Favorite old school territory

[themadness]

Im not old enough to have been around for when wrestling was still in a regional system but I have gone back and watched a ton of old NWA, Mid Atlantic, AWA, Houston Wrestling, WCCW, etc and I enjoy a ton of it more so than a lot of stuff I see on the indies nowadays. What old territories are your favorites and did any of you actually attend shows when they were still active? My two favorites to watch right now btw are Memphis and Florida

[Gunslinger]

My favorites were Mid South Wrestling, Houston Wrestling, and WCCW.

I grew up just north of Houston so, without cable or satellite, the only option to watch was Mid South/Houston Wrestling. Bill Watts was the owner/promoter for Mid South, and Paul Bosch (may he Rassle In Piece) was the owner/promoter of Houston Wrestling.

Every Friday night Paul Bosch held Houston Wrestling at the now torn down Sam Houston Coliseum. Many big name wrestlers from promotions across the country made appearances, such as Dusty Rhodes, who's mother lived in Houston. So, as the stories go, whenever Dusty took time away from Florida Championship Wrestling or Georga Championship Wrestling to go visit his mom, he would call up Paul Bosch and get a match setup in Houston so his mom could get to see him in action. She was supposedly a huge wrestling fan, but living in Houston, and Dusty working in regions not televised in Houston, this was the only way she got to see her son in the ring.


Many other famous wrestlers, such as Mil Mascaras to name one, frequented Houston shows as well. Being so far south, and with a large Hispanic community in Houston, Bosch was smart in getting wrestlers from Mexico, or of Mexican descent, to come have matches on his cards. The Guerrero Family, prior to Eddie and Chavo Jr. being old enough to perform, frequented the Sam Houston Coliseum on many a Friday night.

Simultaneously, Bill Watts had a top notch product with Mid South Wrestling, whose region covered Oklahoma, Louisiana, and South Eastern Texas. Many big name guys, like Andre the Giant, Junk Yard Dog, Ted Dibiasi, Hacksaws Butch Reed and Jim Duggan, Kamala, The One Man Gang, The Rock 'n Roll Express, Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express, and the list could keep on going on and on, had lengthy stints for the promotion.

The good thing for us bear or in Houston was that Watts and Bosch had a working agreement where every four or so weeks. Watts would hold Mid South at the Sam Houston Coliseum on Friday night along with Houston Wrestling opening the event. So we were able to see both.

Saturday nights on Channel 39 Gold (so many years ago and I still remember this) at 10:30 PM, a combined show would air. The first half hour would be top matches from Houston Wrestling held the previous week, and then an hour of Mid South followed. This was all done on one hour and a half show,so as a kid I just thought it was all one promotion. My parents let me stay up late on the weekends and, when I was five years old, I discovered them on television.

I was in awe of what I was seeing, and soon had my dad and my grandfather who, along with my Step Grandmother, would come visit every Friday night, both watching unable to be peeled away from the TV until Midnight when it went off. Getting my dad into it. I was able to talk him into taking me to some of the shows. I can't remember which was the first, but will never forget the last event I got to attend at the Sam Houston Coliseum. It was right when Mid South changed it's name to The Universal Wrestling Federation, or UWF as it was commonly referred to. On that night the tournament to crown the first ever UWF Champion was held, with some amazing matches. But the match I'll never forget seeing that night was a tag team match between The Sheep Herders (later known as The Bushwhackers in WWF) and The Fantastics, taking place in a barbed wire cage. That match was so violent and bloody that I didn't care who won, I just didn't want it to end. I still think that match stole the show.

Paul Bosch would also have WCCW wrestlers, like the Von Erichs, perform from time to time, so I was familiar with them prior to getting cable. But once I got cable, WCCW had an hour show on every afternoon on ESPN.

[Deleted]

WCCW, ALL THE WAY! Loved the Freebirds, Von Erichs, Chris Adams, Jimmy Garvin, midnight Express, Brody, list goes on.

[Duke Mongoose]

Mid-South is my favorite. The NWA territories had a lot of talent but their TV product was mediocre (aside from the promo work). Never been a huge fan of studio wrestling where it's OBVIOUSLY a studio. Today's NXT is basically studio wrestling but the building looks like a wrestling venue. Same with the Irish McNeill Boys Club in Louisiana where Bill Watts taped Mid-South. It was a glorified gymnasium but the production made it feel like a real venue. I've tried watching WCCW, and maybe it depends on what you grew up with, but the style doesn't do it for me. I'm fascinated by the story of WCCW and I know a lot of talented workers came through there, but it's never been a promotion I could really get into.

[Papa Chopper]

Though I was primarily a WWF mark, I always LOVED Jim Crockett Promotions and the AWA.