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Wonderful during the Superstars of Wrestling tournament held at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia. This bout never took place, as Lawler sucker-punched Kerry in the ring, resulting in Kerry being taken out on a stretcher. To hear some of the ring warriors reflect on their memories there and bemoan the fact that the place is no longer standing, one would think they lost a member of the wrestling family. "Big" Joe Cassidy and Dale Lewis (promoter: Jack Adkisson) Dallas, Texas: Tuesday, January 8, 1974 (The Sportatorium) NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jack Brisco and Dory Funk Jr. drew (60:00) Dale Lewis b. In 1969, Von Erich took sole control over the Office after McLemore died from a heart attack, and also gained ownership of the Dallas Sportatorium. Adams won with a small package when interference from Rude's manager Percy Pringle backfired. Originally constructed by Bill Cox of the Cox Fence Company, the large octagonal steel building with a flat roof opened on December 9, 1935, with a professional wrestling event promoted by Burt Willoughby. The arena was configured with several ring aisles with the majority of the seats (mostly bleachers) set up on the east, south and west portions of the building. The Adams-Von Erich feud had been set up in this way because Fritz Von Erich felt that too many fans were siding with Adams, and after the Cotton Bowl incident, Adams still heard cheers from some of the fans. The venue quickly gained popularity for its wrestling and boxing matches, and Willoughby hired Ed McLemore to operate the concessions. Follow the prompts and introduce yourself to us, share your story or questions and well text you with information as we report the story. Another angle involved the late referee Harold Harris. Champ Industries. The home of World Class Championship Wrestling and the Dallas Sportatorium, which began hosting wrestling . Percy later joined Austin and Clarke in their feud with Chris and Toni Adams, with Chris Von Erich and at times Kevin Von Erich getting involved. It was no magnificent structure. WCCW operated its enterprise in Dallas, Texas and held wrestling events at the Reunion Arena, and mostly at the famed Sportatorium, located just south of Downtown Dallas, which was also a well-known boxing and wrestling arena as well as the one-time home to the famous Big D Jamboree. Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy vs. Moadib w/ General Skandor Akbar joined in prog. He left World Class shortly thereafter and joined Ken Mantell in the UWF, when it was told that Adams would lose the belt to Black Bart on September 19 at the Dallas Sportatorium, a decision that enraged Adams, then-booker Gary Hart and several other wrestlers. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The new angle was developed by Ken Mantell, Gary Hart, Chris Adams and Fritz Von Erich, which was born out of a conversation between Adams and Hart, where Adams wanted to change his image and try his luck as a heel wrestler. Taped broadcasts of WCCW matches at the Sportatorium went into international syndication, and the television program, broadcast weekly across the United States, was enormously successful into the mid-1980s. / CBS Texas. "When I got there, all the big people in town the police chief, the fire chief, the mayor they were going down there all the time, everybody dressed in suits. In May of 1953, it looked as if the Sportatorium's story would end abruptly. Chris evidently continued wrestling against Rude on several occasions, and in one match after a Rude Awakening neckbreaker, Chris "regained his eyesight." That incident was worked into an angle in which Adias tried to end Von Erich's career by applying the Oriental Spike, a finisher made famous by Terry Gordy. World Class Championship Wrestling was a member of the NWA and was originally known as Big Time Wrestling until 1982, when Adkisson decided that the name of his federation needed to be changed. This organization, known as World Class II: The Next Generation, featured only a few of the surviving wrestlers from the original WCCW group (most notably Chris Adams, Iceman Parsons and Maniac Mike Davis), as well as Gary's son, Chad Hart; it folded in less than a year. Adams and Hernandez eventually broke up and began feuding, and faced each other in a January 1986 match where the loser would have his hair removed with Freebird Hair Cream (a gimmick used in a June 1983 match between Iceman Parsons and Freebird Buddy Roberts). I have a hard time doing it.". On April 2, 1993, Chronicle reporter Evan Moore and photographer Paul S. Howell went to Dallas' storied Sportatorium, that city's longtime home for professional wrestling. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Buddy Roberts, Iceman King Parsons and the late Angel of Death stormed the ring and handcuffed Fritz to the cage, delivering a furious beating while Kerry was being ganged up by Gordy. The Great Mephisto b. Matt Gibson Bob Orton Jr. b. Tiger Conway Jerry Oates b. Jack Slade Jose Lothario and Ivan Putski b. Eventually Kevin stormed the ring to save both Kerry and Fritz. Lowrance is no longer in the business, but does appear at vintage pro wrestling conventions on occasion. McLemore, undaunted, moved both his wrestling matches and Big D Jamboree shows to the Livestock Pavilion at Fair Park for four months while construction took place to erect a new building. World Class Championship Wrestling was televised to fans across the globe from Dallas-Fort Worth. That rule had been in place during the 1984 NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Flair and Kerry Von Erich, and had been used sporadically before World Class seceded from the NWA, including its TV championship. Unintentionally, Adams hit Kevin in the head hard enough for the chair to break in half, causing Kevin some bleeding from the head and resulting in his hospitalization for a few days. During a May 26, 1986 six-man tag match at Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth, Adams was paired with Lance and Kevin Von Erich against Rick Rude, Kabuki and the One Man Gang. [8] WCCW's fortunes declined further in 198687 with the Texas oil businesses entering a recession[8] and Mike Von Erich's health and substance abuse problems and eventual suicide. Rodriguez asked his question via our texting group. Dallas Wrestling Territory - Legacy of Wrestling The angle, developed by Embry and Adams, was brought about when Adams and Embry blamed each other for two significant losses in tag team matches, including one during a tag team tournament between Billy Travis and Gary Young. All stores, products and photos are . And the Sportatorium faithful always treated them like rock stars. The city deemed it a hazard. The Sportatorium was nothing more than aghost by that point. The decision was reversed by referee John Keeton who was pushed into Adams's superkick by Perez (backup ref Bronco Lubich made the three-count when Adams surprised Perez with a sunset flip), thus Keeton DQed Adams and Perez retained the championship, a match which fans felt was a Dusty Finish. Kerry Von Erich also returned to World Class, wrestling with a prosthetic foot, and during a November card at the Sportatorium, he interfered in a match between his brother Kevin and Brian Adias. In another contest, Adams won by DQ when Taylor brought Mike George and Masahiro Chono in a three-on-one gangup. Being Von Erich: Kerry's daughter Lacey on his death, her wrestling According to Skandor Akbar, Jarrett got sued by Kevin, although his brother Kerry welcomed Jarrett to the promotion. This drew the ire of Borne, who demanded the USWA forfeit Kerry's Texas heavyweight belt. The Sportatorium was partially destroyed by fire on May 1, 1953, in what was rumored to be an act of arson by a rival wrestling promoter. To step inside the muggy, homely dirt-floored Dallas Sportatorium was to step inside amonument to the art of pro wrestling. Fritz Von Erich died of cancer in 1997 at the age of 68. Wild West Wrestling continued promoting cards at Billy Bob's until late 1988, with its programming now featuring its Championship Sports broadcasts from the Sportatorium. This event, which occurred three weeks after the Christmas Day Massacre of 1987, turned into a four-on-two brawl, and eventually erupted into a battle royale. Bare wires ran along the walls, its rafters were exposed, homeless people had begun to squat inside it. Prior to that, another infamous angle occurred when Embry, who was a special referee in a match between Kerry Von Erich and Gary Young, was fighting with Akbar. Rights to the pre-1989 WCCW tape library belong to WWE (the post-1988 rights are owned by International World Class Championship Wrestling) and select episodes from 1982 to 1988 are available on the WWE Network. Lowrance, who was 21 at the time, was originally hired for a three-week stint until a permanent replacement was found for Pierce. It was quickly rebuilt at the same location as a rectangular venue (with a modified octagonal seating configuration similar to the original), and reopened on September 22 of that year, billed at the time as The Million-Dollar Sportatorium. In honor of tonight's WWE RAW at the American Airlines Center, New School producer Troy Hughes (@TommySledge) had the incredibly hard task of listing his Top 10 Wrestlers of the Dallas Sportatorium Era. Adams, Mike Davis and Terry Gordy died in 2001, and the Sportatorium, which stood since 1934, was demolished in 2003, but not before Kevin Von Erich toured the damaged arena for the last time, along with filmmaker Brian Harrison. Originally from Muskogee, Oklahoma, he has retired to Durham, North Carolina after a long residence in Richardson, Texas. During a match against Tatum, Kevin Von Erich, who beat Tatum, swept Tessa off her feet and carried her into the dressing room much to the dismay of Tatum. As a result of these multiple catastrophes, attendance in both Dallas and Fort Worth plummeted; according to some former WCCW wrestlers, many fans became disillusioned with the Von Erichs as the supposedly "clean-living" brothers' drug use became harder to cover up, and they frequently no-showed cards the promotion booked in smaller towns. One high mark in this renewed rivalry was a February 1988 country-whipping match between Kevin and Kerry against Gordy and Roberts. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. Some of the hot feuds of the era included Chris Adams and Toni Adams vs. Phil Hickerson and Tojo Yamamoto; Kerry Von Erich vs. Tarras Bulba (with Kerry being pinned by Bulba's iron claw); and Eric Embry vs. Billy Travis. Elvia Limn has covered Dallas and its surrounding communities for The Dallas Morning News since January 2016. Fritz's sons were the local heroes, the knights in wrestling tights who looked to push back the invaders from Georgia. Adams faced Garvin for the first time on August 26, 1983 at the Dallas Sportatorium, both wrestling to a time-limit draw. Back then, when it was Big Time Wrestling and the mighty Fritz Von Erich ran the show and wrestled in the main events, it was a local thing. Hart mentioned this in the Heroes of World Class DVD documentary, as well as not liking the idea of Ken Mantell buying a portion of the company, which he also revealed on the Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW DVD. Sportatorium, Kerry, Mike and Chris all died by suicide. Every dollar helps. in Dallasto see a handful of world famous wrestlers, including the Von Erich clan, The Colossal Kongs, Chris Adams, Action Jackson and Ice Man King Parsons. Afterwards, Kevin made a deal with Chris: leave Gary Hart and go on his own and all would be forgiven. For years after that, wrestling fans converged inside this A/C-lessarena for all the action that unfolded onFriday nights. It's hard to pinpoint just what inspired the arson. Dallas Sportatorium, the Mecca of Pro Wrestling in Texas Adams had the match won, but picked Hernandez up twice to dish out more punishment, and while he was arguing with the referee, Hernandez grabbed the hair cream and threw the contents in Adams' face, thus "blinding" him. Bill Hines, maintenance man for the building for over 30 years, remembered a match on par with that one in terms of gore. [2] However, because Kerry already had a reputation within the industry for being unreliable due to substance abuse, the NWA only allowed him a brief title reign; he lost the belt back to Flair in Yokosuka, Japan on May 24 (May 23 in the U.S.) in another hard-fought match. The Sportatorium, located in downtown Dallas, Texas, was a barn-like arena used primarily for professional wrestling events. Chaz Taylor Sportatorium Dallas Bungee Design Shirt - Pro Wrestling Tees For a few months he co-hosted with Jay Saldi, and by 1983, hosted the hour-long program alone, with Lowrance filling in for Mercer from time to time. From late 1988 until the station cancelled wrestling in 1990, KTVT's tapings were held at the Sportatorium on Saturday mornings. The wrestler poked round. On February 10, 1984, at the height of the Von Erich-Freebird wars, David Von Erich died from an intestinal rupture caused by a stomach ailment just after arriving in Japan for a tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling. Kevin Von Erich, without the benefit of television (as the result of KTVT's cancellation of Saturday Night's Championship Sports), the absence of his brother Kerry, and longtime World Class guru Gary Hart (who was starting his Texas Wrestling Federation promotion at the time), began promoting Sportatorium wrestling himself, bringing back the World Class Championship Wrestling name on September 14, 1990. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. When the heels stole a victory, as Terry Gordy did against Kevin in 1983, the crowd often grew restless, yelling, gesturing wildly, flinging debris toward the ring. On May 6, 1984, as a tribute to his late brother, Kerry Von Erich finally defeated Ric Flair after a hard-fought 14-minute battle to win the title at the first annual David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions supercard held at Texas Stadium in Irving. Embry and Toni Adams attempted to help Chris, and an argument ensued, which led Embry to shove Toni down to the floor. In 1985, World Class went on a major tour to the Middle East (including Israel). Announcer Marc Lowrance exclaimed during the brawl that 20 men were coming into the ring, which proved to be true as wrestlers from the back tried to end the carnage. Sep 6, 2022. Promoter Max Andrews suspended Kerry for his actions, but no time frame was given as to how long he was suspended. The prevailing theory is that it had something to do with the ongoing, territorial fight for the Dallas area between rival promoters. The Sportatorium, famed wrestling venue and home to Big D Jamboree, was located at 1000 S. Industrial Boulevard in Dallas, Texas. Between July and September 1986, many of the top stars of World Class, including Adams, Parsons, Hyatt, John Tatum, and the Freebirds, defected to the Universal Wrestling Federation, following longtime WCCW booker Ken Mantell, who had resigned and joined the UWF after a falling-out with Fritz. Kerry later wrestled against Mark Calaway, who was known as The Punisher at that time, while Embry was involved in a blinding angle (similar to the angle used with Chris Adams nearly four years before) involving a white bottle (which may have been Freebird Hair Cream) which Travis used against Embry to blind him. Rev. Dallas Sportatorium, "TEXAS RASSLIN" Have you noticed the swing is to "Texas Rasslin" No Murders!! Lowrance, outraged by the incident, later told Akbar to "kiss my ass" as the tag team match between Kerry Von Erich and Jeff Jarrett vs. Mick Foley and Gary Young was about to begin; and even walked away from the broadcast table while Akbar was conducting a tirade of his own. To this day, it was considered to be the worst idea that Fritz came up with. In late 1966, McLemore formed a partnership with wrestler Jack Adkisson, who was known in the ring as Fritz Von Erich and bought the Dallas/Fort Worth Wrestling Office, breaking away from Paul Boesch and the Houston Wrestling Office. As WCCW slowly folded during the '90s, other promotions slipped into the Sportatorium. In December 1989, Adams and Embry began feuding. A brief yet high-profile angle between Chris Adams and Great Kabuki was played out during the summer of 1985 over which wrestler had the most lethal kick: Chris Adams and his superkick or Kabuki and his thrust kick. Chris only received a minor cut on his scalp and returned to wrestle the following day, even disguising himself as another wrestler to gain revenge against Travis. Adams also feuded with Tatum and Hyatt, with Sunshine once again managing Chris, and also began wrestling against Matt Borne and Buzz Sawyer. One of the top angles of the summer of 1984 was a mixed feud between Gino Hernandez and Nickla Roberts (aka Baby Doll, billed as Andrea The Lady Giant) against Mike Von Erich and Stella Mae French. The February 10 non-televised card at the Dallas Sportatorium was to have Kamala, The Missing Link and Jimmy Garvin face Chris Adams and Kevin and Kerry Von Erich in the main event. Often the promotion provided programming five days a week, airing at 4 p.m. Eastern. By 1987, the opening sequence changed; beginning with a dusk photo of Dallas, and other shots of the city, including the Dallas North Tollway, before the World Class logo would appear; then scenes of past wrestling events (mostly from the 1987 Texas Stadium event) would follow before the logo reappeared again. In another strange angle, Adams wrestled Taylor while wearing a catcher's mask in Fort Worth, in order to protect Chris from legit injuries he sustained during an earlier match in Missouri. The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry. Although it had a reputation for being uncomfortable and unsanitary (having inadequate heating and cooling facilities, rodent infestation problems and apparently a large chamber or pit in the foundation), the Dallas Sportatorium is nonetheless still remembered fondly for its intimate atmosphere, and is considered one of pro wrestling's most legendary venues. I really believe that there should be a new Dallas Sportatorium for developmental training for new upcoming pro-wrestlers and have superstars like A year later, Gordy would have his head slammed by the cage door from Fritz Von Erich, in retaliation. This angle, which also involved Chris Adams, ended in 1985. Two more satellite beams aired two highlights from World Class: one involving a match between Kerry Von Erich and Michael Hayes, and another between David Von Erich and Jimmy Garvin. But it was not the fire that left it unseemly. The Sportatorium, famed wrestling venue and home to Big D Jamboree, was located at 1000 S. Industrial Boulevard in Dallas, Texas. Kelleher accepted. Hart's decision to leave World Class (other than being under contract with the NWA) was mostly due to his concern that the promotion he, Mercer and Grant help build in a time span of eight years, would go out of business. Card Exam: A 1949 Big "D" jamboree | Slam Wrestling Blood, Sweat and Fire: Dallas' Heroes Helped Make Wrestlemania a Sports Powerhouse Chris McDonald March 29, 2016 12:32PM Flanked by cops and men in cowboy hats, hometown idol Kerry Von Erich. And a rebuilt Sportatorium would soon rise from the ashes. Adams missed about a month of wrestling as a result, returning with a bandaged left hand. Under Jarrett, World Class/USWA Dallas was finally able to turn itself around financially, and became modestly profitable during the 19891990 period. The energy that it contained as fans clamored inside of it was what made it special. For Adrian Rodriguez, visiting the Dallas Sportatorium was the epitome of a fun family . Paul Varghese on Vinyl (Sort Of): A Q&A with the Comedian on His First Album, The Grapevine Meow Wolf Is a Mind-Bending Trip With a Truly Texan Spirit, Mechanical Bulls Are Making a Big Bucking Comeback in Dallas, Ephemeral Space Offers a Fresh Venue for Alternative Dallas Artists, 2 Big Sports Events Kick Off This Week in Dallas. In 2002, he was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. The documentary featured interviews from several of the key figures in World Class, including Kevin, Mercer, Grant, Hart, Adams, Skandor Akbar, Marc Lowrance, David Manning and Johnny Mantell. World Class Championship Wrestling experienced tremendous success from 19811985, shattering attendance records and achieving global exposure through their syndicated television program. Dallas Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas, United States Highest claimed attendance: 4,000 on Sat, Jan 2nd 1988 at WCWA Dallas Show (Jan '88) The flames quickly spread and caused major damage to the arena's upstairs offices. Meanwhile, Kerry Von Erich won the World Class title from Perez; and lost it to Iceman Parsons following an infamous incident during a March 1988 card in which the lights at the Sportatorium went out during the match, and when the lights returned, Kerry was down on the mat, with Parsons pinning him. [5] After Mantell's departure in May 1986,[8] attendance for WCWA shows began to drop greatly;[8] along with Mantell, the new UWF was able to lure away more WCWA talent as well.[8]. Bill Mercer - Wikipedia As the match wound down, Hernandez had Adams in a high vertical suplex, with French tripping Hernandez, causing Adams to land on Gino; however he rolled over on top of Chris and pinned him. In addition, the NWA President at the time, Jim Crockett, Jr., had also decided that he would no longer book the NWA World Champion at the time, Ric Flair, to wrestle in the state of Texas. In an ill-advised desperation move that would later infamously backfire, Fritz brought in Pacific Northwest Wrestling Champion, Ricky Vaughn,[4] as "cousin" Lance Von Erich to fill the gap while Mike was recovering. The new corporation also gained a deal with ESPN to air a weekly show on the network as well. Backup referee David Manning banished Hayes and Gordy to the dressing room, and the match ended shortly thereafter, with Flair retaining the title yet again as Manning stopped the match due to Kerry's inability to continue the match. Sportatorium cards, which at the beginning of the year before drew well over 4,000 had dropped to less than 1,000 within a time span of six months. Hetoldthe late Percy Pringle on the manager's website, "The bloodiest match I can recall had to be between Fritz and Johnny Valentine. Champ Industries. The unusual twist of this feud was the absence of Michael Hayes, who was still in the NWA, but would eventually return to World Class, as a face, wrestling alongside the Von Erichs, starting a civil war between Hayes, Roberts and Gordy. On a few occasions, Jeanie was spanked by Adams in the center of the ring; and on one interview segment, Clarke and Austin showed pictures of Adams with different women, including a 1986 picture with Sunshine and the World Class belt, and another of Adams and Clarke from his early days in England. A documentary by Chicago filmmaker Brian Harrison on WCCW and the Von Erichs, Heroes of World Class,[12] was released on DVD on June 15, 2006, to rave reviews from fans and critics alike. In 1981, Dallas rock 'n roll singer Gene Summers took over the ring announcing duties for both the Dallas and Fort Worth matches. Other ring announcers in WCCW included George Preston (1960s), Joe Rinelli (from the 1960s until 1988) and Ralph Pulley (mid-1980s), who also served as a referee for a time. The latter program featured a main event of its Saturday Championship Sports program, with the remainder of the program featuring past World Class cards dating as far back as late-1987. Lowrance would later be paired by former wrestler-turned-matchmaker Frank Dusek for one year, then later by "The Beauty" Terrance Garvin. The battle carried out into the Sportatorium parking lot, when a hand came through the fire door to kidnap Embry (later revealed to be Killer Tim Brooks). Adias lacked the charisma and talent that Adams had during his feud with the Von Erichs, and Kevin and Mike dominated this feud from start to finish. During the 1950s the Sportatorium played host to an impressive lineup of country and rockabilly performers and later stars of the new genre of rock-and-roll. However, when the WCWA was formed Fritz von Erich refused to book his shows outside of Dallas. WCCW veterans went on to compete in other promotions, including Gary Hart's Texas Wrestling Federation group in North Dallas. Kevin Von Erich released a compilation DVD of classic Von Erichs matches in 2004. Parsons and Adams resumed their feud that began in the UWF, while Taylor came in during late-January 1988, duping everyone into believing that he was a changed wrestler and wanted to tag-team with Adams again, after a violent feud of their own. With The Freebirds out of the picture, and attempting other angles that proved to be not as highly successful as the Freebirds-Von Erichs wars, World Class decided to turn Chris Adams heel and start a long and legendary war which lasted for over a year, and at the same time, drawing revenues that exceeded the Freebirds-Von Erichs angle. The main camera position was also relocated to the Section D area, and the broadcast table returned to its original position on the southern end of the arena. Laurie E. Jasinski, The match, which did not air on television initially, allowed World Class to use an angle in which Flair cheated in the match, and claimed the referee was a sumo official who did not understand the rules of pro wrestling. Guest column: Remembering Terry Garvin Simms and his - Slam Wrestling A series of smaller promotions took place at the Sportatorium, along with occasional music concerts, but by the late 1990s the building was no longer used and had fallen into disrepair. Finally, after a 10-minute battle, Embry managed to avoid a body avalanche from Hickerson and pin him to win,[10] thus officially changing World Class into the USWA. She's also worked as an intern and freelancer for Al Dia, American Way and Surrentum Magazine in Sorrento, Italy. These two programs aired in this format until 1991. What do you wonder about the culture, people and institutions of North Texas -- and the rest of our great state? On sale now, while supplies last. Foley and Young won the match, again due to interference by Akbar. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. Listen Up, Brother: It's Time To Rebuild The Sportatorium. Jerry Lawler entered the Sportatorium ring for the first time in late-May and faced Kerry Von Erich for the first time. By the early 1950s the show had also secured a slot as one of the revolving Saturday night national broadcasts on CBS radio. Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson) was a longtime pro wrestler and promoter who had six sons. There was one high mark in that feud, when Kevin passed out from concussion complications during an eight-man tag team match. Appearing on Chris Jericho'sTalk is Jericho podcast, Steve Austincalled it"One of the greatest wrestling buildings in the world" and "pro wrestling personified from an arena standpoint.". Following the GWF's demise, a succession of smaller promotions (including the NWA between 1995 and 1996) attempted to hold shows in the building, each of them running out of money and closing their doors after only a short time. Of the bout, hetold WWE.com, "And I'll be damned if we didn't have the most entertaining match.". At the end of that interview, an unusually angry Lowrance said "go to black", signaling for a commercial message.