Texas Wrestling
Texas is a huge state with amazing diversity and numerous large cities that have made the pro-wrestling scene in that
state one of the country’s best. There has long been a love affair between Southerners and rasslin’ and it has been no
different in Texas. Looking at the cultural makeup of the state, East Texas and North Texas are much more like their
neighbors in the Deep South than they are like the rest of the state. Houston (in East Texas) and
Dallas (in North Texas) were growing cities and Texas pro-wrestling first came to them. While
there were many cities that could have been next, it was an unlikely one nestled up in the Texas Panhandle,
Amarillo, which would become a hot spot. In the years prior to the NWA, Morris Sigel's Houston
office bragged great control in Texas and their were smaller markets throughout the state.
Major changes came during the days of the NWA and the more importantly television. Houston
continued to be the major power broker in Texas under Sigel. Dallas, reborn as Southwest Sports
under Ed McLemore, began making strides toward becoming a better market as the city itself grew.
Amarillo also continued to grow steadily. The growing popularity of pro-wrestling led to groups popping up throughout
the Southwest. Mike London built a small empire out of Albuquerque, New Mexico that moved into El Paso,
Texas and Denver, Colorado with ties to the Chicago and Amarillo offices. Rod Fenton in Arizona and Dave Reynolds in Utah
were NWA affiliated operations into the 1960s.
In Texas, the three major offices - Houston, Dallas and Amarillo - grew throughout the 1950s and 1960s, however in the
latter decade great changes came to all three. Sigel and McLemore died and their cities were taken over completely by
Paul Boesch and Fritz Von Erich respectively. Houston was dubbed the Gulf Athletic Club and
under Boesch remained an island city like St. Louis was a hot bed for the next twenty years. Dallas became
Big Time Wrestling and continued to develop as a territory as the Dallas area transformed into the
"Metroplex" with a massive population boom. After the Funk's took full control of Amarillo, they
expanded South into most of West Texas.
The next great changes for Texas wrestling came as the NWA began to dissolve and priorities changed. In South Texas,
San Antonio would break away from Dallas and become a significant market in its region. Houston
hooked up with Mid-South and phased out lucha libre influences for Bill Watts' brand of pro-wrestling. The border towns
like El Paso continued to play to the Mexican lucha libre fans and spot shows still occur to this day. Amarillo was losing
steam, so the Funks sold off their shares and the region dissolved soon after. In the early 1980s, the pro-wrestling
landscape began changing radically and Texas was as topsy-turvy as anyplace. Fritz Von Erich began pushing his sons and
other young talent very hard and the new company, World Class Championship Wrestling enjoyed enormous
success with an impressive young roster and diehard fanbase. After a few years of success as Southwest
Championship Wrestling, San Antonio's hometown promotion was broken apart and a less impressive promotion
Texas All-Star Wrestling was born. Houston continued to run strongly under
Boesch whose ties to other promotions shifted over the years. In the last half of the 1980s, Texas wrestling fell apart.
Texas All-Star, renamed "USA All-Star" went belly up. World Class was damaged
by the brief departure of booker Ken Mantell, formation of Wild West Wrestling and the departures of
talent. Paul Boesch eventually sold his city to the expanding WWF and joined their outfit and gave them a huge market in
the state. Fritz Von Erich had tried to work together with other promoters to fend off the WWF's advances, but his company
was rapidly disintergrating. Finally he formed a union with Memphis promoter Jerry Jarrett and created the
United States Wrestling Association, which ran in both Tennessee and Texas. The alliance fell apart
and the remains were used to form Global, which lasted for several more years. Since that time,
pro-wrestling in Texas has done very well on a grandscale with the WWF running several giant shows there. On a local level,
Texas wrestling is nothing special, except in the border towns, where lucha libre continues to draw successfully.
Houston was to become the first major pro-wrestling city in Texas thanks to a pair of brothers from the
Lower East Side in New York City. Morris and Julius Sigel had relocated to Houston when they were young. Julius took to
boxing and worked his way into promoting small local fights. In the 1920s, the local wrestling promoter passed away and
the brothers joined up to promote boxing and wrestling in Houston. During the 1930s, Julius moved out to Shreveport and
Nacogdoches and Morris slowly developed an excellent system with promoters throughout the region. Other Texas promotions,
El Paso, Amarillo, Lubbock, Galveston, Beaumont, Abilene, San Antonio and even Dallas were aways second to Houston. Even
Shreveport and New Orleans could not challenge Houston in drawing power. Houston was far enough away from the Northeast
and California to avoid competition and he was often able to bring in their talents and further develop the city's strength.
During the war years, Houston really emerged and Sigel developed an excellent reputation as a straight promoter. In the
years following the war, Houston as a city saw a significant boom in population and subsequent wealth. Sigel brought
fellow New Yorker Paul Boesch on board as his health began to decline to help run things. Sigel was a talented promoter
with a major market, but Boesch was even better. Istute and ineventive, Boesch employed his years of touring the world
into transforming Houston into one of the strongest pro-wrestling markets of the day. After Sigel suffered a heart attack
in the early 1950s, Boesch's role grew stronger and he continued Sigel's legacy of bringing in the best talent,
establishing great local stars and always paying well due to the big houses. Boesch is also credited with innovating some
of the premier gimmicks in pro-wrestling, including tag team wrestling (although that is still debated), "mud wrestling"
and unique stipulated punishments for the loser in a blowoff match.
Mike DiBiase
Pepper Gomez
Gorgeous George
Ray Gunkel
Duke Keomuka
Luis Martinez
Danny McShain
Bronko Nagurski
Danno O'Mahoney
Buddy Rogers
Ray Steele
Lou Thesz
Tosh Togo
Johnny Valentine
Dallas saw a population and financial boom in the 1930s when oil was discovered in the region at the
start of the decade. Houston had opened up and Dallas soon followed with Bertram Willoughby promoting the town. From the
start, Dallas produced their own local stars, but were able to secure a few top national stars from time to time. The
operation found a regular home when the Sportatorium was erected in 1936. The weekly wrestling shows were a successful
attraction and boxing ran regularly there as well. At that time, Ed McLemore began working for Willoughby at the
Sportatorium. He slowly climbed the ladder before and took over the promotion in 1940.
Ed Don George
Everett Marshall
Doc Sarpolis
Frank Sexton
Ray Steele
Southwest Sports (1940-1966)
In 1940, Ed McLemore took over the Dallas operation and formed "Southwest Sports." He ran the promotion concurrently
to Morris Sigel in Houston. Throughout the 1940s, McLemore was a local promoter for the Houston office, which had control
over much of Texas. He continued a formula similiar his predecessor Bert Willoughby with the pre-NWA stars coming in to
battle his local heroes. Late in the decade, Dallas and the Sportatorium saw big changes. The NWA was formed and McLemore
became their Dallas affiliate. The Sportatorium grew a national reputation as the home of the "Big D Jamboree" country
program. In 1953, McLemore left the NWA and severed his ties with Houston. Soon after the Sportatorium was burned down in
a suspicious manner. It was rebuilt, McLemore rejoined the NWA and continued to promote wrestling in the Dallas area.
The formation of the National Wrestling Alliance, development of the television and economic stability caused numerous
regional markets to change and Dallas was no different. In the early 1960s, Fritz Von Erich came to town. He was one of
the premier stars of the 1950s and wanted to settle down in the region. He went to war with McLemore, aligned with
Houston promoter Paul Boesch and San Antonio promoter Joe Blanchard to take over the city.
Johnny Becker
Ted "King Kong" Cox
Ray Gunkel
Lee Henning
Bill Longson
Blimp Levy
Man Mountain Dean
Bobby Managoff
Leroy McGuirk
Buddy Rogers
Doc Sarpolis
Angelo Savoldi
Swedish Angel
Lou Thesz
Amarillo in Western Texas had been a smaller market since the 1920s. Cal Farley was a local
jack-of-all-trades, he ran a tire shop, a department store, hosted a radio show, worked a part-time pro wrestler and had a
famous boys ranch. He began promoting pro-wrestling in Amarillo with European grappler Dutch Mantell, but it was only a
small deal. There were other small promotions in West Texas during this time: John McIntosh is El Paso, Jim Wakefield in
Abilene and Sled Allen in Lubbock. By the 1940s, Dory Detton was running Amarillo, but his operation was minor compared to
Houston and even to Dallas. In 1950, Dory Funk Sr. came to town and established his local fame as a superintendent for Cal
Farley's Boys Ranch and he did some pro-wrestling on the side. Funk left with his family in 1953, but Karl "Doc" Sarpolis
invited him back to begin seriously promoting Amarillo in the mid-1950s when pro-wrestling was growing from the TV boom.
The two took the city to a new level of success in this age of television and NWA affiliates. The territory developed into
a solid operation with the towns being run by local promoters and talent flowing around the region. The established cities
were passed down: Gory Guerrero in El Paso, Don Slatton in Abilene, Nick Roberts in Lubbock as well as Pat O'Dowdy in
Odessa and Jerry Kozak promoted Amarillo itself, where the central booking office was located. They also expanded out into
Albuquerque, New Mexico with Mike London and Colorado Springs, Colorado. This region was built with a television show that
featured studio wrestling from Amarillo, which featured some rough and tough matches. In 1966, Sarpolis passed away and
Funk's two sons, Dory Jr. and Terry, bought his shares. The Funk trio worked hard to improve the territory in the late
1960s and Dory Jr. was eventually made NWA World Heavyweight champion. Though he was not in the territory regularly after
that, the win elevated Amarillo and allowed Terry Funk to get himself into a top slot as well. In 1973, Dory Sr. died and
his sons continued to run the company through the end of the decade. The company was sold to Blackjack Mulligan and Dick
Murdoch and ran for a short time longer before the crush of national wrestling forced its doors to close.
Abdullah The Butcher
Adrian Adonis
Skandor Akbar
Andre The Giant
Afa & Sika Anoia
Shohei "Giant" Baba
Bob Backlund
Ox Baker
Red Bastien
The Beast
Brute Bernard
Black Gordman
The Blackjacks (Mulligan & Lanza)
Crusher Blackwell
Tully Blanchard
Nick Bockwinkel
Lord Johnathan Boyd
Jack Brisco
Jerry Brisco
"Killer" Tim Brooks
"Butcher" Brower
Bob Brown
Leroy Brown
Luke Brown
Leo Burke
Ray Candy
P.Y. Chung
Ciclon Negro
Buddy Colt
Scott Casey
Randy Colley (Moondog Spot)
Haystack Calhoun
Frank Dalton
The Destroyer
Mike DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
J.J. Dillon
Bobby Duncum
Emile Dupree
J.C. Dykes
Bob Ellis
Don Fargo
Johnny Fargo
Manny Fernandez
Tonga Fifita (Haku/Meng)
Ric Flair
Mr. Fuji
Dory Funk Jr.
Dory Funk Sr.
Terry Funk
Mario Galento
Terry Garvin
Bob Geigel
Mike George
Gorgeous George Jr.
Great Goliath
Frank Goodish (Bruiser Brody)
Chavo Guerrero
Gory Guerrero
Gypsy Joe
Gordman & Goliath
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Eddie Graham
El Gran Markus
The Grappler (Alex Perez)
El Halcon
Stan Hansen
Swede Hanson
Gary Hart
Rip Hawk
Lord Al Hayes
Larry Hennig
Gino Hernandez
Danny Hodge
Sir Oliver Humperdink
King Curtis Iaukea
Kim Ill
The Infernos
The Interns
Professor Ito
Bobby Jaggers
Don Leo Jonathan
Rufus R. Jones
Tor Kamata
Don Kernodle
Gene Kiniski
Killer Karl Kox
Jerry & Nick Kozak
Killer Karl Krupp
Ernie Ladd
Blackjack Lanza
Jos LeDuc
Jose Lothario
Boris Malenko
Ken Mantell
Luis Martinez
Hiro Matsuda
The Medics
Tex McKenzie
Mil Mascaras
Mitsu Momota
Sputnik Monroe
Blackjack Mulligan
Dick Murdoch
Pat O'Connor
Bob Orton Sr.
Pat Patterson
Thunderbolt Patterson
Alex Perez
Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose)
Roddy Piper
Angelo Poffo
"Leaping" Lanny Poffo
Mr. Pogo
Ivan Putski
Harley Race
Bull Ramos
Dr. Ken Ramsey
Dusty Rhodes
Billy Robinson
Buck Robley
Ricky Romero
Bob Roop
Nelson Royal
Seiji Sakaguchi
Kazuo Sakaruda (Kendo Nagasaki)
El Santo
Akio Sato
The Sheik
Genichiro Shimada (Tenryu)
Grizzly Smith
Merced Solis (Tito Santana)
Pak Song
The Spoiler
Ricki Starr
Ray Stevens
Big John Studd
Super Destroyer (Scott Irwin)
"Bruiser" Bob Sweetan
Akihisa Takachio (Kabuki)
Lou Thesz
Les Thornton
Tommy Tsuruta (Jumbo Tsuruta)
The Von Brauners (Kurt & Karl)
David Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Kurt Von Steiger
Johnny Weaver
Pez Whatley
Gary Young
Jay Youngblood
Southwestern States [Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah]
Pro-wrestling in the Southwestern United States had been met with mixed results. Several operation popped up, often
affiliated with a stronger office, but only a handful achieved much success. In the the days before the National Wrestling
Alliance, Jack Kanner ran Colorado, the legendary Jim Londos ran Arizona with a partner for many years and Clayton Fisher
operated out of Albuquerque, New Mexico for a stretch. Colorado had been a decent market and local boy Everett Marshall
became the regional champion, but few notable stars came out of this region during that time. In 1939, a tough
middleweight grappler named Mike London came to Albuquerque and eventually opened up shop there. He eventually bought
nearby El Paso, Texas from promoter John McIntosh and began building his power base. When the NWA formed in 1948, it took
them time to build their membership. London joined in 1950 at the third annual meeting and remained a member until 1983.
The following year, Utah promoter Dave Reynolds joined and he maintained his membership for a decade although his operation
was small with a limited talent pool. In 1954, Arizona promoter Rod Fenton joined. He brought a nice array of stars and
discovered Gene Kiniski at the University of Arizona during his stint there. London expanded his operation into Colorado
with the assistance of Chicago's Fred Kohler. They eventually went toe-to-toe with Johnny Doyle and Jim Barnett's American
Wrestling Alliance over Denver, but won out in the end. After Dave Reynolds left Utah, the state was targetted by a
non-NWA operation involving Guy Brunetti. As for Rod Fenton in Arizona, opportunities in Vancouver, British Columbia
pulled him North and the market became the focus of a variety of independent promoters for the next two decades. When Mike
London was gone, the major cities in the southwest were picked up by the AWA and WWF with the winning out in the end.
Frankie Cain [Arizona]
Leo Garibaldi [Arizona]
Chavo Guerrero [New Mexico]
Rip Hawk [New Mexico]
John Paul Henning [Arizona]
The Kangaroos (Al Costello & Roy Heffernan) [New Mexico]
Don Kent [Arizona]
Reggie Lisowski (The Crusher) [Colorado]
El Gran Lothario [Arizona]
Ken Lucas [Arizona]
Everett Marshall [Colorado]
Luis Martinez [Arizona]
Bobby Mayne (Bobby Jaggers) [Arizona]
Sputnik Monroe [Arizona]
Pat O'Connor [Colorado]
Miguel Perez (Mike DiBiase) [New Mexico]
Bull Ramos [New Mexico]
Ricky Romero [Arizona & New Mexico]
Nelson Royal [Arizona]
Reggie Siki [Arizona]
Dick Steinborn [New Mexico]
Toru Tanaka [New Mexico]
John Tolos [Arizona]
Karl Von Steiger [New Mexico]
Kurt Von Steiger [Arizona]
Bearcat Wright [Arizona]
Jim Wright [Arizona]
Big Time Wrestling (1966-1981)
Fritz Von Erich was one of the top heels in the United States when he rolled into Dallas in the 1960s. After a few
years working with Sportatorium owner Ed McLemore, Von Erich decided to take over the city. He created an alliance with
Houston promoter Paul Boesch, San Antonio promoter Joe Blanchard as well as his connections from touring the United States
to seize control. In the late 1960s, he turned babyface and began feuding with "Playboy" Gary Hart and his various charges
as well as other excellent heels that came to Dallas. When McLemore died in 1969, Von Erich took over the Sportatorium,
the Southwest Sports promotion and worked hard to turn Dallas into one of the best promotion around. Von Erich had a great
core of talent throughout the 1970s from rough-and-tough types to highflyers to great talkers, Big Time was just as its
name claimed. As the decade came to a close, Fritz's children began their careers in the territory and he began phasing
himself out as an in-ring performer. By this time Fritz was a wealthy man with investments all over the region in real
estate. The Von Erich boys had a certain marketability that would led the promotion to a great rise and fall in the 1980s.
Abdullah The Butcher
Skandor Akbar
Andre the Giant
Afa & Sika Anoia
Tony Atlas
Ox Baker
Red Bastien
Brute Bernard
Black Gordman
The Blackjacks (Mulligan & Lanza)
Jerry Blackwell
Brian Blair
The Big O (Ron Bass)
Tully Blanchard
Nick Bockwinkel
Lord Johnathan Boyd
Bobo Brazil
Jack Brisco
Bruiser Brody
"Killer" Tim Brooks
Bearcat Brown
Leroy Brown
Haystack Calhoun
Captain USA (John Studd)
Scott Casey
Ciclon Negro
Cien Caras
Tony Charles
Randy Colley (Moondog Spot)
Colosso Colosetti
Tiger Conway Sr.
Tiger Conway Jr.
Bull Curry
J.J. Dillon
Dory Dixon
Hacksaw Duggan
Bobby Duncum
Frank Dusek
"Cowboy" Bob Ellis
Eric The Red
Don Fargo
Johnny Fargo (Greg Valentine)
Muhammad Farouk (Iron Shiek)
Mr. Fuji
Dory Funk Jr.
Terry Funk
Pepper Gomez
Frank Goodish (Bruiser Brody)
Gordman & Golitah
El Gran Markus
Great Goliath
Great Mephisto (Frankie Cain)
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Luke Graham
Gypsy Joe
El Halcon
Stan Hansen
Swede Hanson
Gary Hart
Rip Hawk
Lord Alfred Hayes
Gino Hernandez
Rocky Johnson
Don Leo Jonathan
Paul Jones
Ruben Juarez
Tor Kamata
Duke Keomuka
Kim Duk
Gene Kiniski
Stan Kowalski
Nick Kozak
Killer Karl Krupp
Blackjack Lanza
Jos Leduc
Mark Lewin
Jose Lothario
Billy Red Lyons
Al Madril
Peter Maivia
Rick Martel
Luis Martinez
Boris Malenko
Ken Mantell
Wahoo McDaniel
Tex McKenzie
Mighty Igor
Mil Mascaras
Dr. Bill Miller
Missouri Mauler
The Mongolian Stomper
"Moondog" Lonnie Mayne
Angelo Mosca
Blackjack Mulligan
Don Muraco
Dick Murdoch
Pat O'Connor
Jerry Oates
Bob Orton Jr.
Ken Patera
Thunderbolt Patterson
Alex Perez
Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose)
Roddy Piper
Tom Prichard
Ivan Putski
Harley Race
Bull Ramos
Dusty Rhodes
Victor Rivera
Buddy Roberts
Jake Roberts
Ricky Romero
Bob Roop
Nelson Royal
Mr. Sakurada (Kendo Nagasaki)
El Santo
George Scott
The Sheik
Oki Shikina
Dick Slater
Grizzly Smith
Jimmy Snuka
Clay Spencer (Ken Mantell)
The Spoiler
Stan Stasiak
Ray Stevens
The Stomper
Jerry Stubbs
Big John Studd
John L. Sullivan
Sweet Brown Sugar
"Bruiser" Bob Sweetan
Professor Toru Tanaka
Les Thornton
John Tolos
Mad Dog Vachon
Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts)
Johnny Valentine
Khosrow Vaziri
Nikolai Volkoff
David Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich
Baron Von Raschke
Bill Watts
Bearcat Wright
Gary Young
Jay Youngblood
Gulf Athletic Club (1967-1987)
In 1966, Morris Sigel died and his long-time right-hand man Paul Boesch took over the promotion completely the
following year. Although Boesch had long been the true power behind the Houston office, it was not until Sigel's death
that he was officially granted that role. As a result, business largely remained the same as before. Over the next twenty
years, Boesch built a reputation as one of the best promoters in the world. Pro-wrestling in most markets was struggling
in the late 1960s and Houston was no different. Boesch's first accomplishment in charge was building it back up with
Johnny Valentine as his main man. He also began working with Fritz Von Erich's Dallas office and used some of the same
talent to rejuventate the city. Boesch also began capitalizing on the local Latin market by pushing Mexican-American
wrestlers and eventually bringing in some of the top luchadors, which led to them branching out into other Texas offices.
Boesch was getting older and brought in his nephew Peter Birkholtz to help him run the Houston office. As time passed, his
alliances continually shifted. He worked with Joe Blanchard's San Antonio outfit for a time, he left the NWA for a stint
after NWA Champion Harley Race repeatedly no-showed, AWA star Nick Bockwinkel bought into the promotion and the office
eventually settled on a working relationship with Bill Watts' Mid-South promotion. It was a great match and mutually
benefitial for the next few years. Then in 1987, events were put into motion that would ultimately end "Houston Wrestling"
as a local brand. It began when Jim Duggan jumped to the WWF unannounced. He was the top babyface for both promotions
and it created discention that built to a Boesch-Watts split. after Boesch aligned with the WWF, while Watts was forced
to sell out to the Crocketts. Boesch would turn to the Crocketts himself the following year for a time before his death in
1989.
Abdullah The Butcher
Adrian Adonis
Andre the Giant
Afa & Sika Anoia
Tony Atlas
Ox Baker
Red Bastien
Brute Bernard
Black Gordman
Jerry Blackwell
The Big O (Ron Bass)
Brian Blair
Tully Blanchard
Nick Bockwinkel
Matt Borne
Lord Johnathan Boyd
Bobo Brazil
Jack Brisco
Bruiser Brody
"Killer" Tim Brooks
Bulldog Brower
Bearcat Brown
Leroy Brown
King Kong Bundy
Haystack Calhoun
Captain USA (John Studd)
Scott Casey
Ciclon Negro
Cien Caras
Tony Charles
Randy Colley (Moondog Spot)
Colosso Colosetti
Tiger Conway Sr.
Tiger Conway Jr.
Len Denton
Ted DiBiase
J.J. Dillon
Dory Dixon
Dos Caras
Hacksaw Duggan
Bobby Duncum
Frank Dusek
"Cowboy" Bob Ellis
Eric The Red
Don Fargo
Johnny Fargo
Muhammad Farouk (Iron Shiek)
Mr. Fuji
Dory Funk Jr.
Terry Funk
Pepper Gomez
Gordman & Golitah
El Gran Markus
The Grapplers
Great Goliath
Great Mephisto
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Chavo Guerrero
Gypsy Joe
El Halcon
Stan Hansen
Sugar Bear Harris
Gary Hart
Rip Hawk
Lord Alfred Hayes
Bobby Heenan
Gino Hernandez
Mr. Hito
Tim Horner
Austin Idol
Bobby Jaggers
Rocky Johnson
Ruben Juarez
Junkyard Dog
Kabuki
Kamala
Tor Kamata
Duke Keomuka
Kim Duk
Gene Kiniski
Stan Kowalski
Killer Karl Kox
Nick Kozak
Killer Karl Krupp
Ernie Ladd
Buddy Landell
Blackjack Lanza
Jos Leduc
Stagger Lee (Junkyard Dog)
Mark Lewin
Jose Lothario
Marty Lunde (Arn Anderson)
Billy Red Lyons
Al Madril
Peter Maivia
Dutch Mantell
Rick Martel
Luis Martinez
Boris Malenko
Ken Mantell
Hiro Matsuda
Wahoo McDaniel
Bugsy McGraw
Tex McKenzie
Danny McShain
Mil Mascaras
Missouri Mauler
Moondog Mayne
Mongolian Stomper
Pedro Morales
Angelo Mosca
Blackjack Mulligan
Don Muraco
Dick Murdoch
Jerry Oates
Rip Oliver
Bob Orton Jr.
Ken Patera
Thunderbolt Patterson
Alex Perez
Paul Perschmann (Buddy Rose)
Roddy Piper
Tom Prichard
Ivan Putski
Harley Race
Bull Ramos
Dusty Rhodes
Victor Rivera
Ricky Romero
Bob Roop
Nelson Royal
Mr. Sakurada (Kendo Nagasaki)
El Santo
George Scott
The Sheik
Oki Shikina
Gama Singh
Dick Slater
Grizzly Smith
Jimmy Snuka
Pak Song
The Spoiler
Stan Stasiak
Ray Stevens
Jerry Stubbs
Big John Studd
John L. Sullivan
Sweet Brown Sugar
"Bruiser" Bob Sweetan
Prof. Tanaka
The Texan (Blackjack Mulligan)
Lou Thesz
Les Thornton
John Tolos
Twin Devils
Mad Dog Vachon
Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts)
Johnny Valentine
Greg Valentine
Khosrow Vaziri
Nikolai Volkoff
David Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Waldo Von Erich
Kurt Von Hess
Baron Von Krupp
Baron Von Raschke
Luke Williams
Steve Williams
Mr. Wrestling II
Bearcat Wright
Gary Young
Jay Youngblood
SWCW - Southwest Championship Wrestling (1978-1985)
WCCW - World Class Championship Wrestling (1981-1989)
Texas All-Star (1985-1986)
Wild West Wrestling (1987)
USWA - United States Wrestling Association (1988-1990)
GWF - Global Wrestling Federation (1991-1994)
I'd like to thank Ruby Davison, Diane Whalen, John Stark, Eric Hale, Max Levy, Jason Hess, Chuck Merkich, Tim Bland,
Tom Oliver, Will Gonzalez, Ashley Parrish, Gordon Grice, Lloyd Maxwell from kayfabememories.com for their articles. And,
of course Royal Duncun and Gary Will's contributions to wrestling-titles.com
In 1978, San Antonio promoter Joe Blanchard pulled out of his relationship with Fritz Von Erich and the Dallas office.
He was determined to start a promotion and capitalize on the big markets in Eastern Texas. First, he targetted Houston
and it was a huge failure. Afterward he formed a relationship with Houston promoter Paul Boesch that helped Blanchard's
group get some traction. From there, they built up their contacts and relations steadily. They brought in some of the
best Texas natives, some great Latin or faux-Latin talent, some of the most established names and some of the best workers
of the day. Southwest Championship Wrestling became popular for their reliance on traditional wrestling and blood. As
the promotion grew so did their marketability. They secured a national cable deal with USA, which propelled them to
another level. They aligned themselves with Georgia Championship Wrestling, which gave them a tremendous talent pool to
draw from at the time. They began running shows outside their region in California, Ohio and Georgia. However, it all
fell apart very quickly. First, the Houston office realigned with Mid-South. Second, they lost their deal with USA and
the WWF took over. Third, Georgia severed ties due to their own problems. Fourth, Blanchard's partner Fred Berhend sold
their local TV timeslot to Fritz Von Erich. The promotion imploded and Blanchard sold out to Berhend, who would start a
new promotion from Southwest's ruins.
Abdullah The Butcher
Adrian Adonis
Terry Allen (Magnum TA)
Tony Atlas
Tully Blanchard
Nick Bockwinkel
Johnathan Boyd
Bruiser Brody
Tim "Killer" Brooks
Rick Casey (Wendell Cooley)
Scott Casey
Carlos Colon
Colosso Colosetti
Tiger Conway Jr.
Bobby Duncum
Frank Dusek
Dynamic Duo (Tully Blanchard & Gino Hernandez)
"Cowboy" Bob Ellis
Eric Embry
The Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane & Steve Keirn)
Manny Fernandez
Bobby Fulton
Dory Funk Jr.
Terry Funk
Gordman & Goliath
Mike Graham
The Grapplers (Len Denton & Tony Anthony)
Chavo Guerrero
Stan Hansen
Gino Hernandez
Ray Hernandez (Hercules)
The Iron Sheik
"Hangman" Bobby Jaggers
Buddy Landell
Jerry Lawler
Jos LeDuc
Jose Lothario
Ken Lucas
Al Madril
Wahoo McDaniel
Mil Mascaras
The Mongolian Stomper
Ricky Morton
Blackjack Mulligan
Bob Orton Jr.
Al Perez
Tom Prichard
Ivan Putski
Bull Ramos
"Wildfire" Tommy Rich
Billy Robinson
Buck Robley
The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal)
Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Tito Santana
Buzz Sawyer
Bob Sweetan
The Sheepherders (Luke Williams, Butch Miller, Johnathan Boyd)
Dick Slater
Chicky Starr
Adrian Street
Kevin Sullivan
Sweet Brown Sugar (Skip Young)
Lou Thesz
Tonga John (Meng)
Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts)
"The Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant
Larry Zbyzsko
The Zambuie Express (Kareem Muhammad & Elijah Akeem)
Fritz Von Erich had become the top dog in Dallas and in the early 1980s, his talented sons took over his spot. World
Class secured some of the most talented young wrestlers, who were also prone to self-destruction as the pro-wrestling world
would witness in the years that followed. From 1982 to 1985, World Class was the hottest promotion going. The Von Erich
boys were handsome hometown kids, the Freebirds were their brash, hard-living antagonists. This feud was the biggest money
feud, but they also had innovative feuds involving valets on one end of the spectrum and deaths on the other. David Von
Erich was the first to pass, but as time passed, more and more began dying. By 1986, World Class had withdrawn from the
NWA and reinvigorated the company for a time, then they aligned with the UWF, which helped too. After the NWA bought out
the UWF, booker Ken Mantell left WCCW to start his own company. This was a hard blow, though Mantell eventually returned.
By this point, the pro-wrestling world was rocked by the national expansion of Vince McMahon and the ideas that made
World Class a hot commodity were being recycled. Eric Embry took over booking duties and drastically changed the direction
of the company. A deal was made with Memphis-based promoter Jerry Jarrett to sell the company's assets to him, create a
new company and the Von Erichs would retain some control. This company lasted for over a year, but the shift from World
Class to the USWA had been a key angle. When it closed, Kevin Von Erich attempted to revive World Class, but lacked the
funding or cast to succeed. Into the mid-1990s, attempts to bring back World Class occured with no notable successes.
Abdullah the Butcher
"Gentleman" Chris Adams
General Skandor Akbar
Andre the Giant
Brad Armstrong
Tony Atlas
Ox Baker
Black Gordman
Brian Blair
Richard Blood (Tito Santana)
Blue Demon
Matt Borne
Bruiser Brody
"Killer" Tim Brooks
King Kong Bundy
Scott Casey
Jim Cornette
Ted DiBiase
Dingo Warrior
Dirty White Boys (Len Denton & Tony Anthony)
Frank Dusek
Dynamic Duo (Chris Adams &
Gino Hernandez)
Eric Embry
The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers and Bobby Fulton)
Fishman
Ric Flair
The Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts)
Tatsumi Fujinami
"Handsome" Jimmy Garvin
Mike George
Terry "Bamm Bamm" Gordy (Freebird)
The Grapplers (Len Denton & Tony Anthony)
The Great Kabuki
Great Yatsu
Rene Guajardo
Chavo Guerrero
"Playboy" Gart Hart
Lord Al Hayes
Michael Hayes
Billy Jack Haynes
Gino Hernandez
Hercules Hernandez
Spike Huber
Austin Idol
Iron Sheik
Scott "Hog" Irwin
"Wild" Bill Irwin
Kabuki
Kamala
Killer Khan
Krusher Khruschev
Kengo Kimura
Killer Karl Krupp
Ernie Ladd
Buddy Landell
Jos LeDuc
Mark Lewin
Jose Lothario
Ken Mantell
Junkyard Dog
Al Madril
Magnum TA
Ric McCord (Austin Idol)
Bugsy McGraw
Shawn Michaels
Midnight Express
The Missing Link
Blackjack Mulligan
Ted & Jerry Oates
Rip Oliver
One Man Gang
Ken Patera
Iceman King Parsons
Al Perez
Percy Pringle
Ivan Putski
PYT Express (Koko Ware & Norvell Austin)
Harley Race
Red River Jack (Bruiser Brody)
Butch Reed
Buddy Roberts
Jake Roberts
Rip Rogers
Ricky Romero
"Ravishing" Rick Rude
Buzz Sawyer
El Solitario
The Spoiler
Ron Starr
Big John Studd
Kevin Sullivan
Super Destroyers (Scott & Bill Irwin)
Superfly (Leroy Brown)
Ricky Steamboat
Sweet Brown Sugar (Skip Young)
Pat Tanaka
Terry Taylor
Tenyru
The Texan (Blackjack Mulligan)
Jumbo Tsuruta
Butcher Vachon
David Von Erich
Fritz Von Erich
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams
Tora Yatsu (Yoshiaki Yatsu)
Crusher Yirkoff (Bam Bam Bigelow)
Gary Young
Skip Young
After Southwest Championship Wrestling was largely destroyed by Fred Brehends, he attempted several new companies:
LoneStar Wrestling, Texas All-Star Wrestling and USA All-Star Wrestling. At the outset of the 1980s, Houston, Dallas and
San Antonio were all excellent promotion in Eastern Texas. By the mid-1980s National expansion by the WWF had indirectly
ended to of those promotions and Dallas was significantly weaker than it had been. Brehends was struggling to pull
together a San Antonio promotion, but it was doomed to failure. There were numerous Texas favorites who he could secure,
but the market had changed and it was difficult to compete. Brehends changed their "Texas" name to "USA" in hopes of
appearing less regional, but the perceptions ran deeper than the name. Not surprisingly, the promotion eventually died
out and many moved on to bigger gigs or different projects.
Black Gordman
Jonathan Boyd
Bruiser Brody
Killer Brooks
Scott Casey
Tiger Conway Jr.
Chavo Guerrero
Gory Guerrero
Austin Idol
Jose Lothario
Al Madril
Shawn Michaels
Iceman Parsons
Ivan Putski
Ken Mantell had been one of the key minds behind the success of World Class Championship Wrestling in the early 1980s.
After the company began having problems in 1986, Mantell was lured away by Bill Watts. Several World Class left with him
and after a stint in the UWF, Mantell left to start his own group. Wild West Wrestling was an interesting project with
various strengths and weaknesses. Mantell was one of the best bookers in pro-wrestling and had secured a good pool of
talent with exposure in both World Class and the UWF. They also had long-time World Class announcer Bill Mercer who had
a strong familiarity with them. However, Wild West's home base was a popular bar in Fort Worth, which gave them a unique,
but perhaps low-budget look. Also their talent pool was good, but lacked the drawing power they needed. Though the group
was short-lived and many went to World Class after it closed, Wild West's formation was a damaging blow to both World Class
and the UWF. Amongst the embarassements was the jump of Lance Von Erich (the fake cousin of the Von Erich boys), whose
career was killed by this move. After its death, Mantell returned as 40% partner in World Class by buying Fritz Von
Erich's assets along with Kevin and Kerry Von Erich.
Scott Irwin
Ken Mantell
The Missing Link
Iceman Parsons
Buddy Roberts
The Von Erichs' Dallas-based WCCW and Jerry Jarrett Memphis-based CWA joined forces in 1988 to create the USWA.
Jarrett owned 60% of it and the Von Erichs owned 40%, so World Class maintained much of its power base and even used the
same banner for a time. Dallas had been a huge market, but now it was struggling. Many of the past WCCW stars had left
for the "Big Two" and those who had not were victims of the lifestyle: shells of once great competitors or often-forgotten
casualties. The USWA in Dallas was a hard venture, but an infusion of Memphis talent and new young talent helped the
company become profitable again. The relationship between the two camps was strained due to money and when they lost their
TV slot, it all disolved. Kerry had left for the WWF by this point, so it was up to Kevin to keep the World Class legacy
alive. Within a few years, a physically broken down Kevin was the only Von Erich boy still alive and World Class seemed
more like a cursed relic of the past than a once glorious trendsetter.
Chris Adams
Skandor Akbar
"Stunning" Steve Austin
Bam Bam Bigelow
Matt Borne
Killer Brooks
Cactus Jack
Steve Casey
Bill Dundee
Frank Dusek
Eric Embry
Tatsumi Fujinami
Robert Fuller
Ron Garvin
Robert Gibson
Jimmy Golden
Terry Gordy
Chavo Guerrero
Michael Hayes
Kamala
Buddy Landell
Jerry Lawler
Mil Mascaras
Kendo Nagasaki
King Parsons
Al Perez
Percy Pringle [Manager]
The Punisher (The Undertaker)
P.Y. Chu Hi (Phil Hickerson)
Buddy Roberts
Terry Taylor
Tennessee Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden)
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Steve Williams
Tojo Yamamoto
The Zodiac (Gary Young)
Pro-wrestling in Texas had really been rocked by the national expansion of the WWF, but there was still a solid core of
talent. Jerry Jarrett had tried to capitalize on this, but various problems convinced him to leave. This left a void that
media-savvy Joe Pedicino, Bonnie Blackstone and Max Andrews along with booker Bill Eadie (the Masked Superstar) tried to
fill. He secured a TV deal with ESPN and America One, unfortunately the pro-wrestling scene was at a low point and he was
not able to survive those hard times. "Global" (as it is usually called) was a regional promotion that played an important
role in pro-wrestling by giving young talent a place to hone their skills. Like the USWA and Smoky Mountain in Tennessee,
ICW/IWCCW in the Northeast and South-Atlantic and Georgia All-Star in the Southeast, Global is remembered for giving
exposure to some of the major talent of the 1990s. At the time, Global, like those companies, was looked at as third-rate
to pro-wrestling fans. They were seemingly using has-beens and nobodies and did not leave much of an impression as a
promotion, but definitely did on the future pro-wrestling landscape.
Chris Adams
General Skandor Akbar [Manager]
Bad News Allen
Steve Austin
Ax the Demolisher
"Killer" Tim Brooks
Bad News Brown
Cactus Jack
Dark Patriot (Doug Gilbert)
Dirty White Boy (Tony Anthony)
Jimmy Garvin
Terry Garvin
"Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
Terry Gordy
Michael Hayes
Sam Houston
Austin Idol
Buddy Landell
Stan Lane
One Man Gang
Iceman King Parsons
Al Perez
Ivan Putski
"Hustler" Rip Rogers
Adrian Street
Kerry Von Erich
Koko B. Ware