off of him... and fast!

 

Jim: Well, Zbyszko just did the honors for The Trooper at the AWA tapings in Vegas earlier this month. Zbyszko did the right thing before leaving.

 

Watts: I hope Bob will do the right thing as well. If he does, we can come up with a way to book him out of the AWA.

 

And if Bob tells us he's staying, then we continue along the path we're already on.

 

Watts picked up the picture and looked at it again.

 

Watts: Vince puts  his family-friendly wrestling on TV every week. But he'll go down as the dirtiest playing promoter of all-time.

 

Jim: And that's saying something in this business.

 

Watts: I know Vince doesn't dole out guaranteed contracts. So, we might have to look at drawing up some kind of contract for the wrestlers to sign here that has some sort of a downside guarantee.

 

Jim: If Deb and John aren't on board then there's no way we'll be able to swing it.

 

Bill: You're the promoter; you go ahead and discuss that with them.

 

Vince is trying to f*ck with us one wrestler at a time. We've got to try and stop the bleeding before it gets out of control.

 

We lose too many valuable guys early and this whole pissin' cointest could be over before it starts. We just would not have the wrestlers to compete.

 

And one more thing.

 

Can you call Jerry Jarrett and see if he still has Randy's number and see if he can give him a call.

 

Jim: If this is the way Vince is gonna play, then we're gonna have to do it too.

 

Bill: Looks like we signed up for a newer, nastier wrestling war.

 

I gotta go call Herd. We'll deal with Bob on Tuesday at promo day.

 

(* Bob, aka, Robert Remus (real name), aka, Sgt. Slaughter.)

 

*****************************************************************************

 

Bill Watts went back to his office, looked up the number for NWA World Championship Wrestling in Atlanta and dialed.

 

After a couple of rings...

 

Operator: CNN Tower. How may I direct your call?

 

Watts: The offices of World Championship Wrestling, please.

 

Operator: One moment.

 

After three rings...

 

Secretary: World Championship Wrestling.

 

Watts: May I be connected to Jim Herd.

 

Secretary: May I ask who is calling?

 

Watts: Name's Bill Watts.

 

Secretary: One moment.

 

Watts put on hold and listening to smooth jazz while he waited.

 

Secretary: Mr. Herd does not appear to be answering his phone at the moment. Would you like me to send you to his voice mail?

 

Bill: No. That won't be necessary. Is it possible to be connected to Jim Ross?

 

Secretary: One moment.

 

Watts didn't have to wait long.

 

Ross: Hey, Bill! Nice hearing from you. How you been?

 

Bill: Good to hear your voice, Jim. Haven't talked in a while.

 

Ross: It has been a long time. You calling just to say hi or talk some business?

 

Bill: A little bit of both, actually.

 

Ross: What can I help you with?

 

Bill: Looking to see if we might be able to strike some sort of possible talent-trading deal.

 

Ross: Might be worth considering. I'd have to run it by Herd first.

 

Bill: Do you know how the contract negotiations are going with Tully?

 

Ross:They're moving along albeit slowly. Why?

 

Bill: We were hoping to bring Tully in to work some limited house show dates with Wahoo.

 

Ross: Personally, I don't forsee a problem with that if you put him on house shows in April.

 

Of course, I don't think Herd or any of the Turner Corporate suits would want any of the matches airing on TV.

 

Bill: They wouldn't air. Just house show matches. And maybe a dark match at the Vegas TVs.

 

Ross: Even if we got a deal done with him, it would probably be a few weeks before we'd need him for our TVs and houses.

 

Anyone else you looking at?

 

Bill: We're looking at having two special tribute shows for Verne at some point in the summer. One show would be in St. Paul and the other in Chicago because they were AWA stronghold cities. We'd honor Verne at each show. We'd like to bring in Ric for a couple of NWA World Title defenses on those shows.

 

Ross: As things stand right now, Sting is due back in a couple of months and he'll be going over Flair at the Bash in Baltimore to become the new champion from what I know.

 

Bill: When's the Bash?

 

Ross: On July 7th.

 

Bill: Well, a Flair-Sting match-up for each city wouldn't be a bad idea. Sting's one super-hot face right now. It could boost ticket sales for us.

 

Ross: Have to run it by Herd.

 

Bill: Is he a good boss?

 

Ross: I assert my 5th Amendment privilege.

 

Bill: Hahaha! That tells me all I need to know.

 

The two then engaged in casual conversation and talked about the days they worked together and Watts and crew taking over the AWA.

 

STAY TUNED...

 

(NEXT STORYLINE POST: Confronting the man in the picture.)

Edited August 22, 2023 by piperrulz

[smartman]

"Is Herd a good boss?"

"Bill, I just got the walls repainted in my office, and I don't want to peel the paint off answering that question truthfully."

 

As much as I despise Bischoff, Herd is the only one I rank worse because at least Sleazy E came up with 1 good idea in his life.

And come on, Vince is just pitching that god-awful irl Iraqi sympathizer gimmick so Bob will stay put. I think. It did main event Mania though.

[sonny912]

54 minutes ago, smartman said:

"Is Herd a good boss?"

"Bill, I just got the walls repainted in my office, and I don't want to peel the paint off answering that question truthfully."

 

As much as I despise Bischoff, Herd is the only one I rank worse because at least Sleazy E came up with 1 good idea in his life.

And come on, Vince is just pitching that god-awful irl Iraqi sympathizer gimmick so Bob will stay put. I think. It did main event Mania though.

Uh which was Eric's 1 good idea? The Nwo? Monday Nitro? the Cruiserweight division?

[Captain Kremmen]

21 hours ago, smartman said:

"Is Herd a good boss?"

"Bill, I just got the walls repainted in my office, and I don't want to peel the paint off answering that question truthfully."

 

As much as I despise Bischoff, Herd is the only one I rank worse because at least Sleazy E came up with 1 good idea in his life.

And come on, Vince is just pitching that god-awful irl Iraqi sympathizer gimmick so Bob will stay put. I think. It did main event Mania though.

I'm trying to picture Jim Ross peeling the paint off his walls trying to describe what he thinks of Jim Herd. 😁

20 hours ago, sonny912 said:

Uh which was Eric's 1 good idea? The Nwo? Monday Nitro? the Cruiserweight division?

The cruiserweieght division was really good, revolutionary for the time. But it was the big ticket items, for better or worse, at the top of the card who moved tix, sold merch and drove the ratings. Monday Nitro happened almost by accident. The NWO ran its course, IMO, by the end of '98 and ending it should have been a priority in '99. Fans got tired of it like they do most everything else in wrestling. When the fans were clamoring for something new what did they do? NWO Wolfpac. Sheesh.

Bischoff was an excellent TV guy and producer. He revolutionized the look of pro wrestling TV much more than McMahon did up to 1995, He gave us PPV matches on cable. His obvious problem was he buried his nose up the behinds of Hall, Nash and Hogan. When the ratings started to dip, instead of trying to go back to the drawing board and make changes, he kept trying to re-heat the NWO and present it to us over and over and fans didn't want it. He had no idea what to do after the NWO. Also, he couldn't be happy being a strong #2 promotion once he fell behind. He was obsessed with beating WWF in the ratings and, with only 2 or 3 exceptions, fell further and further behind. The booking should have been left to wrestling people who knew what the hell they were doing. Bischoff was in over his head on that side of the ledger.

[Captain Kremmen]

While you wait for the next storyline post, enjoy this NWA World Title Match!

2/3 Falls: Harley Race WC) vs. Terry Funk (If you like blood then this is for you!):

 

[Captain Kremmen]

Terry Funk died today. 😔 R.I.P.

Terry Funk dream promo:

 

[Captain Kremmen]

LATE MARCH 1990

 

AWA HQ - ST. LOUIS PARK, MN

 

It was Tuesday. Promo day: the day the wrestlers spent hours at the AWA TV studio cutting their promos for both house show and non-house show cities.

 

Bill Watts and Jim Crockett had been preparing for their first set of tapings in Vegas for ESPN and their first All-Star Wrestling tapings. Jerry Jarrett was flying into Sin City tomorrow,

 

The AWA crew was due to leave for Vegas in a couple of days.

 

The promo-cutting festival had ended eight hours after it started at 9am. Watts seemed a lot more invested in certain details when the wrestlers cut their promos than Verne Gagne was and it made the promo session two to three hours longer than normal.

 

As the session wrapped up, several of the wrestlers stood aroundf and chatted and some went out and talked while smoking.

 

Robert Remus, better known to fans as Sgt. Slaughter, finished talking with some of the guys and was getting ready to head out when Watts approached him.

 

Bill: Bob, Jim and I would like to have a word with you.

 

Sarge: What's this about?

 

Bill: Let's talk about it in Jim's office.

 

Sarge: OK.

 

The pair walked down the hall to Crockett's office. Bill closed the door behind them.

 

Jim: Have a seat, guys.

 

The two men sat down on the other side of Crockett's desk.

 

Jim: Bob, I've got something to show you.

 

Crockett slid the photo and note that was with it across the desk to Sarge.

 

Sarge looked briefly at the note and then looked at the picture for what seemed like an eternity. Sarge swallowed hard.

 

Sarge: Where did you get this?

 

Jim: It was sent to us anonymously.

 

Bill: That is you and Vince McMahon, correct? This photo isn't doctored?

 

Sarge: That is me and Vince, like the note said, meeting at La Guardia airport on March 16.

 

Jim: I'll be blunt, Bob. Are you preparing to jump ship to the WWF?

 

Sarge: The meeting was about returning to the WWF.

 

Bill: Did you guys come to an agreement?

 

Sarge hesitated.

 

Sarge: We made a handshake deal for me to return.

 

Jim: Were you going to tell us about this?

 

Sarge: Yes.

 

Jim: Were you going to give us six weeks notice per the time-honored tradition of the business?

 

Sarge: Well, I was gonna give you notice.

 

Bill: So, you would have just up and left after telling us you were gone.

 

Sarge didn't answer.

 

Bill: Your silence answers my question.

 

Jim: Did you intend to leave without dropping the belt?

 

Sarge: That was up in the air.

 

Watts was getting pissed.

 

Bill: It's a simple yes or no question, Bob!

 

Did you discuss showing up on WWF TV with the belt?!

 

Sarge shifted in his seat.

 

Sarge: It was discussed.

 

Watts got up and started pacing around in Crockett's temporary small office.

 

Watts now standing over Sarge.

 

Bill: Do you realize how that could have damaged us before we even got started?!

 

Crockett rose from behind the desk.

 

Jim: Sit down, Bill. Let's not get physical.

 

Watts sat back down and glared at Bob.

 

Uneasy silence...

 

Bill: You wanna leave? Fine.

 

But you call Vince and tell him you're not coming with our belt. We were the ones who spent good money to have the big silver* belt made re-made for our World Champion. Damned if I'm letting you walk out of here and fly off to New York with it.

 

Jim: Bob, Vince allowed Zbyszko to give notice to Verne so he could do the favor for The Trooper on the way out. I think it's only fair you allow us to draw up a plan for a title switch.

 

Sarge: Ok. I'll go ahead and drop the belt anywhere and to whomever you want me to.

 

Bill: I'm gonna ask you hand over big silver before you leave this building. We'll have a road agent hold the belt in all the remaining cities you're appearing in and you'll hand it over to the agent at the end of the night.

 

Sarge: Alright. I know this is a bomb dropped out of leftfield. Sorry you had to find out this way.

 

Bill: I'll get to work booking your exit from the company. I just wish you'd been upfront about this matter.

 

Jim: Plans are gonna be thrown into disarray because of this. You've been the AWA's biggest name the last few years, Bob. Now we've got to find somebody else to try and fill that void.

 

Sarge: Even though you guys are in charge and the company now has some money behind it, it's still a long-shot for this thing to succeed. I had to do what I thought was best for my family and career.

 

Bill: And you were going to do that by screwing us over big-time?

 

Sarge: There's really nothing left to say.

 

Bill: I've got one more thing to say. You tell that son of a b*tch in Stamford to call me. I'll tell him what I think of the way he conducts business.

 

Jim: You can go, Bob.

 

Sarge got up and quietly left the office and closed the door behind him.

 

Jim: Any ideas for our next World Champion?

 

Bill: Not yet. I need to go back to my office and think up a plan to book Sarge out of the promotion.

 

Jim: I'll call Deb and John about this.

 

Bill: You do that. I gotta get to work on this matter.

 

Bill up and left Crockett's office and closed the door behind him. Crockett picked up the phone and dialed the number of co-owner John Waters.

 

Watts went and sat back at his desk and immediately began thinking about how to rid the AWA of Sarge.

 

************************************************************

 

For over two hours, Watts sat at his desk and wrote down ideas for how to book Sarge out of the promotion.

 

Watts didn't care for any of the ideas he'd written down.

 

And then a light bulb came on in Watts' mind.

 

Watts was going to book the title change at the house show in just over three weeks in St. Paul.

 

Sarge was already booked for a title defense on the show, but Watts scrapped the original plan.

 

The new idea would take a rush job to have announcer Larry Nelson cut promos for the house show to announce the change to the main event.

 

Watts' idea was unique.

 

In the ring would be a spinning basket like the ones that hold bingo balls.

 

An AWA official, most likely figurehead president Standley Blackburn, would pick a name out of the basket and that's who would challenge Sarge and beat him for the belt that night.

 

Watts thought of a few heels he could put the belt on. But, he kept coming back to one name on the roster. And it's a name that would shake things up if he won big silver*.

 

Watts was also thinking of a final match for Sarge in the AWA. He wanted it to be on a big stage. He needed to try and hold onto Sarge until WrestleRock in late May in Sioux Falls.

 

Could Watts do it?

 

STAY TUNED...

 

(* I brought back the classic AWA big silver belt, the one Hansen took off to Japan with and then sent back to the AWA after ruining it by running it over with his truck, at the Pro Wrestling Heritage Championship Tournament. It was unveiled before the World Title match there.)

 

 

RICK MARTEL HOLDING BIG SILVER!

Edited August 23, 2023 by piperrulz

[sonny912]

2 hours ago, piperrulz said:

Terry Funk died today. 😔 R.I.P.

Terry Funk dream promo:

 

Wait what?

[smartman]

That was an amazing title belt. Simple but it popped on camera and in photos like that one.

 

And yeah, Eric came up with the NWO, though Hogan was basically a forced issue because it only took a year for him to completely burn out the crowd with his standard WWF-style feuds. He was getting a lot of boos by spring 95. His complete inability to end that one good idea is what ended WCW. Most of the rest of anything else he came up with are base-level ideas anyone with any sense in a competitive business would do. They had pretty much zero risk, especially since he had a blank check from Ted thanks mainly to Herd and the sequence of terrible people he hired to run WCW since buying it.

 

And RIP Terry Funk. His empty arena brawl with Lawler was one of the first feuds I remember from watching Memphis wrestling as a little kid. He reinvented himself so many times that pop stars could only wish they'd get that many reinventions.