March 7, 1988
“I wish you’d stick around for
Wrestlemania,” Vince McMahon said as he smiled sadly. “But nonetheless, I wish you well.” The owner of the WWF extended his hand, which was grabbed by a slightly larger, hairier hand, which shook it tentatively.
“Thank you so much, Vince,” replied a voice in a thick Italian accent. “I’m gonna miss the guys around here.”
“We’ll all miss you, too,” McMahon said. “You’re a part of this company’s history.”
With that, Bruno Sammartino got up from his chair and exited McMahon’s office. The former WWF Champion had just finished doing match commentary for the tapings of the episodes of
Superstars leading up to
Wrestlemania 4, and his contract had finally expired. [1]
The 57-year-old Sammartino made his way down the halls, taking in the final sights of Titan before he left for good.
---
“You know that once you leave this company, you won’t be able to get a job anywhere else?” joked Bobby Heenan as he shook Sammartino’s hand. “Except maybe in a commercial for those California Raisins…you look an awful lot like ‘em, you know that?”
Sammartino couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Bobby, if I can borrow a phrase from Monsoon—will you stop?”
Heenan chuckled himself. “You know I love you, Bruno. Take care of yourself!”
Sammartino nodded as he and Heenan parted ways. After looking back over his shoulder at Heenan one last time, Sammartino turned back around to find Ricky Steamboat himself standing in front of him, smiling sadly. Without a word, Steamboat put his arms around Sammartino, locking him in a masculine hug.
Steamboat shook his head slowly as he let go of the embrace. “It’s going to be so strange not seeing you around here,” he said. “You’re like the Babe Ruth of the WWF.”
Sammartino just shook his head. “Stop, just stop that…”
“I’m completely serious,” Steamboat replied. “This company would be nothing at all without you. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I dreamed of going to Madison Square Garden just to see you wrestle, but I was too young. [2] When I was in high school, you were the absolute best. Kiniski, Giant Baba, the Sheik, Ernie Ladd—you fought, and beat, all of them. When I broke into the biz in ’76, you were still at the top of your game. And that feud with Zbyszko? Forget about it—the stuff of legends.” [3]
Sammartino simply smiled, looking down at the floor. “Well, my days are behind me,” he said before looking Steamboat in the eye again. “This is your era now. The matches you’re putting out, the great feuds you’re part of, and the amazing way you connect with the kids—it’s all great for this business. Vince made a great choice to captain this ship.”
Steamboat smiled, trying to keep a tear from coming to his eye at the older man’s words, and then stuck his hand out. “Don’t be a stranger,” he said. “Come back and see everybody from time to time…”
Sammartino just smiled as he shook Steamboat’s hand. Maybe he would come back, maybe he wouldn’t. But with Ricky Steamboat at the wheel, this company was going to be in good hands for a long time to come. [4]
---------------------------------------------------------------
March 5, 1988
The fourteenth episode of
Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC, a mere three weeks before
Wrestlemania 4. This is the first
SNME to use a newly created instrumental theme specifically for the show, as opposed to the Animotion song “Obsession”, which had been used as the theme song for every episode prior. [5]
Two titles are defended on the show. Randy Savage defends the Intercontinental Championship against Brutus Beefcake, the Macho Man looking to go into
Wrestlemania with a decisive win over the powerful heel. Beefcake manages to overpower Savage for a while, but in the end, Savage fights back and hits the flying elbow drop for the 1-2-3. After the match, Bret Hart appears on the entrance ramp, applauding in respect for his future
Wrestlemania opponent. In the second title match of the night, “Scary” Sherri Martel puts her Women’s Title on the line against the “New Zealand Women’s Champion”, Desiree Petersen. Although Petersen was born in New Zealand, the “New Zealand Women’s Championship” didn’t (and still doesn’t) exist; this is simply a promotional tactic as part of Sherri’s gimmick of wrestling women’s champions “from around the world”. Sherri makes quick work of Petersen, continuing her dominant reign as Women’s Champion. Bad News Brown continues his winning streak since his debut by squashing Koko B. Ware, and Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) best The Outlaws (Sam Houston & Ron Bass) in a Two out of Three falls match, beating them in two straight falls.
Andre the Giant is set to face Boris Zukhov on the show, with Bamm Bamm Bigelow in Andre’s corner. After Andre makes quick work of the big Russian, Bigelow enters the ring to celebrate with Andre…only to turn heel by throwing the giant into the corner and hitting him with a splash. To the crowd’s shock, Bigelow then exits the ring and grabs a steel chair, and smacks the dazed Andre with it. When Mean Gene interviews Bigelow backstage after the attack, Bigelow states that Andre has “gone soft” since losing to Hogan, and berates the man he once looked up to for failing to win when the stakes were so high. Bigelow challenges his former tag team partner to a match at
Wrestlemania, vowing to prove “there’s a new most dominant man in the WWF”.
Throughout the show,
Wrestlemania 4 is heavily hyped. Steamboat vs. Hogan, Savage vs. Hart and Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude are given particular attention, and the matchups of Rougeaus vs. Team Victory, Honky Tonk Man vs. Jimmy Snuka, Ted DiBiase vs. Junkyard Dog, and Don Muraco vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton are all at least briefly touched upon. Both Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan are featured in backstage segments, being interviewed by Gene Okerlund.
Towards its end, the show also contains a video tribute to the recently departed Bruno Sammartino, which was originally not scheduled for the show, but was pushed for by Ricky Steamboat himself backstage as a way for the company to properly say goodbye to the longest-reigning WWF Champion of all time.
---
GENE OKERLUND: Ladies and gentlemen, my guests at this time, Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, and the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Hulk Hogan!
(Heenan and Hogan enter from off-camera)
OKERLUND: Hogan, in three weeks, you will face Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat at
Wrestlemania for the World Wrestling Federation Championship, with both of your careers on the line! Tell me, what are your thoughts having to face a man who has pinned you several times before?
BOBBY HEENAN: Excuse me…what did you just say?
OKERLUND: I said, what are Hogan’s thoughts about having to face a man who has beaten him…
HULK HOGAN: Mean Gene, will you do us a favor, and stop dwelling in the past! The fact of the matter is, I’ve defeated the largest athlete in the history of this business, Andre the Giant! And because I’ve beaten the biggest, that automatically makes me the absolute
best, brother!
HEENAN: Ricky Steamboat only wishes he could be half the man that Hulk Hogan is, and he’ll never be even a
fraction of the champion that Hulk is!
HOGAN: Steamboat, you’ve been lucky before. But in three weeks, your luck is gonna run out. You’re hangin’ by a thread, and I’m the one holding the knife looking down over you. And when I finally cut that rope, brother, you’ll be gone—out of my life for good! The best thing you can do is come out and forfeit the match before it even happens, because at least that way you’ll save yourself a beating, brother!
OKERLUND: Heenan and Hogan, you are certainly assuming quite a lot before this match even happens…
HEENAN: I don’t assume. I make things happen! And
this is what’s going to happen: Hulk Hogan is going to pin the “Drag Queen”, 1-2-3, and send that stupid little gnat out of the World Wrestling Federation forever. The man is the greatest of all time, and that’s the bottom line!
HOGAN: Look me in the eye when I say this, Okerlund: I will. NOT. LOSE! Now get out of our way, pipsqueak!
(Hogan and Heenan exit)
OKERLUND: Alright, thank you, gentlemen. As you can see, Hogan and his manager, Bobby Heenan, certainly very confident heading into
Wrestlemania, but I have to wonder if that confidence will backfire on them? Back to you, Vince!
---
GENE OKERLUND: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, my guest, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat!
(Ricky Steamboat enters from off-camera)
OKERLUND: Dragon, at
Wrestlemania, you are basically putting your life’s blood on the line against Hulk Hogan. We’ve heard from the Hulk and Bobby “the Brain” Heenan earlier tonight, now I’d like to get your thoughts. What is your mentality, going into a match that will either end with you becoming World Champion again, or leaving the World Wrestling Federation for good?
RICKY STEAMBOAT: Mean Gene, believe me, I’ve had several sleepless nights ever since Hulk Hogan accepted my challenge. And not a night goes by that I think: did I make a mistake? Did I bite off more than I can chew by putting my whole career on the line at
Wrestlemania? And just a few days ago, it hit me. I have something that I have to prove to not just Hulk Hogan, but the entire world. I need to prove that I am not just a better champion than him, but a better
man than him. This is a match that I absolutely can
not afford to lose! I
have to win! And when I do, I’ll send that nasty bully Hulk Hogan and his little weasel sidekick out of this business for good! And maybe then, they’ll see the errors of their ways. Because when this Dragon gets on fire, his opponents burn…
OKERLUND: Alright, thank you, Ricky Steamboat. I have to believe that look of intensity in the eyes of the Dragon, but will it be enough to carry him to victory in three weeks’ time? Vince, back to you!
---
Saturday Night’s Main Event #14 results
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (c) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. Brutus Beefcake (7:42)
WWF Women’s Championship: “Scary” Sherri Martel (c) def. Desiree Petersen (1:23)
Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) def. The Outlaws (Ron Bass & Sam Houston) in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match 2-0 (10:16)
Bad News Brown def. Koko B. Ware (2:01)
Andre the Giant (w/ Bamm Bamm Bigelow) def. Boris Zukhov (w/ Nikolai Volkoff & Slick) (1:20)
--------------------------------------------------------
March 14, 1988
Worldwide Championship Wrestling
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“WCW” redirects here. For the former Australian wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling
. For other uses, see WCW (disambiguation)
.
Worldwide Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee which operated from 1988 to 1997. The company was founded when World Class Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association merged in early 1988. The promotion served as a competitor with the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions (later Nonstop Wrestling Action) until its closure in 1997 due to financial difficulties and increased competition from WWF and NWA. The rights to Worldwide Championship Wrestling’s tape library are currently owned by WWF.
1. History
A. Foundation and Early Growth (1988-1990)
B. The Departure of the Von Erichs (1991-1995)
C. Demise (1996-1997)
2. Programming
3. Alumni
A. Singles wrestlers and managers
B. Tag teams and stables
History
Foundation and Early Growth (1988-1990)
WCW was founded by Jerry Jarrett, Jerry Lawler and Jerry Blackwell as an attempt to create a third national promotion, alongside the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions/NWA. WCW was created through a merger of the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), several years after a planned merger of Continental and the American Wrestling Association (AWA) fell through. [6]
Due to personal health problems, Fritz Von Erich had decided to sell his interest in World Class in 1987, and the short-lived Wild West Wrestling promotion had recently been absorbed into World Class. CWA owner Jerry Jarrett was interested in taking his promotion nationwide, and Jerry Blackwell, who had left the AWA in late 1986, wished to retire from in-ring competition and begin behind-the-scenes work as a booker and ring agent. After a few months of negotiation, Jarrett and Jerry Lawler agreed to work together to take Continental Wrestling nationwide, and Blackwell was brought on as a partner and majority holder. WCCW booker Ken Mantell, who was hired as assistant booker in WCW, managed to convince Kerry and Kevin Von Erich, the two Von Erich brothers with the highest creative control and pull in WCCW, to relocate to Memphis in exchange for 33 percent ownership of the new company. Mike Von Erich was allegedly offered a percentage of ownership [citation needed], but he declined, preferring to remain retired from the wrestling business until his death from heart failure in 2001.
WCW held its first official show in early 1988, several days after the WWF’s
Wrestlemania 4 pay-per-view. A tournament for the first ever WCW World Champion was held over the next several weeks, and ultimately … [7]
...
Alumni [8]
Singles wrestlers & managers
Al Perez
Allen Martin
Austin Idol
Big Bubba
Billy Joe Travis
Bobby Jaggers
“Bruiser” Brian Lee
Bunkhouse Buck
Cactus Jack Manson
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chavo Guerrero Sr.
“Gentleman” Chris Adams
Doomsday
Eddie Guerrero
Gary Young
Giant Kokina
Hector Guerrero
Iceman King Parsons
Jeff Jarrett
Jerry Jarrett
Jerry Lawler
Jim Cornette
Kerry Von Erich
Ken Raper
Kevin Von Erich
Lord Humungous
Mando Guerrero
Manny Fernandez
Marcus Well
Mark Starr
Maxx Payne
Moondog Rex
Moondog Spot
Muadib
Phil Hickerson
Rick Nelson
“Soul Man” Rocky Johnson
Scott Hall
Sid Vicious
Skandor Akbar
Terry Taylor
Tim Horner
Tojo Yamamoto
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich
Tag teams & stables
The Canadian Destroyers (Bear & Moose)
Chris Jericho & Lance Storm
The Hillbillies (Cousin Festus & Cousin Griz)
The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)
Ron & Don Harris
The Samoan Swat Team (Solofa Fatu & Samu Anoa’i)
Shaun & Steve Simpson
---------------------------------------------------------
March 20, 1988
WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER – 3/20/1988
Huge news starts us off this week. On 3/14, it officially happened. Both World Class Championship Wrestling and Continental/Mid-South Wrestling no longer exist. In their place is the newly named “Worldwide Championship Wrestling” (although the promotion is far from “worldwide”, but that’s beside the point). The debut show isn’t set to take place until next month, but plenty of names are being advertised for it, including an appearance by Jerry Blackwell, who will be the on-screen authority figure, I’m told. More details on WCW happenings are covered below.
WWF
Wrestlemania will be longer than 2 ½ hours, as originally was reported. Vince reserved four hours of satellite time, which means the show is probably going to run between 3 ½ hours to 3 hours, 45 minutes. Word is they are planning at least two of the matches to run pretty long, and the Gloria Estefan concert is probably going to eat up a good chunk of time as well. As we stand, the currently planned card is listed below (they may add a match or two to pad out time if they end up running short).
Wrestlemania Card
Hulk Hogan vs. Ricky Steamboat (WWF Title Match)
Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart (IC Title Match)
Rougeau Brothers vs. Santana & Martel (Tag Title Match)
Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude
Andre the Giant vs. Bamm Bamm Bigelow
Jim Neidhart vs. Davey Boy Smith
Ted DiBiase vs. Junkfood Dog
Bob Orton Jr. vs. Don Muraco
Honky Tonk Man vs. Jimmy Snuka
20-man Battle royal for a trophy
The WWF have had a lot of ads in trade magazines recently, because they’re dropping their TV production company and starting production in-house. Ads were there for a TV play-by-play guy, an interview guy, and a senior producer, so expect some on-screen changes in the next several months.
Bad News insisted on changing his ring name from “Allen” to “Brown” when he joined the company. He was afraid they would trademark his name, which would leave him screwed if he ever left.
NWA
Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver”, will be at the Clash of the Champions special on TBS. [9]
No offence, but he’s not exactly Gloria Estefan, and this makes Crockett’s show look like a cheap imitation. If you ask this writer, they should have avoided the celebrity involvement, unless they got somebody huge like Bob Hope or Sylvester Stallone. The main event of the show will be Magnum T.A. vs Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the Title, with three guest judges at ringside to decide the match if it goes for the hour time limit. Can the title change hands based on this decision? If not, giving Flair a victory via a decision means nothing.
It’s going to be difficult for the Clash to NOT have more viewers than Wrestlemania, based on the fact that it’s on free TV. TBS is also a huge wrestling station, so if the Clash isn’t the most-watched show in Crockett’s history, then Crockett should be really ashamed.
Big Bubba Rogers may be on his way out soon. The WWF is still very interested in him, and he is looking for a bigger paycheck. Crockett has reportedly promised him another program with Magnum for the title if he stays, so things are still very much up in the air at this point.
Holy Jesus, am I getting tired of getting asked why they’re called the “Four Horsemen” when there are five of them…
WCW
Moondog Rex and Moondog Spot are now officially employed, and will be teaming as the Moondogs at the first TV taping. Let’s just hope they don’t injure anyone… [10]
AWA
At the TV taping on 3/18 … Adrian Adonis defeated Greg Gagne to win the AWA World Championship. Literally about 75 percent of the crowd were behind Adonis for the entire match, despite him being the heel in the match. It was almost like watching a Flair match, except the people were definitively more behind Adonis here … After the match, Adonis attacked Greg to the crowd’s encouragement, and they booed when Verne hobbled down to the ring to help his son.
Badd Company (who left Continental when it merged with WCCW and opted not to sign with the new Worldwide) also made their debut at the TV taping, defeating Hector & Mando Guerrero. Also making his debut as the team’s new manager was a new guy, “Diamond” Dallas Paige (sic). My sources tell me this is Florida nightclub owner Paige (sic) (yes, that’s his real first name) Falkinburg, who is using a rather poor Jesse Ventura imitation as his gimmick. It’s…interesting, but it’s nothing that really hasn’t been seen before. [11]
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[1] Sammartino’s contract also ended in early March 1988 IOTL, and he left the WWF at this exact same time.
[2] After a race riot broke out in 1957 after babyface Antonino Rocca busted open heel Dick the Bruiser during a tag team match, the New York state athletic commission set very strict rules for Madison Square Garden, one of which was that no children under age 14 could attend a match in the Garden. This rule was repealed in the mid-1970s.
[3] Steamboat is referring to the 1980 feud between Sammartino and a then up-and-coming Larry Zbyszko, in which the young student turned heel on the veteran. The two had a series of matches, most famously a main event match at Shea Stadium on August 9th, 1980 inside a steel cage, which Sammartino won. (Interestingly, Hulk Hogan also wrestled Andre the Giant on the same card!)
[4] IOTL, of course, it’s well-documented that Bruno Sammartino’s exit from the WWF left a very sour taste in both his and the company’s mouth. The Living Legend publicly criticized the WWF’s emphasis on showmanship over in-ring ability, its over-the-top presentation, and later, its obscene and often distasteful angles. Here, his exit from the WWF is much smoother and mutually respectful due to the greater focus on actual wrestling in the company, and a down-to-earth guy like Steamboat leading the locker room.
[5] As OTL.
[6] The Continental-AWA merger also flopped IOTL, but did manage to squeeze out one pay-per-view,
SuperClash III, which bombed hard.
[7] Withholding the majority of this article from this point forward to avoid too many spoilers.
[8] This is only a
partial list of alumni, again, to avoid spoilers. Sorry!
[9] As OTL, to promote the premiere of
The New Leave It to Beaver on TBS.
[10] A not-so-subtle jab at how Moondog Spot infamously injured Hulk Hogan in 1985 ITTL, our POD that set us on the path we are now.
[11] Believe it or not, future WCW World Champion and yoga instructor Diamond Dallas Page actually did get his start all the way back in 1988 in the AWA, managing the tag team Badd Company. He tried out for the WWF in 1990 and was turned down, but he did make an appearance at
Wrestlemania VI, driving a Cadillac containing the tag team Rhythm & Blues (Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine) to the ring. It wouldn’t be until 1991, at the age of 35, that he made his in-ring debut for WCW. We’ll see how his career unfolds ITTL…
----------------------------------------------------------------
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I hope you enjoyed this update, and are prepared for the drive to
Wrestlemania. Also, it looks like Ted Turner will have to find another three-letter abbreviation to use when/if he buys out Jim Crockett ITTL…
Speaking of which: coming up, a look at NWA’s
Clash of Champions show. And then: Ricky Steamboat. Hulk Hogan. Who will leave the WWF at
Wrestlemania 4? You don’t want to miss it!