AWA 1983. Change is Coming (ePub)

Is ignorance bliss? How ignorant was the AWA in 1983 about the coming New York hurricane? By the very end of 1983 Vince McMahon Jr had made his plans clear; to take his brand national. No longer would he honor the NWA boundaries. These were boundaries that the AWA also respected. Even though Verne had made a split from the NWA, the AWA worked in a very cooperative manner with the NWA's territories. How aware was Verne Gagne of McMahon's full intentions? Did he take the threat seriously? While we can't know for sure, 1983 was certainly a year of sellouts....before the storm.

1983 saw the further rise of Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura. These two put butts in seats. AWA cards were filled out by other superstars as well. Wrestlers like Nick Bockwinkel, Mr. Saito, Bobby Heenan, Jerry Lawler, Wahoo McDaniel, Ray Stevens, Ken Patera, Jerry Blackwell and even Andre the Giant delighted the fans. Sellouts were commonplace in older, established markets and the AWA was building new markets such as Phoenix and the Bay Area.

But as business boomed, this plan was hatched in New York. During 1983 Vince McMahon targeted the top stars of all the regional promotions. For the AWA this meant that Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan would soon be gone. Before long David Shults and Jim Brunzell would also leave for the Big Apple.

Beyond signing AWA talent, McMahon also began upgrading his media exposure. He made some of his shows look more big-time (some remained quite old-fashioned) and he inked deals with NBC and MTV. Soon enough WWF merchandise, including an album, trading cards and action figures, would be everywhere.

The AWA loved 1983 so much that they wanted 1984 to look like another version of 1983. But in 1984 Verne Gagne saw at least some of the changes and dangers that lie ahead. He joined other promoters to fight McMahon by forming Pro Wrestling USA. In a sense, 1983 was really the end of the pure territory era.

In this book you will read about the top stars as well as some of the other talented wrestlers who helped make the AWA "The Major League of Professional Wrestling" in 1983. You will also get to read about each one of the AWA's events/cards during this calendar year. Finding these was a labor of love. There are listings online but they often contradict each other. I investigated each event to find at least a couple of confirmations. In some cases, newspapers listed the matches as regular sporting events. In other cases, small articles were written to entice people to come to the matches. To the best of my knowledge, THIS was the AWA in 1983. You will also get the most comprehensive list of videos, DVD's, books and shoot interviews anywhere. If it has anything to do with the AWA in 1983, it's listed here! You will be linked to hundreds of hours of AWA action and entertainment.

The AWA was one of my great childhood passions. I would watch Saturdays and Sundays. It was the same show, but I loved watching it twice. Once the internet became a big-time player in the nostalgia world, my love for AWA action reached a new peak. While I began enjoying WCCW and other territories, the AWA will always be my favorite.