Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Saturday Morning Ringside: Pro Wrestling USA (1984)

In 1984, Vince McMahon had taken the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) and turned it into a national phenomenon, spearheaded by champion Hulk Hogan. The other two major promotions of the period, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) & the American Wrestling Association (AWA) joined forces to create a joint effort known as Pro Wrestling USA, which landed a national syndicated television deal in the fall. Jack Reynolds, who had a cup of coffee working for McMahon about a year or so prior, served as host. The talent was comprised mostly of NWA talent that most of us were already familiar with thanks to SuperStation (W)TBS' Saturday night broadcasts.

Pro Wrestling USA, however, wasn't fated to last very long, and was gone in less than 2 years. For cable viewers in my district, the series aired on WPIX in New York (WOR was home to McMahon's weekly programs), and was a welcome distraction from the usual animated fare of the time.

Edit, 11/23/22: We have to change the video. Here, we have the Road Warriors in a squash. Lance Russell is the ring announcer. Jack Reynolds on the call, and then, afterward, Reynolds interviews the Warriors & Paul Ellering.



Contrary to what you might believe, I didn't watch every week. I had other things going on at the time, so I missed a lot of this. The production values could've used a little work, though......

Rating: B-.

No comments: