Guest Booker with Greg Gagne...Going against Vince McMahon

[@DiscoverPhilSmith]

Bockwinkel has said that if Vince didn't try to compete against the other territories, eventually someone else would have. Wrestling comes on cable TV and suddenly people are wondering why Ric Flair is a heel when he's in Dallas, and he's a babyface in the Carolinas. I know most of the time Flair was a heel there too but you know what I mean. And the territories obviously couldn't work together. But dammit if I don't miss the territories, it was so much better than the shit on TV now.

[@theeverchosen1504]

Not to mention you would've seen flair basically wrestling the same match every week

[@jpcfit]

Growing up in rural Minnesota in the late 1960's and early '70's, All-Star Wrestling was a Saturday night staple. It was an absolute hit.

[@thehmc]

Correction to something in this DVD. Randy Savage was "Macho Man" in Memphis in '83. You can look the appearance up here on youtube. Memphis Wrestling Randy Savage. Him and his dad unravel a sign that says "Macho Man wants King"

[@missuscake]

Kayfaybe commentaries hands down best shoot company.

[@gordonirvine726]

That's a shoot.

[@fjccommish]

Pro Wrestling USA was doomed to fail with all those guys trying to work together.

[@dadirrtywhyteboi]

Kayfab you have done it again i must say this looks like the best DVD you have come out this year really interesting stuff going on at that time between Vince and ever promoter out there and this is unedited. I will definetly pick up

[@diodoubledingdong6517]

Greg Gange is a liar. I saw him bash Lalwer for no showing dates for AWA but didn't mention that the reason he was no showing was cause he was never paid for defending the title at a major PPV the week before. He made it sound like Lawler went into business for himself. That was bullshit and it made me lose a lot of respect for him cause I never thought he'd bury someone for nothing.

[@danielburger1775]

Jarrett was given the money for the CWA guys. He was supposed to pay Lawler, not Gagne.

[@pacjamT1]

I read a lot of what some of you guys have said and The one guy said the 80s sucked to me the 80s was the best time for music and tv and wrestling and I do agree that Vince was ahead of his time but a lot of what he has done has caused a back lash a lot of hard core fans don't like him or his WWE brand Its just his luck that the AWA or the WCCW are no longer around and the NWA is still trying to rebuild. Hopefully one day TNA, ROH, and NWA can one day give Vince a run for his money.

[@DavidxBoyd]

The best thing about a Greg Gagne story is the details change every time he tells it so it’s never the same story twice

[@Derby14]

The resemblance between Greg and Verne is amazing.

[@mkl62]

In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Greg Gagne was ranked at #3 in the now defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). He and Jim Brunzell were also ranked at #7 in the tag team division.

[@parisiennemoonlight6650]

The background music with its 80s vibe gives a nice touch.

[@thehmc]

The Territories were great but doomed to failure. Eventually Wrestling had to go national and you couldn't sustain the NWA because of too many chiefs, not enough indians. Everyone wanted they're territory to go over. You would need a wrestling "Czar" to have final authority. Which is basically what McMahon became. I think however, McMahon should subsidize a new territory system. It's possible now because of the basically hundreds of cable and dish stations on TV now.

[@Mr.Majestic77]

Pro Wrestling USA can be redone in 2016!!! ONLY if the owners, creative team/booker, and wrestlers of TNA, ROH, GWF, DGUSA, and EVOLVE can all get together and put their egos aside and make it happen. Imagine Pro Wrestling USA (TNA, ROH, GFW, DGUSA, EVLOVE) vs. the WWE Universe (WWE RAW, SMACKDOWN, NXT).

[@AnEternalEnigma]

+blackstruggle77 Dragon Gate USA doesn't even exist anymore.

[@Yeeesh666]

REv pro, progress, icw + the japanesse feds & mexican ones seriously if you could fit them together you'd easily kill of meekmahon and probally even get phil to get off his couch

[@CKStraightEdge]

This looks like a very interesting story. Old school wrestling politics.

[@lawrence142002]

I don't dispute that the current WWE product isn't exactly my idea of good. There is good and bad as with anything. I just don't see how the AWA can be defended, given they had the biggest oppertunities to compete and did nothing with them. That's my opinion.

[@lawrence142002]

Well, hell... Say you were a worker in those days... Where would you go? Would you rather work for the Gagne's who overlooked their talented stars for older names, or would you go where you could be exposed nationally?

[@ozzyisgod]

vince paid stu shawartz to take awa off of television and put him on instead.

[@ransiebra65]

Turn off the music can barely hear them talk

[@JGD185]

"So I told Jim Crockett to take this Schiavone kid and put a mic in his hand, tell him to yell ITS STIIIIIIIING whenever Sting comes out, it'll get over" -Greg Gagne

[@lawrence142002]

I'm a fan of old school wrestling... But I'm from Pittsburgh, so either way, I would've grown up with the WWF, even if the territorial system had stayed. You can't dispute that after Hulk Hogan left the promotion, that was death. Gagne couldn't figure out how to use his talent and compared to McMahon, none of the promoters worked as hard. It's just facts of life. In the 80s, the AWA was a poor promotional model.

[@Yeeesh666]

hogan left cuz they never put the belt on him soon enough didn't they have a few riots when he was screwed outta the awa title

[@fjccommish]

I wish these sheisters wouldn't place misleading titles on their short promo videos. Write "promo" in the title!

[@1JCPromotions]

And this is why we have crappy Wrestling no sports Embarrassment today brought to you by the WWE. I rather watch Wrestling from Japan I understand Shit their saying but they have the Superior product.

[@briandressel1344]

ELQPromotions I’m a ring of honor guy myself however it’s a bit scary at how some talent is leaving for wwe

[@lawrence142002]

First step towards running a sucessful business... Know the audience. The Gagne's failed to do so. McMahon promoted to children and families. The Gagne's failed to learn the target audience, and let the biggest star in the wrestling world get away. They failed as bookers and as businessmen. It's just a fact. The XFL actually failed due to the lack of quality players and the fact that unlike professional wrestling, there is no such thing as a "mark" in football.

[@tommyrichman7220]

Nick Bockwinkel was there by then i think

[@lawrence142002]

That's BS... The WWF had some damn good quality in the 80s, as opposed to the boring matches that traditionally went on in the AWA... By 1989, the only guy in the AWA worth anything was Larry Z. All the good talent went where the money was.

[@burth179]

His old man trusted him, he wasn't a bad wrestler at all. But yeah his "look" was far from ideal.

[@cowbelltg]

@TBDV1 Jerry Blackwell ate it : p

[@ChromeFamily]

Comments from Lawrence lol He made Hulk Hogan and a ton of other stars.. Vince took them away and marketed them better.

[@Volumesofdoom]

I need to get this. The AWA was a huge influence on the wwe in 80's. WWE raped the AWA by taking Hogan, Okerlund, Ventura, Henning, Martel, Adonis, HBK, Jannetty, Nasty boyz, and Slaughter. RIP AWA

[@Daniel-hn7nd]

Vince M. also stole: Pat Tanaka, Paul Diamond, Akia Sato, General Adnon, Wayne Bloom & Mike Enos (Beverly Brothers), Kokina Maximus (Yokozuna), David Schultz, Ken Resnik, Rod Trongard, Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, Ricky Rice, John Paul, Ronnie Garvin, Boris Zuhkov (while AWA tag champion), Tito Santana, Jim Brunzell, Bobby Heenan, Kevin Kelly (Nailz), Playboy Buddy Rose, Sensational Sherri and many more.

[@MattHall05]

@@Daniel-hn7nd DJ Peterson & Jerry Oske were also stolen

[@bearany1]

Greg looks cuter than when he was wrestling....I just can't believe they made him a champion, winning so many matches against superior athletes. I mean, seriously.... he should have the biggest jobber of all time. He didn't have a body...and not a muscle on him!

[@TBDV1]

where is Greg's chin???

[@lawrence142002]

To further elaborate on my point. A majority of wrestling fans are marks. They have almost no true knowledge of how a match is worked. They don't care about the fancy workrates. Anyway, in football, that kind of thing doesn't matter. Fans root for the home team or the better team. XFL players were bad because they rushed the league into competition without learning the target audience. That's why the XFL failed. That's why the Gagne's failed... Failure to read the target audience.

[@frankbonini7085]

Pro Wrestling USA Was a Great Idea, in Theory/Concept ... if the Promoters Had Just Not Gotten in Their Own Ways/Left Their Egos at the Door

[@tknippe]

@bluesky8921 book a fart after lunch at taco bell? I loveit!

[@bluesky8921]

I saw this shoot and I can tell you something... Greg was clueless about what was really going on in the world and pop culture. He also didn't know what fans wanted to see. He couldn't book a fart after lunch at Taco Bell. Seems like a nice guy, though.

[@mfbinc]

the music in the background is annoying and not needed. greg's hair is holding up better than his dads did :P

[@stndrds79]

@rtfuhj yes he is. u r right

[@lawrence142002]

This guy had horrible ideas...

[@lonehorseman09]

it would be great to hear the story according to greg. i always thought that the awa and stampede should have teamed up. eventually it wouldnt mattered. lowest commen denominator vince would have won anyway. and vince like to watch shawn michaels shower and sometimes help him bath.

[@davidcarroll2595]

Sounds like the rambling from a bitter old man they couldn’t do what another man was able to build into a empire

[@schouvler25]

Ha hard to build an empire when daddy warbucks buys your product out from you and the state takes your bank

[@kingsports1113]

Damn karma bite the Crockett s n the ass for trying to rob Verne gagne wrestlers snake that why Ricky rude didn't wrestling n his hometown awa so Crockett tried to stab his business partner n the stab so he go out of business

[@mfbinc]

the awa stuck to it's guns but vince gave the fans a cartoon that happened to catch on.....the 80's wwe was just one of many many reasons while the 80's sucked...

[@kingsports1113]

Vince machon Jr and hulk Hogan save wrestling

[@LuisAbreu90]

@EdmondSwitch hell has bought everybody from awa to wcw ecw

[@lawrence142002]

Yeah, cause I smoke that shit, right... Real knowledge you got on my personal life... Once again... Facts are facts. The AWA failed. It could've competed but the Gagne's were outpromoted, outsmarted, and out performed... That's why they couldn't compete with McMahon. They were overmatched. The only promoter who could ever compete with McMahon was Eric Bischoff, and even he failed at the end. McMahon is the best wrestling promoter of all time. Hands down. Sorry.

[@heavymetalsoldier]

@Vizzoid Greg was a good wrestler, but yes, he had no charisma

[@RHP444]

Isn't that luring away talent?

[@joshhendryx5028]

Greg "liar " Gagne

[@lhh4531]

THE WWF in the 1980's was lame, cartoonish and geared to 10 year olds. If it hadn't been promoted on TV for hours on end, it would have flopped as badly as Vince's XFL. That failure he blamed on what else -- lack of promotion.