American Wrestling Association
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
Owner | Verne Gagne (until 2003) WWE (after 2003) |
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Website | AWA on WWE.com |
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American
History
Pre-AWA years (1933–1960)
Part of a series on |
Professional wrestling |
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Breaking from the NWA (1960)
In 1960, after unsuccessfully lobbying the NWA for a title match between Gagne and the NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor, Gagne and Karbo led certain territories out of the NWA forming the AWA. The AWA unilaterally recognized NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor as AWA World Champion and gave him 90 days to defend the AWA title against Gagne. The NWA ignored the challenge. O'Connor was stripped of the AWA title and it was awarded to Gagne on August 16, 1960. While O'Connor was considered the first AWA Champion, he didn't wrestle in the AWA until later in the 1960s (when he teamed with Wilbur Snyder to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship).
Gagne was an amateur wrestling champion who had earned a spot on the U.S. team at the 1948 Summer Olympics; he ran the AWA with a conservative sensibility, firmly believing that sound technical wrestling should be the basis of a pro-wrestling company.[1] Starting in the 1970s, Gagne trained his newcomer wrestlers from his farm in Chanhassen, Minnesota.[2]
Expanding the territory (1960s–1980s)
Under Gagne and Karbo, the AWA became one of the most successful and expansive single territories[3] in North America, promoting shows in such major cities as Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago, Omaha, Winnipeg, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Phoenix and throughout the Midwest region. Relationships were also developed with existing promotions in Houston, Memphis and San Antonio. Gagne's westward expansion into traditional NWA territories was made possible due to relationships and business partnerships he had forged for decades—more the result of other promoters struggling to survive rather than by purchase or hostile takeover by Gagne. The AWA would also benefit from, among other things, the profits which was made from matches that occurred in 1973 and 1974 between Superstar Billy Graham and Wahoo McDaniel.[4]
The promotion was briefly affiliated with
Nick Bockwinkel vs. Hulk Hogan (1982–1983)
After Gagne's retirement in 1981, he focused the promotion on
On two occasions, Gagne went so far as to tease AWA title wins for Hogan, only to return the title to Bockwinkel via technicalities. The first was on April 18, 1982. Hogan defeated Bockwinkel with the help of a foreign object that Bockwinkel's manager Bobby "the Brain" Heenan had interjected into the match. After the three count, the belt was awarded to Hogan and he was announced as the new champion. Heenan informed the referee of the object and the referee questioned Hogan about this, but the blood on Hogan's face was evidence that the object had also been used on him. The ref stood by his decision and Hogan left the arena as the new AWA World champion. Six days later on AWA television, AWA President Stanley Blackburn stripped Hogan of the title and returned it to Bockwinkel.
The second such occasion was on a "Super Sunday" card in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1983. Hogan again pinned Bockwinkel, was awarded the belt and announced as the new champion. This time, Blackburn came to the ring moments after the match and tried to have Hogan retroactively disqualified for throwing the champion over the top rope a few minutes before the pinfall occurred. However, this match had been booked as a no disqualification match, which prevented this, so Blackburn simply stripped Hogan of the title and once again handed it back to Bockwinkel.[13] The crowd (which had exploded in cheers when Hogan appeared to have won) almost rioted when learning that Hogan was once again cheated out of the title,[14] and Bockwinkel later had to do damage control with the rabid crowd, telling the audience to calm down afterwards as well.[14] Hogan attacked Bockwinkel and his manager Heenan. On the DVD The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA, it was revealed that Gagne planned to have Hogan win the belt that night, but only if he would give Gagne the bulk of the revenues that Hogan was earning from merchandise and his periodic main-event performances in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.[15] Outraged at being strongarmed, Hogan refused, but nonetheless offered a 50/50 split instead.[15] Gagne refused, and kept the belt from him.[15] However, Hogan did admit in his autobiography My Life Outside the Ring that he still intended to stay with AWA and that Gagne had planned to book him in steel cage matches with Bockwinkel in an effort to expand the AWA to the New York market, but he decided to leave when Vincent K. McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) offered him the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.[16]
Talent jumps to the WWF (1983–1984)
As McMahon and his Connecticut-based WWF attempted to end pro wrestling's regional era in the mid-1980s (by establishing the WWF as a national promotion), Gagne made several decisions that caused his AWA to lose momentum in the emerging wrestling promotion war, including overemphasizing his son Greg Gagne in AWA storylines (which led to charges of nepotism within the company) and failing to make Hogan the top star of his company when he had the chance.
Frustrated by Gagne's business decisions, Hogan accepted an offer from rival promoter McMahon to wrestle for the WWF, in December 1983. One month later, Hogan became the WWF World Heavyweight Champion. He and the WWF soon became a mainstream media phenomenon and virtually synonymous with professional wrestling in much of the national consciousness, vaulting past the AWA and NWA as the premier promotion in wrestling. Hogan wasn't alone in leaving the AWA. Some of the AWA's other top talent, including announcer "Mean Gene" Okerlund, manager Heenan, and wrestlers Adrian Adonis, Ken Patera, Tito Santana, Jim Brunzell, David Schultz, Wendi Richter and Jesse Ventura also jumped to the WWF. As the AWA required talent to place a six-week notice upon leaving the company for booking and syndication-based reasons, most of the talent reportedly told Gagne that McMahon offered them more money to not work out their notices and previously-scheduled appearance dates, which has been disputed by McMahon. Of the talent to leave AWA for the WWF in this time, only Heenan worked out his notice in good faith to the Gagne family.[17]
The sting of the WWF expansion was not shouldered by the AWA alone. The
Pro Wrestling USA (1984–1986)
Despite this talent raid, the AWA went on to have another successful year in 1984, mainly because of the arrival of
In response to McMahon's expansion, the AWA forged an alliance with several NWA promoters, including
The AWA released an AWA Remco Action Figure line with the toy company Remco and a series of 30 minute videos entitled "Wrestling Classics", primarily featuring wrestlers such as Sgt. Slaughter, the Road Warriors, Jimmy Garvin and Steve Regal, and World Champion Martel.
Decline and closure (1986–1991)
Despite falling behind the WWF and NWA as a major promotion throughout 1986 and 1987, Gagne still managed to find and/or develop legitimate young talent like
With the retirement of Bockwinkel, Gagne tapped
During 1987, in an attempt to remain relevant and survive, Gagne renewed a relationship with Memphis-based promoter Jerry Jarrett and the CWA and even allowed Mid-Southern territory legend Jerry "The King" Lawler to win the AWA World Title from Hennig in May 1988.[2] This was after the AWA flirted for months with the idea of giving Greg the belt, even awarding the belt to Gagne at a couple of house shows, only to return it to Hennig on a technicality. It was widely speculated that the idea of the younger Gagne as heavyweight champion did not play well with AWA fans, who seemed more interested in the involvement of Verne and Larry Hennig in the feud than they did with Greg actually winning the title, so Verne decided to go with Lawler instead. Michaels and Jannetty would drop the titles to Badd Company around that same time.
Facing financial trouble of their own, WCCW then allied themselves with the AWA and CWA, and Lawler would challenge WCCW Heavyweight champion Kerry Von Erich to a title unification match at SuperClash III in December. Super Clash III was the AWA's first venture into the Pay-Per-View market and wrestling's first collaborative PPV between several promotions. However, after months of hype, the end results were somewhat contentious and relatively unsuccessful. Following the event, the collaborative effort was over and Lawler was stripped of the title in January 1989. Lawler kept the AWA Title belt and continued promoting himself in Tennessee, Texas, and on the independent circuit as the unified World Heavyweight Champion. Lawler did this in an attempt to leverage PPV revenue from Gagne that was allegedly owed to him, but Gagne never paid him and eventually commissioned a new title belt of similar design.
In February 1989, Larry Zbyszko, a one-time employee and Verne's son-in-law, returned to the AWA and won the vacated World Title in an 18-man Battle Royal, eliminating Tom Zenk to end the match. It was also during this time that Joe Blanchard replaced Blackburn as AWA President. Zbyszko's first title reign would last for a little over one year. During this time, he would defend the title against Zenk, Greg, Wahoo McDaniel, Ken Patera, Nikita Koloff, Brad Rheingans, The Trooper Del Wilkes, and Masa Saito. Zbyszko would eventually lose the title to Saito in February 1990 in front of 65,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome at the NJPW/AJPW Supershow. Zbyszko would regain the title in April 1990 at SuperClash IV. During 1989 and 1990, the AWA also pushed Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom as the top tag team. In early 1989, Eric Bischoff, who was performing office work for the AWA at the time, mostly in sales and syndication, was placed in front of the camera to replace Larry Nelson as interviewer and occasional commentator. The AWA was Bischoff's first exposure to the world of pro wrestling. He would later become a dominant force in the industry, leading World Championship Wrestling to prominence in the 1990s.
The AWA would become inactive in the fall of 1990 (the last television taping occurred on August 11). As a result, Zbyszko signed with WCW. As his last official act, Gagne stripped the already-departed Zbyszko of the AWA World Title in December 1990. In 1991, Gagne and his inactive promotion officially filed for bankruptcy.
On the
Purchase by World Wrestling Entertainment (2003)
In 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment purchased the assets of the AWA from the Gagnes. All footage of the AWA is owned by WWE. WWE released The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA on November 21, 2006. The DVD includes a documentary on the amateur and professional career of Verne Gagne, the rise and fall of the AWA over its 30-year history, along with numerous interviews and features with Gagne, Hulk Hogan, Jim Brunzell, Michael Hayes, Baron von Raschke, Greg Gagne, Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund and Nick Bockwinkel.
International working agreements
Abroad, the AWA had working agreements with Japanese promotions International Wrestling Enterprise (1969 to 1980), then All Japan Pro Wrestling (1980 to 1988, although the relationship was strained in 1986 by the AWA Title debacle surrounding Stan Hansen), and, near the end, New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
On June 29, 1986, in
The AWA also had a brief relationship with the European promotion Catch Wrestling Association, through which its promoter, wrestler Otto Wanz, was given a brief AWA World Title reign in 1982.
Events
Television
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, AWA television production was headquartered at
- AWA All-Star Wrestling, the promotion's syndicated program, which aired from 1960 until 1991.
- AWA Championship Wrestling, which aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990; it was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the AWA and several NWA affiliates (most notably Jim Crockett Promotions).
- AWA Major League Wrestling, a Canadian program produced in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for that city's station, CKND, and syndicated across Canada during the 1980s.
In 1985, Gagne began airing weekly programming on
On February 26, 2008, ESPN Classic began reairing AWA Championship Wrestling episodes, circa 1986-1990.
Pay-per-view
The AWA ran only one pay-per-view card, SuperClash III, during its 30-year run. However, From 1999 to 2002, a series of AWA-related pay-per-views were produced. Titled AWA Classic Wrestling, they featured compilations of old AWA footage, hosted by Greg Gagne and Todd Okerlund (son of Gene Okerlund), with occasional appearances by Verne Gagne.[19] The pay-per-views ceased following the acquisition of the AWA tape library by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Supercards
- SuperSunday
- WrestleRock 86
- SuperClash
Tournaments
AWA World Tag Championship Tournament (1962)
The AWA World Tag Team Tournament was a one-night single elimination tag team tournament held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on January 15, 1962, for the vacant AWA World Tag Team Championship.[20]
Semifinals | Qualifiers | Finalists | Finals | ||||||||||||
Larry Hennig and Duke Hoffman | |||||||||||||||
Hard Boiled Haggerty and Bob Geigel | Hard Boiled Haggerty and Bob Geigel | ||||||||||||||
Tiny Mills and Wayne Bock | Larry Hennig and Duke Hoffman | ||||||||||||||
The Miller Brothers | |||||||||||||||
The Miller Brothers (Bill Miller and Danny Miller) | |||||||||||||||
Bob Graham and Don Jardine
| |||||||||||||||
Larry Hennig and Duke Hoffman | |||||||||||||||
Verne Gagne and Leo Nomellini | |||||||||||||||
The Kalmikoffs (Ivan Kalmikoff and Nikita Kalmikoff) | |||||||||||||||
Joe Scarpello and Tony Baillargeon | |||||||||||||||
The Kalmikoffs | |||||||||||||||
Verne Gagne and Leo Nomellini | |||||||||||||||
Verne Gagne and Leo Nomellini | |||||||||||||||
Ripper Collins and Aldo Bogni |
AWA World Tag Championship Tournament (1989)
The AWA World Tag Team Tournament was a one-night single elimination tag team tournament held in Rochester, Minnesota, on October 1, 1989, for the vacant AWA World Tag Team Championship.[21]
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
1 | The Destruction Crew )
(Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom | ||||||||
4 | Baron Von Raschke
| ||||||||
The Destruction Crew | |||||||||
Greg Gagne and Paul Diamond | |||||||||
3 | Mike George and Johnnie Stewart | ||||||||
2 | Greg Gagne and Paul Diamond |
Team Challenge Series
The AWA held a "Team Challenge Series" from October 1, 1989, through August 11, 1990. All of the available wrestlers were divided into three teams: "Larry's Legends", headed by
The final match in the TCS was a
An unsold pilot for a weekly syndicated "Team Challenge Series" television show was taped in 1989 with hosts
Championships
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship
- World Heavyweight Championship (Omaha version)
- AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
- AWA World Women's Championship
- AWA World Tag Team Championship
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version)
- AWA International Heavyweight Championship
- AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship
- AWA United States Heavyweight Championship
- AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
- AWA Midwest Heavyweight Championship
- AWA America's Championship
- AWA Brass Knuckles Championship
- AWA International Television Championship
- AWA International Tag Team Championship
- AWA Southern Tag Team Championship
- AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship
Former personnel
Unauthorized successor promotion and lawsuit
In 1996, Dale Gagner, a former AWA employee but no relation to Verne despite the similar surname, removed the "r" from his name and formed an organization in Minnesota known as AWA Superstars of Wrestling. In April 2007, WWE filed a lawsuit against Gagner, citing trademark infringement, as WWE owned all AWA properties due to their purchase after the AWA's closure.[22][23][24] In a move to sidestep WWE, former AWA wrestler Jonnie Stewart trademarked the name "American Wrestling Alliance" but the United States Patent and Trademark Office later indicated that the request was abandoned in February 2008.
In October 2008, the lawsuit against Gagner was settled. The court ruling prohibits Dale Gagner and his associates from certain uses of the AWA name or any other derivatives.[25] As a result, the organization was renamed to "Wrestling Superstars Live".
See also
References
- ^ a b Pile-driving, gut-busting, back-breaking theater - Minnesota Daily Archived 2008-10-03 at archive.today
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hoops, Brian (February 4, 2008). "PWTorch.com Nostalgia: AWA History: The Rise, The Fall and the Legacy". PWTorch.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "WrestlingTerritories.png". Freakin' Awesome Network Forums :: Freakin' Awesome Wrestling Forum :: (w)Rest of Wrestling. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Von Slage, Stephen. "Wahoo McDaniel". History of Wrestling.com. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- ^ Tanabe, Hisaharu, ed. (August 2, 2018). "International Championship Wrestling (Mississippi)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
- ^ Mantell, Johnny (July 18, 2013). "Life Moments". JohnnyMantell.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
- ISBN 978-1592408818.
- Pringle, Percy. "Percy's Hall of Fame: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan". PercyPringle.com. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-17.
- Slapowitz, Izzy (April 23, 2001). "Izzy Slapowitz and the John Studd School of Rulebreaking". WrestlingClassics.com. Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2020.
- Pringle, Percy. "LOOKING BACK AT THE BEGINNING Part 2". PercyPringle.com. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Nick Bockwinkel: Profile & Match Listing - Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
- ^ WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the American Wrestling Association, WarnerBrothers, 2012-01-03, retrieved 2017-09-22
- ^ AWA stuff (2017-04-20), Nick Bockwinkel vs Hulk Hogan (04/24/1983), archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2017-09-22
- ^ a b Best of the 80's. Kayfabememories.com. Retrieved on 2013-09-05.
- ^ a b c Wrestling - Shining a Spotlight 12.01.06: The Rise, Fall and Legacy of the AWA. 411mania.com. Retrieved on 2013-09-05.
- ISBN 978-0312588892.
- ^ The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA DVD
- ^ Woodward, Buck (2009-06-29). "This Day In History: Hansen Takes The AWA Belt, Austin Ends Kane's Reign In A DaY And More". PWInsider. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ Keith, Scott. "Best of the AWA review". Kayfabe Memories.
- ^ "AWA Tag Title Tournament 1962". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
- ^ "AWA Tag Title Tournament 1989". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
- ^ Browning, Dan (2007-04-28). "World Wrestling sues promoter". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28.
- ^ "News and Notes, May 4, 2007". GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com. 2007-05-04. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
- ^ Ryder, Bob (2007-04-26). "WWE Files Lawsuit Against "Gagne" For Trademark Violations Associated With AWA". 1wrestling.com. Archived from the original on 2008-01-02.
- ^ "WWE wins lawsuit over AWA". wrestleview.com. 2008-10-28.