Death of the Territories

by Tim Hornbaker

  Things began to take off when Albano was cast as pop sensation Cyndi Lauper’s father in the music video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” a big hit on MTV beginning in December 1983. According to the Los Angeles Times, he was Lauper’s “guru,” and the singer herself admitted to being influenced by his words of wisdom.172 With the video in heavy rotation, Albano reached a new realm of celebrity, and Lauper went on to win Best Female Video at the 1984 Video Music Awards. Lauper’s manager David Wolff, a longtime grappling enthusiast, came up with a plan to drum up even more attention. His angle was scripted to do three things: generate interest, garner heat for Albano, and maximize sales for both Lauper and the box office.

  Between May and July 1984, Albano began to take more and more credit for Lauper’s success, claiming to be her manager and insisting the reason she was a superstar was all his doing. Then with unabashed misogyny he took it a step further by stating that women belonged in the kitchen. Lauper wasn’t going to let that slide. She appeared on Piper’s Pit and gave it right back to Albano, first verbally and then physically.173 After things calmed down, Lauper issued a challenge. She said that she was going to find a woman wrestler to battle, and beat, anyone Albano wanted. She subsequently chose Wendi Richter, a spirited young grappler from Dallas, Texas. In opposition, Albano picked the Fabulous Moolah, the women’s world champion, purportedly, since 1956. It was true Moolah was still claiming a belt she’d first won 28 years earlier, but her reign wasn’t uninterrupted. She lost and regained the title several times.174

  The stage was set, the lines in the sand were drawn, and the era of the Rock ’n’ Wrestling Connection was officially launched. On July 23, 1984, MTV featured live satellite coverage of the Moolah–Richter bout from Madison Square Garden in New York and drew the largest ratings, to date, in network history. Richter, accompanied by Lauper, was victorious in the match and won the WWF women’s championship. “When Wendi won,” Wolff later told a reporter, “the cheers were as loud or louder than any I’ve ever heard at a rock concert.”175

  Vince McMahon couldn’t have been disappointed by the results of the Rock ’n’ Wrestling experiment, and it meant tremendous publicity for the WWF. In terms of placing his company on a platform above his competitors, McMahon was getting it done by taking chances. No other promoters were even close, and honestly, many of the old-school territorial bosses likely would have scoffed at an angle involving a pop star because of how it went against the grain of traditional pro wrestling. But McMahon had no such qualms. This outside-the-box thinking gave the WWF an edge in the all-important 18- to 34-year-old demographic, as well as with teenagers. The WWF was entering a more robust consciousness, not only for madcap in-ring mayhem, but for entertaining angles involving celebrities. The July 1984 spectacle, the Brawl to Settle It All, was only the beginning of the wrestling and rock partnership.176

  Throughout this entire period, in addition to his television responsibilities and regular management operations, Vince McMahon found plenty of time to further his expansion. Toronto, a major stop on the National Wrestling Alliance circuit dating back to 1949, was profoundly weakened by the death of Frank Tunney in 1983 and faced a steep decline in attendance. As it was, top-tier grapplers used to flock to Toronto to enjoy Tunney’s world-renowned professionalism and fair payoffs. Following his death, the promotion was taken over by his son Eddie and nephew Jack, and continued to draw in workers from Jim Crockett and eastern Canada, but the pool of wrestling talent was stretched thin in 1984 and Toronto suffered, like many other cities. With things coming to a head financially, the Tunneys had to make a decision, and perhaps their choice was easy. The WWF had been on TV in the Toronto area since 1982, broadcasting from a Buffalo station, and was a known commodity to local fans. It also featured many former Toronto stars, guys like Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, Sgt. Slaughter, and Jimmy Snuka who had appeared at Maple Leaf Gardens when the promotion was riding high. These were the individuals people wanted to see live, and the Tunneys realized an agreement with the WWF was their best option. On June 27, 1984, at a special press conference, the new WWF–Toronto pact was announced to the public. Toronto was a major acquisition for McMahon. In most other cases, his expansion included battleground cities with heavy competition. Toronto differed because, as in the previous deals in Los Angeles and Detroit, he gained a certain level of exclusivity. By working with the Tunneys, McMahon took over grappling at Maple Leaf Gardens and the popular Maple Leaf Wrestling television program on CHCH-11 out of Hamilton. Jack Tunney became chief of the WWF’s Canadian operations and took an on-camera figurehead role as president of the entire promotion. He was an enthusiastic member of the organization, and talked up Hulk Hogan to a reporter for the Financial Post, saying, “Gorgeous George, Yukon Eric, Whipper Watson. They were big stars, but nothing like Hogan. He’s big in every corner of the world.”177

  Maple Leaf Wrestling, as produced by the WWF, debuted within days of the agreement with the Tunneys, and the first live show at the Gardens on July 22, 1984, drew 10,000 people. Programs were staged every two weeks, and McMahon hired Billy Red Lyons, a popular ex-wrestler from Ontario, as a commentator and interviewer to give the WWF that local familiar face he wanted in new territories. Altogether, the WWF had sufficient manpower well known to area enthusiasts and expected big returns at the box office. McMahon had additional plans for Ontario and the rest of Canada. Beginning on July 10, he began holding TV tapings north of the border, the first in Brantford, Ontario, and then also in London and Hamilton.

  The customary television tapings held in Hamburg and Allentown, Pennsylvania, were discontinued in May and June, respectively, ending a long-running tradition. New footage for All-Star Wrestling and Maple Leaf Wrestling originated from Ontario tapings, while Championship Wrestling was filmed in Poughkeepsie, New York. The Superstars of Wrestling program was predominantly recorded from the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis with interviews and promos spliced into each episode. Tuesday Night Titans, with its formulaic interview setup, was taped in Baltimore before relocating to Connecticut, and for the wrestlers, producers, and hosts of the various programs, there was a great deal of traveling required. In fact, the weekly live event schedule had more than doubled, and Ed Cohen, the WWF’s director of promotions, was responsible for booking the various arenas all over the country. “When I first came aboard, we were doing five events a week,” Cohen told the Greenwich News in 1984. “Now we have 14 a week.”178

  As the WWF roster continued to grow, there were rumors that McMahon envisioned four different live shows every single day, an incredible proposition. The increased traveling, even with 14 programs a week, split with half the wrestlers on an “A” circuit and the others on a “B” circuit, was undoubtedly going to tax everyone in the locker room. There was some question of whether the overloaded schedule, and the wear and tear on the wrestlers themselves, impacted the quality of matches in the ring. “Physically, you find the body can take a lot more than people expect,” Don Muraco told an Associated Press reporter in 1985. “The body is capable of enduring that kind of punishment and fatigue. The grind comes when you’re trying to coordinate that with your home life.”179 He was often on the road eight days straight before returning home to his family. For one stretch of seven months, announcer Gene Okerlund said he traveled 160,000 miles.180

  Special publicity events were also part of the lives of WWF employees. In May 1984, McMahon, Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, and Freddie Blassie appeared on a regional talk show in Pennsylvania, It’s Your Turn Lehigh Valley. The program, which originated on PBS station WLVT-39 and was shown in Philadelphia, featured a live studio audience and gave all five individuals a platform to work their gimmicks. Slaughter was adored by the crowd, Albano and Blassie drew boos, and Piper made a lot of the people laugh, especially when it came to questions about his kilt. Each individual on the panel remained in character, but they had a good time with the crowd, and probably endeared themselves a little more to
fans by the end of the program.

  Despite his personable efforts in the media, McMahon was highly unpopular with smart wrestling fans in non-WWF areas. In the Correspondents’ Corner of the popular “dirt sheet” Wrestling Observer Newsletter, people sounded off about his maneuvering, voicing their concerns and complaints. Longtime enthusiasts, loyal to their home territories, were upset about the WWF’s growing influence, hated the promotion’s style of wrestling, and, as one correspondent noted, saw it as a “real threat to the stability” of the entire industry.181 These fans hoped the NWA and AWA would rise up and quell its march. “Cowboy” Bill Watts, head of the Mid-South promotion, turned correspondent for an early 1985 edition of the Observer, and surprisingly wanted to thank McMahon. He felt the business had grown stagnant and believed McMahon was forcing promoters to step up their game for a complete and total rejuvenation.182

  On the other hand, some promoters continued to be wooed by McMahon’s big cash offerings. As part of the WWF’s Canadian expansion, McMahon reportedly offered Stu Hart $1 million for the Calgary territory (Stampede), including several wrestlers, TV timeslots, and arena rights.183 Hart, who had bought his promotion in the early 1950s for $50,000, consented to the deal and held his final live Calgary event on September 14, 1984, at the Victoria Pavilion.184 In the main event, his son Bret teamed with Dynamite Kid to beat Bad News Allen and Ron Starr in a cage match. The WWF picked up Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid in the Stampede purchase, along with Davey Boy Smith. Maple Leaf Wrestling soon replaced the local TV show, and in November, McMahon sent his troupe across western Canada, stopping in Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, and Vancouver.

  Montreal was another crucial Canadian city but was going to be a much harder acquisition. Already heavily fortified, the International Wrestling promotion run by Gino Brito and Dino Bravo (Andre the Giant had sold out early in 1984) was scoring sizeable houses throughout 1984. Featuring the Rougeaus, Abdullah the Butcher, Brito, Bravo, and stars from the AWA, IW was by far the hottest wrestling company in Quebec. The WWF, however, already had TV time in Montreal, stemming from the late 1983 deal with George Cannon, and fans watched McMahon’s Superstars of Wrestling on CFCF-12. In late May 1984, with coordination efforts by Montreal native Pat Patterson, the WWF presented a live show at the Verdun Auditorium just south of Montreal, but the event was a financial bomb. McMahon tried a second time in June, but again, the WWF failed to show competitive strength against International Wrestling.

  Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, McMahon received positive news about his “forced buyout” of Ole Anderson and the Georgia promotion. On July 11, 1984, the contracts were finalized and Titan Sports obtained Georgia Championship Wrestling and its immensely valuable timeslots on Superstation WTBS. Three days later, at 6:05 p.m., Freddie Miller, the longtime co-host of World Championship Wrestling, officially welcomed the WWF to the station.185 Bewildered regular viewers of weekend matches on WTBS expected to see famed announcer Gordon Solie at the top of the show, but instead watched Miller introduce McMahon, who promised to bring “the greatest in professional wrestling entertainment.” Over the next hour, WWF tag champions Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, the Iron Sheik, Jesse Ventura, and Big John Studd made appearances in previously recorded bouts. Studd’s opponent was the legendary Bobo Brazil, a former WWWF U.S. champion back in the 1960s, but the latter was pinned after just six minutes of action.

  McMahon had succeeded in capturing a major prize in the world of pro wrestling and was now in charge of two influential cable outlets. As for Anderson and the NWA as a whole, they were pushed off the national stage with the scales of power tipping in the WWF’s favor. But the initial reaction to what was later designated “Black Saturday” was not exactly positive. According to some reports, “thousands” of people phoned WTBS to gripe about the changeover from the NWA to the WWF. Alan Patureau of the Atlanta Constitution, in an article the following Tuesday, explained that “at least 83 viewers” had called to protest. McMahon had a response for the vocal grievances: “We’ll show those complainers the difference between a major league and a minor league production, given time.”186

  Part of McMahon’s agreement with WTBS included the stipulation that he’d present live studio wrestling taped in Atlanta, as Anderson had done in years past. Instead, he used the WTBS show, still named World Championship Wrestling, to feature pre-taped, out-of-town footage from various house shows and TV tapings. WWF officials believed the background crowds and noise from places like New York City, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis were important to illustrate that their promotion was indeed “big time.” The arena settings made a greater impression on spectators in contrast to the studio efforts of southern promoters. Gordon Solie disagreed. “Technically, studio matches are far superior entertainment because they are designed for the viewer at home as opposed to the spectators in an auditorium,” he told a reporter for the Palm Beach Post. “There really is no comparison.”187 To ingratiate itself with fans of GCW, the WWF made offers to the talent of the Georgia promotion, and snagged a handful of key names. The Spoiler, Les Thornton, Mr. Wrestling II, and the Brisco Brothers made appearances on the WWF’s World Championship Wrestling in the following months, as did a number of other Georgia alumni.

  Also, continuing with the Rock ’n’ Wrestling theme, David Wolff signed a managerial contract with the Fabulous Freebirds. The idea was to push Michael Hayes, a Freebird teammate of Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts, as a musician and ultimately release an album through CBS Associated Labels. “Michael Hayes is a heavy metal rock ’n’ roller, a very energetic performer,” Wolff told the Philadelphia Daily News, “and the Freebirds are a wrestling equivalent — heavy brawlers. I think that wrestling and rock have a great untapped crossover market, and that a Michael Hayes can really bridge the gap.”188 The Freebirds, unlike during their time in Texas as adversaries of the Von Erichs, were fan favorites in the WWF, and both Wolff and Cyndi Lauper made appearances with the trio in August 1984. Anyone who knew the background of the Freebirds understood their incredible value, but a lengthy run in the WWF was not to be. For reasons likely spurred by creative differences, Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts left the promotion in September 1984 after a dozen or so tag matches.

  Another newcomer, the 6-foot-7, 350-plus-pound Kamala, was brought in as a protégé of Fred Blassie and literally squashed enhancement talent with his massive splash finisher. He went on to feud with Andre the Giant. On July 31, 1984, both Brutus Beefcake and Ken Patera turned up in the WWF as heels at a Poughkeepsie TV taping. Patera was still facing court action based on the out-of-the-ring incident in Wisconsin while in the AWA, but his arrival was noteworthy nonetheless. Beefcake was a solid performer, and good things were in store for him headed into 1985.

  And the WWF didn’t stop there. On August 10, 1984, one of the most popular attractions in the territorial system, the Junkyard Dog, made his debut for McMahon in St. Louis. He was a huge acquisition and potentially crippling to the Mid-South promotion. JYD was beloved on a Hulk Hogan level in the South. His WWF entrance as a fan favorite balanced out a heel-heavy roster, and over subsequent months, he went to the mat against Paul Orndorff, Roddy Piper, Greg Valentine, and other top rulebreakers. David Sammartino, the bulky 24-year-old son of the “Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino, was also new to the WWF. He made his first in-ring appearance at a Poughkeepsie taping on September 11, 1984, the same night his father returned to the WWF as a commentator. Bruno Sammartino had been embroiled in a real feud with McMahon for several years, involving legal action, but the two sides had reached an amicable resolution. Some believed that Bruno was brought back to bolster support in the New York area against Pro Wrestling USA.

  Nine days before the WWF debut in Toronto, on July 13, 1984, McMahon entered Chicago for his first live event at the Pavilion on the campus of the University of Illinois. Chicago was considered firm AWA territory, and saw many wrestlers from Indianapolis as part of the WWA–AWA relationship. With local TV in place on WFLD since
January, the WWF had made some inroads in the Windy City, but the promotion was hurt by two things. First, the WFLD telecast was on Saturday mornings at 8:30, which was far from an optimal timeslot. Second, the growth of cable television was developing slower in Chicago than in most major cities, and the wrestling populace there wasn’t seriously influenced by McMahon’s offerings on USA Network. The AWA was way out in front, drawing sizable crowds at the Rosemont Horizon, and a lot needed to happen for the roles to reverse.