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18K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  Ghost Lantern  
#1 · (Edited)
There have been a couple of threads recently that have been discussing the territories. AS someone who grew up watching and loving that era I thought a primer might be called for since most posters on the forum were not around in this important time of the sport. The territories basically grew up around media markets, and thrived off low cost/ highly rated television that the local stations loved because they could sell ads. Some of the territory shows dominated their ratings.

I will simply list the Major American territories (there were other smaller territories) and years of exsistence, list their operating area, and list some of the top stars (of course I will miss some of these but this is a start, feel free to add significant ones I missed). I realize you could probably find all this via wikipedia or other sites but here it is in one place, as a good primer for those interested in this era.

Pacific Northwest (1925-1992): Oregon/Washington: Dutch Savage, Buddy Rose, Roddy Piper, Billy Jack Haynes, Tony Borne, Moondog Mayne.

Big Time Wrestling (1968-1981): Northern California: Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, John Tolos

WWA/ NWA Hollywood (1959-1982): Southern California: Freddie Blassie, Edouard Capentier, Gory Guerrero

Western States (Amarillo)(1969-1981): West Texas: The Funks, Ciclone *****, Bob Backlund, Karl Von Steiger

World Class: North Texas (1966-1990): Gary Hart, The Von Erich's, Stan Stasiak, Freebirds, Chris Adams, Skandor Akbar

Southwest: Southern Texas (1978-1985): Tully Blanchard, Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts), Manny Fernandez

Tri-State/Mid-South/UWF: (1950-1990) Louisiana, parts of Oklahoma, and Arkansas: Danny Hodge, Bill Watts, Junkyard Dog, Butch Reed, Ted DiBiase, Mr Wrestling II, Magnum TA

Central States (1948-1988): Parts of Missouri, all of Iowa and Kansas: Harley Race, Pat O'Connor, Bulldog Brown, Orville Brown, Bob Sweeten

NWA St. Louis (1959-1989): Parts of Missouri: Ted DiBiase, Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harly Race, Gene Kiniski

WWA Indiana: Indiana, Illinois (1964-1991): Dick the Brusier, Wilbur Snyder, Baron Von Rashcke, Greg Wojokowski

NWA Mid America (1957-1980): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missisippi, even a little in Missouri: Jackie Fargo, Sputnik Monroe, Len Rossi, Don Kent, Luke Graham, Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yammamoto

CWA/USWA (Memphis)(1977-1997): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi, even a little in Missouri: Easily the territory most known for influencing the current product. Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Jimmy Hart, Dutch Mantell, The Fabulous Ones, Jimmy Valiant, Austin Idol

IWA (1978-1984): (Not truly a major territory, considered an outlaw promotion but very influential, and a good history read): Parts of Kentucky: Angelo and Lanny Poffo, Randy Savage, Ronnie Garvin, One Man Gang (then known as Crusher Bloomfield)

Contenintal (1954-1990) (which had a sub territory called Gulf Coast): East Tennessee, Alabama, The Florida Panhandle, Eastern Kentucky: Bob Armstrong and family, Jerry Stubbs, Ron and Robert Fuller

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1949-1987): Florida: Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Bob Roop, Eddie and Mike Graham

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1944-merged into what became WCW): Georgia: Ray Gunkel, Mr Wrestling 1 and 2, JJ Dillon, Dusty Rhodes, Ole Anderson, Steamboat

NWA Mid Atlantic (1931-1988): The Carolinas, Virginia: Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, Masked Superstar, Jack and Jerry Brisco, Rip Hawk, Paul Jones

Big Time Wrestling (1959-1980): Michigan, parts of Ohio: The Shiek, Bobo Brazil, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Eddie Cretchman, Crybaby Cannon, Mark Lewin

WWWF (1952-nationalized in 1980): The American Northeast: Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Spiros Arion, Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon, Antonio Rocca, Chief Jay Strongbow, Tony Garea

Some would call the AWA a territory, especially since it had only a couple of territories that recognized it's World Title. However most wrestling mags, and historians considered the AWA as a national company that split off the NWA in 1960, especially since the AWA booked shows all over the Western United States where they had television markets.

AWA (1960-1991): Minnestoa, Wisconsin, and individual cities like Chicago, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas etc...: Verne Gagne, Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon, Baron Von Rashcke, Nick Bockwinkle, The Crusher, Crusher Blackwell, Greg Gagne, Curt Henning
 
#2 ·
Greenlawler said:
There have been a couple of threads recently that have been discussing the territories. AS someone who grew up watching and loving that era I thought a primer might be called for since most posters on the forum were not around in this important time of the sport. The territories basically grew up around madia markets, and thrived off low cost/ highly rated television that the local stations loved because they could sell ads. Some of the territory shows dominated their ratings.

I will simply list the Major American territories (there were other smaller territories) and years of exsistence, list their operating area, and list some of the top stars (of course I will miss some of these but this is a start, feel free to add significant ones I missed). I realize you could probably find all this via wikipedia or other sites but here it is in one place, as a good primer for those interested in this era.

Pacific Northwest (1925-1992): Oregon/Washington: Dutch Savage, Buddy Rose, Roddy Piper, Billy Jack Haynes, Tony Borne.

Big Time Wrestling (1968-1981): Northern California: Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, John Tolos

WWA/ NWA Hollywood (1959-1982): Southern California: Freddie Blassie, Edouard Capentier, Gory Guerrero

Western States (Amarillo)(1969-1981): West Texas: The Funks, Ciclone *****, Bob Backlund, Karl Von Steiger

World Class: North Texas (1966-1990): Gary Hart, The Von Erich's, Stan Stasiak, Freebirds, Chris Adams, Skandor Akbar

Southwest: Southern Texas (1978-1985): Tully Blanchard, Dale Valentine, Manny Fernandez

Tri-State/Mid-South/UWF: (1950-1990) Louisiana, parts of Oklahoma, and Arkansas: Bill Watts, Junkyard Dog, Butch Reed, Ted DiBiase, Mr Wrestling II, Magnum TA

Central States (1948-1988): Parts of Missouri, all of Iowa and Kansas: Harley Race, Pat O'Connor, Bulldog Brown, Orville Brown, Bob Sweeten

NWA St. Louis (1959-1989): Parts of Missouri: Ted DiBiase, Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harly Race, Gene Kiniski

WWA Indiana: Indiana, Illinois (1964-1991): Dick the Brusier, Wilbur Snyder, Baron Von Rashcke, Greg Wojokowski

NWA Mid America (1957-1980): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missisippi, even a little in Missouri: Jackie Fargo, Sputnik Monroe, Len Rossi, Don Kent, Luke Graham, Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yammamoto

CWA/USWA (Memphis)(1977-1997): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missisippi, even a little in Missouri: Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Jimmy Hart, Dutch Mantell, The Fabulous Ones, Jimmy Valiant, Austin Idol

IWA (1978-1984): (Not truly a major territory, considered an outlaw promotion but very influential, and a good history read): Parts of Kentucky: Angelo and Lanny Poffo, Randy Savage, Ronnie Garvin, One Man Gang (then known as Crusher Bloomfield)

Contenintal (1954-1990) (which had a sub territory called Gulf Coast): East Tennessee, Alabama, The Florida Panhandle, Eastern Kentucky: Bob Armstrong and family, Jerry Stubbs, Ron and Robert Fuller

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1949-1987): Florida: Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Bob Roop, Eddie and Mike Graham

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1944-merged into what became WCW): Georgia: Ray Gunkel, Mr Wrestling 1 and 2, JJ Dillon, Dusty Rhodes, Ole Anderson, Steamboat

NWA Mid Atlantic (1931-1988): The Carolinas, Virginia: Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, Masked Superstar, Jack and Jerry Brisco, Rip Hawk, Paul Jones

Big Time Wrestling (1959-1980): Michigan, parts of Ohio: The Shiek, Bobo Brazil, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Eddie Cretchman, Crybaby Cannon, Mark Lewin

WWWF (1952-nationalized in 1980): The American Northeast: Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Spiros Arion, Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon, Antonio Rocca, Chief Jay Strongbow, Tony Garea

Some would call the AWA a territory, especially since it had only a couple of territories that recognized it's World Title. However most wrestling mags, and historians considered the AWA as a national company that split off the NWA in 1960, especially since the AWA booked shows all over the Western United States where they had television markets.

AWA (1960-1991): Minnestoa, Wisconsin, and individual cities like Chicago, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas etc...: Verne Gagne, Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon, Baron Von Rashcke, Nick Bockwinkle, The Crusher, Crusher Blackwell, Greg Gagne, Curt Henning
Click to expand...
Would love a series from you detailing about each of the era on what was the style and who mattered during it. Whatsay?
 
#7 ·
They own almost all of it now. The Pacific Northwest stuff wasn't professionally saved, but supposedly the widow of one of the guys involved has a stash of tapes. Some stuff from this territory has made it to youtube, and it would be impractical for McMahon to try and track it all down.

There is also a lot AWA footage that ESPN still owns, and isn't part of the WWE's AWA holdings. ESPN also still owns the Global Wrestling Federation tapes as far as I know which is quite a lot considering the promotion only lasted around 3 total years. They put out an hourly show of matches every single day (previously taped of course) Monday through Friday after AWA went out of business in 1990. Incidentally, Vince sued the GWF because he argued it was too close to WWF ('global' vs 'world'), but it didn't go anywhere or was dropped, not sure which.
 
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#5 ·
I already done alot of study and research on some of these territories over the years on youtube. I was born right before Wrestlemania 1 so I like catching up on stuff I missed before my time or was just too young at the time to care, NWA/WCW and WWF were my main shows that I watched as a kid growing up and occasionally would catch a rare Contenital Championship Wrestling show if I was in that area and the thing that always bugged me about them is their main title is called the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title.

Alot of great talent came and worked in that area but I was always thought that word Junior being used as a name for your main title belt...kind of makes it sound so minor league. All these greats , fighting over the right to be the top junior dog? I know its something minor and kind of random but always thought it should of just been called the NWA Contential Heavyweight Title.
 
#6 ·
Greenlawler said:
There have been a couple of threads recently that have been discussing the territories. AS someone who grew up watching and loving that era I thought a primer might be called for since most posters on the forum were not around in this important time of the sport. The territories basically grew up around media markets, and thrived off low cost/ highly rated television that the local stations loved because they could sell ads. Some of the territory shows dominated their ratings.

I will simply list the Major American territories (there were other smaller territories) and years of exsistence, list their operating area, and list some of the top stars (of course I will miss some of these but this is a start, feel free to add significant ones I missed). I realize you could probably find all this via wikipedia or other sites but here it is in one place, as a good primer for those interested in this era.

Pacific Northwest (1925-1992): Oregon/Washington: Dutch Savage, Buddy Rose, Roddy Piper, Billy Jack Haynes, Tony Borne.

Big Time Wrestling (1968-1981): Northern California: Pat Patterson, Ray Stevens, John Tolos

WWA/ NWA Hollywood (1959-1982): Southern California: Freddie Blassie, Edouard Capentier, Gory Guerrero

Western States (Amarillo)(1969-1981): West Texas: The Funks, Ciclone *****, Bob Backlund, Karl Von Steiger

World Class: North Texas (1966-1990): Gary Hart, The Von Erich's, Stan Stasiak, Freebirds, Chris Adams, Skandor Akbar

Southwest: Southern Texas (1978-1985): Tully Blanchard, Dale Valentine (Buddy Roberts), Manny Fernandez

Tri-State/Mid-South/UWF: (1950-1990) Louisiana, parts of Oklahoma, and Arkansas: Bill Watts, Junkyard Dog, Butch Reed, Ted DiBiase, Mr Wrestling II, Magnum TA

Central States (1948-1988): Parts of Missouri, all of Iowa and Kansas: Harley Race, Pat O'Connor, Bulldog Brown, Orville Brown, Bob Sweeten

NWA St. Louis (1959-1989): Parts of Missouri: Ted DiBiase, Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harly Race, Gene Kiniski

WWA Indiana: Indiana, Illinois (1964-1991): Dick the Brusier, Wilbur Snyder, Baron Von Rashcke, Greg Wojokowski

NWA Mid America (1957-1980): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missisippi, even a little in Missouri: Jackie Fargo, Sputnik Monroe, Len Rossi, Don Kent, Luke Graham, Jerry Jarrett, Tojo Yammamoto

CWA/USWA (Memphis)(1977-1997): Parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missisippi, even a little in Missouri: Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Jimmy Hart, Dutch Mantell, The Fabulous Ones, Jimmy Valiant, Austin Idol

IWA (1978-1984): (Not truly a major territory, considered an outlaw promotion but very influential, and a good history read): Parts of Kentucky: Angelo and Lanny Poffo, Randy Savage, Ronnie Garvin, One Man Gang (then known as Crusher Bloomfield)

Contenintal (1954-1990) (which had a sub territory called Gulf Coast): East Tennessee, Alabama, The Florida Panhandle, Eastern Kentucky: Bob Armstrong and family, Jerry Stubbs, Ron and Robert Fuller

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1949-1987): Florida: Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk, Kevin Sullivan, Bob Roop, Eddie and Mike Graham

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1944-merged into what became WCW): Georgia: Ray Gunkel, Mr Wrestling 1 and 2, JJ Dillon, Dusty Rhodes, Ole Anderson, Steamboat

NWA Mid Atlantic (1931-1988): The Carolinas, Virginia: Ric Flair, Blackjack Mulligan, Wahoo McDaniel, Masked Superstar, Jack and Jerry Brisco, Rip Hawk, Paul Jones

Big Time Wrestling (1959-1980): Michigan, parts of Ohio: The Shiek, Bobo Brazil, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Eddie Cretchman, Crybaby Cannon, Mark Lewin

WWWF (1952-nationalized in 1980): The American Northeast: Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Spiros Arion, Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon, Antonio Rocca, Chief Jay Strongbow, Tony Garea

Some would call the AWA a territory, especially since it had only a couple of territories that recognized it's World Title. However most wrestling mags, and historians considered the AWA as a national company that split off the NWA in 1960, especially since the AWA booked shows all over the Western United States where they had television markets.

AWA (1960-1991): Minnestoa, Wisconsin, and individual cities like Chicago, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas etc...: Verne Gagne, Mad Dog and Butcher Vachon, Baron Von Rashcke, Nick Bockwinkle, The Crusher, Crusher Blackwell, Greg Gagne, Curt Henning
Click to expand...
Awesome job on this post. The first wrestling match I can remember watching was a CWA match, but I can't remember who was involved in it. That was while visiting grandparents in Arkansas.

Later on when cable TV became more common I found WWF and JCP, and was hooked by both. The NWA in particular intrigued me because they would often reference matches in all kinds of international destinations. I would find out more about wrestling outside the USA through the Apter Mags (what we had to use before that newfangled contraption called 'the internet', and that's the way it was, and we liked it! Now get off my lawn!).
 
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#8 · (Edited)
when are they going to release some dvds? I want to see some more territory stuff. They should start by relaesing st louis ewrestling club dvds and more AWA stuff.
 
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H
#9 ·
Somewhat relevent to this thread

Credit: Miami Herald

WWE has finally completed its deal to get ahold of the Mid-South tape library. WWE negotiated a deal with Ene Watts--Bill Watts' ex-wife--and the Watts Family for around 1,200 hours of Mid-South footage from the late 1970s to the 1980s. Ene got the footage in her divorce settlement with Watts.

Jim Ross commented on the deal, saying, "If fans are able to somewhere down the road buy volumes where they can see X number of weeks of television or by the year where there's X number of episodes on a multi-disc set, they're going to see how it was like reading an action adventure book. One chapter led to the next chapter led to the next with a crescendo and then a payoff, and then the book continues."

He continued, "I think the episodic nature of it will be very entertaining, and then the other thing is there are a lot of guys who really established their body of work in that company that went on to do some really great things later in their careers on a higher level [nationally and internationally]. Seeing a young Ted DiBiase [in Mid-South], Ric Flair as the traveling NWA champion, guys like the Junkyard Dog and Butch Reed who was a great antagonist and a great protagonist — probably under-rated, by and large — and there were so many guys who came through there like the Steiner brothers and Magnum T.A. Guys like that, people will get to see their formative years, and to me it's always fun as a fan because you can see glimpses of greatness, but you can also see a little bit of green, varying levels. So there's inexperience, too, and it's unique to see how they evolved."

Reporter's Link:
Click to expand...
Pretty cool, always heard great things about Watts weekly show but never managed to see it in full episodes, just clips off youtube, be very interested to see it in volumes like JR says.
 
#14 ·
I read on the internet that Jim Crockett Promotions also bought and merged st louis and central states into his territory.
 
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#13 ·
Would like to throw Stampede Wrestling into the mix. It's a company that somehow continuously reemerged, even after all the other territories were dead.

Great names like: Stu Hart, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Superstar Billy Graham, Dave Schultz, Dynamite, Davey Boy, Saito, Bad News Allen, Archie Gouldie, and many, many others.
 
#15 · (Edited)
WCW was essentially composed of:

1) NWA: Mid-Atlantic (JCP), Central States, St. Louis, Championship Wrestling from Georgia (Ole Anderson group's shares of GCW), Championship Wrestling from Florida. All merged into "NWA World Championship Wrestling".

2) UWF: Bill Watts - (apparently not the tape library though). Merged with NWA WCW though UWF was independent and not a member of NWA.

3) The name "World Championship Wrestling" and the Turner Broadcasting (TBS) Time slot which were purchased from Vince McMahon who had purchased them from Jack & Jerry Briscoe's shares of Georgia Championship Wrestling.

Ted Turner eventually purchased all of this, and left the NWA in the early 1990s so the company was just known as "WCW" up until purchased by Vince McMahon where it became a subsidiary of WWE.
 
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#18 · (Edited)
From what I remember here is the order of the collapse of the territories and the formation of the "two party system" WWF/WCW.

This is not exact but to the best of my memory it happened like this.

1. The WWF started their expansion
2. The NWA got together and started to swap their bigger stars more frequantly between, Georgia, Florida, and Mid Atlantic due to their close proxiemety. St Louis and Central States were also sharing talent already with these areas as well.
3. Georgia and Memphis breifly alligned although they still ran seperate tv
4. The AWA and the NWA southern promotions formed Pro Wrestling USA and tried to compete with WWF, this did not last long.
5. Several territories died, like WWA, the Califonia territories, Southwest, Amarillo, and Big Time.
6. The Briscos sold their Georgia WTBS slot to McMahon
7. JCP came in and rescued the WTBS show for NWA and forged an alliance with Georgia
8. Georgia and Mid Atlantic merged although for a while Mid Atlantic still ran their own shows in their area.
9. St Louis and Central States closed shop.
10. Florida, Mid South, WCCW, Pacific Northwest, Contenintal, and Memphis all still maintained their own shows and business as usual although Florida was still loaning and borrowing talent from the new JCP/Georgia alliance.
11. Mid South became UWF
12. CWA became USWA
13. WCCW withdrew from the NWA
14. UWF merged with JCP
15. The JCP alliance left the NWA officially and became WCW
16. Florida still maintained it's seperate status as a traditional territory and member of the NWA
17. Continintal folded as a major territory taking their product mainly to the Gulf Coast and becoming more of an independent.
18. AWA, USWA, and WCCW tried to merge but it failed immediatly
19. Florida folded officially only leaving a small idnependent promotion to fill the void.
20. Smokey Mountain tried to fill the void left by Contenital.
21. USWA bought out WCCW
21. Pacific Northwest folded
22. AWA folded
23. USWA deserted the Texas end of their territory
24. GWF tried to capitalize on the death of WCCW
25. Eastern Championship wrestling, an indy promotion evolves into ECW.
26. USWA is bought out by WWF making it a developmental territory, but allowing it to keep it's own television, and older stars.
27. Smokey Mountain folded
28. GWF folds
29. The NWA tries to rebuild using these indy promotions.
30. USWA struggles and folds after trying again under a new name.
31. Every traditional territorial promotion is dead.

---OFFICIAL DEATH OF THE TERRITORIES---

Only WCW and WWF remain as the non-indy promotions (although some would argue ECW was more than an indy by this point)
 
H
#19 ·
Not sure if this is the right thread for it but speaking of territories and Memphis...

Recently Ive been enjoying the fuck out of going through the Lawler/Savage feud of 84/85 (I think its those years?), watched a title match, cage match and loser leaves town, fucking awesome how they keep building in intensity.
What really hooked me in was this promo, exactly the type of old-school promo I just cant get enough of, amazing how magnetic everyone is in this vid, exactly the type of believable money promos that guys could only do in the territory days when guys had to learn to draw money with their mouths wherever they went, here you get
Savage at his psychotic best, deranged yet not nonsensical like he'd often become in the WWF, those fuckin eyes!
Lawler at his babyface best, ths is the type of thing Cena needs to learn to do, a good guy babyface who's pissed and needs to kick this guys ass.
Austin Idol swinging his axe -need i say more.
and Joe leduc who manages to somehow be twice as unnerving as all of the above.



If I lived in Memphis when this happened id like fuck! take my money,I need to see these guys fight, you just don't see promos like this anymore.
The matches if anyone wants to see them
Southern HW title
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKCb2LwplIA
Cage match
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2tuo1_randy-savage-vs-jerry-lawler-cage-m_sport
Loser leaves town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWzuCvcaDk
 
#21 ·
Great post. This is what I have been trying to communicate to you guys about the southern territories, especially Memphis (CWA). It was just a different level of intensity then. It was why the kayfabe era is missed by many. We all knew is was fake, or most of us anyways, but there was just enough reality that it allowed you to get swept up in the moment. It was easier to suspend the "smarkness" in all of us to just stinkin enjoy the match and the heat without attatching a star level.

If you enjoyed 83/84, 1982 to me was just on another level in Memphis. Jimmy Hart, Jimmy Valient, Koko Ware, Bobby Eaton, The Dream Machine, the Fabulous Ones, The Nightmares, Iron Sheik, Ric Flair, Harly Race, Dutch Mantell, Austin Idol, Tommy Rich, every week was chaos.
 
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