(ALL JAPAN) The landscape of U.S. pro wrestling is about to change!

18th March 1986

Weekly Pro (Issue No 135)

April sees the U.S. wrestling war heat up! In a direct challenge to the WWF's "WrestleMania 2" (held simultaneously in three U.S. cities on April 7), the AWA will stage an event in its home base of Minneapolis on that same day, while the NWA will hold a "World Tag Team Tournament" in New Orleans on April 19th. All Japan Pro Wrestling's Giant Baba and Tiger Mask are also participating, fuelling this fierce corporate battle.

WWF holds events at three venues in bid to oust rivals

The staging of the WWF's (led by McMahon Jr.) "WrestleMania 2" is generating buzz among fans across the United States.

An announcement made during the regular event at MSG on February 27th revealed that simultaneous events would be held on April 7th at three locations: the New York area (with Nassau Coliseum and the Brendan Byrne Arena in the New Jersey Meadowlands as candidates, the latter being the likely choice), the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, and the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles.

The decision to hold the event at the Meadowlands (with a capacity of approximately 20,000)—rather than at Madison Square Garden, where the New York territory achieved groundbreaking success with WrestleMania on March 31 of last year—is nothing more than a strategy to drive out the forces of the NWA-AWA alliance that are encroaching on the area. The same applies to Chicago and Los Angeles.

The WWF has recently shifted its strategy from a broad expansion across the U.S. to a concentrated offensive targeting the major metropolitan strongholds of key NWA and AWA promotions—adopting a "Seize the powerful territories!" approach.

The AWA (represented by Verne Gagne), having seen the WWF invade its home turf of St. Paul, planned a massive event for April 7th at the Metrodome—home of the Minnesota Twins (with a capacity of approximately 25,000)—marshaling all its resources for the occasion.

Seeking the cooperation of Crockett Jr. (former NWA President), a joint event was organized with the NWA. A plan emerged for an NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Ric Flair and Bruiser Brody...

Crockett's Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (MAW)—now the largest faction in the NWA—is teaming up with Bill Watts of the independent Mid-South Wrestling (MSWA) to hold the "World Tag Team Tournament" (featuring 16 teams) on April 19 at the Superdome in New Orleans (capacity: approx. 75,000) to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jim Crockett Promotions.

Crockett initially planned to hold the commemorative event in Greensboro, North Carolina—the second-largest city in the territory—but thanks to Watt's cooperation, the venue was changed to the Superdome, the MSWA's largest arena.

An insider explains the situation as follows: "In January, the WWF encroached on Houston, Texas—Paul Boesch's territory—holding an event on the same day as Boesch's show at the Houston Coliseum (with the WWF at The Summit). They were also set to hold a major debut event at the Superdome on March 7th. To counter this WWF incursion, Boesch sought cooperation from Jim Crockett." 

This is a highly plausible scenario.

The significant implications of Baba and Tiger Mask's participation..

Crockett and Watts were major players in the industry. 

Ric Flair, the NWA World Heavyweight Champion—whose rights were held by Crockett—would defend his title in the MSWA territory. Watts sold the Georgia cable TV operation—which he had acquired after the WWF let it go—to Crockett (it would go on to become the nationwide WTBS network). Their business relationship operated on a give-and-take basis.

McMahon and Crockett were bitter enemies, and not just in business; their rivalry was deeply personal. McMahon had sued Crockett after being "locked out" of the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia, and the fact that he lost the case—and was forced to pay $100,000—became a source of personal resentment.

With the backing of their respective national television networks, the two engaged in a fierce wrestling war between the April 7th *WrestleMania 2* and the April 19th *Superdome* event. 

For WrestleMania, the plan is to emphasize the entertainment aspect by featuring an even more impressive lineup of celebrities than last year. The Crush Gals have been asked to participate in the Los Angeles event.

Crockett boasts that the event is "the biggest event I've ever organized. The winners of the tournament will become the de facto strongest tag team in the world." The event will feature top teams including The Road Warriors and The Russians, currently the most popular tag teams in the US, as well as MAW Road Tag Team Champions Rock 'n' Roll Express (Rick Morton & Robert Gibson), former champions Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condory), MSWA top team Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams, and many others.

Baba and Tiger Mask from All Japan Pro Wrestling will also participate at the request of Crockett. "Participating in a tournament featuring top American heavyweights holds great significance for Tiger Mask—it goes beyond just the matches themselves," says Baba.

Will this prove to be a trial that transcends the match itself? The appearance at Super Dome—the home turf of Watts, a partner of New Japan Pro-Wrestling—is likely to draw attention from a different perspective.

Another point of concern is the lack of cooperation from Fritz Von Erich's World Class Wrestling World Association (WCWA), based in Dallas, Texas. The independent kingdoms of Von Erich and Watts share a strong connection. 

WCWA has recognized Americas Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude as the newly created World Heavyweight Champion. The NWA is once again shaken. The US professional wrestling landscape (power map) is likely to change again as a result of this wrestling war. 

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