The Rise And Fall Of The AWA

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More than three decades have passed since Verne Gagne's Minnesota-based powerhouse, the American Wrestling Association, last ran an event, and those last few gasps were pretty painful to watch. If anything, a fan is more apt to remember the AWA for its dizzying decline than its genuine glories...
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Пікірлер: 633

  • @JagerLange
    @JagerLange Жыл бұрын

    "Politicking in wrestling is over the top, I'm cutting loose and going it alone." "Cool, what are you going to implement first?" "Book myself as champion innit."

  • @josecarlosramolete6109

    @josecarlosramolete6109

    Ай бұрын

    Eric Bischoff did the same formula in WCW as Verne did. The only difference: he gave older guys creative control especially Hogan.

  • @OikPoinFive

    @OikPoinFive

    7 күн бұрын

    "Potlucking in wrestling is pure chaos

  • @nikospud860
    @nikospud860 Жыл бұрын

    I do find it fascinating how a companies origin and the start of their decline can be linked so well to a wrestler not being given the world title.

  • @vampirascoffin870

    @vampirascoffin870

    Жыл бұрын

    Because they didn't move on in the times brotha!!! , They should have pulled the trigger , made Hogan a champ and think outside the box brotha!!! , And did what Vince did in the 80s expand bortha!!!!!

  • @nikospud860

    @nikospud860

    Жыл бұрын

    @@vampirascoffin870 Yeah my point is that the company also started witht he NWAs reluctance to put the belt on Vergne. I just find it fascinating how Vergne didnt see the parrallel

  • @VirgilAhmedJohnsonwerethebestw

    @VirgilAhmedJohnsonwerethebestw

    Жыл бұрын

    If Virgil got the wcw belt it would still be around today

  • @majordbag2

    @majordbag2

    Жыл бұрын

    @@VirgilAhmedJohnsonwerethebestw Wasn't he called "Vincent" in WCW?

  • @VirgilAhmedJohnsonwerethebestw

    @VirgilAhmedJohnsonwerethebestw

    Жыл бұрын

    @@majordbag2 Yes he was Vincent but he also used the groundbreaking gimmick of Curly Bill which many superstars today borrowed from

  • @ZeroCrystal
    @ZeroCrystal Жыл бұрын

    "Verne Gagne was less Mos Def, and more Probably Deaf." That line got an automatic thumbs up and a solid chuckle.

  • @brynellsidney3983

    @brynellsidney3983

    8 ай бұрын

    Lmao.....😂😂😂😂

  • @WaterborneCamper
    @WaterborneCamper Жыл бұрын

    Gagne was his own worst enemy. He could never get past his own ego and greed to do what was right for the company.

  • @p.d.l7023

    @p.d.l7023

    Жыл бұрын

    Also, he could not see that his son was no wrestler.

  • @sampleoffers1978

    @sampleoffers1978

    11 ай бұрын

    Yet I understand his actions because he knows it' s planned presentation, so he figures he's big in that culture concealing the nature...Mcmahon, who is smart guy...but his swaggar comes from tv connection...AND production value...just seems to be a sense that feels a little beyond his public socialization...yet he has the awareness it hits audience effectively... and that's just wild sophistication for that decade

  • @DMS-pq8

    @DMS-pq8

    8 ай бұрын

    @@p.d.l7023 A lot of the promoters had that problem. Remember Eric Watts and Mike Von Erich?

  • @markedly1013

    @markedly1013

    8 ай бұрын

    You nailed it. He could not see the big picture.

  • @brooklynnicole9236

    @brooklynnicole9236

    7 ай бұрын

    He just wouldn't do "What's Best for Business"

  • @anthonyaman1488
    @anthonyaman1488 Жыл бұрын

    Anytime you regret poor descisions in life, just remember: Verne Gagne turned down Hulkamania.

  • @suicidality2744

    @suicidality2744

    9 ай бұрын

    Hulkamania actually started in the AWA. Verne just wasn't smart enough to give Hogan the ball and let him run with it.

  • @anthonyaman1488

    @anthonyaman1488

    9 ай бұрын

    @@suicidality2744 "Hulkamania and the 80s wrestling boom period????? No thanks.....I'll put the belt on my son- its Gregamania baby!" - Verne Gagne. Probably.

  • @suicidality2744

    @suicidality2744

    9 ай бұрын

    @@anthonyaman1488 Even if Verne had put the belt on Hogan it's likely Vince would have got him anyway. He could have always paid him more. Even before the era of guaranteed contracts the New York territory was the biggest.

  • @BeyondDaX

    @BeyondDaX

    9 ай бұрын

    Verne would have regretted it either way, Hogan was just too self centered to save that company let alone any.

  • @CesvsWRLD

    @CesvsWRLD

    9 ай бұрын

    😊

  • @edgarr.rwilde3876
    @edgarr.rwilde3876 Жыл бұрын

    Please keep making these docs and mini docs. They are absolute gold, and there is a wealth of lore and history you can dive into and never be short of. These docs are the reason why I'm subscribed.

  • @ToxicAvengerCleanYourMind

    @ToxicAvengerCleanYourMind

    Жыл бұрын

    Another channel did all this already and this video literally copied the idea... These Brits didn't watch these promotions... They're just desperate for views so theyre copying them

  • @ToxicAvengerCleanYourMind

    @ToxicAvengerCleanYourMind

    Жыл бұрын

    Original Wrestling Documentaries did these already and have covered almost all the territories... This channel is just copying them for views... Bunch of Brits this young didn't watch these promotions and these videos just come across as sone highschool PowerPoint

  • @aaronynclan7674

    @aaronynclan7674

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@ToxicAvengerCleanYourMind ok 'Click next video'

  • @marsanchez2500
    @marsanchez2500 Жыл бұрын

    I grew up with Rick Martell, A young Scott Hall and Curt Hennig, The Midnight Rockers. Stan “ The Lariat “ Hanson. Such great memories

  • @justafanofnerdculture7602

    @justafanofnerdculture7602

    2 ай бұрын

    Same here! I have a near complete set of the AWA action figures, too.

  • @michaelsinger4638
    @michaelsinger4638 Жыл бұрын

    I love these documentaries. Please keep them up. Verne Gagne was his own worst enemy later on,

  • @josecarlosramolete6109

    @josecarlosramolete6109

    3 ай бұрын

    Indeed. Years later, Eric Bischoff made the same mistake as Verne did. The difference is: Bischoff gave them (the older guys) creative control.

  • @taterslam0573
    @taterslam0573 Жыл бұрын

    My dad grew up in northern Wisconsin and growing up he loved the AWA. He fell out of wrestling after the AWA folded (that and he couldn’t stand Vince) but since I came along and fell in love with wrestling both new and old, me and him will watch old AWA matches and talk about the company and talk about the good the Vern did and the mistakes we felt he made.

  • @eddiemoney1093

    @eddiemoney1093

    11 ай бұрын

    I don't know why Vince would be the deciding factor there. He primarily played the role of interviewer in those days

  • @taterslam0573

    @taterslam0573

    11 ай бұрын

    @@eddiemoney1093 over the years as wwe got bigger he couldn’t stand Vince and also he didn’t like the gimmicks and storylines Vince was doing either. Basically he didn’t like what wwe became and the product didn’t interest him. That and he knew Vince was kinda killing the territories.

  • @KegOfMeat
    @KegOfMeat Жыл бұрын

    After how good the AJPW and FMW rise and falls were, I jumped into this video immediately

  • @WSK9002

    @WSK9002

    Жыл бұрын

    Seconded.

  • @SomeDumbKid1
    @SomeDumbKid1 Жыл бұрын

    AWA was the promotion my dad and his brothers watched as kids in the 70s. He still talks about The Crusher sometimes.

  • @jimh.412

    @jimh.412

    11 ай бұрын

    Da one, Da only, Da Crusher!💪💪

  • @jellyneckrules7971

    @jellyneckrules7971

    2 ай бұрын

    Good times

  • @georgewilliams4258
    @georgewilliams4258 Жыл бұрын

    Unfortunately I remember the days that ESPN aired the AWA when it was basically a promotion of older guys past their prime with a few younger guys that would job to them.I also heard an interview with Stan Hansen where he said that Verne wanted him to screw over Rick Martel which pissed off Stan because he was good friends with Rick and refused.

  • @TJ52359

    @TJ52359

    Жыл бұрын

    I'd never heard of a Plot to screw Martel... -- I've seen several sources (long since forgotten where) state that Verne allegedly tried to Pay the Iron Sheik to Break Hogan's Leg as pay back for Hogan leaving... ** He apparently promised Cash and a Championship run if he'd do it, Leave WWF and then come to the AWA.. Sheik refused on Moral grounds and in not trusting Verne to actually make good on either promise... when the story circulated in the grapevine it set a lot of guys' eyes to looking for the door

  • @gabepollock1641

    @gabepollock1641

    Жыл бұрын

    That was actually my first exposure to the AWA. ESPN Classic would re-air AWA shows and put some of their TV on demand. I was 11 or 12 years old, and my dad had seen the AWA in its hey day, so we bonded over those old broadcasts.

  • @hartiwanger9176

    @hartiwanger9176

    Жыл бұрын

    @@gabepollock1641 First match I ever saw was Rick Martel vs some big guy I can't think of but it was the BEST match I ever saw

  • @lubbulz1

    @lubbulz1

    Жыл бұрын

    @@hartiwanger9176 Was it Terry Gordy? A big curly haired guy?

  • @hartiwanger9176

    @hartiwanger9176

    Жыл бұрын

    @@lubbulz1 Maybe. Cant find that match on KZread

  • @zachjohns6975
    @zachjohns6975 Жыл бұрын

    I grew up with the AWA just outside the Twin Cities and my dad brought me to many of the legendary cards in St Paul in the early 80s. Great childhood memories.

  • @williammitchell4417

    @williammitchell4417

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here. I met the Baron at the Apple Valley zoo. I voted for Jesse for Governor 😂

  • @jeffberndt8699

    @jeffberndt8699

    Жыл бұрын

    Do you remember that there was this white guy with a huge red Afro-type hairdo that used to stand at the side of the ring giving the wrestler the finger the whole time at those civic center monthly cards? I used to go as a kid and it’s just a funny memory I have of them, lol

  • @patrickwoelfel2880

    @patrickwoelfel2880

    Жыл бұрын

    How about the guy called Ricky the midget always at ringside ?

  • @77acacosta

    @77acacosta

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes! There was a segment with Hogan and Mean Gene training in thw Twin Cities area, including my old neighborhood in West Side of St Paul near the Wabasha caves.

  • @Brando-Lee3725
    @Brando-Lee3725 Жыл бұрын

    Bockwinkel and Stevens was a marvelous team!!!

  • @williammitchell4417

    @williammitchell4417

    Жыл бұрын

    The cream of the crop of the Heenan family

  • @JuliusC1973

    @JuliusC1973

    8 ай бұрын

    One of The Great Tag Teams in Professional Wrestling History and ahead of their time.

  • @princeofcupspoc9073

    @princeofcupspoc9073

    7 ай бұрын

    Probably the single best tag team in wrestling history before the Road Warriors.

  • @dimpleface2163

    @dimpleface2163

    7 ай бұрын

    They were...yep...Nick & the Crippler.

  • @82gamerprincess31
    @82gamerprincess31 Жыл бұрын

    Funny enough AWA was my families wrestling being from Nebraska and Wisconsin. I’d hear stories of my great grandma throwing a lighter at Mad Dog and how my grandma hated Flair/Bockwinkle. I say it’s funny because my exposure started with a simulcast of Mania 1 with my uncle I’d ultimately fall in love with NWA/WCW later ECW right up until it’s demise. So my whole family outside my uncle and my grandma’s brother were anti-WWF. I wouldn’t even watch WWF outside of rented tapes until i was in high school because we didn’t have USA network. What’s crazy when i did start watching WWF it was going to college and living with my aunt/uncle. One of the first big PPVs we watched was the night Owen Hart died. I watched that crap live and along with 9/11 it’s one of my most vivid memories.

  • @jbj7599
    @jbj7599 Жыл бұрын

    After the Vice Tales from the Territories, I REALLY wish I was 20 years older to see these stars in person. Ah well, fun to learn more about awa

  • @JDizaster
    @JDizaster Жыл бұрын

    That first Hogan-Bockwinkel title match in 1982 is still probably one of my favorite matches of all time. Seeing it on videotape is what made me a fan in the first place. Must have watched it a hundred times.

  • @MrZappaman420

    @MrZappaman420

    8 ай бұрын

    back when hogan could actually work!

  • @curthennig9448

    @curthennig9448

    8 ай бұрын

    @@MrZappaman420Hogan was a different breed in the AWA vs later in the WWF!

  • @mr.mr.4772

    @mr.mr.4772

    7 ай бұрын

    Yeah, Bockwinkel carried him the whole match.

  • @ScaryRevenant

    @ScaryRevenant

    2 ай бұрын

    Same I remember my mom buying me a compilation tape of AWA matches with the title match of Hogan vs Bockwinkle and a tag team match with hogan and Andre the giant against bockwinkle and stevens?

  • @Brando-Lee3725
    @Brando-Lee3725 Жыл бұрын

    I loved all 3 Superclash cards as a kid . I would run home from school to catch AWA on ESPN at 4 o clock ! Then World Class took that spot and I loved it even more !!

  • @danjennings8618
    @danjennings8618 Жыл бұрын

    I was a huge fan of AWA, even in the final years. I preferred their matches compared to the WWF constant televised squash matches

  • @richborn6700
    @richborn6700 Жыл бұрын

    My dad used to watch AWA on TV growing up in south Minnesota. Once I started watching WWE in the mid 2000s he told me about guys like Mad Dog and Ventura from his childhood in the mid late 1970s

  • @dougcollier259
    @dougcollier259 Жыл бұрын

    This was a very good documentary. Just about all the other documentaries about the AWA make it sound like the AWA went out of business because of Hogan leaving. I saw several sold out AWA shows in Chicago after Hogan departed. Shortly after Wrestle Rock, they lost a huge chunk of their roster, leaving veterans the fans were tired of. They went from The Road Warriors as their top tag team to Buddy Rose and Doug Sommers. They just lost all their star power in a couple of months.

  • @catguy00

    @catguy00

    Жыл бұрын

    Even as a young kid I couldn't comprehend Rose and Sommers being tag team champs.

  • @ernestcruz6316

    @ernestcruz6316

    8 ай бұрын

    ​@@catguy00I agree to an extent. They would've made a good transitional championship team, but as it was it took way too long for them to get the belts onto Janetty and Michaels. It should've happened within a couple of months, not a year.

  • @afterglow-podcast
    @afterglow-podcast Жыл бұрын

    Would love to see a video like this done on the USWA

  • @dustincongello5802
    @dustincongello5802 Жыл бұрын

    i always forget and am amazed how stacked scott hall was back in the awa days...he was huge

  • @timothygraham4304

    @timothygraham4304

    Жыл бұрын

    I thought it was Dan Severn!😂

  • @williammitchell4417

    @williammitchell4417

    Жыл бұрын

    Not to mention the mustache Scott could have been mistaken for either Thomas Magnum or Magnum T.A. Terry Allen

  • @1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.

    @1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.

    Жыл бұрын

    Lotta junk to the bottom cheek.

  • @dustincongello5802

    @dustincongello5802

    Жыл бұрын

    @@1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish. so did 90% of wrestlers back then and today...lets make somthing clear . juicing doesnt magically make you jacked. you still have to work hard to create a body like young scott hall had..juice makes it easier then not juicing, but you still have to work hard and work even harder to keep it during your 10 weeks off

  • @1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.

    @1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dustincongello5802 Jilly Juice gets you rock hard!

  • @omarkennedy7056
    @omarkennedy7056 Жыл бұрын

    Man this really made me appreciate Nick Bockwinkle even more than i already did and get pissed of at Verne Gagne even more than i already was, which both were a stonking lot

  • @WizardoftheGhost
    @WizardoftheGhost Жыл бұрын

    That picture of Scott Hall was just too sweet!

  • @ronsharer2986
    @ronsharer2986 Жыл бұрын

    If the AWA would have made Hogan champion, no one else would have been able to touch them. Not even Vince.

  • @attiepollard7847

    @attiepollard7847

    Жыл бұрын

    I disagree. Vince would have been relentless and ruthless more to get Hogan because Verne would not change with the times still.

  • @curthennig9448

    @curthennig9448

    8 ай бұрын

    There was no stopping Vince's ruthless aggression!

  • @nikhilhembrom8952

    @nikhilhembrom8952

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@attiepollard7847you know competition makes Vince better

  • @joeywrestling9536
    @joeywrestling9536 Жыл бұрын

    Tremendously impressive video, Ross!! Great job, mate!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  • @georgeschire3590

    @georgeschire3590

    Жыл бұрын

    Obviously, you care not of the many incorrect errors in the history as it is told in this video.

  • @sampleoffers1978

    @sampleoffers1978

    11 ай бұрын

    @@georgeschire3590 What are some inaccuracies? Hogan's contract with njpw seems to be the key info

  • @MayheM_72
    @MayheM_72 Жыл бұрын

    As a child of the 70s and 80s, I fondly remember watching WWF, NWA, and AWA. I didn't understand the territory system, but I liked all three major promotions. I'VE seen NWA attempting to make a comeback, and I'd love to see AWA do the same. They may never challenge the WWE for the top wrestling promotion, buy I like the idea of having more options, such as AEW. (I never could get behind TNA Impact...I'm sorry, I really TRIED!)

  • @jaquayppls8756

    @jaquayppls8756

    Жыл бұрын

    I like tna more then aew to which i only seen one show either way i will always be a wwe guy for life

  • @ronaldshank7589

    @ronaldshank7589

    Жыл бұрын

    TNA started including a few Wrestling Veterans...then a few more...then a few more...until TNA, at least eventually, lost a lot of the very identity, that they'd been founded on!

  • @aliensyndrome4280

    @aliensyndrome4280

    Жыл бұрын

    Vince McMahon I thought bought the rights to AWA?

  • @jimh.412

    @jimh.412

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@aliensyndrome4280He did. He owns the complete library and video tapes of the AWA.

  • @triplelindys
    @triplelindys8 ай бұрын

    I grew up near Chicago and I was a huge AWA fan. The loudest pop I've ever heard live was the Road Warriors at the (then) Rosemont Horizon. Imagine that level of volume, but instead of 11,000 fans that go now, there were 16,000 because there was no stage to take up room. Every seat in the place was full. I was also at that card at Comiskey Park in 1985. Good times.

  • @LongLiveRockAnRoll
    @LongLiveRockAnRoll Жыл бұрын

    AWA had all of Hogan's rock and wrestling era rivals pretty much. Vince just brought them all over and business went nuts. Also the wrestlerock rumble is comedy gold.

  • @wkdclwn96
    @wkdclwn96 Жыл бұрын

    My first wrestling VHS tapes were AWA tapes. I loved them!!! My mother bought them for me. Great wrestling!!!

  • @curthennig9448

    @curthennig9448

    8 ай бұрын

    From 1985?

  • @mroggie8334
    @mroggie8334 Жыл бұрын

    Under the old territory system the heads of each of the promotions was like a tyrannical king ruling over his domain and because other promoters didn't try to poach your talent or encroach on your turf it gave the promoters all the power and they could pretty much treat talent as poorly, and jerk them around, as much as they wanted... When times changed and Vince came along with the WWF and pretty much just ignored 80+ years of "tradition" most of the promotions just weren't willing to let go of the old territory system and change and adapt - and that was their downfall: they would rather continue to be absolute lord and ruler over nothing than to have to give up any bit of their control or see talent as anything other than dollar bills they can line their wallet with and take advantage of.

  • @attiepollard7847

    @attiepollard7847

    Жыл бұрын

    I think WWF would still be number one but a close second with either be the NWA maybe WCW with the AWA in third place but still riding high if Verne would have changed with the times.

  • @ryanjacobson2508

    @ryanjacobson2508

    Жыл бұрын

    Considering how many 1990's era wrestlers have died at a relatively young age, I don't think the territory days were that hard on the talent.

  • @KingOfWinter

    @KingOfWinter

    Жыл бұрын

    Ryan Jacobson Yeah but that was more about steroids and secret drug use than physical wear and tear on the body. Back then almost no one worked out, didn’t have the time or was too tired from being beaten to death at work, so if you just lifted weights a little and had a little muscle you were bigger than 99% of the population. If you notice that’s why a lot of the old school wrestlers were just naturally big and tall guys not necessarily muscular. But as the general population got bigger wrestlers had to keep up to stay impressive then hogan came along and basically set a horrible example for what a wrestler should look like and after that if you weren’t taking steroids you weren’t ever going to make it in the wrestling business. So guys started taking the stuff all the time in the 90s and they had to do it secretly or risk being fired, shunned from society for “cheating” or even arrested and thrown in jail. Which means they couldn’t talk to their doctor about it and monitor their health. Back in the day the labor laws weren’t as strict as they are today meaning people could get away with working their employees as hard as they want and mix that with the secrecy of the wrestling business and let’s just say yeah the 90s schedule was probably easier for most wrestlers than the 60s-70s schedule

  • @ruff1draft
    @ruff1draft Жыл бұрын

    I sometimes forget that Bobby Heenan was a wrestler as well as a manager rolled into one during the 1960s and 1970s

  • @williammitchell4417

    @williammitchell4417

    Жыл бұрын

    Most of the time Bobby would wrestle in Chicago and Indiana. Then would manage in Minneapolis

  • @jellyneckrules7971

    @jellyneckrules7971

    2 ай бұрын

    He wasn't called the brain for nothing

  • @GetDerezzed
    @GetDerezzed Жыл бұрын

    Imagine how different the current landscape of wrestling might be if Verne could've just gotten out of his own way. Quality work as always Ross, these docus are the best content on the channel imo, keep 'em coming.

  • @attiepollard7847

    @attiepollard7847

    Жыл бұрын

    I think Vern would have brought himself at least a couple of more or a few more years of delayed downfall. The AWA maybe would have went out of business in either 1994 or 95.

  • @karlepaul6632
    @karlepaul6632 Жыл бұрын

    I remember in the late 80s as a kid reading in one of the wrestling mags: "The NWA is the most realistic, the WWF is the most fun, and the AWA is a snooze-fest." Spot on.

  • @robzilla730

    @robzilla730

    Жыл бұрын

    Same here. AWA was treated as a punchline in the late 80s...

  • @strategic1710

    @strategic1710

    8 күн бұрын

    I remember the same. As a kid I always preferred nwa/wcw over wwf because I thought it was real.

  • @oscarl.ramirez7355
    @oscarl.ramirez7355 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the upload of this video. Houston Wrestling would sometimes have the AWA champion wrestle at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Great Memories.

  • @DaveFu
    @DaveFu Жыл бұрын

    Haven't watched all of it yet, but you better have Karateka/Nunchuck swingin/Sunglasses Living Legend Larry Zybysko included. He was my favorite version of Larry Legend. My second was Dangerous Alliance Larry Z!

  • @fritzpollard266
    @fritzpollard26610 ай бұрын

    The Crusher was a regular customer in my families Milwaukee bar when i was a kid in the 70’s i have many memories but one sticks out. The Crusher made a seemingly ludicrous on air boast about how much he could bench days later he was challenged (I believe by Packer legend and NFL HOFer Jerry Kramer) weeks later in public The Crusher benched a verified 600lbs.

  • @curthennig9448

    @curthennig9448

    8 ай бұрын

    I've always heard and Crusher even said in a 1984 interview that his best bench was 500 pounds in the late 50s. By the way what was the name of the Milwaukee bar?

  • @CraigSmithII
    @CraigSmithII Жыл бұрын

    Bill Eadie told a story about Verne Gagne wanting him to screw over Rick Martel when Martel was the AWA Champion. He had said that Verne wanted him to pull a swerve on Martel without him knowing & he was going to be the champion. Eadie also said Verne wanted him to work for All Japan, in which he was going to be making a $1,000 a week but Verne wanted a kickback of $400. Eadie told him NO on the Martel deal because Martel was a friend of his & he also told him why would I want to work at AJPW for $1,000 when I'm working for New Japan bringing home $5,000 a week? Eadie said he got up & left after that

  • @charlesfcopeland9756
    @charlesfcopeland9756 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this. These were wrestlers I grew up watching with many names I haven't heard in years but really brought back so many memories. Hard-core men that looked like guys you wouldn't want to make mad without the Hollywood glitter. Definitely not "pretty boys".

  • @lethrneck4
    @lethrneck4 Жыл бұрын

    Remember as a kid my uncle getting me Pro Wrestling Illustrated and learning about all the federations outside WWF..always remember names like Rick Martel, Larry Zybysco and Nick Bockwinkel as the big AWA stars in the 80s

  • @wbcwinnipegbeltcollector
    @wbcwinnipegbeltcollector Жыл бұрын

    Winnipeg was a Notorious AWA town, running the winnipeg arena was a regular occurance for AWA, we were jsut out of stampedes reach and by that we got all the greats listed here and then some, in addition AEW running canada life center last month was the FIRST non wwe show to run this town in 36 or 38 years if my math does us correctly Truly magnificent we honored the territory wrestlers that built this town, which inspired a generation which lead to a crop of what could the 2 best wrestling prospect's from the prairies In Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega and honestly the Old AWA rings are still used for locals shows with Primos wrestling owning one of them

  • @jonbruce6766
    @jonbruce6766 Жыл бұрын

    Awesome job on the video Ross and everyone behind the scenes working on the video

  • @Cito-lx7fp
    @Cito-lx7fp11 ай бұрын

    Excellent video! Quick and to the point. I was a teenager during the 1980’s and did not understand the admiration for the AWA at the time. I always found the matches were weak since they were performed in a high school gym. The AWA was so important, yet like Blockbuster, they failed to envision greatness. Thank you for helping me realize the foundation of wrestling today.

  • @henrikschmidt3964
    @henrikschmidt3964 Жыл бұрын

    It really is shameful how Gagne screwed his own company for his own ego, i.e. forfeiting the championship rather than dropping it in the ring.

  • @GreatMewtwo

    @GreatMewtwo

    5 ай бұрын

    Like Jackie Moon in "Semi-Pro" with the Flint Tropics.

  • @bossfan49
    @bossfan496 ай бұрын

    Wow, that was outstanding. Very comprehensive, organized, well researched and well written. So many great images. It would have been nice to see/hear some actual footage here and there, but that would have made it twice as long.

  • @oddishhonor
    @oddishhonor Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate docs like these, great job. Keep them coming boys!

  • @billkelly6292
    @billkelly6292 Жыл бұрын

    AWA was my introduction into pro wrestling..I use to watch jobber squash matches on t.v. every sunday morning..And i use to go to events with my dad..I remember going to Comiskey park in Chicago The main events were Baron Von Raske vs. Mr. Saito..And The Road Warriors vs. Dick the Bruiser and Crusher.

  • @curthennig9448

    @curthennig9448

    8 ай бұрын

    You went to Superclash 1?

  • @Garbagejuice1207
    @Garbagejuice120710 ай бұрын

    Very well done documentary! Thank you!

  • @garyedwardgray7549
    @garyedwardgray7549 Жыл бұрын

    Vern was such an enigma. He MADE the AWA. And he KILLED the AWA. His treatment of Hogan (and others, like Ventura) sealed his fate. Brilliant and moronic at the same time. As I said… very much an enigma.

  • @A_YouTube_Commenter

    @A_YouTube_Commenter

    Жыл бұрын

    Kind of like Bischoff with WCW.

  • @wunderjeeson
    @wunderjeeson Жыл бұрын

    The only reason Slaughter stuck around is because he was making bank off of GI Joe merch and figs

  • @robswystun2766

    @robswystun2766

    3 ай бұрын

    I had a Sgt. Slaughter G.I. Joe.

  • @jaysonmoore6475
    @jaysonmoore6475 Жыл бұрын

    Really hope y’all do All Japan Women’s PW next in this series. Always hear about it but never seen the history.

  • @jimbrown5091
    @jimbrown5091 Жыл бұрын

    Revisionist history can be funny. I was 12 years old in 1986. At the time I found the territory presentation of wrestling far more realistic and the WWF, essentially cartoonish. Perhaps that was because I'd lived most of my life to that point in the local TV range of Crockett or Jarrett and was adapted to southern wrasslin. As my family got cable I was exposed to AWA and WCCW, sadly I didn't see Mid-south /UWF until it had been absorbed by Crockett, but in any case I found the in-ring product of non-WWF brands as superior. I wasn't interested in ice cream bars, rubber dolls or cartoons. I wanted violence and blood. In the end I stayed with Crockett/WCW until the bitter end. Today, I don't even bother with the modern products. I watch retrospectives like this and vintage matches...and miss the days when wrestling at least pretended to be real.

  • @robcressey7228

    @robcressey7228

    Жыл бұрын

    I hear ya. I was 14 in '85 when I moved to upper South Carolina. Found Crockett NWA on TV every Saturday and Sunday morning. I have the WWF network now but hardly ever watch anything after 2001.

  • @mvjr7758

    @mvjr7758

    Жыл бұрын

    EXACT same. I grew up watching EVERY federation could find on TV. WWF just came up with bigger shows. But territories let you watch top guys wrestle bit more on tv or they at least made appearances. Silliness & gimmicks and trash stories have kind of ruined wrestling. Also just the excessive non selling of old finishers, 1 million superkicks and everyone able to do top rope.

  • @MrYouarethecancer

    @MrYouarethecancer

    Жыл бұрын

    @@robcressey7228you love Val Venus huh?

  • @sampleoffers1978

    @sampleoffers1978

    11 ай бұрын

    Hogan's contractual situation with njpw at this specific period, is really layered instance...

  • @chuckheap
    @chuckheap3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this video. I grew up in rural Minnesota and watching All Star Wrestling with my grandpa is what got me into my lifelong fandom of Professional Wrestling.

  • @minkelcrondon9727
    @minkelcrondon9727 Жыл бұрын

    A brilliant video, I've never seen it laid out like this.

  • @josephD32
    @josephD329 ай бұрын

    The AWA's downfall began the moment Verne Gagne retired from professional wrestling. The entire premise of the AWA's existence was that Verne Gagne should be World Champion. With Verne retired, and the realization that Greg was not going to make a viable World Champion, there was no reason for the promotion to exist. So, if you think about it, the amount of time it lasted after Verne retired is actually quite impressive.

  • @CashColorCannabis
    @CashColorCannabis Жыл бұрын

    Great video. This was needed. AWA was big at one point.

  • @nicholasbozec2828
    @nicholasbozec2828 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing work as always guys hope there will be a Jim Crockett promotion history at some point

  • @muddfoot69
    @muddfoot694 ай бұрын

    Honestly though back in the 80s AWA, NWA, World Class, WWF….as a little kid with basic cable. I had a great time watching them all!

  • @clsmooth5124
    @clsmooth5124 Жыл бұрын

    great video most detailed about the AWA that I have seen

  • @claytonjones8358
    @claytonjones835810 ай бұрын

    Really cool y'all started doing these mini docs! Plenty of territories to cover..will be great to cover and study for you guys..and for us to watch. Keep up the great work. Where can I buy a shit?

  • @mrf19741
    @mrf19741 Жыл бұрын

    Another Awesome Video! Thanks! Can't wait for the next one!

  • @The_Ninedalorian
    @The_Ninedalorian8 ай бұрын

    In the early 2000s I worked on the Carnival in Maine, and I got the chance to meet Mad Dog Vachon. He was quite old, and in a wheelchair, selling memorbabilia in a stall on the midway, but he told me about that match where he got his artery cut. His great grandson was with him, and to make some extra money the kid (don't remember his name - just called him Kiddo most of the time) used to run errands. Mainly running for food and drink for us guys in the Games. He also worked as my balloon boy after about 6 pm and I paid that kid $1500 that week plus tips for Running. Mad Dog told me on the last day of the show he hugely thankful for what I did for the Kid and I was a Stand Up Guy.

  • @knicksprop
    @knicksprop11 ай бұрын

    I remember watching AWA in its later years and being like "what the heck is this?" Though MSG would show old AWA matches so it was interesting to watch a match and be like "He looks like a younger Mr. Perfect."

  • @yankees29

    @yankees29

    2 ай бұрын

    Remember the WCCW reruns on ESPN? Is that Warrior???

  • @FrankC71
    @FrankC71 Жыл бұрын

    I love when someone new discovers the old AWA and wants to educate others on something that has 100s of vis\deos on the subject and documentaries on it too

  • @A_YouTube_Commenter

    @A_YouTube_Commenter

    Жыл бұрын

    It's interesting.

  • @KalebCenite
    @KalebCenite Жыл бұрын

    When it comes to the Crusher there is a event every year in Milwaukee called Crusherfest

  • @conradojavier7547
    @conradojavier7547 Жыл бұрын

    If Verne kept his Talent like Hogan, AWA would have been a Competitor to the WWF.

  • @mringram
    @mringram Жыл бұрын

    Great documentary

  • @bastih.5264
    @bastih.5264 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this video. It does explain a lot especially the reasoning behind not giving the title to Hogan (with the NJPW vs. AJPW background and marketing issues). Also I wasn't aware that AWA actually ruled the US wrestling market in the late 70s and early 80s.

  • @shanefelkel9966

    @shanefelkel9966

    Ай бұрын

    That last sentence is very subjective. The NWA probably had the biggest clout in that era, with Georgia Championship Wrestling being aired across the continent on TBS, while Mid-Atlantic (JCP), CWF, Mid-South, Continental, and Big Time/WCCW were also popular outside their home territories. A lot of the AWA talent in the video were more famous from their NWA days. And really, the NWA wasn't a promotion like the WWF and AWA, it was a conglomerate of independent promotions that stretched across the U.S. and parts of Canada for decades.

  • @dantorkel7561
    @dantorkel7561 Жыл бұрын

    Another awesome deep dive into wrestling history with Ross

  • @georgeschire3590

    @georgeschire3590

    Жыл бұрын

    This Ross guy talks fast, but his account of history of the AWA, is void of many actual facts.

  • @johnkrolczyk2241
    @johnkrolczyk2241 Жыл бұрын

    Best documentary on this topic that I've ever seen!

  • @dgh8220
    @dgh8220 Жыл бұрын

    "I've been in this industry 35 years, born and bred Minnesotan. I also get 90% a 100% of the time. Now excuse me while I go have a lamb chop dinner" -Lapsed Verne

  • @caryslan5890
    @caryslan5890 Жыл бұрын

    Like the WWE or not, there is a reason why they have endured at the top of the hill for decades, and it's because they know how to evolve their product with the times and tastes of their audience. Yeah, the WWE has stumbled at times, but you can look at many of the fallen rival promotions and most like the AWA share the same common story. They became stagnant and refused to change while WWE shifted their product to suit the tastes of the audience.

  • @thehammockdistrict5355

    @thehammockdistrict5355

    Жыл бұрын

    No, it is mainly because it has been a monopoly for decades.

  • @basementbomber
    @basementbomber7 ай бұрын

    I always wondered why I never found the AWA interesting or appealing. This video does a fine job on explaining why... Well. done!

  • @EVGriffinJr
    @EVGriffinJr Жыл бұрын

    I hate to say it but the AWA product by the 1980s did look primitive. Especially compared WWF’s/WWE‘s. Even Jim Crocketts NWA/mid Atlantic territory as well as world class looked better at that time!

  • @reallifelebowski4732
    @reallifelebowski4732 Жыл бұрын

    If Verne was alive today i would thank him for providing our family with a lot of great great memories. We couldn't wait to watch it on TV once a week and would all gather around eating potato chips and drinking root beer. And about 3 maybe 4 times a year we would head to the arena to watch the matches. The 2 big shows in our house were 'All in the Family" and AWA wrestling. I like to say something nice about Verne instead of being negative. My personal favorite AWA wrestler of all time was Ray "The Crippler Stevens" damn what a worker and funny as hell on the Mic. R.I.P Verne & Ray

  • @mikes.4136
    @mikes.413610 ай бұрын

    Geez - Verne’s last championship run ended when he was 55 years old. Wow! Very impressive.

  • @Chris_34
    @Chris_3411 ай бұрын

    If Verne had put the belt on The Gobbledy Gooker he could have stopped Hulkamania in its tracks. Him not doing that is probably the biggest mistake in wrestling history😔

  • @Insomniaaron
    @Insomniaaron Жыл бұрын

    28:35 Nick Bockwinkel and Larry Zbysko were the most in tune in the entire Wrestle Rock Rumble.

  • @JamalTheTitan
    @JamalTheTitan Жыл бұрын

    Gagne getting in his own way to the point of financial ruin

  • @bloodsimple94
    @bloodsimple94 Жыл бұрын

    I will praise these videos every single time. The level of effort put into them in amazing and shows why Cultaholic is the best wrestling channel.

  • @georgeschire3590

    @georgeschire3590

    Жыл бұрын

    And every time you praise this particular video on the AWA, you'll be giving to praise to a video that is factually incorrect with much of the story.

  • @WSK9002
    @WSK9002 Жыл бұрын

    I could be incorrect, I think the talent departures of AWA to WWE was only superceded by the majority of the All Japan Pro Wrestling talent going to Pro Wrestling NOAH. What's the common theme, talent really not liking management so much they are willing to up and leave. Mrs. Baba and Verne Gagne had similar personality traits in terms of they thought what was best for business and messing with talent's pay.

  • @davidstonerook3868
    @davidstonerook386811 ай бұрын

    Being from Omaha Nebraska the AWA was a main stay growing up Baron Van Raschke and Mad Dog Vachon are Icons I talked to Mad Dog many times after he retired from the ring Mad Dog was super nice and funny RIP Mad Dog I even had a great conversation with with Chavo Guerrero about watching his dad Chavo Sr and his uncle Hector wrestle in the AWA when I was growing up as a kid I have nothing but great memories about the AWA

  • @jb888888888
    @jb888888888 Жыл бұрын

    5:45 FYI that was a play on the Schlitz beer slogan "the beer that made Milwaukee famous."

  • @jwavada
    @jwavada8 ай бұрын

    This is excellent! Can’t wait for the next Rise and Fall video.

  • @CARL_093
    @CARL_093 Жыл бұрын

    great video bro

  • @l.a.raustadt518
    @l.a.raustadt5183 ай бұрын

    As a Minnesotan who saw the AWA peak it just could and would not actively compete as Vern got older . Now there is the AWF here and kind of a throw back to small town fun wrestling.

  • @RevbIGhIG
    @RevbIGhIG11 ай бұрын

    Great report!

  • @jliller
    @jliller9 ай бұрын

    Verne Gagne's earlier title reigns can be forgiven, but his decision to put the title on himself that final time in his 50s then retire after beating Bockwinkel was inexcusable vanity. He shouldn't have been champion at that age, and he should have put Bockwinkel over clean on the way out.

  • @anthonybranco
    @anthonybranco4 ай бұрын

    This is the best analysis of the AWA I've watched. Thank you.

  • @corrbenbernsten4902
    @corrbenbernsten49029 ай бұрын

    Heenan and Bockwinkel in the 70's and early 80's was the best time ⏲

  • @PatI-zg9gm

    @PatI-zg9gm

    7 ай бұрын

    Tricky Nick was tremendous in the ring and on the mike, and he was perfectly matched with Stevens and Sir Robert of Heenan.

  • @davefogle7747
    @davefogle7747 Жыл бұрын

    great work as always Ross

  • @zachstolpa6521
    @zachstolpa6521 Жыл бұрын

    The Georgia wrestling wars video y’all are eventually gonna do will be grand. Also recommend looking into Texas wrestling history, the promotion wars there are quite the stories

  • @Brando-Lee3725
    @Brando-Lee3725 Жыл бұрын

    I still have all my Remco AWA figures including Rambo Greg Gagne !!! Yes , Rambo Greg .

  • @p.d.l7023

    @p.d.l7023

    Жыл бұрын

    Those were even before those Ljn wwf figs.

  • @Brando-Lee3725

    @Brando-Lee3725

    Жыл бұрын

    @@p.d.l7023 Hmmm . You are right ! I remember buying them around the same time . I assumed WWF had to be first . But you are right on the money ! The only Remco figs I didnt have were Brody (dammit !) . Also Abdullah and Colon . I found the two pack of Abby and Colon in a Kmart but some prick stole Abby and they wouldnt let me buy Colon because it had been tampered with ! 35 years later im still mad LOL !

  • @sdd619
    @sdd619 Жыл бұрын

    Harley Race also got one of his first breaks in the AWA.

  • @bigdaddyroy5382
    @bigdaddyroy5382 Жыл бұрын

    Wwf left the nwa decades before vince jr owned it. Bruno became champ for the first time in 1963 and the wwf was already out of the nwa by then

  • @dansmith6748
    @dansmith674811 ай бұрын

    It was very difficult to watch the owner make himself champion time after time after time. Something that happened frequently in All Star Wrestling in Vancouver, where I grew up

  • @Chris_34

    @Chris_34

    11 ай бұрын

    Don't forget Jarrett at TNA.

  • @michaelpalermo354
    @michaelpalermo354 Жыл бұрын

    Well done 👏🏼

  • @michelledavidson8190
    @michelledavidson8190 Жыл бұрын

    Very enjoyable video keep these coming.

  • @zathrasnotzathras9435
    @zathrasnotzathras9435 Жыл бұрын

    You know Mean Gene, this guy makes great videos. Whatcha gonna do when Cultaholic runs wild on you!

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