Death of the Territories

by Tim Hornbaker

  268Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 3, 1985, p. 19. Crockett’s lawsuit against McMahon was settled in early April 1986. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, April 15, 1986, p. 4.

  269Kannapolis Daily Independent, December 10, 1985. Charlotte was an off-limits city, and the WWF wouldn’t return for more than three years.

  270Baytown Sun, September 1, 1985, p. 26.

  271Paris News, August 23, 1986, p. 9.

  272Baytown Sun, September 1, 1985, p. 26.

  273According to one report, the Cotton Bowl extravaganza drew a crowd of 30,241 and a gate of $240,310.50. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #12, p. 4.

  274The WWF was originally scheduled to run Tulsa on September 22 in a head-to-head situation against Watts but changed the show’s date to September 21. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #10, p. 6. In other cities, where the WWF was established, they went head to head with the local promoter. But since the WWF was just breaking into Tulsa, McMahon didn’t want to diminish his chances by going up against Watts.

  275Portland Oregonian, October 8, 1985, p. 87.

  276Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #8, p. 4.

  Chapter 15

  277The two prior near-sellouts occurred on February 14 and March 4, 1985. The May 6, 1985, event, which drew 1,200, did not feature Hulk Hogan.

  278Ottawa Citizen, May 17, 1986.

  279The Columbus event was part of the Ohio State Fair on August 13, 1985. An estimated 50,000 fans were in attendance. The crowd was then the largest for a wrestling show in North American history. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #8 and #9.

  280The final International Wrestling–AWA show took place on July 29, 1985, at the Montreal Forum, and the first IW–WWF program occurred on August 19 in Quebec City.

  281As per the deal he made with Titan Sports, Stu Hart was effectively retired from wrestling. However, once the WWF pulled out of western Canada, the Hart Family was allowed to restart the Stampede promotion, and they did. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #6, #8, #11, and #12.

  282The ratings for Saturday Night’s Main Event were called “a bit surprising.” Palm Beach Post, May 28, 1985, p. 42.

  283Akron Beacon Journal, October 4, 1985, p. 39.

  284Allentown Morning Call, October 5, 1985, p. 93.

  285By April 1986, Titan had 40 licensed toys and other products. Financial Post, April 5, 1986, p. 13.

  286Biddeford Journal Tribune, February 12, 1985, and Financial Post, April 5, 1986, p. 13.

  287The Wrestling Classic event was part of a campaign known as “Wrestlevision,” and Titan originally planned for four additional pay-per-view programs through the summer of 1986. But the “Classic” didn’t live up to financial expectations, and the other events were canceled. PPV sales were anywhere from 43,000 to 60,000. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, December 30, 1985, p. 3. The second Wrestlevision offering was slated to be held in Bloomington, Minnesota, in January 1986.

  288Broadcasting Magazine, January 20, 1986, p. 27.

  289The Tennessean, January 20, 1986, p. 29.

  290Broadcasting Magazine, January 20, 1986, p. 27.

  291Financial Post, April 5, 1986, p. 13.

  292Ibid.

  293New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 27, 1985, p. 63.

  294Alexandria Town Talk, October 9, 1985, p. 5.

  295Wrestling Observer Newsletter, April 28, 1986, p. 1-4.

  296An autopsy revealed that Hernandez died of an acute cocaine overdose. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, February 24, 1986, p. 1.

  297Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #7, p. 8 and March 3, 1986, p. 1. WCCW has also been listed as WCWA (World Class Wrestling Association) following Adkisson’s split from the NWA.

  298It was believed that many of the departures had to do with Adkisson not giving guaranteed contracts and payoffs like other promoters were doing at the time. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, April 28, 1986, p. 2. Subsequently, David Manning became the booker in Dallas. Mantell became the booker for Watts. The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Scott Williams (2006), p. 206.

  299Adkisson started his career working for the Ed McLemore group at the Sportatorium in Dallas in January 1953. This indie operation was at odds with the Houston-based booking outfit for the NWA (Morris Sigel).

  300Wrestling Observer Newsletter, August 10, 1986, p. 1.

  301The cases were Southwest Sports, Inc. v. Mid-South Sports, Inc., Dallas County District Court, July 25, 1986, and Southwest Sports, Inc. v. Byron Robertson, George Gray, John E. Frenkel, Terry Gordy, Michael Seitz, Dale G. Hey and Melissa Hiatt, Dallas County District Court, July 25, 1986.

  302There were probably a number of reasons for their falling-out. But it was noted that Crockett was disappointed by the turnout for the Crockett Tag Tournament at the Superdome earlier in 1986 and blamed Watts for failing to promote the event. The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Scott Williams (2006), p. 207.

  303In 1986, the Memphis TV show had a CWA logo in the background, and a graphic of “Championship Wrestling” opened the program. Ron Fuller’s Southeast promotion was now using the Continental name.

  304Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #9, #10. AWA world champion Rick Martel was supposed to be on the show as well. Bad weather stifled the crowd numbers. This show was syndicated live into to the Dallas area on the same night as a big World Class show in Fort Worth.

  Chapter 16

  305Minneapolis CityBusiness, September 10, 1986, p. 17.

  306Gagne wanted Prince to sing the national anthem. Jennings cost approximately $85,000 for his performance. Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 20, 1986, p. 1C, 16C. Melanie Rosales and the TC Jammers also performed on the show.

  307Ibid and Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 21, 1986, p. 1A, 5A.

  308Minneapolis CityBusiness, September 10, 1986, p. 17.

  309The WWF debuted on CKND-TV in Winnipeg on Saturday, February 15, 1986, at 6:00 p.m. on channels 9 and 12.

  310For years, the AWA promoted monthly shows at Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford. They later regained TV in the city on WQRF-39. The WWF made its debut in Rockford on February 13, 1986.

  311Chicago Sun-Times, June 17, 1986.

  312Wrestling Observer Newsletter, July 14, 1986, p. 2.

  313Newport News Daily Press, October 12, 1986, p. E7.

  314In his autobiography, Race wrote about his loss of more than $500,000 and noted that it was for the Kansas City territory. It is not clear if this amount includes both the Central States (Heart of America Sports Attractions Inc.) and St. Louis (St. Louis Wrestling Club) businesses, or if Race had sold his stake in St. Louis separately. Nevertheless, Race got out of both promotions at about the same time. King of the Ring: The Harley Race Story by Harley Race and Gerry Tritz (2004).

  315Geigel was elected to the NWA presidency in August 1985 during the annual convention in Las Vegas. Many online sources incorrectly claim that Crockett was elected president. Geigel was reelected president at the September 1986 convention, also in Vegas.

  316It is believed that Crockett and Geigel split gates evenly in the Central States territory, only after JCP first received a 10 percent booking fee off the top for arranging the talent.

  317Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1986, p. E-12.

  318Prior to a six-man tag team match involving Flair, Blanchard, and Arn Anderson, Anderson said they were like the “four horsemen of the apocalypse.” The tag stuck and built among fans, and they went with it.

  319Pittsburgh Press, July 23, 1986, p. C5.

  320Crockett’s Worldwide Wrestling was on channel 56 in the L.A. market on Sunday mornings at 11:00. The crowd was estimated at 8,500 to 10,000. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, October 27, 1986, p. 8.

  321To promote the venture into Bloomi
ngton, JCP had acquired a TV spot on KXLI-41 out of St. Cloud at 10:30 p.m., Sunday nights. This wasn’t an optimal station or time. However, beginning on Saturday, October 4, 1986, JCP was featured on KTMA-23 in the Twin Cities at 1:00 p.m. Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 28, 1986, p. TV-39.

  322The last cooperative JCP–AWA event took place on June 27, 1986, when Flair appeared in Salt Lake City for AWA’s local WrestleRock. Crockett and Gagne butted heads during a spring 1986 meeting where plans to run a Great American Bash show in St. Louis on July 19 were discussed. The parties, which included Bob Geigel and Harley Race, couldn’t come to an agreement, and the event was never held.

  323Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1986.

  324This information was cited as having originated in the sheet Wrestling Forum, by Jon Gallagher. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, October 13, 1986, p. 3.

  325The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Scott Williams (2006), p. 223-224.

  326Paris News, August 23, 1986, p. 9.

  327Wrestling Observer Newsletter, September 2, 1986, p. 1.

  328Wrestling Observer Newsletter, April 28, 1986, p. 10.

  329Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 11, 1988, p. 3.

  330Honolulu Advertiser, November 28, 1989, p. 39.

  331Honolulu Star-Bulletin, July 7, 1986, p. 17.

  Chapter 17

  332Globe and Mail, August 16, 1986, p. C1.

  333Sports Illustrated, March 25, 1991. Before McMahon coined the term “sports entertainment,” he described the WWF as follows: “Pro wrestling is not a sport like the NFL, and it’s not theater like Broadway. We can say what it’s not, but it’s hard to say what it is.” Los Angeles Times, November 25, 1984, p. S3.

  334Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, July 24, 1985, p. B1. Thirty-second commercials went up to $35,000 in 1988. Channels magazine, January 1989.

  335Television/Radio Age, November 9, 1987, p. 73.

  336Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 1985, #11, 1985, p. 8. It was believed that Andre the Giant didn’t sign a contract with the WWF at that time.

  337There were actually three different lawsuits between LeBell and McMahon: Mike LeBell v. Vincent K. McMahon, Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles; Titan Sports, Inc. v. Mike LeBell, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California; and Michael LeBell v. Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Titan Sports, Inc., Capital Wrestling Corporation, and Does 1 to 20, inclusive, Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles.

  338Deposition of Michael LeBell, June 12, 1985, Titan Sports, Inc., A Massachusetts Corporation v. Mike LeBell, Case No. CV-85-0282-RMT, United States District Court for the Central District of California.

  339After developing phlebitis, Cannon sold his stake in the Detroit partnership around April 1986. Windsor Star, March 28, 1987, p. B1. He sued McMahon for $500,000, filed on March 24, 1987, only a few days before WrestleMania III, held in suburban Detroit. Cannon Sports, Inc. v. Titan Sports, Inc., U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit), Case No. 2:87-CV-71100-LPZ. This case was dismissed with prejudice on May 26, 1988.

  340Gate reports are cited as C$1.1 or $1.2 million. The WWF drew $2 million in gates in one week. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, September 9, 1986, p. 3–4.

  341An article stated that Titan Sports had 70 full-time employees on its payroll and “65 wrestlers.” Toronto Star, August 22, 1986, p. D20.

  342Championship Wrestling evolved into the new Superstars of Wrestling program and held its last Poughkeepsie TV taping on August 5, 1986. All-Star Wrestling became Wrestling Challenge and staged its final Brantford TV taping on July 28, 1986.

  343McMahon would stage two TV tapings on consecutive days, the first (Superstars of Wrestling) in one location and the second (Wrestling Challenge) in another.

  344Wrestling Observer Newsletter, August 3, 1987, p. 1.

  345Asbury Park Press, May 28, 1987, p. 5.

  346Asbury Park Press, May 30, 1987, p. D8. In a follow-up story, the Sheik was quoted as saying, “I usually do not travel with my enemies. I do not like [Duggan]. I do not like his family. I think he probably did it on purpose.” A spokesman for the WWF said he was surprised by the fact they were traveling together, and it was explained that officials went out of their way to put the wrestlers on different flights “to prevent violence.” Asbury Park Press, June 2, 1987, p. 4.

  347The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Scott Williams (2006), p. 224.

  348The Cowboy and the Cross: The Bill Watts Story by “Cowboy” Bill Watts and Scott Williams (2006), p. 227. The deal was reportedly negotiated, and a deal was in place by April 9.

  349Charlotte Observer, May 6, 1987, p. 1E.

  350Wrestling Observer Newsletter, January 5, 1987, p. 3–4.

  351Ibid.

  352Wrestling Observer Newsletter, February 16, 1987, p. 5.

  353JCP wasn’t effectively “buying” the Florida territory with the deal. It was a business arrangement that had Crockett running the day-to-day operations and splitting income with the owners of the local office.

  Chapter 18

  354Minneapolis CityBusiness, September 10, 1986, p. 47.

  355Chicago Sun-Times, October 3, 1986, p. 90.

  356Minneapolis CityBusiness, September 10, 1986, p. 47.

  357Channels magazine, January 1989, p. 38–41. According to another interview, Gagne explained, “The ancillary sales have been tremendous. We have a contract with Remco Toys — we started off with six dolls, now we have more than 30. It’s doing $10 million to $15 million in sales [of which AWA receives a percentage].” Minneapolis CityBusiness, September 10, 1986, p. 47.

  358Wrestling Observer Newsletter, March 3, 1986, p. 6, May 12, 1986, p. 10, June 28, 1986, p. 1.

  359Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 1, 1987, p. C3.

  360Wrestling Observer Newsletter, June 15, 1987, p. 2–3.

  361Idol was managed by Paul E. Dangerly (Paul Heyman). As part of the stipulations, if Idol has been defeated, fans at the Coliseum would’ve gotten their tickets refunded.

  362Rich reportedly hid underneath the ring for six hours before emerging and attacking Lawler, leading to Idol’s victory.

  363Dave Meltzer mentioned the Jarrett–Gagne negotiations as having broken off in November 1987. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, November 16, 1987, p. 3. Jarrett posted about his negotiations with Gagne on the Wrestling Classics Message Board on June 29 and July 1, 2002. He also wrote about negotiating with Gagne in his autobiography, The Best of Times by Jerry Jarrett with Mark James (2011) p. 227–230.

  364Grapevine Sun, December 21, 1986, p. 31.

  365Wrestling Observer Newsletter, June 29, 1987, p. 1.

  366D Magazine, May 1987.

  367The debut of the revamped show began the weekend of June 6, 1987. Mark Lowrance replaced Bill Mercer as commentator on the World Class syndicated program. Mercer joined Ken Mantell’s Wild West promotion.

  368D Magazine, February 1988.

  369Longview News-Journal, December 6, 1987, p. 52.

  370Mantell reportedly owned 40 percent of the stock in the Dallas promotion, whereas Kevin and Kerry each had 30. wccwmemories.blogspot.com. Another report stated Kerry and Kevin owned a majority interest in the company, whereas Mantell had 30 percent. Wrestling Observer Newsletter, February 15, 1988, p. 6. Mantell, in recent months, had been operating Wild West Wrestling based out of Krum, Texas, and his promotion was gaining stature as an independent group. The Wild West group was absorbed by World Class in 1988.

  371Portland Oregonian, July 19, 1987, p. D13.

  Chapter 19

  372For high-end stations in a top five market, JCP was willing to pay upwards of $8,000 per week for TV time.

  373Channels magazine, January 1989.

  37
4JCP’s offices were at 421 Briarbend Drive in Charlotte.

  375According to one source, the Wrestling Network officially debuted on July 1, 1987. Television/Radio Age, June 22, 1987, p 63–64.

  376The Dallas office was located at 5001 Spring Valley Road, #920, Dallas, Texas.

  377JCP was selling advertising via barter. It would keep five minutes per show and sell the remaining seven to 10 minutes. Time Sales International was represented by Rick Pack, and the latter reportedly signed an agreement with Crockett on April 8, 1987. Time Sales, which was operated out of Greenwich, Connecticut, was later bought by the Action Media Group. On September 22, 1988, the Wrestling Network became an official federal trademark of the Action Media Group.

  378Television/Radio Age, November 23, 1987, p. 20.

  379Orlando Sentinel, October 2, 1987, p. 41.

  380Country music was still a part of the tour, with David Allen Coe at the Atlanta show on July 4. That same night, Michael Hayes also delivered a musical performance.

  381It has been reported that Animal and Hawk received $500,000 each and manager Paul Ellering got $275,000.

  382JCP promoted Detroit on the strength of its UWF TV show on WXYZ-7, which was telecast at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, as well as its WTBS program.

  383Detroit Free Press, September 24, 1987, p. 17.

  384At first, Crockett tried to win over cable systems by offering to run Starrcade live at 5:00 p.m. to finish before the Survivor Series started, allowing operators to provide both events to viewers. But Vince McMahon moved his start time from 8:00 to 7:30 to squeeze the life out of that idea. In turn, Crockett decided to keep the 5:00 start time for his live show, originating from Chicago (4:00 p.m. CST), and run a tape-delayed telecast at closed-circuit venues up and down the East Coast starting at 8:00.

  385The Wrestling Network achieved number four amongst syndicated TV packages during the summer of 1987 but then fell out of the top 15 by early November. The WWF was number three behind Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.