Death of the Territories

by Tim Hornbaker

  Surprisingly, Graham was a better fan favorite in Florida than a heel, and his ring wars with the Great Malenko and Johnny Valentine are still talked about today. Following Luttrall’s retirement in 1970, Graham assumed control over the region and became a member of the NWA board of directors around 1971. Five years later, in August 1976, he was elected NWA president, replacing Jack Adkisson. Graham was an extraordinary promoter, and his love for the business was nearly unparalleled. He had a special affinity for pure wrestling, even in the worked professional environment. That meant he enjoyed booking shooters, and he had great respect for amateur grappling. Graham donated significant amounts of money to area wrestling institutions, including the University of Florida in Gainesville, and endlessly supported local charities and events.71 He established a youth camp and was influential in the lives of thousands of boys.

  Wrestler Steve Keirn told the Lakeland Ledger in 1976 that Graham was hugely important in his development. “Seeing that I never had a father around, Eddie sort of took over and straightened me out on things,” Keirn explained. “[He] discouraged me against fighting and kept me out of a few fights. He basically showed me how to defend myself and how easily I could be hurt in a fight.”72 Graham was also a man of great principle, and after a newspaper heavily criticized a wrestling show in St. Petersburg in 1972, he swiftly pulled all future events from the city’s Bayfront Auditorium. The reason, according to the St. Petersburg Evening Independent, was that he’d happily forfeit tens of thousands of dollars “rather than risk adverse publicity for wrestling.”

  “My files are full of letters from mayors and teachers and sheriffs asking us to help in putting on programs in schools,” Graham said. “We want to keep doing that, but when things like that (article) come out, we may become ineffective because even the kids will start doubting us.”73 Florida wrestling epitomized action, and matches between Jack Brisco and Dory Funk Jr. established a high bar for scientific wrestling seen anywhere in the world. But that’s the way Graham liked it. He featured top wrestlers, brawlers, and colorful performers, and the mixture gave the Sunshine State incredible in-ring flavor. And the warm weather made Florida a hotbed for big-name talent during the winter months. In March 1978, Graham resigned as president of the NWA due to health problems, but he retained his influence and was a vocal supporter behind the world title reigns of Dusty Rhodes in 1979 and 1981.

  Another member of the NWA board of directors in 1981–82 was Ron Fuller, a man with wrestling deep in his blood. Standing 6-foot-9, he was a third-generation wrestler who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Roy Welch, and father, Buddy Fuller. He was a multiple-time regional champion, winning titles in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, and he assumed control of the Knoxville promotion around 1974. In January 1978, it was announced that Fuller had acquired the Gulf Coast wrestling business from Lee Fields, effectively widening his scope of operations.74 His Southeastern Wrestling promotion was responsible for Alabama and northwestern Florida and, after selling out of Knoxville, he moved his home office to Gulf Breeze, Florida. During the early 1980s, Fuller’s company was on fire, and a combination of captivating angles, star wrestlers, and well-booked matches sparked attendance all over the territory.

  Fuller’s grandfather, Roy Welch, began his wrestling career around 1930 and was followed into the sport by three of his brothers, Herb, Jack, and Lester. He teamed with Nick Gulas and established a Nashville office during the 1940s. In 1949, they joined the NWA and franchised a territory that included parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi, with further extensions into Arkansas, Missouri, and Indiana. For more than 30 years, Welch and Gulas worked in partnership, controlling the infamous “gasoline circuit” and exerting strong influence in the Alliance. But in 1977, after what The Tennessean called “internal management difficulties,” the territory was fractured, with Welch and Jerry Jarrett on one side and Gulas on the other.75 A handful of months later, in September 1977, Welch passed away.

  At the time of the separation, the 34-year-old Jarrett took control of the predominant stars in the region and challenged Gulas head to head throughout the territory.76 Memphis was ground zero for the war, and Gulas was handicapped from the beginning after losing his TV outlet. Jarrett capitalized with his own studio television program and seized the Mid-South Coliseum for his shows, establishing his local dominance. The war continued elsewhere, but in the eyes of the NWA, both Jarrett and Gulas were members and were accorded the rights of the organization. But Jarrett was exploring his options, and strengthened his ties to Verne Gagne’s AWA. He also acknowledged the Continental Wrestling Association as a sanctioning body, and recognized a local world champion between 1979 and 1981. Billy Graham, Dory Funk Jr., and Billy Robinson were among those to hold the CWA world title during that time period.

  Jerry Lawler, the “King” of wrestling in Memphis, was another CWA titleholder and, over the course of his career, held more than 160 championships. His legendary status in and around the Mid-Southern territory was undisputed. In 1982, he garnered national attention with a feud with comedian-actor Andy Kaufman, who played Latka Gravas on the hit sitcom Taxi. Kaufman was known for interjecting a large dose of psychology into his comedy, and was drawing the ire of fans by participating in intergender bouts. Lawler was not pleased by Kaufman’s off-color shenanigans, and things took a serious turn in April 1982 when Lawler put Kaufman in the hospital with a neck injury after a bout in Memphis. A few months later, on July 28, the two appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, where Lawler slapped Kaufman, only to receive a cup of hot coffee to his face in return. The angle developed perfectly and had everyone talking.

  All the way across the country, in Northern California, pro wrestling experienced a series of changes between 1979 and 1982. The established promoter, Roy Shire, an ex-grappler from Hammond, Indiana, first entered San Francisco in 1961 and quickly outperformed his competition to put the final nail in the coffin of Joe Malcewicz’s promotion. He drove attendance upwards with solid booking and impeccable performers, and his annual battle royal at the Cow Palace was a must-see event in the late 1960s and 1970s. He joined the NWA in 1968 and was named to the board of directors the following year. In 1971, he also had a stint as second vice president, and with strong friendships, it was all but guaranteed that the Alliance would come to his aid if needed. And Shire did eventually need major support. In 1979, he collapsed his booking office and began relying on outside talent, pulling in grapplers from Mike LeBell, Bob Geigel, and later Eddie Graham in Florida.

  But the out-of-town TV productions, specifically those provided by Geigel from Kansas City, were not in line with what San Francisco fans expected, and Shire’s business further suffered. On January 24, 1981, Shire ran his final program at the Cow Palace with Dusty Rhodes, the Funk Brothers, and Pat Patterson on the bill, and his 20-year run in San Francisco came to an end. But the Bay Area was never void of big-time wrestling. Nine days before Shire boarded up his enterprise, Verne Gagne’s AWA debuted at the Oakland Coliseum Arena with a stacked card. With local TV already in place, Gagne meant business, and by mid-1982, he’d moved into the Cow Palace and successfully absorbed the territory.

  Up the coast in Portland, Don Owen was the boss of the Pacific Northwest territory, a prosperous area that encompassed most of Oregon and Washington. Having begun his tenure as a promoter as an understudy of his father, Herb, during the 1930s, he took over following the latter’s death in 1942. Owen was a promoter of the Sam Muchnick type, unflinchingly fair to his talent and possessing a code of ethics rare in wrestling circles. The Pacific Northwest was capably run for decades without shady dealings, and Owen was greatly respected within the NWA, serving on the board of directors several times. His membership card in the Alliance was issued in 1951, making him one of the longest-reigning associates, and by the 1980s he was fast approaching his 50th anniversary in the business. His range of knowledge and experience made him a valuable cog in the nation
al organization.

  Wrestling at the Portland Sports Arena offered an addictive blend of athleticism and vibrant drama, and Owen never lacked top-named performers. Luther Lindsay, Stan Stasiak, Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon, Moondog Mayne, and Dutch Savage were always reliable draws, and a young Roddy Piper was heavily influenced during his time in Portland. Loyal viewers of Owen’s innovative television program on KPTV, featuring memorable commercials by sponsor Tom Peterson, saw the development of exciting angles and religiously packed the arena to see the culmination of intense feuds.77 Regional champions and visits by the touring NWA world titleholders added box-office appeal, and crowds usually popped when a national attraction visited town. Altogether, with stable TV and a good crop of grapplers, Owen insulated himself from the pitfalls that had taken down San Francisco, Tulsa, and other original NWA territories.

  Another Oregonian, Tex Hager, also held membership in the NWA during the 1950s, and booked a territory that included Idaho, Utah, and Washington. After he folded around 1959, his cities were divvied up by several enterprising promoters. The same went for Dave Reynolds, who controlled Salt Lake City and towns in both Wyoming and Colorado for a time. Outside of the stability Owen brought through his Portland booking office, most of these western states were loosely operated, and figured into the territories of various promoters through the years. Dean Silverstone’s Superstar Championship Wrestling picked up a number of vacant towns, Seattle and Tacoma among them, in the late 1960s and ran as an independent outfit for about a decade. Many others cities were left without big-time wrestling. Travel was part of the problem, as good drawing towns were too far for wrestlers to make any money, and the weather conditions during winter months was brutal.

  Salt Lake City was abandoned essentially because of its location. The closest major city regularly engaged in a prospering circuit was Denver, more than 500 miles away by car. Sporadically, indie promoters tried to make money in the region, such as when Eric the Great, Toma Red Cloud, Judy Grable, and Rod O’Neil appeared at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in the summer of 1979.78 But on the whole, Utah was mostly without wrestling until April 8, 1982, when the AWA, as part of its western expansion, claimed Salt Lake City. An enthusiastic crowd of 7,000 people turned out to see former Brigham Young University hero Ken Patera and many other TV stars, in what was the renaissance of pro grappling in the region. Sportswriter Lee Benson of the Deseret News remembered the old-time wrestling of the 1960s and, after seeing the AWA show, noted, “The years haven’t changed the act.”79 And that was a major selling point for fans.

  North of Portland, Vancouver, British Columbia, enjoyed more than a half century of remarkable wrestling history. Legends Frank Gotch, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Dan McLeod, and Ted Thye made appearances there, going back to the early 1900s, and the sport maintained a terrific popularity throughout the region. Cliff Parker, around the time of the NWA’s formation, stabilized Vancouver as an affiliate, with booking ties to Don Owen in Portland and Stu Hart in Calgary. Interested in protecting the reputation of pro wrestling, Parker issued a challenge to the local populace in 1954, claiming that a wrestler could easily “demonstrate his favorite or any hold on the doubting fan” to prove the sport’s legitimacy.80 It isn’t known how many people actually took him up on the offer, but Parker got his point across. He took Rod Fenton, recently an NWA member in Arizona, as a partner late in the 1950s and, in 1968, sold to Sandor Kovacs and Gene Kiniski. Kiniski, the NWA world champion from 1966 and 1969, was originally from Edmonton but made Vancouver his home, and he drew sizable audiences as the defending champ. His witty interviews, villainous tactics, and impressive wrestling abilities were on display against fan favorites and heels alike, and Kiniski never failed to deliver. Multiple-time world championship claimant Don Leo Jonathan was also a big star across British Columbia. The 6-foot-6, 300-pound behemoth won the local singles and tag team titles on numerous occasions. In 1977, Kovacs sold his shares in the territory to Al Tomko, who had previously promoted in Winnipeg as an affiliate for the AWA. Tomko implemented a different formula for his promotion, booking himself as the champion, and as a result, the once-thriving region began to suffer at the box office. Fans that knew the difference between the old style of grappling in Vancouver and Tomko’s efforts were disappointed by the transformation and began to look elsewhere for their wrestling fix.

  Many people gravitated toward Stu Hart’s Stampede promotion, which, by 1983, was running shows in Vancouver at the PNE Agrodome. Hart was a legend in the business, first as a wrestler and then as the owner of the Foothills Athletic Club in Calgary, Alberta, beginning in 1952. The Calgary promotion was highly successful, and Hart was well respected as a trainer. The basement of his home, known as the “Dungeon,” is where he taught his pupils the art of submission grappling, and his graduates were not only skilled performers, but capable shooters. Among his notable students were Fritz Von Erich, “Superstar” Billy Graham, and Wilbur Snyder. He also mentored his sons, and Bret, Bruce, Smith, Keith, and Owen Hart each followed Stu’s career path into the squared circle. With a heavy influence of Hart family grappling talent, along with upstarts Davey Boy Smith, Bad News Allen, and Honky Tonk Wayne (Honky Tonk Man), wrestling under the Stampede banner flourished.

  On the other side of Canada, in the Maritimes, another family ruled the roost. They were the Cormier brothers, better known by their wrestling names Rudy and Bobby Kay, Leo Burke, and the Beast. In 1969, Rudy established the Eastern Sports Association and the promotion International Wrestling. Al Zinck, his business partner, became the promoter of record, and the celebrated quartet of siblings maintained active careers. Burke was arguably the most popular, and he held the North American championship six times. He also was a strong regional challenger to world champions Terry Funk and Jack Brisco. International Wrestling closed up around 1979, and Emile Dupree’s Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling took over the territory. Burke was also a star for Dupree, capturing the local U.S. title three times. With programs at the Halifax Forum, the Jean-Louis Levesque Arena in Moncton, and Truro Stadium in central Nova Scotia, AGPW kept fans entertained in the Maritime territory in the early 1980s.

  When considering the Canadian territories, one would be remiss not to place a rather large spotlight on Montreal and its tremendous wrestling history. The city, and its surrounding region in Quebec, was the proud home of pro grappling for generations, spawning legends Emile Maupas, Eugene Tremblay, Henri DeGlane, and Yvon Robert. Promoter Eddie Quinn was in charge of the region when the Montreal territory was officially recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance in 1949. Following Quinn’s unceremonious exit from wrestling in 1963, Montreal was taken over by Johnny Rougeau and his International Wrestling Association.81 During the early 1970s, the famous Vachon brothers, Maurice and Paul, opened Grand Prix Wrestling, offering a second brand for area fans.

  Wrestling in Montreal was incredibly robust. The lineups included a young Andre the Giant, Killer Kowalski, Don Leo Jonathan, Edouard Carpentier, and, of course, the Vachons themselves. But by the late 1970s, both promotions closed, and pro wrestling in Montreal saw a gigantic turnaround in popularity. In 1980, though, Gino Brito, Frank Valois, and Andre the Giant formed Varoussac Promotions, launching their own incarnation of International Wrestling. And despite being an indie group, they featured a deep roster of talent. Andre’s ties to the WWF allowed New York wrestlers to appear with regularity, and WWF champion Bob Backlund was among those to wrestle in Montreal. In 1982, Brito and his partners returned wrestling to the Montreal Forum, the city’s top indoor venue, after several years’ absence.82 It was a major score for International Wrestling, and the promotion locked in a deal ensuring they would control the Forum exclusively going forward.

  Another territory with a rich heritage was Puerto Rico, which was part of the Caribbean extension of Championship Wrestling from Florida for years. In 1973, Carlos Colon and Victor Jovica founded Capitol Sports Promotions and joined the NWA six years later. The promotion
ran operations in San Juan, Bayamon, Caguas, Ponce, and many other towns and featured a host of internationally known stars. The regional North American championship was held by Bruno Sammartino, Gorilla Monsoon, Mr. Fuji, and Abdullah the Butcher, among others. Colon, an enormously popular performer, won it eight times. In July 1982, Abdullah claimed to be the heavyweight champion of the world but was quickly dethroned by Colon on July 24. With exciting athletes and rowdy brawls, Puerto Rico was the stage for intense grappling action, and local fans were hooked.

  Lastly, nearly 6,000 miles away from San Juan, Hawaii developed under the leadership of Alex Karasick during the 1930s. Like Florida and Puerto Rico, Hawaii was a prime destination for wrestlers because of its beauty and weather. In addition, for wrestlers venturing overseas to Japan, Honolulu was the perfect midway spot to earn extra money. Karasick worked with partners in Japan, and those connections continued under his successors, Ed Francis and Lord James Blears (Mid-Pacific Promotions) beginning in 1961. Steve Rickard ultimately bought the promotion in 1979 and soon had a falling-out with well-known grappler Peter Maivia, who started up his own company, Polynesian Pro Wrestling. Rickard returned to New Zealand and Maivia built a highly profitable operation. On June 12, 1982, the 45-year-old Maivia passed away, and his wife, Lia, and booker Lars Anderson continued the promotion’s success.