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00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:08,926
[narrator]
On July 14th, 1984,
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00:00:08,926 --> 00:00:11,011
millions of loyal
viewers tuned into
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00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:13,514
cable channel WTBS
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00:00:13,514 --> 00:00:16,058
to watch its most
popular program,
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00:00:16,058 --> 00:00:18,101
World Championship
Wrestling.
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00:00:18,101 --> 00:00:19,978
Thank you so
very, very much.
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00:00:19,978 --> 00:00:21,939
But instead of a live
broadcast featuring the
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00:00:21,939 --> 00:00:23,690
south's most
popular wrestlers...
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00:00:23,690 --> 00:00:24,691
[Growling]
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00:00:24,691 --> 00:00:26,652
Fans were shocked by the
surprise appearance
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00:00:26,652 --> 00:00:28,820
of New York promoter...
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00:00:28,820 --> 00:00:31,281
Vincent McMahon Jr.
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00:00:31,281 --> 00:00:32,491
Thank you. It is
indeed a pleasure
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00:00:32,491 --> 00:00:34,034
to be associated
with WTBS.
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00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:36,870
And everybody's
mouth dropped open.
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00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:38,997
Did seem like the
world of wrestling
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00:00:38,997 --> 00:00:40,624
stopped at that time.
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00:00:40,624 --> 00:00:44,002
I was watching the TV.
I had no idea it was coming.
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00:00:44,002 --> 00:00:45,420
Nobody knew why.
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00:00:45,420 --> 00:00:47,589
You know, the fans of that
promotion were furious.
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00:00:47,589 --> 00:00:49,007
[Phones ringing]
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00:00:49,007 --> 00:00:50,884
It was a day that
would live in infamy,
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00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:52,844
forever known as
'Black Saturday.'
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00:00:52,844 --> 00:00:54,054
[Phones ringing]
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00:00:54,054 --> 00:00:56,014
Vince McMahon's
first step toward
26
00:00:56,014 --> 00:00:58,058
his goal of
total monopoly.
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00:00:58,058 --> 00:01:00,852
He had a vision that
wrestling should be
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00:01:00,852 --> 00:01:02,980
national under
one person.
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00:01:02,980 --> 00:01:06,066
Far more than the tale
of one man's ambition,
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00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:09,111
'Black Saturday' is the story
of an epic behind the scenes
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00:01:09,111 --> 00:01:12,614
showdown between
titans of the industry.
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00:01:12,614 --> 00:01:15,200
They kind of hoodoo'd him
and snuck it out from
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00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,786
underneath him, more so
than him giving it up.
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00:01:17,786 --> 00:01:20,038
And Ole said, "Well
let's do a blood oath."
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00:01:20,038 --> 00:01:22,708
The first one to break
that oath was not us.
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00:01:22,708 --> 00:01:24,167
So my father,
he gets a call,
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00:01:24,167 --> 00:01:26,378
"They've stolen
the company."
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00:01:26,378 --> 00:01:29,256
A high stakes power play
that sets Vince McMahon
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00:01:29,256 --> 00:01:30,882
on the path
toward building
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00:01:30,882 --> 00:01:34,094
a billion dollar
wrestling empire.
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00:01:34,094 --> 00:01:36,597
It was all the beginning
groundwork
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00:01:36,597 --> 00:01:38,849
of future warfare.
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00:01:38,849 --> 00:01:41,977
Vince McMahon is a cancer
on the wrestling business.
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00:01:41,977 --> 00:01:43,770
Vince won, he was
the best at it,
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00:01:43,770 --> 00:01:45,814
he was the most vicious
shark in the sea.
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00:01:45,814 --> 00:01:50,235
♪
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♪
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00:01:56,241 --> 00:01:58,827
Welcome to
WrestleMania!
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00:01:58,827 --> 00:02:01,079
-[Cheering]
-[Horn Blaring]
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00:02:01,079 --> 00:02:03,540
For over 40 years the
wrestling business has been
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00:02:03,540 --> 00:02:05,834
dominated by World
Wrestling Entertainment,
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00:02:05,834 --> 00:02:08,712
under the singular control
of its owner and mastermind,
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00:02:08,712 --> 00:02:12,799
Vince McMahon Jr.
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00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:14,384
But in the early 1980s,
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00:02:14,384 --> 00:02:17,304
McMahon is just beginning
to stake his claim on an
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00:02:17,304 --> 00:02:19,056
industry divided into
regional promotions
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00:02:19,056 --> 00:02:21,099
known as territories.
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00:02:21,099 --> 00:02:22,059
♪
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00:02:22,059 --> 00:02:25,479
In 1983, most wrestling fans
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00:02:25,479 --> 00:02:27,939
saw Vince McMahon Jr.
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00:02:27,939 --> 00:02:29,775
as the announcer of the
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00:02:29,775 --> 00:02:31,860
WWF television program.
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00:02:31,860 --> 00:02:33,362
Now everybody in the
wrestling business
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00:02:33,362 --> 00:02:36,156
knew that Vince was Vince
McMahon Senior's son
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00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:40,285
and was the guy who had
just bought the WWF,
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00:02:40,285 --> 00:02:41,912
the World Wrestling
Federation,
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00:02:41,912 --> 00:02:44,873
from his father in 1982.
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00:02:44,873 --> 00:02:46,958
Let's meet Jimmy Cornette
and his dynasty of wrestlers.
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00:02:46,958 --> 00:02:48,335
That's exactly right,
let's meet me.
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00:02:48,335 --> 00:02:49,711
Where did you get that
tie, Freddie Miller?
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00:02:49,711 --> 00:02:52,047
I'm Jim Cornette, and
through my 40 year career
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00:02:52,047 --> 00:02:54,716
in wrestling, I've been an
historian, specifically.
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00:02:54,716 --> 00:02:57,052
I've studied 'Black Saturday'
and its effects
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00:02:57,052 --> 00:02:59,179
on modern day
pro wrestling.
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00:02:59,179 --> 00:03:02,891
When Vince McMahon
Junior bought the WWF,
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00:03:02,891 --> 00:03:04,601
the business in that
part of the country
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00:03:04,601 --> 00:03:07,145
had almost never
been stronger.
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Since the 1940s,
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00:03:09,022 --> 00:03:11,191
regional promoters
like McMahon Sr.,
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did business through a
governing body called
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00:03:13,276 --> 00:03:15,695
the 'National
Wrestling Alliance.'
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00:03:15,695 --> 00:03:18,865
Well, the NWA,
they made these bylaws,
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00:03:18,865 --> 00:03:20,826
and they had territorial
boundaries where you
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00:03:20,826 --> 00:03:24,454
got this territory,
and you got this territory.
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00:03:24,454 --> 00:03:26,581
My name is Dave Meltzer
and I'm the editor of the
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00:03:26,581 --> 00:03:28,125
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
and I've been covering
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00:03:28,125 --> 00:03:30,544
pro wrestling since
the early 1970s.
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In the NWA,
there were always,
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00:03:32,295 --> 00:03:34,464
always wars and fighting
and things like that.
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00:03:34,464 --> 00:03:36,883
Wrestling has always been
kind of like the mafia
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00:03:36,883 --> 00:03:38,635
without the
cement overshoes.
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00:03:38,635 --> 00:03:40,512
Nobody ends up at the
bottom of the river,
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00:03:40,512 --> 00:03:44,349
just a few black eyes
every now and then.
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00:03:44,349 --> 00:03:46,601
Every year the
NWA had a meeting.
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00:03:46,601 --> 00:03:48,311
All the promoters came.
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00:03:48,311 --> 00:03:51,022
It was like the Gambino's
and the Bonanno's,
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00:03:51,022 --> 00:03:52,649
and there's the Gotti's.
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00:03:52,649 --> 00:03:55,068
And it was all the families
that came together once a
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00:03:55,068 --> 00:03:58,864
year and decided the major
decisions for wrestling in
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00:03:58,864 --> 00:04:01,491
the United States for
the following year.
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00:04:01,491 --> 00:04:04,828
The other promoters looked at
Vince Jr like an upstart kid.
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00:04:04,828 --> 00:04:06,455
They didn't realize he
wanted to be the
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00:04:06,455 --> 00:04:08,331
Walt Disney of wrestling.
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00:04:08,331 --> 00:04:10,584
They didn't understand
not only the,
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00:04:10,584 --> 00:04:13,253
the plans that he had, but
the lengths that he was
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00:04:13,253 --> 00:04:17,382
willing to go to, to have those
plans come to fruition.
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00:04:17,382 --> 00:04:20,385
While some territories
showed signs of struggle,
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00:04:20,385 --> 00:04:23,180
Georgia Championship
Wrestling was thriving...
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00:04:23,180 --> 00:04:27,350
thanks to the shrewd
leadership of Jim Barnett.
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00:04:27,350 --> 00:04:28,935
Barnett was one of the
great minds in
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00:04:28,935 --> 00:04:30,687
wrestling as a promoter.
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00:04:30,687 --> 00:04:32,689
When he needed
to charm people,
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00:04:32,689 --> 00:04:34,191
he could charm people.
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00:04:34,191 --> 00:04:36,526
And he had connections
outside wrestling.
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00:04:36,526 --> 00:04:40,197
If you needed to discuss
something with a politician,
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00:04:40,197 --> 00:04:43,700
if you needed to talk to a
television executive or a
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00:04:43,700 --> 00:04:46,369
station manager
or a big sponsor,
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00:04:46,369 --> 00:04:48,580
Barnett was the guy
that they called to
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00:04:48,580 --> 00:04:50,207
make the connection.
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00:04:50,207 --> 00:04:53,668
Even in today's business,
as off the wall as the
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00:04:53,668 --> 00:04:56,296
characters are, Jim Barnett
would still stand out
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00:04:56,296 --> 00:04:59,049
as a very unique
character.
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00:04:59,049 --> 00:05:01,802
I'm Gerald Brisco,
better known as
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00:05:01,802 --> 00:05:03,970
"Jerry" Briscoe on the
wrestling circuit.
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00:05:03,970 --> 00:05:06,056
Let's go see the world
tag team champions
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00:05:06,056 --> 00:05:07,766
Jack and Jerry
Brisco in action.
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00:05:07,766 --> 00:05:10,811
My brother and I became the
only two people ever to
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00:05:10,811 --> 00:05:12,771
hold both of the eastern
championship and
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00:05:12,771 --> 00:05:14,314
the mid-Atlantic
championship.
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00:05:14,314 --> 00:05:15,440
Right, brother?
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00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:16,983
Well, they say we're
wild and we're mean,
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00:05:16,983 --> 00:05:19,528
we're creating a scene.
We gone crazy.
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00:05:19,528 --> 00:05:21,154
I got along real well and
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00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:23,782
learned so much
from Jim Barnett.
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00:05:23,782 --> 00:05:26,076
All the other promoters
were ex-wrestlers,
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00:05:26,076 --> 00:05:29,329
or they were loud
and braggadocious.
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00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:32,624
Jim always wore a
beautiful suit with a tie,
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00:05:32,624 --> 00:05:35,460
and he had the hair slicked
back and he had jewelry on.
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00:05:35,460 --> 00:05:38,296
Does wrestling
encourage violence?
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00:05:38,296 --> 00:05:41,675
I don't think so, no.
I never thought so.
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00:05:41,675 --> 00:05:43,635
He was very different
from a wrestling guy.
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00:05:43,635 --> 00:05:45,428
I mean, he was
interested in wrestling,
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00:05:45,428 --> 00:05:46,972
but he's more
interested in fine arts,
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00:05:46,972 --> 00:05:49,599
which is kinda unique for
a, a wrestling promoter.
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00:05:49,599 --> 00:05:52,602
For a while, they wouldn't
let Jim in the NWA until,
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00:05:52,602 --> 00:05:54,938
geez, like '70.
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00:05:54,938 --> 00:05:57,274
Because they didn't want
somebody gay in their,
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00:05:57,274 --> 00:05:59,526
in their old boy's club.
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00:05:59,526 --> 00:06:03,113
Behind the scenes,
he was a cutthroat.
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00:06:03,113 --> 00:06:06,950
He had the ability to cut
your balls off and shove 'em
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00:06:06,950 --> 00:06:10,912
down your throat and
you'd thank him for it.
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00:06:10,912 --> 00:06:13,582
Known as a powerful
liaison to TV executives,
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00:06:13,582 --> 00:06:17,377
Jim Barnett is close to
media tycoon Ted Turner,
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00:06:17,377 --> 00:06:19,462
who airs Georgia
Championship Wrestling
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00:06:19,462 --> 00:06:23,717
nationally on his
cable network, WTBS.
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00:06:23,717 --> 00:06:26,136
Wrestling was the first
hit on cable television.
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00:06:26,136 --> 00:06:28,179
It was Georgia
Championship Wrestling.
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00:06:28,179 --> 00:06:30,348
Turner just took his
local Atlanta channel,
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00:06:30,348 --> 00:06:32,684
17 TV Station, and put
up on the satellite,
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00:06:32,684 --> 00:06:34,060
and everybody
thought he was nuts.
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00:06:34,060 --> 00:06:36,521
Who's gonna wanna watch a
local Atlanta television show
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00:06:36,521 --> 00:06:38,440
in San Francisco, right?
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00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,025
There wasn't so
many options for TV,
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00:06:40,025 --> 00:06:41,484
so it was one of the
stations you got.
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00:06:41,484 --> 00:06:42,944
So you can watch
the Atlanta Braves,
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00:06:42,944 --> 00:06:44,446
and Andy Griffith
was big...
167
00:06:44,446 --> 00:06:46,239
but wrestling was the
biggest show on the station.
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00:06:46,239 --> 00:06:47,907
You know, that was
like must see.
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00:06:47,907 --> 00:06:50,035
Coming up next, Georgia
Championship Wrestling.
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00:06:50,035 --> 00:06:52,537
All the stars of the
National Wrestling Alliance.
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00:06:52,537 --> 00:06:53,830
Surprise!
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00:06:53,830 --> 00:06:56,458
Flew into Atlanta every
weekend to appear on
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00:06:56,458 --> 00:06:58,251
the two hour
television program.
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00:06:58,251 --> 00:07:01,421
[Cheering]
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00:07:01,421 --> 00:07:03,632
A severe amount of
punishment to the heads.
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00:07:03,632 --> 00:07:06,843
It was the number one
TV show on cable TV,
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00:07:06,843 --> 00:07:08,637
that's how hot
it was, I mean...
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00:07:08,637 --> 00:07:11,056
what made it so hot was a
unique combination of
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00:07:11,056 --> 00:07:13,892
Gordon Solie, the voice of
Championship Wrestling.
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00:07:13,892 --> 00:07:16,227
I'm Gordon Solie,
your host.
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00:07:16,227 --> 00:07:18,271
And the available talent.
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00:07:18,271 --> 00:07:21,066
There were so many Hall of
Famers on that original
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00:07:21,066 --> 00:07:24,027
list of talent that it's
mind boggling that that
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00:07:24,027 --> 00:07:26,488
kind of group of talent
could assemble in
185
00:07:26,488 --> 00:07:28,740
one small territory
like Georgia.
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00:07:28,740 --> 00:07:29,991
Ooh!
187
00:07:29,991 --> 00:07:32,827
I think what made it so
special is it was TBS,
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00:07:32,827 --> 00:07:35,538
first TV station to go
all over the country,
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00:07:35,538 --> 00:07:38,625
and I got to wrestle
the best of the best,
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00:07:38,625 --> 00:07:41,336
I mean the cream
of the crop.
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00:07:41,336 --> 00:07:43,546
My name's Tommy
"Wildfire" Rich,
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00:07:43,546 --> 00:07:46,174
former NWA world
heavyweight champion.
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00:07:46,174 --> 00:07:48,468
-Welcome aboard, Tommy.
-Thank you very much, Gordon.
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00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:49,886
It was crazy.
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00:07:49,886 --> 00:07:53,098
A lot of times you'd sit
back and watch people,
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00:07:53,098 --> 00:07:55,475
and it would be as big a
show watching them as it
197
00:07:55,475 --> 00:07:57,477
would be watching the
wrestling, you know.
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00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,688
Oh, Lord, yeah,
the Georgia peaches
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00:07:59,688 --> 00:08:01,856
and the grannies
love me, too.
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00:08:01,856 --> 00:08:04,609
I've seen grannies take their
cane and beat Ole Anderson
201
00:08:04,609 --> 00:08:07,570
up with it, 'cause he's
beating me up, you know.
202
00:08:07,570 --> 00:08:11,366
I put the TV ring up every
Saturday at the TV station.
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00:08:11,366 --> 00:08:14,494
It was cramped studio,
it only held 100 people.
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00:08:14,494 --> 00:08:15,954
And you packed 'em
in like sardines
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00:08:15,954 --> 00:08:17,414
to get a hundred
in there.
206
00:08:17,414 --> 00:08:20,750
Boy Scout groups, Girl Scout
troops, church groups...
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00:08:20,750 --> 00:08:24,170
just fans that loved
to come every week.
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00:08:24,170 --> 00:08:26,840
My name is Bobby Simmons.
Started working for ABC
209
00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,300
booking when I was 14
years old, running errands,
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00:08:29,300 --> 00:08:30,468
and then went
to work for
211
00:08:30,468 --> 00:08:32,554
Georgia Championship
Wrestling.
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00:08:32,554 --> 00:08:35,765
We had good crowds and we
did sell out a lot of arenas.
213
00:08:35,765 --> 00:08:38,017
The day to day operations
are handled by
214
00:08:38,017 --> 00:08:39,853
matchmaker
Ole Anderson. ..
215
00:08:39,853 --> 00:08:42,021
Ole Anderson!
216
00:08:42,021 --> 00:08:43,773
A veteran wrestler
who rules
217
00:08:43,773 --> 00:08:46,735
Georgia Championship
Wrestling with an iron fist.
218
00:08:46,735 --> 00:08:48,695
Ole suckered him
that time.
219
00:08:48,695 --> 00:08:50,405
Ole was very intelligent.
220
00:08:50,405 --> 00:08:52,073
One of the most
intelligent guys,
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00:08:52,073 --> 00:08:53,825
one of the most
well-spoken guys.
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00:08:53,825 --> 00:08:56,202
He was loud,
he was opinionated.
223
00:08:56,202 --> 00:08:58,580
Why don't you be quiet for
about two seconds and
224
00:08:58,580 --> 00:09:00,457
let me talk and
say something!
225
00:09:00,457 --> 00:09:03,001
But Ole was a
great wrestler.
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00:09:03,001 --> 00:09:05,503
And he had also gotten
quite a reputation
227
00:09:05,503 --> 00:09:07,422
as a matchmaker
and a booker.
228
00:09:07,422 --> 00:09:08,882
Stop the cameras!
229
00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:11,426
Either you hate him or
you love him, or, well...
230
00:09:11,426 --> 00:09:12,927
you don't love him, but
either you hate him
231
00:09:12,927 --> 00:09:14,596
or you like him.
Let's put it...
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00:09:14,596 --> 00:09:16,306
[Chuckling]
He's kinda hard to love.
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00:09:16,306 --> 00:09:17,557
[Laughing]
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00:09:17,557 --> 00:09:20,560
My name is Joe Hamilton Jr.
I refereed and
235
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:23,521
wrestled as "Nick Patrick"
throughout my entire career.
236
00:09:23,521 --> 00:09:25,106
I stopped the match myself.
237
00:09:25,106 --> 00:09:28,234
Two! Nick Patrick very slow
to make a count right here.
238
00:09:28,234 --> 00:09:29,694
I heard Ricky Morton
one time say,
239
00:09:29,694 --> 00:09:31,613
"I don't think Ole Anderson
even likes ice cream."
240
00:09:31,613 --> 00:09:33,323
You know, it's like-
[Laughing] And I agree,
241
00:09:33,323 --> 00:09:34,783
he probably didn't,
you know.
242
00:09:34,783 --> 00:09:37,786
He was just so old school
and grouchy but...
243
00:09:37,786 --> 00:09:39,913
a lot of the old timers back
then were like that, you know?
244
00:09:39,913 --> 00:09:42,082
They was, being hard ass
on the young guys and
245
00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:44,292
making 'em,
making 'em learn.
246
00:09:44,292 --> 00:09:45,877
He was what you saw.
247
00:09:45,877 --> 00:09:48,713
My father was
very no nonsense.
248
00:09:48,713 --> 00:09:50,924
I think the guy that you
saw on the screen was
249
00:09:50,924 --> 00:09:53,426
very much the same guy
that ate breakfast with me
250
00:09:53,426 --> 00:09:54,761
the next morning.
251
00:09:54,761 --> 00:09:56,179
And I think that's really
part of the reason
252
00:09:56,179 --> 00:09:57,555
he was successful,
is because people
253
00:09:57,555 --> 00:10:01,184
could believe what
they were seeing.
254
00:10:01,184 --> 00:10:02,644
My name is
Bryant Rogowski,
255
00:10:02,644 --> 00:10:04,813
and I'm the oldest son
of Ole Anderson.
256
00:10:04,813 --> 00:10:07,690
My father obviously spent
years bumping in the ring
257
00:10:07,690 --> 00:10:09,651
and suffered a lot of
physical injuries,
258
00:10:09,651 --> 00:10:12,862
and some years ago he
was diagnosed with M.S.,
259
00:10:12,862 --> 00:10:14,739
and right now he's just
in a state where
260
00:10:14,739 --> 00:10:18,076
he can't really do a
lot for himself.
261
00:10:18,076 --> 00:10:20,537
I think he was all
about business.
262
00:10:20,537 --> 00:10:23,164
It wasn't long into his
wrestling career that
263
00:10:23,164 --> 00:10:26,501
he began to think about
being in charge.
264
00:10:26,501 --> 00:10:30,213
Eventually, he bought
into the Georgia company.
265
00:10:30,213 --> 00:10:33,049
Ole isn't the only wrestler
looking to increase
266
00:10:33,049 --> 00:10:35,093
his fortunes by getting
involved in the
267
00:10:35,093 --> 00:10:37,053
financial side
of the promotion.
268
00:10:37,053 --> 00:10:38,429
Smart enough!
269
00:10:38,429 --> 00:10:40,890
I started buying my stock
in small increments
270
00:10:40,890 --> 00:10:43,810
where it built
up to over 10%.
271
00:10:43,810 --> 00:10:45,937
And the same
with my brother.
272
00:10:45,937 --> 00:10:50,108
In 1983, the stockholders
in Georgia Championship
273
00:10:50,108 --> 00:10:52,735
Wrestling were the original
promoter Paul Jones,
274
00:10:52,735 --> 00:10:54,487
a Columbus promoter,
Fred Ward,
275
00:10:54,487 --> 00:10:57,073
his son-in-law, Ralph Freed,
Jim Barnett's business
276
00:10:57,073 --> 00:11:00,910
partner, Jim Oates,
Jack and Jerry Briscoe,
277
00:11:00,910 --> 00:11:02,871
and Ole Anderson.
278
00:11:02,871 --> 00:11:04,831
Although Georgia
Championship Wrestling
279
00:11:04,831 --> 00:11:06,416
is turning a profit,
280
00:11:06,416 --> 00:11:08,918
Ole Anderson begins
to question whether all the
281
00:11:08,918 --> 00:11:12,255
live show earnings are
being accurately reported.
282
00:11:12,255 --> 00:11:15,383
Wrestling had always been
a very cash heavy business,
283
00:11:15,383 --> 00:11:17,302
and money had always
probably been
284
00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:19,387
siphoned off the
top to some degree.
285
00:11:19,387 --> 00:11:21,431
And, you know, "We had to
pay off the politician."
286
00:11:21,431 --> 00:11:23,516
Or, "We had to give some
money to the commissioner."
287
00:11:23,516 --> 00:11:25,018
Or whatever it was.
And I think
288
00:11:25,018 --> 00:11:27,437
surely there was
some truth to some of that.
289
00:11:27,437 --> 00:11:29,981
But when my dad started
to really pay attention in
290
00:11:29,981 --> 00:11:32,275
Georgia, and realized that
it wasn't only him
291
00:11:32,275 --> 00:11:34,819
bringing Barnett a few
bucks after this show,
292
00:11:34,819 --> 00:11:36,988
but it was 7 or 8
other guys all doing
293
00:11:36,988 --> 00:11:38,489
the same thing...
294
00:11:38,489 --> 00:11:40,700
he realized that
that amount of money,
295
00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:43,912
surely couldn't all be
used for those purposes.
296
00:11:43,912 --> 00:11:45,872
I had tremendous
concern, you know,
297
00:11:45,872 --> 00:11:48,207
because I wasn't getting a
dividend and I'd invested
298
00:11:48,207 --> 00:11:50,501
tens of thousands
of dollars.
299
00:11:50,501 --> 00:11:53,171
We finally got Jim to
expand into Michigan,
300
00:11:53,171 --> 00:11:55,757
Ohio and West Virginia,
part of Pennsylvania,
301
00:11:55,757 --> 00:11:58,927
and we started selling
out right and left.
302
00:11:58,927 --> 00:12:01,679
And I was actually
doing the settlement
303
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:04,557
at the shows at the time,
so I personally know
304
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:07,101
the amount of cash that I
was taking back to,
305
00:12:07,101 --> 00:12:09,437
to Georgia, and that
wasn't getting in
306
00:12:09,437 --> 00:12:13,024
anybody else's pocket
but Mr. Barnett's.
307
00:12:13,024 --> 00:12:15,234
♪
308
00:12:15,234 --> 00:12:18,154
Ole was the first one,
maybe the only one
309
00:12:18,154 --> 00:12:22,075
at the time, to question
Jim Barnett.
310
00:12:22,075 --> 00:12:26,496
The story went around that
while Barnett was in
311
00:12:26,496 --> 00:12:28,539
Hong Kong making
his annual trip,
312
00:12:28,539 --> 00:12:30,124
because he liked
to go to Hong Kong,
313
00:12:30,124 --> 00:12:32,085
get all his new
suits made,
314
00:12:32,085 --> 00:12:35,838
Ole either kicks the door
in or bust the door in,
315
00:12:35,838 --> 00:12:38,007
whether the accountant
was in the office or not,
316
00:12:38,007 --> 00:12:39,926
but Ole got
into the books.
317
00:12:39,926 --> 00:12:43,137
It was like Fort Knox
trying to get to a,
318
00:12:43,137 --> 00:12:45,765
a box office statement,
because he had 'em under
319
00:12:45,765 --> 00:12:47,934
lock and key and the people
working in office were
320
00:12:47,934 --> 00:12:50,144
instructed, "Don't let
anybody in my office."
321
00:12:50,144 --> 00:12:52,563
It was actually
padlocked shut.
322
00:12:52,563 --> 00:12:54,440
Ole, you know,
start examining the
323
00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:55,900
books and everything,
and he saw, like,
324
00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:57,443
Jim Barnett
spending all kinds of
325
00:12:57,443 --> 00:12:59,529
crazy money
on phone bills,
326
00:12:59,529 --> 00:13:03,616
$3,000 a month phone bills,
and he had a personal chef,
327
00:13:03,616 --> 00:13:05,952
and he had a
personal driver.
328
00:13:05,952 --> 00:13:07,870
So, Ole just thought
that, you know,
329
00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:10,999
Jim was embezzling
money from the company.
330
00:13:10,999 --> 00:13:13,418
They had a meeting of the,
the Georgia Championship
331
00:13:13,418 --> 00:13:15,503
owners at a hotel
south of Atlanta,
332
00:13:15,503 --> 00:13:17,755
in a conference room.
333
00:13:17,755 --> 00:13:21,259
And Jim handed out
the cheques from
334
00:13:21,259 --> 00:13:24,679
the proceeds of the
calendar we sold.
335
00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,598
Supposedly when Jim left,
that's when Ole
336
00:13:27,598 --> 00:13:31,102
came in and addressed
the, the owners.
337
00:13:32,729 --> 00:13:37,984
Ole had rallied the troops
and gotten the majority of
338
00:13:37,984 --> 00:13:41,612
the other stockholders
on his side.
339
00:13:41,612 --> 00:13:44,365
♪
340
00:13:44,365 --> 00:13:48,828
When I get to the office,
Jim's door is opened.
341
00:13:48,828 --> 00:13:51,289
The light's on, I thought,
"What is this"?
342
00:13:51,289 --> 00:13:54,208
And I heard Ole go,
"Bobby, come here."
343
00:13:54,208 --> 00:13:56,294
And Ole handed me all the
cheques that I had written
344
00:13:56,294 --> 00:13:58,129
for the proceeds of the
calendar, he said,
345
00:13:58,129 --> 00:14:00,673
"Put this back
in the bank."
346
00:14:00,673 --> 00:14:01,841
And he told me
that day, he said,
347
00:14:01,841 --> 00:14:03,134
"You don't work
for Jim Barnett anymore,
348
00:14:03,134 --> 00:14:05,928
you work for me."
Ole told me, he says,
349
00:14:05,928 --> 00:14:07,638
"I'm not out to hurt Jim.
350
00:14:07,638 --> 00:14:09,682
I'm not out to
put him in jail."
351
00:14:09,682 --> 00:14:12,268
Whatever that meant.
He said, "I think I can
352
00:14:12,268 --> 00:14:15,480
run this company and we're
gonna do it my way."
353
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,065
He thought everything
was black and white,
354
00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:19,525
there were no
grey areas, that it was
355
00:14:19,525 --> 00:14:22,820
just business, you acted
like businesspeople.
356
00:14:22,820 --> 00:14:25,573
Well...
357
00:14:25,573 --> 00:14:30,787
He found out very quickly
that it didn't work that way.
358
00:14:30,787 --> 00:14:34,874
Hell hath no fury
like Barnett scorned.
359
00:14:42,465 --> 00:14:43,883
After reviewing
the accounts for
360
00:14:43,883 --> 00:14:45,718
Georgia Championship
Wrestling,
361
00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:48,346
part owner Ole Anderson
tries to convince
362
00:14:48,346 --> 00:14:51,432
his fellow shareholders
that manager Jim Barnett
363
00:14:51,432 --> 00:14:54,602
is embezzling funds
from the company.
364
00:14:54,602 --> 00:14:55,686
Well Ole would call me
and say,
365
00:14:55,686 --> 00:14:57,230
"Well, Jim's stealing
all this money."
366
00:14:57,230 --> 00:14:58,356
"Ole, is he stealing"?
367
00:14:58,356 --> 00:15:00,149
"Well yeah, he's using
it for his limousine,
368
00:15:00,149 --> 00:15:01,776
he's using it for this,
and nobody approved
369
00:15:01,776 --> 00:15:04,112
those expenditures."
And, which was true.
370
00:15:04,112 --> 00:15:05,571
Jim would just
explain it off,
371
00:15:05,571 --> 00:15:07,198
it's cost of
doing business.
372
00:15:07,198 --> 00:15:08,991
We had both
sides of the story.
373
00:15:08,991 --> 00:15:12,120
Ole and Jim were not
the best of friends.
374
00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,622
They were not even good
partners most of the time.
375
00:15:14,622 --> 00:15:18,084
They were always at
one another's throats..
376
00:15:18,084 --> 00:15:19,627
I'm Louise Cochrane,
377
00:15:19,627 --> 00:15:21,170
formerly known as
Louise Bennett,
378
00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:23,297
in Georgia
Championship Wrestling.
379
00:15:23,297 --> 00:15:25,049
We were in a lot of debt,
380
00:15:25,049 --> 00:15:27,552
because Jim had
promised the buildings
381
00:15:27,552 --> 00:15:31,305
and the TVs so much
per week, or per month...
382
00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:33,933
and it didn't matter if
we didn't make money.
383
00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:36,519
That was a power play
for Ole to move in.
384
00:15:36,519 --> 00:15:39,147
I think it was more than
just of a money power thing,
385
00:15:39,147 --> 00:15:42,608
than a Jim is tanking us
with his spending thing.
386
00:15:42,608 --> 00:15:43,860
My dad and Ralph,
387
00:15:43,860 --> 00:15:45,903
another stockholder
in Georgia Championship,
388
00:15:45,903 --> 00:15:50,074
went downtown to Barnett's
penthouse apartment,
389
00:15:50,074 --> 00:15:51,492
and they had a
talk with him.
390
00:15:51,492 --> 00:15:53,578
I think my dad probably
did most of the talking,
391
00:15:53,578 --> 00:15:56,372
and explained to Barnett,
my dad was gonna be
392
00:15:56,372 --> 00:15:58,875
elected president of
Georgia Championship.
393
00:15:58,875 --> 00:16:01,794
That's the way it's gonna be,
and if you don't like it,
394
00:16:01,794 --> 00:16:03,838
I'm gonna toss you
over your railing.
395
00:16:03,838 --> 00:16:05,381
♪
396
00:16:05,381 --> 00:16:08,134
Here you are, 285 pound
monster, and you're,
397
00:16:08,134 --> 00:16:11,137
you're bullying
this old man.
398
00:16:11,137 --> 00:16:14,765
You did not want to get on
the bad side of Jim Barnett
399
00:16:14,765 --> 00:16:17,268
because he could actively
400
00:16:17,268 --> 00:16:19,353
---- with you and your
wrestling career.
401
00:16:19,353 --> 00:16:22,023
Now Ole is taking it
to a whole new level.
402
00:16:22,023 --> 00:16:24,650
He didn't just no-show
Barnett, or stand him up,
403
00:16:24,650 --> 00:16:25,985
or hold him up for
more money for
404
00:16:25,985 --> 00:16:27,862
a main event
or whatever...
405
00:16:27,862 --> 00:16:30,948
he's run him out
of the company.
406
00:16:30,948 --> 00:16:33,075
Barnett knew that he
might not be able to
407
00:16:33,075 --> 00:16:35,995
do anything
about it then.
408
00:16:35,995 --> 00:16:38,414
You just know that he
definitely knew he was
409
00:16:38,414 --> 00:16:42,627
gonna do something
about it eventually.
410
00:16:42,627 --> 00:16:45,087
While Ole reorganizes
the company under
411
00:16:45,087 --> 00:16:47,924
his own management
in early 1983,
412
00:16:47,924 --> 00:16:50,676
Vince McMahon has been
quietly strategizing
413
00:16:50,676 --> 00:16:53,012
to expand his own
promotion
414
00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:56,057
into other NWA territories.
415
00:16:56,057 --> 00:16:58,059
When Vince bought the
company from his father,
416
00:16:58,059 --> 00:17:01,270
at first everything
maintained the status quo.
417
00:17:01,270 --> 00:17:03,064
He had plans,
but he didn't start
418
00:17:03,064 --> 00:17:05,483
putting them out
front of everybody,
419
00:17:05,483 --> 00:17:07,276
where they could tell
what he was doing.
420
00:17:07,276 --> 00:17:09,654
But, behind the scenes,
421
00:17:09,654 --> 00:17:12,323
Vince Jr. has these
plots in mind before
422
00:17:12,323 --> 00:17:13,908
even the other
promoters know that
423
00:17:13,908 --> 00:17:15,243
he's gonna do it.
424
00:17:15,243 --> 00:17:18,287
And the first thing that he's
thinking about is television.
425
00:17:18,287 --> 00:17:20,915
♪
426
00:17:20,915 --> 00:17:23,292
Vince McMahon's scheme
to steal the airwaves
427
00:17:23,292 --> 00:17:27,046
from other promoters begins
by hiring an unlikely ally
428
00:17:27,046 --> 00:17:31,759
as his director of
operations, Jim Barnett.
429
00:17:31,759 --> 00:17:34,595
In 1983 they have
the annual meeting,
430
00:17:34,595 --> 00:17:36,764
all the promoters
are there.
431
00:17:36,764 --> 00:17:38,474
Barnett comes in,
432
00:17:38,474 --> 00:17:42,103
so does
Vince McMahon Jr.,
433
00:17:42,103 --> 00:17:47,024
and they both give
their resignations.
434
00:17:47,024 --> 00:17:48,943
That couldn't be good.
435
00:17:48,943 --> 00:17:50,987
What the ----'s
gonna happen?
436
00:17:50,987 --> 00:17:53,489
Their, they, they, they were
all blindsided, for sure.
437
00:17:53,489 --> 00:17:55,574
When they resigned
from the NWA,
438
00:17:55,574 --> 00:17:57,285
that would mean they're
either gonna get out of
439
00:17:57,285 --> 00:17:59,745
wrestling, or they're
going to run opposition.
440
00:17:59,745 --> 00:18:01,747
That's the only two
things it can mean.
441
00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:03,916
And that seems to indicate
that they're gonna go into
442
00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:06,627
business for themselves,
with themselves,
443
00:18:06,627 --> 00:18:09,880
in some other fashion.
Ole smelled it.
444
00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,633
He said, "Okay, then the
gloves are gonna be off."
445
00:18:12,633 --> 00:18:16,470
Well, the problem was you
couldn't handle the
446
00:18:16,470 --> 00:18:19,348
wrestling business in
1983 and '84 like
447
00:18:19,348 --> 00:18:22,310
you handled it
in 1953 and '54.
448
00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:26,105
And secondly, Vince wasn't
gonna play that game.
449
00:18:26,105 --> 00:18:29,358
And he had one of the
most powerful wrestling
450
00:18:29,358 --> 00:18:32,611
personalities of the last
30 years in his corner
451
00:18:32,611 --> 00:18:35,865
who knew absolutely
everybody.
452
00:18:35,865 --> 00:18:37,575
Barnett hated Ole.
453
00:18:37,575 --> 00:18:39,910
Barnett also was
looking at survival.
454
00:18:39,910 --> 00:18:41,203
He was getting
up there in age,
455
00:18:41,203 --> 00:18:42,747
but he needed
to keep working.
456
00:18:42,747 --> 00:18:44,957
He needed to keep
that income coming in,
457
00:18:44,957 --> 00:18:48,753
to maintain the facade
that he was a millionaire.
458
00:18:48,753 --> 00:18:52,173
I'm Bob Roop, 13 year
amateur wrestler,
459
00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:54,383
15 year professional
wrestler,
460
00:18:54,383 --> 00:18:56,469
five-time
Hall of Fame member.
461
00:18:56,469 --> 00:18:59,722
Bob Roop ladies and
gentlemen, Bob Roop!
462
00:18:59,722 --> 00:19:02,475
Vince Senior, asked Ole
to come up and
463
00:19:02,475 --> 00:19:03,976
meet with Junior,
and see if they could
464
00:19:03,976 --> 00:19:05,895
make some kind
of arrangement.
465
00:19:05,895 --> 00:19:09,148
And Ole said, "No."
He said, "Absolutely not."
466
00:19:09,148 --> 00:19:10,941
You know, "He's trying to
steal my territories,"
467
00:19:10,941 --> 00:19:12,568
and stuff.
468
00:19:12,568 --> 00:19:14,403
There was this unspoken
agreement that people
469
00:19:14,403 --> 00:19:16,614
honoured each
other's territory.
470
00:19:16,614 --> 00:19:20,034
I'm sure Barnett was talking
to McMahon right away and
471
00:19:20,034 --> 00:19:24,955
starting to sabotage
Georgia Championship.
472
00:19:24,955 --> 00:19:27,333
Things started to happen
around that time that
473
00:19:27,333 --> 00:19:29,377
had never
happened before.
474
00:19:29,377 --> 00:19:32,380
McMahon would go to a
station that we were on,
475
00:19:32,380 --> 00:19:34,048
we had a show running,
476
00:19:34,048 --> 00:19:37,176
and offer them
2000 bucks a week
477
00:19:37,176 --> 00:19:38,969
to take his show,
478
00:19:38,969 --> 00:19:41,263
but they had to get rid
of Ole's show.
479
00:19:41,263 --> 00:19:43,682
Nothing on paper,
there was no contract,
480
00:19:43,682 --> 00:19:45,267
nothing said that
they had to honour
481
00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:47,561
Championship Wrestling
from Georgia.
482
00:19:47,561 --> 00:19:50,481
So the station
would say, "Okay."
483
00:19:50,481 --> 00:19:52,817
Next you'd start
losing buildings.
484
00:19:52,817 --> 00:19:54,360
You'd call to check
on the building and,
485
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,070
and see how ticket sales
are going, they say,
486
00:19:56,070 --> 00:19:58,489
"Well, we stopped
selling 'em."
487
00:19:58,489 --> 00:20:01,283
Bunch of police cars roll
up outside the TV station,
488
00:20:01,283 --> 00:20:03,077
take somebody away.
489
00:20:03,077 --> 00:20:06,997
They got an anonymous tip
that he's dealing drugs.
490
00:20:06,997 --> 00:20:09,333
Or they're searching the
guys at the airport.
491
00:20:09,333 --> 00:20:11,252
Things that just had never
happened before that were
492
00:20:11,252 --> 00:20:14,755
just a constant thorn in his
side and making things
493
00:20:14,755 --> 00:20:17,883
difficult to operate,
more so than usual.
494
00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:22,972
I don't think he
ever had any proof,
495
00:20:22,972 --> 00:20:24,515
and I don't know
how he would.
496
00:20:24,515 --> 00:20:26,350
But like I say,
it was stuff that
497
00:20:26,350 --> 00:20:28,227
never happened
until then.
498
00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:31,564
Vince was infiltrating
everybody's territory.
499
00:20:31,564 --> 00:20:35,901
Vince got the USA
Network time slot from
500
00:20:35,901 --> 00:20:38,028
Southwest Championship
Wrestling,
501
00:20:38,028 --> 00:20:40,614
another regional promotion
out of San Antonio.
502
00:20:40,614 --> 00:20:41,699
Ladies and gentlemen,
503
00:20:41,699 --> 00:20:43,576
the Southwest tag
team champions.
504
00:20:43,576 --> 00:20:45,286
They couldn't afford
the slot anymore,
505
00:20:45,286 --> 00:20:47,246
Vince jumped in
and took it.
506
00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:51,292
And All American Wrestling
debuted on the USA Network.
507
00:20:51,292 --> 00:20:53,586
He would call different
promoters and say,
508
00:20:53,586 --> 00:20:55,337
"Hey, I've got this
cable show now.
509
00:20:55,337 --> 00:20:58,591
If you'll send me tapes, then
I'll put your wrestlers on it
510
00:20:58,591 --> 00:21:01,635
and I'll get them over to a
whole new audience."
511
00:21:01,635 --> 00:21:04,388
But the people that he was
getting the tapes of and
512
00:21:04,388 --> 00:21:07,266
showing, are people that
he wanted to sign
513
00:21:07,266 --> 00:21:09,310
for the WWF.
514
00:21:09,310 --> 00:21:13,063
He gets the Junkyard Dog
from Mid-South Wrestling,
515
00:21:13,063 --> 00:21:15,691
he gets Steamboat
from the Carolinas.
516
00:21:15,691 --> 00:21:18,736
He got Kerry von Erich
in Dallas.
517
00:21:18,736 --> 00:21:23,032
He was buying out talent
from other areas.
518
00:21:23,032 --> 00:21:24,492
You know,
Hulk Hogan was,
519
00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:26,827
was on top in the
AWA for Verne,
520
00:21:26,827 --> 00:21:29,622
and all of a sudden
he went to New York.
521
00:21:29,622 --> 00:21:31,582
Hulk Hogan shows up
522
00:21:31,582 --> 00:21:34,919
to win the WWF championship
523
00:21:34,919 --> 00:21:38,964
from the Iron Sheik in
Madison Square Garden.
524
00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:42,134
Now Vince has the superhero
525
00:21:42,134 --> 00:21:44,136
on the top of his cards that
526
00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:47,223
he wants to put in every
arena in the country and
527
00:21:47,223 --> 00:21:51,227
all over television, to lead
his national expansion.
528
00:21:51,227 --> 00:21:54,104
He knew that if you
controlled television,
529
00:21:54,104 --> 00:21:58,567
you would control the source
of distribution for all the
530
00:21:58,567 --> 00:22:01,695
wrestling programs and
all the top wrestlers.
531
00:22:01,695 --> 00:22:03,614
Oh! [Laughing]
532
00:22:03,614 --> 00:22:05,824
And that's what he
wanted to corner.
533
00:22:05,824 --> 00:22:07,409
Everything had been
done a certain way,
534
00:22:07,409 --> 00:22:08,827
and now everything
was different.
535
00:22:08,827 --> 00:22:11,413
And Vince was public
enemy number one.
536
00:22:11,413 --> 00:22:12,748
Some of the promoters
in there talking,
537
00:22:12,748 --> 00:22:14,625
"What if we put a hit
on the guy"? You know?
538
00:22:14,625 --> 00:22:18,462
And, you know,
it's a wild story. Um...
539
00:22:18,462 --> 00:22:21,298
I don't doubt that it's true
at all because, you know,
540
00:22:21,298 --> 00:22:24,009
like, these are, these
are bad dudes, just like,
541
00:22:24,009 --> 00:22:26,345
you know, Vince was
breaking the rules.
542
00:22:26,345 --> 00:22:28,847
Through Barnett's
calculated maneuvering,
543
00:22:28,847 --> 00:22:31,267
Vince has seized TV time
from promotions
544
00:22:31,267 --> 00:22:32,893
across the country,
545
00:22:32,893 --> 00:22:34,937
but one remains
for the taking...
546
00:22:34,937 --> 00:22:36,730
Georgia Championship
Wrestling,
547
00:22:36,730 --> 00:22:40,776
and its nationwide
slot on WTBS.
548
00:22:40,776 --> 00:22:43,779
And when Barnett comes to
him with a grudge against
549
00:22:43,779 --> 00:22:48,576
Ole Anderson, who has
the widest distribution
550
00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:51,662
of any television
program in wrestling,
551
00:22:51,662 --> 00:22:53,914
and Barnett says to Vince,
552
00:22:53,914 --> 00:22:55,958
"I think I can
get it for you."
553
00:22:55,958 --> 00:22:57,751
And that's all he
needed to hear.
554
00:22:57,751 --> 00:23:01,213
If he could take over
and control television
555
00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:04,174
across the country,
then he could take over
556
00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:06,093
every territory
in the country.
557
00:23:12,933 --> 00:23:14,768
While Vince McMahon
scoops up talent and
558
00:23:14,768 --> 00:23:17,896
TV spots from territories
across the country,
559
00:23:17,896 --> 00:23:20,566
Ole Anderson tries to
hold Georgia Championship
560
00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:24,111
Wrestling together by
any means necessary.
561
00:23:24,111 --> 00:23:26,572
Maybe Ole thought he could do
everything at that point in
562
00:23:26,572 --> 00:23:30,618
time, but Georgia Wrestling,
it still had the reputation,
563
00:23:30,618 --> 00:23:33,454
but the product was
starting to suffer.
564
00:23:33,454 --> 00:23:36,165
Yeah, I think he was trying
to run a business with,
565
00:23:36,165 --> 00:23:38,542
you know,
second tier guys,
566
00:23:38,542 --> 00:23:40,002
people that
weren't gonna draw.
567
00:23:40,002 --> 00:23:42,046
I mean, he'd employed
just about everybody
568
00:23:42,046 --> 00:23:43,964
in the business at one
point or another,
569
00:23:43,964 --> 00:23:47,301
and it was those guys who
were now working for Vince
570
00:23:47,301 --> 00:23:50,262
in WWF and becoming
his superstars,
571
00:23:50,262 --> 00:23:51,805
leaving my father just
572
00:23:51,805 --> 00:23:53,390
scratching around
for leftovers.
573
00:23:53,390 --> 00:23:56,018
And that just wasn't
gonna sell tickets.
574
00:23:56,018 --> 00:23:58,687
Ole had changed the
concept where
575
00:23:58,687 --> 00:24:01,649
we weren't bringing in a
lot of outside talent.
576
00:24:01,649 --> 00:24:04,860
Our live events were not
drawing the money because
577
00:24:04,860 --> 00:24:06,862
we weren't spending the
money on the talent that
578
00:24:06,862 --> 00:24:08,697
we were spending
on before.
579
00:24:08,697 --> 00:24:12,701
And the top guys quit wanting
to come to our territory.
580
00:24:12,701 --> 00:24:14,995
And we, we were actually
getting phone calls from
581
00:24:14,995 --> 00:24:17,039
some of the top talent
around the country,
582
00:24:17,039 --> 00:24:19,875
"Hey, what's going on?
You better watch Ole."
583
00:24:19,875 --> 00:24:21,877
And not only took
their word for it,
584
00:24:21,877 --> 00:24:24,046
but were out there
on several big shows and
585
00:24:24,046 --> 00:24:27,591
experienced that payoffs
weren't the same.
586
00:24:27,591 --> 00:24:30,260
Frustrated that their
investment is no longer
587
00:24:30,260 --> 00:24:32,596
paying dividends,
the Briscos decide
588
00:24:32,596 --> 00:24:35,683
Ole isn't cut out to
manage the company.
589
00:24:35,683 --> 00:24:38,227
But in order to push out Ole,
they will have to get
590
00:24:38,227 --> 00:24:40,354
their fellow
shareholders to agree
591
00:24:40,354 --> 00:24:42,439
with a majority vote.
592
00:24:42,439 --> 00:24:44,650
We called a
stockholder's meeting,
593
00:24:44,650 --> 00:24:48,195
because we were gonna take
over Ole's dictatorship and,
594
00:24:48,195 --> 00:24:49,863
and, and do
it ourselves.
595
00:24:49,863 --> 00:24:52,741
And we flew into town
early, met with the lawyers,
596
00:24:52,741 --> 00:24:54,284
and the lawyers said,
"Guys, you can't do this
597
00:24:54,284 --> 00:24:55,994
stockholders' meeting,
it's illegal."
598
00:24:55,994 --> 00:24:57,663
Because we didn't
state a purpose.
599
00:24:57,663 --> 00:24:59,498
The meeting got
put off, of course,
600
00:24:59,498 --> 00:25:02,251
so we went back to the hotel
and wanted to drown
601
00:25:02,251 --> 00:25:04,586
our sorrows, so we were
sitting in the hotel bar,
602
00:25:04,586 --> 00:25:07,589
and who all of a sudden
showed up in this bar?
603
00:25:07,589 --> 00:25:09,508
Is Ole Anderson.
604
00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:11,885
His purpose, track us down
to find out what the hell
605
00:25:11,885 --> 00:25:14,138
we were planning
on doing.
606
00:25:14,138 --> 00:25:15,973
And we weren't shy,
we laid out,
607
00:25:15,973 --> 00:25:17,850
"We're here to take
you out of office."
608
00:25:17,850 --> 00:25:20,227
♪
609
00:25:20,227 --> 00:25:23,522
They want to know how much
money there is in the bank.
610
00:25:23,522 --> 00:25:27,526
He tells them, "Well,
why can't you pay it out"?
611
00:25:27,526 --> 00:25:30,195
And so I'm sure for the
hundredth time he tries to
612
00:25:30,195 --> 00:25:33,115
explain to them how you
have got to have some
613
00:25:33,115 --> 00:25:35,409
operating capital to
run this business.
614
00:25:35,409 --> 00:25:37,828
You know, "I've got to
pay deposits on buildings,
615
00:25:37,828 --> 00:25:39,329
I've got to pay
for advertising,
616
00:25:39,329 --> 00:25:41,331
I got to buy plane tickets.
617
00:25:41,331 --> 00:25:43,542
Once we get another
100,000 in the bank,
618
00:25:43,542 --> 00:25:45,586
then I'll write the
dividend cheques.
619
00:25:45,586 --> 00:25:49,506
Of course, I want to,
I'll get one too."
620
00:25:49,506 --> 00:25:52,217
And we were done drinking
as much as we could drink,
621
00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:55,888
and argued as much as we
could argue, and, Ole,
622
00:25:55,888 --> 00:25:58,015
"I'll come up to the room with
ya I got a deal for yas."
623
00:25:58,015 --> 00:26:00,976
"Okay, we'll listen to
one last pitch."
624
00:26:00,976 --> 00:26:03,395
Ole said: "Well, you ever
watched The Godfather?"
625
00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:05,689
Yeah. Well, I got this deal
with you, if you guys agree.
626
00:26:05,689 --> 00:26:06,940
Let's do a blood oath
627
00:26:06,940 --> 00:26:09,943
so we're all on
the same page."
628
00:26:09,943 --> 00:26:13,739
The deal was if anybody
was gonna sell stock
629
00:26:13,739 --> 00:26:17,034
they had to offer it to the
other shareholders in
630
00:26:17,034 --> 00:26:19,328
Georgia Championship
Wrestling first,
631
00:26:19,328 --> 00:26:21,413
before they could sell it
to anybody else.
632
00:26:21,413 --> 00:26:23,749
♪
633
00:26:23,749 --> 00:26:25,876
And my dad has a
little pocketknife,
634
00:26:25,876 --> 00:26:28,879
sticks it in his head, gigs
it down, gets some colour.
635
00:26:28,879 --> 00:26:31,924
♪
636
00:26:31,924 --> 00:26:34,301
And they look at him
like, "Oh my God!
637
00:26:34,301 --> 00:26:36,595
What's wrong with you"?
638
00:26:36,595 --> 00:26:39,348
Ole, my word means
more than blood.
639
00:26:39,348 --> 00:26:40,766
I mean,
you know, to me.
640
00:26:40,766 --> 00:26:42,935
I mean, if I give you my word,
I'm gonna live up to it.
641
00:26:42,935 --> 00:26:46,939
I don't need these
little gimmicks to, to,
642
00:26:46,939 --> 00:26:50,234
to certify my,
my honesty.
643
00:26:50,234 --> 00:26:52,486
Probably took him about
10 minutes to convince
644
00:26:52,486 --> 00:26:54,238
Jack and I to do
the same thing.
645
00:26:54,238 --> 00:26:57,241
[Laughing]
646
00:26:57,241 --> 00:26:59,284
So that was the Ole
solution to our problem.
647
00:26:59,284 --> 00:27:00,494
You know, let's cut
ourselves and
648
00:27:00,494 --> 00:27:02,579
bleed on each other.
649
00:27:02,579 --> 00:27:05,207
My dad was such a man
of his word that
650
00:27:05,207 --> 00:27:06,917
if he shook your hand and
said he was gonna
651
00:27:06,917 --> 00:27:09,545
do anything,
he would do it.
652
00:27:09,545 --> 00:27:11,630
He just, he believed
people because,
653
00:27:11,630 --> 00:27:15,175
you know, he,
he would never tell a lie.
654
00:27:15,175 --> 00:27:17,302
As part of the
blood oath agreement,
655
00:27:17,302 --> 00:27:20,305
the Briscos will focus on
increasing ticket sales
656
00:27:20,305 --> 00:27:22,683
in exchange for
regular payouts.
657
00:27:22,683 --> 00:27:25,519
But the deal doesn't
last for long.
658
00:27:25,519 --> 00:27:27,396
So, first one to break the
oath was Ole 'cause
659
00:27:27,396 --> 00:27:30,232
he quit paying us what he
agreed to pay us, so...
660
00:27:30,232 --> 00:27:32,693
we felt that we, we had
an open waters there
661
00:27:32,693 --> 00:27:34,444
to do what we
wanted to do.
662
00:27:34,444 --> 00:27:37,281
That lit a fire under us that
if we stick in this situation
663
00:27:37,281 --> 00:27:40,826
too much longer, we're not
gonna have anything.
664
00:27:40,826 --> 00:27:42,494
Desperate to cash out,
665
00:27:42,494 --> 00:27:44,413
the Briscos begin
shopping their shares
666
00:27:44,413 --> 00:27:46,290
outside of the company,
667
00:27:46,290 --> 00:27:49,835
starting with Jim Barnett,
who turns them down.
668
00:27:49,835 --> 00:27:52,004
Knowing the Briscos
are looking to sell,
669
00:27:52,004 --> 00:27:55,132
Barnett knows someone
who wants to buy...
670
00:27:55,132 --> 00:27:57,509
Vince McMahon.
671
00:27:57,509 --> 00:27:59,219
So Vince flew us
up to LaGuardia,
672
00:27:59,219 --> 00:28:01,013
and still to this day
I'll rib Vince about
673
00:28:01,013 --> 00:28:04,850
flying us up coach.
[Laughing]
674
00:28:04,850 --> 00:28:08,562
We met at LaGuardia
Airport. He said,
675
00:28:08,562 --> 00:28:12,190
"Can you guys deliver me
51% of the territory"?
676
00:28:12,190 --> 00:28:16,653
And I looked at him and
I said, "Yes, sir, I can."
677
00:28:16,653 --> 00:28:19,239
I had to make
a call to Jim Barnett.
678
00:28:19,239 --> 00:28:21,783
Jim Barnett knew
everybody that
679
00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:23,952
owned a piece of Georgia.
680
00:28:23,952 --> 00:28:26,163
Jim Barnett knew who they
liked, who they didn't like,
681
00:28:26,163 --> 00:28:28,624
what they were mad about,
what their weak spots were,
682
00:28:28,624 --> 00:28:31,043
whatever the case.
All Jim Barnett had to do
683
00:28:31,043 --> 00:28:33,879
was point Vince McMahon
in the right direction,
684
00:28:33,879 --> 00:28:36,340
not only at the Briscos
but anybody else.
685
00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:38,133
Or, talked to
them himself.
686
00:28:38,133 --> 00:28:40,552
He could make you do
something you didn't
687
00:28:40,552 --> 00:28:43,305
want to do, and by the
time he was finished,
688
00:28:43,305 --> 00:28:45,432
you'd think it
was your idea.
689
00:28:45,432 --> 00:28:47,893
In the end of the
negotiations and
690
00:28:47,893 --> 00:28:50,270
all the transactions,
Vince ended up owning
691
00:28:50,270 --> 00:28:51,772
67 and a half percent of
692
00:28:51,772 --> 00:28:53,315
Georgia Championship
Wrestling.
693
00:28:53,315 --> 00:28:54,566
[Thundering]
694
00:28:54,566 --> 00:28:56,568
Which of course also
held the contract for
695
00:28:56,568 --> 00:28:59,655
the television
program on TBS.
696
00:28:59,655 --> 00:29:02,407
There was an agreement in
the articles of incorporation
697
00:29:02,407 --> 00:29:04,534
that before anybody
was to sell, they had to
698
00:29:04,534 --> 00:29:07,412
first offer it to one of
the other stockholders.
699
00:29:07,412 --> 00:29:10,582
And he was told repeatedly
by the attorneys that
700
00:29:10,582 --> 00:29:12,793
that was going
to protect him.
701
00:29:12,793 --> 00:29:14,795
Well, it turned out
not to be true.
702
00:29:22,803 --> 00:29:24,763
Behind the back
of Ole Anderson,
703
00:29:24,763 --> 00:29:26,598
the Briscos align
with Jim Barnett
704
00:29:26,598 --> 00:29:28,809
to give Vince McMahon
control of
705
00:29:28,809 --> 00:29:30,852
Georgia Championship
Wrestling,
706
00:29:30,852 --> 00:29:34,856
a move that will forever
reshape the industry.
707
00:29:34,856 --> 00:29:37,401
In March of 1984,
708
00:29:37,401 --> 00:29:40,404
my grandmother passed
away very suddenly.
709
00:29:40,404 --> 00:29:43,365
My father and I go up to
Minnesota, Wisconsin
710
00:29:43,365 --> 00:29:44,616
and take care of
the arrangements
711
00:29:44,616 --> 00:29:46,118
and family business.
712
00:29:46,118 --> 00:29:47,953
He gets a call
from the office,
713
00:29:47,953 --> 00:29:50,497
I think it was Louise
who called him.
714
00:29:50,497 --> 00:29:52,416
I was in my office and the
door opens and
715
00:29:52,416 --> 00:29:55,669
Vince walks in.
"Good morning."
716
00:29:55,669 --> 00:30:00,549
Ah... "I now own
the company."
717
00:30:00,549 --> 00:30:02,592
So I called Ole,
718
00:30:02,592 --> 00:30:07,055
and told him that Vince
had stole the company.
719
00:30:07,055 --> 00:30:09,224
I thought it
was real sneaky.
720
00:30:09,224 --> 00:30:13,603
It's not that they did it,
it's just how they did it.
721
00:30:13,603 --> 00:30:16,273
He and I got on a
plane right away.
722
00:30:16,273 --> 00:30:18,525
He parked me at a
hotel in Atlanta.
723
00:30:18,525 --> 00:30:20,235
He immediately met
with the lawyers,
724
00:30:20,235 --> 00:30:22,779
they filed for injunctions,
and they fought for three
725
00:30:22,779 --> 00:30:25,282
or four months before it
was finally all over,
726
00:30:25,282 --> 00:30:26,700
that he wanted to
stop Vince from
727
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:29,453
taking over Georgia
Championship.
728
00:30:29,453 --> 00:30:32,748
With Ole's legal efforts to
block the takeover thwarted,
729
00:30:32,748 --> 00:30:36,460
all that's left for
him to do is concede.
730
00:30:36,460 --> 00:30:39,963
There was a deal in the
bylaws for our corporation
731
00:30:39,963 --> 00:30:43,258
that said, "If a majority of
the stockholders decide to
732
00:30:43,258 --> 00:30:45,635
change all the damn rules
that are written up here,
733
00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:47,012
they can do that."
734
00:30:47,012 --> 00:30:48,180
And they just changed
all the rules that
735
00:30:48,180 --> 00:30:50,390
we'd been
going by for years.
736
00:30:50,390 --> 00:30:52,059
So we lost it because
Barnett was smart enough
737
00:30:52,059 --> 00:30:53,143
to realize that he
could have done it.
738
00:30:53,143 --> 00:30:54,811
And I didn't,
didn't know.
739
00:30:54,811 --> 00:30:57,773
I can remember the Saturday
morning TV at TBS studios,
740
00:30:57,773 --> 00:31:00,358
Vince McMahon is
in the building.
741
00:31:00,358 --> 00:31:01,651
It's the only time that I've
ever been in the
742
00:31:01,651 --> 00:31:03,862
same room as
Vince McMahon to this day.
743
00:31:03,862 --> 00:31:06,490
But from there,
the fight was on.
744
00:31:06,490 --> 00:31:09,659
Vince was still at that
point trying to talk to Ole,
745
00:31:09,659 --> 00:31:12,037
because Vince is a guy that's
used to getting his own way
746
00:31:12,037 --> 00:31:13,914
and used to being able
to talk people into
747
00:31:13,914 --> 00:31:15,791
anything he
wants them to do.
748
00:31:15,791 --> 00:31:17,292
I think, you know,
Vince would say,
749
00:31:17,292 --> 00:31:18,960
"Ole, Ole, I'll give
you a job."
750
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:20,629
You know, tried to tell
him over and over,
751
00:31:20,629 --> 00:31:23,507
"It's just business.
It's just business."
752
00:31:23,507 --> 00:31:27,385
Vince says, "Ole, I'd like
you to meet my wife, Linda."
753
00:31:27,385 --> 00:31:30,263
Well my dad, in typical
fashion, responds,
754
00:31:30,263 --> 00:31:31,890
"You know what"?
755
00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:33,892
"---- you and ---- Linda"!
756
00:31:33,892 --> 00:31:36,353
♪
757
00:31:36,353 --> 00:31:39,314
Despite Ole's fury,
few outside the company
758
00:31:39,314 --> 00:31:41,942
are even aware of the
change in ownership.
759
00:31:41,942 --> 00:31:45,570
Until Vince McMahon
takes to the airwaves.
760
00:31:45,570 --> 00:31:47,656
So I go in there on this
particular Saturday,
761
00:31:47,656 --> 00:31:48,990
and there's this guy
standing there with
762
00:31:48,990 --> 00:31:51,118
his arms folded,
making this face.
763
00:31:51,118 --> 00:31:53,578
♪
764
00:31:53,578 --> 00:31:58,500
As it turns out, the man
was Vincent K. McMahon.
765
00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:00,877
None of the, none of the
talent knew anything.
766
00:32:00,877 --> 00:32:02,170
That was all
interoffice stuff.
767
00:32:02,170 --> 00:32:03,839
Nobody knew who sold
the what or who was
768
00:32:03,839 --> 00:32:05,507
on what side
or nothing.
769
00:32:05,507 --> 00:32:08,051
The camera guys and all them,
they didn't have a clue.
770
00:32:08,051 --> 00:32:11,179
I got a call, was told
not to come to TV,
771
00:32:11,179 --> 00:32:13,765
that we weren't going
to be taping that day.
772
00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:15,767
I didn't go to TV on
Saturday, that Saturday,
773
00:32:15,767 --> 00:32:18,937
because I had
just gotten fired.
774
00:32:18,937 --> 00:32:22,023
Vince had a meeting with all
the talent that was here,
775
00:32:22,023 --> 00:32:24,734
and he said, "None of you
have jobs anymore."
776
00:32:24,734 --> 00:32:27,154
He said, "If we want to use
you, we'll contact you."
777
00:32:27,154 --> 00:32:29,156
And that was it.
It was over.
778
00:32:29,156 --> 00:32:30,949
♪
779
00:32:30,949 --> 00:32:32,659
The wrestling
program on TBS
780
00:32:32,659 --> 00:32:34,786
had been an
institution for years.
781
00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:36,746
Every wrestling fan that
was able to get cable
782
00:32:36,746 --> 00:32:38,915
at that point in time,
is gonna watch
783
00:32:38,915 --> 00:32:41,209
Georgia Wrestling
every Saturday.
784
00:32:41,209 --> 00:32:43,670
July 14th, 1984,
785
00:32:43,670 --> 00:32:46,631
they turn on World
Championship Wrestling,
786
00:32:46,631 --> 00:32:48,633
and they didn't
see Gordon Solie,
787
00:32:48,633 --> 00:32:50,385
they see Freddy Miller.
788
00:32:50,385 --> 00:32:51,678
Hello, everybody,
and welcome to
789
00:32:51,678 --> 00:32:53,388
World Championship
Wrestling.
790
00:32:53,388 --> 00:32:56,141
Freddy Miller introduced
Vince McMahon.
791
00:32:56,141 --> 00:32:58,268
Here's Vince McMahon.
Vince.
792
00:32:58,268 --> 00:32:59,644
Thank you very much,
Freddy.
793
00:32:59,644 --> 00:33:02,063
When Freddy Miller
introduced Vince,
794
00:33:02,063 --> 00:33:04,941
and then,
just the silence of
795
00:33:04,941 --> 00:33:06,735
the dead airtime,
you know.
796
00:33:06,735 --> 00:33:09,654
No, no, no crowd,
not a fan, no nothing.
797
00:33:09,654 --> 00:33:11,531
Let's take you now to
Minneapolis and
798
00:33:11,531 --> 00:33:13,533
Jesse 'The Body' Ventura.
799
00:33:13,533 --> 00:33:16,578
They started showing
videotapes of matches from
800
00:33:16,578 --> 00:33:19,122
other WWF television
programs and
801
00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:22,083
other WWF arenas
and TV shoots.
802
00:33:22,083 --> 00:33:23,585
One of the many
stars here in the
803
00:33:23,585 --> 00:33:25,170
World Wrestling Federation.
804
00:33:25,170 --> 00:33:27,505
The fans of
Georgia Wrestling,
805
00:33:27,505 --> 00:33:29,257
they practically rioted.
806
00:33:29,257 --> 00:33:32,219
[Phones ringing]
807
00:33:32,219 --> 00:33:35,597
They were just bombarding
the TBS switchboards.
808
00:33:35,597 --> 00:33:37,432
"We want our wrastlin'."
809
00:33:37,432 --> 00:33:39,601
Tommy Wildfire has
just exploded on the...!
810
00:33:39,601 --> 00:33:41,269
Georgia Wrestling was a
lot different than
811
00:33:41,269 --> 00:33:43,146
Vince's wrestling.
812
00:33:43,146 --> 00:33:46,024
Vince brought his style
down here and I don't think,
813
00:33:46,024 --> 00:33:48,193
I don't think they bought
it or didn't, you know,
814
00:33:48,193 --> 00:33:51,279
just didn't like it, 'cause
it wasn't homeboys, you know.
815
00:33:51,279 --> 00:33:53,490
So I think,
I think, ah...
816
00:33:53,490 --> 00:33:56,117
they just wasn't buying
what he was selling.
817
00:33:56,117 --> 00:33:58,453
He didn't want the Georgia
Wrestling territory.
818
00:33:58,453 --> 00:34:00,830
All he wanted
was that TV.
819
00:34:00,830 --> 00:34:02,624
I'm getting excited
because I'm seeing
820
00:34:02,624 --> 00:34:04,709
a new future starting
to be made.
821
00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:07,087
I called it 'Green Saturday'
because it
822
00:34:07,087 --> 00:34:09,547
changed my, my,
my fortune.
823
00:34:09,547 --> 00:34:13,718
But obviously a lot of fans
that were fan, true fans,
824
00:34:13,718 --> 00:34:15,553
of Georgia Championship
Wrestling didn't see it
825
00:34:15,553 --> 00:34:18,473
the same way I saw it.
826
00:34:18,473 --> 00:34:21,393
Ousted from the promotion
he helped build,
827
00:34:21,393 --> 00:34:24,688
Ole makes no secret
of his resentment.
828
00:34:24,688 --> 00:34:27,107
If Jack and Jerry
had agreed with him
829
00:34:27,107 --> 00:34:28,858
to wait things out
a few more months,
830
00:34:28,858 --> 00:34:31,319
and then taken advantage
of the time when
831
00:34:31,319 --> 00:34:34,489
he's dealing with his
mother's funeral
832
00:34:34,489 --> 00:34:38,034
to sell out behind his back,
I think that that would have
833
00:34:38,034 --> 00:34:41,037
really impacted his
opinion, strongly,
834
00:34:41,037 --> 00:34:43,331
for quite a while,
to the negative.
835
00:34:43,331 --> 00:34:47,210
And I was pissed at
The Briscos, and um...
836
00:34:47,210 --> 00:34:48,837
they got whatever
money they got.
837
00:34:48,837 --> 00:34:51,298
Ole had supposedly hired
an armed guard to
838
00:34:51,298 --> 00:34:54,134
stand there and actually
do bodily harm to us
839
00:34:54,134 --> 00:34:55,677
if we tried to get
in the office.
840
00:34:55,677 --> 00:34:58,096
Not the promoter,
but Paul Jones,
841
00:34:58,096 --> 00:34:59,806
the old wrestler,
called and said,
842
00:34:59,806 --> 00:35:01,266
"There's supposedly
a hitman
843
00:35:01,266 --> 00:35:03,560
out on you guys
for two days.
844
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,479
Be very careful where you go
and who you associate with,
845
00:35:06,479 --> 00:35:08,815
because I think
it's real."
846
00:35:15,655 --> 00:35:18,325
Ole Anderson is on the
hunt for revenge as
847
00:35:18,325 --> 00:35:20,994
rumours circulate about
a potential plot to
848
00:35:20,994 --> 00:35:23,496
have the Briscos killed.
849
00:35:23,496 --> 00:35:25,498
We waited the two days,
nothing happened to us,
850
00:35:25,498 --> 00:35:26,791
and we threw one of
the biggest parties
851
00:35:26,791 --> 00:35:28,084
we ever thrown.
852
00:35:29,836 --> 00:35:33,006
No. First of all, he would have
never got rid of the money.
853
00:35:33,006 --> 00:35:35,050
And secondly,
he'd 'a done it himself.
854
00:35:35,050 --> 00:35:36,301
[Laughing]
855
00:35:36,301 --> 00:35:37,635
He would have never
asked anybody else to
856
00:35:37,635 --> 00:35:40,430
do it, he would have been
glad to do it hisself.
857
00:35:40,430 --> 00:35:43,058
The only negative way that
I think it affected us
858
00:35:43,058 --> 00:35:45,727
is the loss of friendship
and the negative things
859
00:35:45,727 --> 00:35:47,354
that were
said about me.
860
00:35:47,354 --> 00:35:49,147
The threats that brother
and I got during
861
00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:51,483
this time frame too
was phenomenal.
862
00:35:51,483 --> 00:35:54,235
I mean, our families were
receiving phone calls,
863
00:35:54,235 --> 00:35:56,780
you know, that we were
no good backstabbers.
864
00:35:56,780 --> 00:35:59,741
It was a very rough deal.
865
00:35:59,741 --> 00:36:02,243
Determined to keep the spirit
of Georgia Championship
866
00:36:02,243 --> 00:36:05,330
Wrestling alive,
Ole sells his shares and
867
00:36:05,330 --> 00:36:07,791
starts his own promotion.
868
00:36:07,791 --> 00:36:09,084
Ole was able to
work out a deal.
869
00:36:09,084 --> 00:36:10,460
He called up Vince
and said,
870
00:36:10,460 --> 00:36:12,420
"Vince, I'm gonna sell
you my piece too."
871
00:36:12,420 --> 00:36:14,923
Which, you know, I guess,
thank you, Vince.
872
00:36:14,923 --> 00:36:17,759
Because Vince could very
easily have just said,
873
00:36:17,759 --> 00:36:19,469
"Okay, I'm closing up,
874
00:36:19,469 --> 00:36:21,471
your shares
aren't worth anything."
875
00:36:21,471 --> 00:36:23,932
Ole went to Ted Turner
directly and he said,
876
00:36:23,932 --> 00:36:26,726
"Hey! The people want to see
the Georgia Wrestling
877
00:36:26,726 --> 00:36:28,728
and the Georgia wrestlers,
and I've got them.
878
00:36:28,728 --> 00:36:31,022
Give me another
time slot."
879
00:36:31,022 --> 00:36:34,192
And when I went to
Ted Turner later on I said,
880
00:36:34,192 --> 00:36:36,069
"Who do you think's been
running this damn thing
881
00:36:36,069 --> 00:36:38,822
for the last eight,
nine years? Me!"
882
00:36:38,822 --> 00:36:41,741
So he gave Ole Saturday
morning at 7:30.
883
00:36:41,741 --> 00:36:44,911
And a very spirited crowd
here today at the
884
00:36:44,911 --> 00:36:47,622
WTBS sports arena,
where we're very proud
885
00:36:47,622 --> 00:36:48,832
to bring you once again
886
00:36:48,832 --> 00:36:51,126
Championship Wrestling
from Georgia.
887
00:36:51,126 --> 00:36:53,294
While Ole attempts
to mount a comeback,
888
00:36:53,294 --> 00:36:56,673
Vince is struggling to
connect with Georgia viewers.
889
00:36:56,673 --> 00:36:58,591
They were used to seeing
a certain style and
890
00:36:58,591 --> 00:37:00,343
it wasn't something that
they'd seen before.
891
00:37:00,343 --> 00:37:01,928
They didn't know
who these guys were.
892
00:37:01,928 --> 00:37:03,096
They didn't care.
893
00:37:03,096 --> 00:37:05,223
They were looking for
the people they knew.
894
00:37:05,223 --> 00:37:07,267
Vince is getting
crowded out of
895
00:37:07,267 --> 00:37:09,269
the Saturday
nighttime slot.
896
00:37:09,269 --> 00:37:10,603
Turner's on his ass.
897
00:37:10,603 --> 00:37:12,313
It's not doing him
the good that
898
00:37:12,313 --> 00:37:13,773
he thought it
was gonna do him.
899
00:37:13,773 --> 00:37:15,275
This is one of the
first and only
900
00:37:15,275 --> 00:37:18,278
Vince McMahon
complete failures.
901
00:37:18,278 --> 00:37:21,823
Looking to offload his
valuable WTBS time slot,
902
00:37:21,823 --> 00:37:24,367
McMahon once again
turns to Jim Barnett
903
00:37:24,367 --> 00:37:25,994
to land a deal.
904
00:37:25,994 --> 00:37:28,371
Barnett finds a buyer in
one of McMahon's
905
00:37:28,371 --> 00:37:30,290
other major competitors,
906
00:37:30,290 --> 00:37:32,375
Jim Crockett Promotions.
907
00:37:34,627 --> 00:37:37,755
One year. Turner was gonna
kick Vince off as soon as
908
00:37:37,755 --> 00:37:39,799
he legally could,
and so Barnett
909
00:37:39,799 --> 00:37:41,259
opened the door to Crockett.
910
00:37:41,259 --> 00:37:43,052
You know that TBS
time slot, it's...
911
00:37:43,052 --> 00:37:45,138
at the time it probably
sounded like a great deal.
912
00:37:45,138 --> 00:37:47,891
Vince will sell
the time slot
913
00:37:47,891 --> 00:37:50,977
on Saturday night on TBS to
914
00:37:50,977 --> 00:37:53,855
Jim Crockett Promotions,
and Vince McMahon
915
00:37:53,855 --> 00:37:56,191
would get a million dollars,
916
00:37:56,191 --> 00:37:59,027
and everybody becomes
happy with that.
917
00:37:59,027 --> 00:38:02,489
So, with Barnett putting
all the pieces together,
918
00:38:02,489 --> 00:38:06,367
Vince McMahon temporarily
monopolizes cable TV
919
00:38:06,367 --> 00:38:08,161
wrestling in the
United States,
920
00:38:08,161 --> 00:38:12,749
but is a failure at that,
so he uses that flop to
921
00:38:12,749 --> 00:38:15,585
make money to
finance WrestleMania.
922
00:38:15,585 --> 00:38:17,378
♪
923
00:38:17,378 --> 00:38:19,589
Where he then started on
the road to put
924
00:38:19,589 --> 00:38:22,550
every other promoter
out of business.
925
00:38:22,550 --> 00:38:26,721
The wrestling extravaganza
of all time, WrestleMania.
926
00:38:26,721 --> 00:38:28,097
All in that 80s period,
927
00:38:28,097 --> 00:38:29,432
that's where he
got the big jump.
928
00:38:29,432 --> 00:38:32,185
WWE became the name
brand of pro wrestling,
929
00:38:32,185 --> 00:38:33,686
and he's got Cyndi Lauper,
he's building up
930
00:38:33,686 --> 00:38:35,355
WrestleMania,
Hulk Hogan's getting big,
931
00:38:35,355 --> 00:38:39,567
and, and he's just shooting
way past everybody else.
932
00:38:39,567 --> 00:38:40,652
And they don't, they
don't have the outlet
933
00:38:40,652 --> 00:38:44,072
to compete with him.
934
00:38:44,072 --> 00:38:46,449
Black Saturday forever
altered the trajectory
935
00:38:46,449 --> 00:38:49,035
of the wrestling business,
something no one
936
00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:52,205
understood better
than Ole Anderson.
937
00:38:52,205 --> 00:38:55,250
It was almost like he had
just cleared his desk off and
938
00:38:55,250 --> 00:38:57,794
scraped everything
into it.
939
00:38:57,794 --> 00:38:59,504
Honestly, the state
my father is in today,
940
00:38:59,504 --> 00:39:01,923
I don't know that he can
hate anybody, sadly enough.
941
00:39:01,923 --> 00:39:06,135
But I think he held a grudge
against Vince for a long time.
942
00:39:06,135 --> 00:39:09,138
I'm just trying to
see what I got here.
943
00:39:09,138 --> 00:39:11,891
Bill Watts, himself a
pioneering promoter in
944
00:39:11,891 --> 00:39:14,519
Mid-South Wrestling,
writes a letter to Ole
945
00:39:14,519 --> 00:39:18,022
in 1987, reflecting upon
the significance
946
00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:19,899
of Black Saturday.
947
00:39:19,899 --> 00:39:21,901
"Dear Ole. I know actions
and words once
948
00:39:21,901 --> 00:39:24,362
said or done
cannot be recalled.
949
00:39:24,362 --> 00:39:27,073
You were seeing the beginning
of the metamorphosis of
950
00:39:27,073 --> 00:39:29,784
change of the very
fibre of our business,
951
00:39:29,784 --> 00:39:32,745
all precipitated by
McMahon, in my opinion.
952
00:39:32,745 --> 00:39:35,915
I certainly agree, his legacy
will be the destruction
953
00:39:35,915 --> 00:39:40,461
of an industry as we
know it, or knew it."
954
00:39:40,461 --> 00:39:42,880
After the Black
Saturday incident,
955
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,717
Barnett was Vince's
right hand man,
956
00:39:45,717 --> 00:39:49,554
but Barnett was still more
old-time wrestling and
957
00:39:49,554 --> 00:39:51,347
Vince wanted to be modern,
958
00:39:51,347 --> 00:39:54,142
and somewhere in
'87 they had a
959
00:39:54,142 --> 00:39:57,395
difference of opinion
and Vince let Barnett go.
960
00:40:04,736 --> 00:40:07,864
Jim Barnett only worked for
WWF for a fraction of
961
00:40:07,864 --> 00:40:10,408
his long career, but his
actions during the
962
00:40:10,408 --> 00:40:12,910
company's expansion
helped solidify a
963
00:40:12,910 --> 00:40:15,622
new way of doing
business in wrestling...
964
00:40:15,622 --> 00:40:17,415
The Vince McMahon way.
965
00:40:17,415 --> 00:40:20,084
Vince McMahon,
for 40 years,
966
00:40:20,084 --> 00:40:22,670
he made his
business based on
967
00:40:22,670 --> 00:40:26,966
taking TV time slots,
or companies,
968
00:40:26,966 --> 00:40:28,801
out from under people.
969
00:40:28,801 --> 00:40:30,511
Doing takeovers,
970
00:40:30,511 --> 00:40:33,139
buying stock,
issuing stock,
971
00:40:33,139 --> 00:40:36,934
public offering of the WWE
that made him a billionaire,
972
00:40:36,934 --> 00:40:39,938
but his downfall
eventually came
973
00:40:39,938 --> 00:40:41,814
through the same way.
974
00:40:41,814 --> 00:40:43,107
You know, there's an
old saying,
975
00:40:43,107 --> 00:40:46,402
'what goes around comes
around' and/or '---- around
976
00:40:46,402 --> 00:40:48,696
and ---- around pretty
soon you won't be around.'
977
00:40:48,696 --> 00:40:51,115
Well... Vince had...
978
00:40:51,115 --> 00:40:52,909
it came out in the Wall
Street Journal that he had
979
00:40:52,909 --> 00:40:55,244
allegations of paying
certain women off,
980
00:40:55,244 --> 00:40:57,872
you know, non-disclosure
agreements for infidelities,
981
00:40:57,872 --> 00:41:00,041
and, you know,
even worse.
982
00:41:00,041 --> 00:41:02,585
McMahon paid a
former employee
983
00:41:02,585 --> 00:41:06,089
$3 million to
keep her quiet.
984
00:41:06,089 --> 00:41:07,882
You take a picture
of Vincent McMahon,
985
00:41:07,882 --> 00:41:10,593
and that there is the
reason why there is
986
00:41:10,593 --> 00:41:13,971
a human resources
now in companies.
987
00:41:13,971 --> 00:41:16,641
[Chuckling] That is
the reason why.
988
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:20,395
As far as revolutionizing
our business, yes, he did.
989
00:41:20,395 --> 00:41:22,230
Is there a dark side
and a bad side?
990
00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:24,565
Yes, there
damn sure is.
991
00:41:24,565 --> 00:41:26,234
It was enough of an
embarrassment to
992
00:41:26,234 --> 00:41:28,528
the company that Vince
stepped down.
993
00:41:28,528 --> 00:41:31,781
They forced him out of the
company because
994
00:41:31,781 --> 00:41:33,616
his son-in-law and his
daughter and
995
00:41:33,616 --> 00:41:35,243
all these people that
he's worked with and
996
00:41:35,243 --> 00:41:37,120
trusted were saying,
"Vince, you got to go.
997
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,455
This is not gonna do the
stock price any good,
998
00:41:39,455 --> 00:41:40,957
it's not gonna do our
business any good.
999
00:41:40,957 --> 00:41:42,542
You got to step aside."
1000
00:41:42,542 --> 00:41:45,336
And the thing he learned
from the Georgia takeover,
1001
00:41:45,336 --> 00:41:49,465
he still owns 80%
of the company.
1002
00:41:49,465 --> 00:41:52,969
So, after six months,
1003
00:41:52,969 --> 00:41:56,305
then he comes back,
in a whirlwind of action.
1004
00:41:56,305 --> 00:41:58,474
Let me just say it. I've
made mistakes, obviously.
1005
00:41:58,474 --> 00:41:59,934
[Chuckling] You know,
both personally and
1006
00:41:59,934 --> 00:42:02,019
professionally through
my 50 year career.
1007
00:42:02,019 --> 00:42:03,479
I've owned up to every
single one of them
1008
00:42:03,479 --> 00:42:05,273
and then moved on.
1009
00:42:05,273 --> 00:42:07,108
And then announces,
"I'm coming back
1010
00:42:07,108 --> 00:42:09,485
because we're gonna sell
this son of a bitch."
1011
00:42:09,485 --> 00:42:12,405
And the time is right.
1012
00:42:12,405 --> 00:42:16,200
Endeavor announcing WWE and
UFC will combine to form
1013
00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:18,703
a $21 billion global
live sports and
1014
00:42:18,703 --> 00:42:20,121
entertainment company.
1015
00:42:20,121 --> 00:42:22,123
And that's what worries
all the wrestling fans.
1016
00:42:22,123 --> 00:42:23,541
Say what you
want about Vince,
1017
00:42:23,541 --> 00:42:25,293
at least it was the
family business,
1018
00:42:25,293 --> 00:42:27,503
he's done it
for 50 years.
1019
00:42:27,503 --> 00:42:29,922
Now, Endeavor.
1020
00:42:29,922 --> 00:42:33,301
What mental romantic
attachment
1021
00:42:33,301 --> 00:42:35,386
do they have to the
wrestling business?
1022
00:42:35,386 --> 00:42:37,722
To its history,
to keeping it alive?
1023
00:42:37,722 --> 00:42:39,932
We're gonna lose a
lot of history and
1024
00:42:39,932 --> 00:42:42,518
we're gonna lose the,
1025
00:42:42,518 --> 00:42:45,188
you know, the last vestige
of what old time
1026
00:42:45,188 --> 00:42:47,648
professional wrestling
was for 100 years.
1027
00:42:47,648 --> 00:42:50,026
I think Black Saturday was
kind of a tipping point
1028
00:42:50,026 --> 00:42:51,402
in the wrestling business.
1029
00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:55,531
That was the moment it
started to evolve away from
1030
00:42:55,531 --> 00:42:58,659
the wrestling business
and into show business.
1031
00:42:58,659 --> 00:43:02,038
Black Saturday in and
of itself wasn't
1032
00:43:02,038 --> 00:43:04,081
a ground-breaking
moment.
1033
00:43:04,081 --> 00:43:06,542
It was the canary
in the coal mine.
1034
00:43:06,542 --> 00:43:09,420
Vince McMahon put
anywhere from hundreds,
1035
00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:12,256
maybe thousands of
wrestlers out of work.
1036
00:43:17,386 --> 00:43:20,681
Maybe 3% of them.
1037
00:43:20,681 --> 00:43:24,435
The other 97% didn't
get to work anymore.
1038
00:43:24,435 --> 00:43:27,271
That's when all the
change is going on and
1039
00:43:27,271 --> 00:43:29,690
you can't go back.
I mean, that's life.
1040
00:43:29,690 --> 00:43:31,859
Just times change,
you know.
1041
00:43:31,859 --> 00:43:33,861
And I'm just holding
on to them 80s.
1042
00:43:33,861 --> 00:43:35,154
[Laughing]
1043
00:43:41,953 --> 00:43:43,830
I don't think they
blame the Briscos,
1044
00:43:43,830 --> 00:43:46,123
but they definitely
blame Vince.
1045
00:43:46,123 --> 00:43:49,961
But it was the move,
it was the move to make.
1046
00:43:49,961 --> 00:43:52,338
What killed the territories
was cable television.
1047
00:43:52,338 --> 00:43:53,673
And that would have been
with Vince McMahon
1048
00:43:53,673 --> 00:43:54,841
or without Vince McMahon.
1049
00:43:54,841 --> 00:43:56,217
If it wasn't Vince McMahon
going national,
1050
00:43:56,217 --> 00:43:58,135
it would have been Verne
Gagne or Jim Crockett,
1051
00:43:58,135 --> 00:44:00,721
and they wouldn't have
done as well as Vince did.
1052
00:44:00,721 --> 00:44:02,306
Somebody was gonna
be successful.
1053
00:44:02,306 --> 00:44:03,891
Wrestling wasn't
gonna go away,
1054
00:44:03,891 --> 00:44:05,101
but would they have
been as successful
1055
00:44:05,101 --> 00:44:07,520
as Vince McMahon was?
I'm gonna say no.