JHawk
I’m back! Maybe not better than ever but rejuvenated!
I hate the fact that I went so long without writing. Basically, between getting tired of the WWF scenario for Through the Booking Glass, a full time work schedule, wrestling bookings wherever I could, and taking care of my newborn son, the last year has been nuts and I had to cut back somewhere. Unfortunately writing was the easiest thing to cut back.
But armed with a new computer and a desire to complete rewrite history, I’m back for a new edition of Through the Booking Glass. Not only will this be back nearly every week, but I have a couple of additional projects that I plan on starting as well.
Now, unlike when I did this with the WWF and tried to keep things as close to historically accurate as possible, this time around we’re looking at an almost complete revamp. In the spring of 1987, Jim Crockett purchased the Universal Wrestling Federation (and a shitload of insane TV contracts) from Bill Watts and essentially killed off the UWF within a year. What if somebody else would have purchased the UWF and made a legitimate effort to keep it going instead?
Using Adam Ryland’s amazing Total Extreme Wrestling, I downloaded a scenario that begins in March 1987 and decided to take the UWF, pretend as if I bought it from Watts, and see if I could make a run in making the UWF a powerhouse. At the risk of repeating myself from the beginning of my 1983 scenario, a few things to keep in mind.
These historical mods are done by other TEW users and as such are not 100% historically accurate at the start. Sometimes they forget to put certain wrestlers in the scenario, sometimes the wrestlers are assigned to the wrong rosters, and you never know which angles are going to be preinstalled or which arenas they’ll put in. I will add angles and arenas to the scenario as needed but I won’t touch the wrestlers as trying to get their stats correct is a pain in the neck. I will be doing my best to explain, in a realistic way, why the starting roster in the game is different than what it really was.
Secondly, instead of using the calendar we are all familiar with, TEW uses a strict four week a month format, with a week running Monday-Sunday. This is why you’ll see dates listed as “Wednesday, Week 1” instead of “March 4”. I’ll be writing these articles one week at a time. Some articles will be longer than others depending on special events, plus I’ll try signing the new talent on the first of the month, so expect columns with those events to be longer than just, say, the second week of the month when I book TV and that’s it.
On occasion I’ll be including news stories from other promotions. This could be because it involves UWF talent, I find it significant, or just because I need to fill space.
Next, you’ll see notices about people who signed, people who didn’t, and the reasons why. Initially I’ll stick with the wrestlers the UWF actually used. But as it goes on and we get more into the period where Crockett started burying the real UWF, I’ll be slowly but surely tweaking things and attempting to branch out the roster.
Finally, I am trying to write this like you’d see it on a standard wrestling news site. This is to try to give some feel of authenticity to those events that are shaping the course of my fantasy UWF. TEW gives you notes as to how the segments went, so any opinions given during the show recaps are based on those notes. Trust me, nobody who really thinks their booking is awesome will book a bad match, admit it’s a bad match, and tell you why they think it’s a bad match. TEW does it for you, and I’ll admit to it.
Oh, and TEW randomizes injuried and wrestler deaths, so it is entirely possible that I sign, say, Randy Savage in 1989 and he dies of a cocaine overdose a week after winning the UWF Title.
OK, enough with the set up and explanations. Let’s see how yours truly handles the book.
March 1987, Monday, Week 1
The long-rumored sale of Bill Watts’ Universal Wrestling Federation is complete, but it was an unexpected candidate that wound up taking over.
Jared Hawkins, who had a 15-month run as head booker for the World Wrestling Federation a few years ago, has officially purchased the company and will be handling the day-to-day operations effective immediately. The deal comes on the heels of a rejected offer by Jim Crockett Jr. to purchase the company and make it a part of his upcoming syndicated network.
The rejected deal by Crockett was rumored to be in the neighborhood of $2 million, which would have been paid under eight quarterly installments. I have not heard a dollar figure for Hawkins’ deal but it was apparently for less money but paid in full up front.
It was apparently a last-minute deal. A few months ago, Hawkins settled out of court with Vince McMahon in a lawsuit where Hawkins claimed he was misled about the WWF’s finances during his time as head booker. Hawkins has spent a lot of his own money attempting to make good on contracts and keep the company afloat. A few months after Hawkins left the company, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling, a move that Hawkins claimed would have been impossible if the company’s finances were as bad as he was being told. The money from the lawsuit is what allowed Hawkins to swoop in and purchase the company.
Watts had changed the name of his company from the Mid-South Wrestling Association to the UWF a year or so ago in a bid to become a national company. Shows outside the Mid-South area weren’t drawing immediately, which was expected, but with the oil crisis over the past year, crowds within the home area have gone way down over the past few months as well. I’d expect most shows to remain in the Mid-South area for the time being, but plans to expand are on the books.
Watts is being kept on as the UWF’s on-air commissioner while Ken Mantell, who had been working as Watts’ head booker, will be used as a backstage agent. Hawkins is saying not to expect too many major changes immediately as he feels the UWF’s product is among the best in the country as it is.
In other UWF news, the UWF has officially become an interim member of the National Wrestling Alliance and will be working with other NWA promotions on a regular basis. The agreement is that the UWF would be treated as a full member of the NWA through the end of the year, at which point the agreement would be evaluated. The primary reason for this on the UWF’s end is to make sure they have access to other NWA talent, specifically talent employed by Jim Crockett Promotions, while rebuilding their finances and allowing their talent to get work in other areas. As part of this agreement, the UWF and Central States Wrestling have reached an agreement where The One Man Gang and Steve Cox will work a number of dates for CSW while Mike George and Rick Patterson (as Pat Patterson’s nephew “Tim”) will work a number of dates for the UWF.
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams has left the company, saying he can make more money in Japan and doesn’t want to take the risk of working for a new owner in the UWF. Williams had been working for Watts out of loyalty, as Watts got Williams started in the business, but did not have a contract.
The company will no longer be running house shows, opting for just weekly TV tapings every Sunday and the occasional major show. The next major show, scheduled for April 1987, Saturday, Week 2 at the Superdome in New Orleans is still on the books, although Hawkins wants to move it to a smaller building to help save on rental costs.
March 1987, Tuesday, Week 2
The war between the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions looks to be heating up a little with Jim Crockett’s purchase of Championship Wrestling from Florida now confirmed. CWF was said to have been in financial trouble for sometime and has been on a downward slope since longtime owner Eddie Graham committed suicide in January 1985. The buyout bolsters a JCP roster that is already loaded with talent and gives the promotion a better chance at narrowing the gap with rival WWF.
The original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama)’s book “Kayfabe” is still sending shockwaves through the industry in Japan. For those who are unaware, Sayama’s book gives away the secrets of the business, which has led to a lot of confusion and the loss of some credibility to the sport in Japan. The top promotions are now slowly incorporating more and more MMA components into their products in an attempt to stay relevant and ahead of the times. Many insiders are claiming that if kayfabe is not dead already, it’s on life support.
March 1987, Wednesday, Week 1
Sports Channel America, a relatively new cable station which features more regionalized sports coverage than ESPN, will begin airing the UWF live every Sunday. The show will still be taped for syndication as well.
Ken Patera has made his desire to continue his pro wrestling career clear expressing regrets over time lost behind bars. The story goes that on April 6, 1984, Patera and Masa Saito were denied service after hours at a McDonald’s restaurant in Waukesha, Wisconsin, prompting an angry Patera to throw a rock through a window of the building. He and Saito assaulted the policemen sent to arrest them later at a hotel. Sixteen months later, at which point Patera was in the WWF, he was sentenced to two years in prison. Patera is being released from prison and is expected to return to the WWF, although that is far from guaranteed.
March 1987, Thursday, Week 1
Promotion owners are standing up and taking notice as video game “Pro Wrestling” for the Nintendo Entertainment System is becoming a hit with both kids and adults alike. Another game with the same name but released for the Sega Master System also has fans battling it out on their TV screens. The games are some of the first attempts at translating the sport onto a computer platform and has many business minded people within the industry speculating on a possible new source of revenue.
Magnum T.A. gave an interview this past week announcing his intention to stay involved in pro wrestling in some capacity, hinting at a move to colour commentary. The NWA superstar was destined for glory before being involved in a car accident that nearly cost him his life in October of 1986. The right side of his body has been paralyzed for months, ending his in-ring career. Magnum stated in the interview that while still needing the assistance of a cane he is eager to return to a JCP arena as soon as possible.
March 1987, Friday, Week 1
In bizarre news today, Yoshiaki Yatsu as some know has been attempting to compete in next year’s Olympic Games. However, while training for the Asian Wrestling Championships, the International Olympic Committee has declared that Yatsu is a professional athlete and has banned him from not only that competition, but also from the 1988 Summer Olympics. The decision has stunned many people, but Yatsu doesn’t look like he’s going to file an appeal.
Roddy Piper has announced he is planning on retiring from wrestling and moving into Hollywood after WrestleMania III; a video montage of his greatest moments from 1984–1987 was played to the song My Way by Frank Sinatra on the most recent Saturday Night’s Main Event special. It’s said that Piper is reconsidering his decision now that the date has drawn closer.
March 1987, Saturday, Week 1
According to many insiders, Steve Cox and Porkchop Cash are apparently “at war” in a clash of egos. While some feel everything is being blown out of proportion, some feel their war will only end when one of them has a major fall from grace.
March 1987, Sunday, Week 1
Last night’s episode of Power Pro Wrestling (the last one taped prior to the sale) did a 0.05 rating on KWTV in Oklahoma City. That rating would have been unheard of a few months ago, but as the economy in the Mid-South tanks, so does interest in the product. The show did not air anywhere else as much of the syndication market has been pulled. Most of the broadcasts were essentially paid programming, an expense Jared Hawkins doesn’t want at this stage. No idea if the Sports Channel deal had anything to do with this.
The first TV taping of the new regime will take place in Tulsa tonight. Savannah Jack defends the UWF Television Title against Eddie Gilbert in the only match previously announced.
UWF Power Pro Wrestling taping report (March 1987, Sunday, Week 1)
Welcome to our live coverage of the UWF’s Power Pro Wrestling taping taking place at the Tulsa Civic Center.
Art Crews and Ted DiBiase are booked elsewhere and as such are not in the building tonight.
Jim Ross is apparently calling the show by himself. I was expecting Boyd Pierce and/or Bill Watts to join him.
Ross interviews Iceman King Parsons at ringside. Parsons said he is tired of Savannah Jack giving all of the brothers a bad name and will prove to him how his actions will hurt him in the community. Nothing like racial overtones in Oklahoma. This segment was very long and I’m not sure why they needed six minutes for this.
Eddie Gilbert (w/Missy Hyatt) pinned Savannah Jack to win the UWF Television Title. The match was fairly even until Jack whipped Gilbert into referee Carl Fergie. This allowed Iceman King Parsons to smother Jack with an ether-soaked rag, and Gilbert covered the unconscious Jack for the pin in 4:47.
In an extremely short match, Sting defeated Tommy Rogers in 5:10 by pinfall with a corner splash. Sting has been improving greatly as a performer lately.
Iceman King Parsons defeated Action Jackson in 1:50 by submission to a bearhug. These two don’t click at all and it showed.
Ross interviewed General Skandar Akbar, who brought Big Bubba Rogers with him and hyped him to the moon.
In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Chris Adams and Terry Taylor successfully retained the UWF Tag Team Title, defeating Bill Irwin & Leroy Brown in 13:04 when Adams pinned Irwin by pinfall with a Superkick. Taylor showed an aggressive side which leads me to believe a heel turn may be forthcoming.
Tim Patterson cut a short in-ring promo claiming he was Canada’s greatest wrestler and would prove to be the universe’s greatest wrestler as well, issuing an open challenge. This brought Mike George out to the ring for a one-on-one match. George scored the win with his Time Out submission move. I’m not sure the fans of Central States Wrestling would want to see this match and it didn’t get over here either.
Michael Hayes (w/Sunshine) defeated UWF Heavyweight Champion One Man Gang by countout in 9:19. Gang had Hayes hurt and leaning against the ringpost, but when he went to avalanche Hayes, he moved out of the ring, sending Gang crashing to the post and allowing Hayes to sneak in for the win. This match had been advertised as being a title match but Hayes weighed in at 234 pounds and Watts had instituted a 235-pound minimum to compete for the Heavyweight Title despite there not being a junior heavyweight division. Not that it mattered given the finish.
Overall an improvement over previous efforts from the UWF.
