Mid 20th Century
87-582: Paul Max Boesch (October 2, 1912 – March 7, 1989) was an American professional wrestler and promoter, most famous for his work as an announcer and promoter for Houston Wrestling . He also spent several stints working with the Universal Wrestling Federation , World Class Championship Wrestling , Jim Crockett Promotions, and the World Wrestling Federation . Boesch was posthumously inducted into
174-446: A " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to the platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of
261-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over
348-731: A booking agent for Chicago promoter Fred Kohler . After working in Chicago, he worked in Detroit until 1964. He then worked on and off in Australia under Jim Barnett until 1974 when he relocated with Barnett to Atlanta becoming involved in Georgia Championship Wrestling . After Georgia, he worked in Florida in 1975 managing Pak Song Nam . In the late 1960s, he retired from in-ring competition and transitioned into
435-431: A broken leg in a car collision with a trailer truck en route from San Antonio, Texas to Corpus Christi, effectively forcing him to retire from in-ring competition. It was at this time that Houston Wrestling promoter Morris Sigel approached him to work for his growing Texas organization. Boesch became an advisor to Sigel as well as a radio announcer, and two years later became the promotion's first television commentator when
522-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so
609-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to
696-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from
783-600: A commission in the 121st Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division . Boesch deployed to Europe with his unit after the D-Day landings to take part in the offensive against Nazi Germany . As commanding officer of Company G, 1st Lt. Boesch led his rifle company in one of the bloodiest and most desperate battles of the war on the Western Front , the Battle of Hürtgen Forest . His unit took heavy casualties during
870-413: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Gary Hart (wrestler) Gary Richard Williams (January 24, 1942 – March 16, 2008)
957-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers
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#17327808838771044-414: A genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has a more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for
1131-743: A heart attack at his home in Euless, Texas , after returning from an autograph session in Allentown, Pennsylvania. On April 5, 2008, Peach State Pandemonium, an internet wrestling program, aired a two-hour tribute program in the memory of Hart. From Tulsa, Oklahoma Kris Thorn, "Cowboy" Bill Watts , Jack Brisco , James Beard, Abdullah The Butcher , Michael "P.S." Hayes , Kevin Sullivan , George Steele , Skandor Akbar , and Jim Ross were among those who attended. Following his death, his autobiography, My Life In Wrestling...With A Little Help From My Friends ,
1218-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have
1305-647: A managerial role, going under the name "Playboy" Gary Hart. During the late 1960s, he managed The Spoiler , as well as the tag team duo The Spoilers, which consisted of Spoilers #1 (Don Jardine) and #2 ( Smasher Sloan ). They won several tag team titles in 1968 and 1969 under Hart's guidance. On February 20, 1975, Hart, along with Austin Idol and Bobby Shane , were passengers on a Cessna 182 flown by wrestler Buddy Colt that crashed into Tampa Bay while attempting to land at Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa, Florida . Shane
1392-799: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned
1479-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to
1566-542: A short hiatus in 1986; stayed with the promotion until 1988. Hart was also a promoter and manager in San Antonio for Texas All-Star Wrestling, the successor of Joe Blanchard 's Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) group. He also worked for the ICW, first as the heel manager of Bruiser Brody , Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin . During one storyline, Hart had a falling-out with Sullivan, after which Lewin attacked Hart with
1653-695: A sleeper hold. Shortly after Al Perez lost the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship to Kerry Von Erich on March 6, 1988, Hart continued to manage Perez in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988, along with Larry Zbyszko and Ron Garvin after Garvin turned heel on Dusty Rhodes . In 1989, he managed the stable J-Tex Corporation , which included Terry Funk , Dick Slater , Buzz Sawyer , The Dragonmaster , and The Great Muta . They feuded primarily with Ric Flair and Sting , but Ole and Arn Anderson later teamed up with Flair and Sting to even
1740-627: A telegram delivered praising Boesch for his lifelong commitment to service. Approximately a year later, he made a brief return and helped Jim Crockett promoting in Houston, and served as a figurehead NWA Board member, soon retiring. Boesch died on March 7, 1989, after suffering a heart attack in Sugar Land, Texas . He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1996. He
1827-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in
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#17327808838771914-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point
2001-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted
2088-456: Is worthy of enshrinement in the WWE Hall of Fame . The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame states that "his influence in professional wrestling cannot be overestimated" due to his expansive promotion of the sport throughout Texas. Through his efforts, Boesch turned Houston into one of the top promotions on the regional wrestling circuit, and in addition to his professional accomplishments, Boesch
2175-645: The Dallas Sportatorium . Hart retired in 1999, but made a surprise return in Major League Wrestling (MLW), during the promotion's Reloaded Tour on January 9–10, 2004. Hart appeared following the main event (on January 9) pitting Low Ki against Homicide , where the three laid out several wrestlers from the locker room, as well MLW president Court Bauer. MLW closed its doors before any resolution could be provided, only to resume operations in 2017. Hart died on March 16, 2008, following
2262-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In
2349-776: The United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including a distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by
2436-721: The WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, as a part of the Legacy wing. Boesch was born in Brooklyn, New York , on October 2, 1912. His family eventually moved from Brooklyn to nearby Long Beach , where Boesch graduated from Long Beach High School in 1929. A gifted athlete, he became a lifeguard at the Long Island beaches near his home, and he was skilled enough as a swimmer to place third in the North Atlantic Coast Lifeguard Competition in 1932. He
2523-495: The performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain
2610-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in
2697-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in
Paul Boesch - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide
2871-411: The 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance the spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from
2958-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike
3045-611: The Barbarian , Abdullah The Butcher , Al Perez and Jeep Swenson under the stable "New Age Management". During World Class's golden era, Hart was also a manager in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic regions of the NWA; joining these two areas exclusively in 1983 shortly after the start of the Freebirds-Von Erichs feud, when he left World Class due to a pay dispute. Hart returned to Texas in the summer of 1984 and following
3132-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from
3219-488: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into
3306-586: The World Wrestling Federation, an affiliation that lasted only four months. After 55 years in the industry as a wrestler, announcer and promoter, Paul Boesch retired on August 28, 1987, due to health concerns. The now-WWE hosted the Paul Boesch Retirement Show in Houston in his honor, which drew a sell-out crowd of 12,000 to the Sam Houston Coliseum . During the show, personal friend and then- Vice President George Bush had
3393-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight
3480-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that
3567-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As
Paul Boesch - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-408: The author Joe Jares quotes Boesch throughout and credits him for being open and accommodating during his research. Professional wrestler 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling ) is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that
3741-412: The broader public. In the United States, wrestling is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as
3828-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who
3915-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards
4002-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling
4089-512: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about
4176-468: The competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on the independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in
4263-548: The country would appear on his weekly Friday Night shows; he would offer his fans dream matches and one card would see Jack Brisco capture the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Harley Race on July 20, 1973. As professional wrestling became a major entertainment business in the 1980s, most of Boesch's affiliates joined the National Wrestling Alliance . Boesch eventually shut down Houston Wrestling in favor of signing with Vince McMahon and
4350-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine
4437-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and
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#17327808838774524-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to
4611-724: The fighting, and Boesch himself was seriously injured by a German artillery shell, and for his service, Boesch was awarded numerous decorations, including the Purple Heart , the Silver Star with oak leaf clusters , the Bronze Star with oak leaf clusters , and the French Croix de Guerre with star . He also earned the prized Combat Infantryman Badge and the Distinguished Unit Citation , awarded to
4698-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In
4785-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as
4872-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself
4959-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with
5046-492: The individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in a professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from
5133-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore
5220-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by
5307-463: The invention of mud wrestling , a concept he devised for a major match between Gus Sonnenberg and Harnam Singh in Seattle, Washington . Together with his nephew Peter Birkholz, Boesch entered Houston Wrestling into affiliations with Mid South Wrestling , World Wrestling Federation , Universal Wrestling Federation , and World Class Championship Wrestling to ensure that top talent from all over
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#17327808838775394-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in
5481-418: The organization to new levels of success and visibility. Under Boesch's leadership, Houston Wrestling quickly attained gained a reputation as one of the top regional wrestling promotions of its time. Promoters such as Gary Hart ( World Class Championship Wrestling ) and wrestlers such as Barry Darsow would repeatedly praise Boesch's acumen and honesty as a promoter and businessman. Boesch is also credited with
5568-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During
5655-771: The promotion. Hart created the classic feud between the Von Erichs and the Fabulous Freebirds , as well as forming The Stable of H. & H. Ltd in 1982 with Arman Hussian that introduced characters ( Bugsy McGraw , Bill Irwin , Checkmate , Killer Brooks and Ten Gu), he also managed The Great Kabuki , the One Man Gang , King Kong Bundy , and the Samoan Swat Team. Hart additionally managed talent such as "Gorgeous" Gino Hernandez and Gentleman Chris Adams . Along with booking, he also managed Nord
5742-439: The purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether
5829-401: The show debuted on local television. Boesch's wrestling broadcasts remained a fixture on Houston television for over 30 years, airing on station KHTV channel 39 (now KIAH , a CW Network affiliate). After Sigel died in 1966 after a long illness, Boesch bought out Houston Wrestling from Sigel's widow. Boesch had essentially been training for this opportunity for 20 years, and he quickly brought
5916-885: The sides up (and thus bringing back The Four Horseman briefly). J-Tex disbanded in early 1990. After leaving WCW, Hart returned to Texas and began a new wrestling promotion in North Dallas, the Texas Wrestling Federation, which showcased many former stars of World Class and those who were competing in the USWA/World Class promotion. During the 1990s, following the demise of the Global Wrestling Federation , Hart and Chris Adams were involved in many Texas-based wrestling promotions, including an ill-fated attempt to revive World Class (billed as World Class II: The Next Generation) at
6003-767: The soldiers of the 121st Infantry for their meritorious efforts in the Hürtgen Forest. After the war, he was honored with a Distinguished Citizens Award from the 121st Infantry Association for his outstanding community service with charitable groups including the Boys Club of America . Boesch authored a well-regarded memoir of his experiences in World War II entitled, Road to Huertgen: Forest in Hell . Boesch returned to wrestling after World War II, competing in matches across North America. In October 1947, Boesch suffered
6090-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For
6177-413: The submerged plane wreckage. Hart was reportedly plagued by the memory, and for decades wondered whether he had done everything he could to save Shane. Hart became the booker for World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW; then known as Big Time Wrestling) in 1976, a position he held until January 1983, then again from 1986 to 1988. The years between 1982 and 1985 are considered to be the "Golden Years" of
6264-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,
6351-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by
6438-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it
6525-405: The venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as a performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in
6612-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of
6699-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked
6786-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling
6873-524: Was active in numerous philanthropic endeavors throughout his life. He was a highly visible fixture in the community during his many years in Houston, serving in charitable organizations like the Boys Club and promoting the benefits and necessity of physical fitness for America's youth. Boesch's wife Valerie died on March 23, 2020. During his life, Boesch wrote four books: Boesch was equally responsible for Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George? (1974), as
6960-563: Was also credited with saving 130 or more lives from the water around New York . Boesch began wrestling professionally during the 1930s, his first notable match being a 90-minute bout against Pat Meehan in Calgary on November 25, 1938, which ended in a draw. With the outbreak of World War II , Boesch suspended his wrestling career to enlist in the United States Army . He graduated from officer candidate school in 1942 and earned
7047-472: Was an American professional wrestling manager , as well as a professional wrestler in his early career, best known by his ring name Gary Hart . Hart was one of the pivotal driving forces behind what is considered to be World Class Championship Wrestling 's "golden years" in the early 1980s. Gary Hart started wrestling in Chicago at the Marigold Arena in 1960. His uncle, Billy Gates, worked as
7134-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in
7221-486: Was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005 as a non-wrestler participant in the business. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as a part of the Legacy wing. Paul Boesch's contribution to the wrestling industry has been praised by numerous observers as well as by former wrestlers themselves. WWE commentator Jim Ross has publicly stated that he believes Boesch
7308-435: Was killed and the other three men suffered serious injuries. Hart was thrown from the plane into the water with a broken arm, wrist, knee, back, sternum, collarbone and vertebrae with his right eye knocked loose and his nose partially severed. Despite this, he managed to locate Idol and help him to shore, then swam back out to rescue Colt. However, Hart was unable to find Shane, who was later found still strapped into his seat in
7395-571: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before
7482-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted
7569-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among
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