Death of the Territories

By (author): Tim Hornbaker

For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom.

Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late ’70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters. An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion national soon capitalized on the situation.

A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent. By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever.

Providing never-before-revealed information, Death of the Territories is a must-read for fans yearning to understand how McMahon outlasted his rivals and established the industry’s first national promotion. At the same time, it offers a comprehensive look at the promoters who opposed McMahon, focusing on their noteworthy power plays and embarrassing mistakes.

AUTHOR

Tim Hornbaker

Tim Hornbaker is the author of nine nonfiction books, including Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever and National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. He lives in Tamarac, Florida, with his wife, Jodi.


Reviews

“Tried-and-true wrestling fans will find lots to get excited about.” — Publishers Weekly


“Tim Hornbaker has penned the definitive story of the death of the wrestling territories and pro wrestling itself as many of us loved it. Tim takes an incredibly complex story with many moving parts and boils it down with precision to just what you need to know.” — Jim Cornette, Pro Wrestling Legend and Historian


“With Death of the Territories, Tim Hornbaker further establishes himself as possibly the finest wrestling historian writing today.” — Jon Langmead, Writer, PopMatters, SLAM! Wrestling


“Armed with excellent research, Tim Hornbaker puts the reader in the centre of the purge that wiped out the fiefdom that once ruled professional wrestling, leaving Vince McMahon the last man standing.” — Mike Johnson, PWInsider.com


“Tim Hornbaker’s Death of the Territories is a tightly researched, engaging read that tells of the turbulent years surrounding Vince’s conquest of the wrestling world and the struggles of those that tried to keep up.” — Every Read Thing blog


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For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom.

Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late ’70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters. An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion national soon capitalized on the situation.

A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent. By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever.

Providing never-before-revealed information, Death of the Territories is a must-read for fans yearning to understand how McMahon outlasted his rivals and established the industry’s first national promotion. At the same time, it offers a comprehensive look at the promoters who opposed McMahon, focusing on their noteworthy power plays and embarrassing mistakes.

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Details

Dimensions:

272 Pages
9in * 6in * 0.623in
0.88lb

Published:

September 18, 2018

City of Publication:

Toronto

Country of Publication:

CA

Publisher:

ECW Press

ISBN:

9781770413849

Book Subjects:

SPORTS & RECREATION / Wrestling

Language:

eng

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