Booking AWA (1980-)

[WR91]

Hello and welcome to my fantasy booking concept. In this thread, I will try to change pro wrestling history by taking the AWA and bringing it to a global phenomenon in the wrestling world. Can I do it successfully? Only time will tell. Stay locked on to this page and see it for yourself one post at a time.

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AWA Backstory:

The American Wrestling Association (AWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that started in 1960. It's owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) but became an independent territory in 1960.

Early Years:

Anton Stecher was a founding member of the NWA in 1948 and had promoted wrestling in Minneapolis since 1933 through his Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club. In 1952, he sold a one-third interest in the promotion to his son Dennis and Wally Karbo. Stecher died on October 9, 1954, and control of the promotion passed to Karbo and Dennis. Verne Gagne, an amateur wrestling champion, had become a well-known and popular wrestler nationally in the 1950s as a result of his appearances on the DuMont Network. He aspired to become NWA World Champion, but political sentiment within the NWA prevented it. In 1959, Dennis sold his majority stake in the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club to Karbo and Gagne. They then became co-owners of the promotion.

Breaking Away From The NWA:

In 1960, after unsuccessfully lobbying the NWA for a title match between Gagne and the NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor, Gagne and Karbo led certain territories out of the NWA forming the AWA. The AWA unilaterally recognized NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor as AWA World Champion and gave him 90 days to defend the AWA title against Gagne. The NWA ignored the challenge. O'Connor was stripped of the AWA title and it was awarded to Gagne on August 16, 1960. While O'Connor was considered the first AWA Champion, he didn't wrestle in the AWA until later in the 1960s (when he teamed with Wilbur Snyder to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship).

Gagne was an amateur wrestling champion who had earned a spot on the U.S. team at the 1948 Summer Olympics; he ran the AWA with a progressive sensibility, firmly believing that sound technical wrestling should be the basis of a pro-wrestling company. Starting in the 1970s, Gagne trained his newcomer wrestlers from his farm in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Expanding The Territory:

Under Gagne and Karbo, the AWA became one of the most successful and expansive single territories in North America, promoting shows in such major cities as Minneapolis, St. Paul, Milwaukee, Chicago, Omaha, Winnipeg, Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Phoenix and throughout the Midwest region. Relationships were also developed with existing promotions in Houston, Memphis and San Antonio. Gagne's westward expansion into traditional NWA territories was made possible due to relationships and business partnerships he had forged for decades—more the result of other promoters struggling to survive rather than by purchase or hostile takeover by Gagne. The AWA would also benefit from, among other things, the profits which was made from matches that occurred in 1973 and 1974 between Superstar Billy Graham and Wahoo McDaniel.

Current Day:

It is 1980 and Nick Bockwinkel is the current world heavyweight champion and Hulk Hogan just signed an official 5 year AWA contract (the first exclusive contract ever). Will the AWA be able to rise to national or even global status in the coming years? Only time will tell.

[Moonface]

Not much to comment on that's yours right now since most of this is actual history about the AWA, but it was still interesting to me since I never heard of them until now and only found they aren't a company you made up from looking up what Hogan was doing in the 80's, to find he actually was in the AWA. Considering that in reality Hogan leaves AWA for WWF and becomes a huge attraction for that company, I'm intrigued what you'll come up with for what happens to WWF/WWE without Hogan jumping ship to them when he did.

[WR91]

Not much to comment on that's yours right now since most of this is actual history about the AWA, but it was still interesting to me since I never heard of them until now and only found they aren't a company you made up from looking up what Hogan was doing in the 80's, to find he actually was in the AWA. Considering that in reality Hogan leaves AWA for WWF and becomes a huge attraction for that company, I'm intrigued what you'll come up with for what happens to WWF/WWE without Hogan jumping ship to them when he did.

Would you rather see each and every months set of matches from 1980 onwards (my original longform plan that will take actual years to get to present day) or a summary of each years happenings from 1980 to current day? That way we can speed things up and make things more interesting...

[Moonface]

Not much to comment on that's yours right now since most of this is actual history about the AWA, but it was still interesting to me since I never heard of them until now and only found they aren't a company you made up from looking up what Hogan was doing in the 80's, to find he actually was in the AWA. Considering that in reality Hogan leaves AWA for WWF and becomes a huge attraction for that company, I'm intrigued what you'll come up with for what happens to WWF/WWE without Hogan jumping ship to them when he did.

Would you rather see each and every months set of matches from 1980 onwards (my original longform plan that will take actual years to get to present day) or a summary of each years happenings from 1980 to current day? That way we can speed things up and make things more interesting...

I think a good approach would be to do a summary, with maybe just mentioning notable matches that are for titles, big feuds, or notable PPV's (for example, if this were WWE a full card for maybe each of their Big 4 while the rest of their PPV's are just the notable matches). A good way maybe could be how Wikipedia summarises a PPV event with something like this:

Twelve matches were contested at the event, including three on The Buy In pre-show. In the main event, "Hangman" Adam Page defeated Adam Cole to retain the AEW World Championship. In other prominent matches, CM Punk defeated MJF in a Dog Collar match, Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson, and Wardlow won the Face of the Revolution ladder match.

Then you could either opt to give a brief overview of the feuds or setup on the prominent matches that are one-off's either off your own back or by request or something.

[WR91]

AWA Quick History

1985 - AWA buys WWF, gets ESPN deal

1988 - AWA purchases NWA and becomes American Wrestling Alliance

1990 - AWA reverts name back to American Wrestling Association

1995 - AWA leaves ESPN after 10 year deal expires and moves to Fox Sports

2015 - Verne Gagne dies, AWA opens ACW developmental, AWA changes name to American Worldwide Action

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AWA Network (2015-)

- American Wrestling Association (1960-1988)

- American Wrestling Alliance (1988-1990)

- American Wrestling Association (1990-2015)

- American Worldwide Action (2015-)

- American Championship Wrestling (2015-) (Developmental) (NY)

Weekly Shows:

- AWA All-Star Wrestling (Minneapolis, MN) (Tuesday) (1960-1985)

- AWA Championship Wrestling (Bristol, CT) (Wednesday) (ESPN: 1985-1995)

- AWA Main Event (Friday) (Fox Sports: 1995-2015)

- AWA Pro Wrestling (Thursday) (Fox Sports 1: 2015-)

- ACW Live (NY) (Tuesday) (Fox Sports 1: 2015-)

Monthly PPVs:

January - SuperBrawl

February - SuperClash

March - WrestleSpree

April - WrestleMania

May - Mayhem

June - Blast at the Beach

July - The Great American Bash

August - SupremeSlam

September - TurmoilTussle

October - CombatChaos

November - BattleBowl

December - Starrcade

[WR91]

I'm thinking about either starting this (back up) in the new year or starting a new booking situation. I'm still undecided.

[WR91]

In game UPDATE: AWA folded in 2020 during the pandemic never to be heard of again.