Episode 58: 1976 Territory Review: Championship Wrestling From Florida

This week’s episode continues our Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel 1976 Territory Review Series and for this installment of the show, we review one of, if not the strongest, NWA territory at the time, Championship Wrestling From Florida. Along for the journey is our regular Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Florida Analyst, Howard Baum, from Miami, Florida, whose first full year as a fan was in the year of 1976. Howard’s memories of the matches and the cards of the Miami Bean Auditorium as well as the weekly television are pure gold in every episode. In this special show, we have as our special guest, Howard’s all time favorite wrestler, Steve Keirn. We have the extra special opportunity to travel back in the time tunnel with Steve and his memories of his biggest singles push thus far in his career, which takes place in 1976! New booker, Jody Hamilton, also known as the masked Assassin, has arrived to take the book from Harley Race and manage and coordinate the talent, the television and the house shows under the watchful mentorship of Eddie Graham, Due to Graham’s relationship with both Sam Muchnick and Vince McMahon, Sr, Graham is asked who would bea great next babyface champion for the WWWF in the mold of Jack Brisco as NWA World Champion. Graham recommends Keirn, based on his in-ring ability and the angle of his father, the war and POW veteran who had just returned home to this family in 1973. McMahon has his eyes on Bob Backlund, who had had a run in the Amarillo territory in 1974 and had returned to Florida in 1975 as a mid-card performer, still refining his abilties. Keirn and Backlund are put into a tag team program to put a shine on both of them with the faather-son heel tag team of Bob Orton Sr and Bob Orton Jr along with their top heel associate Bob Roop. As we know, McMahon chooses Backlund to be his next guy and that’s where we will pick up the story in today’s episode as Steve relates how he came up with the angle, his conversation with his father about it to get his approval, and the emotions and incredible heat that built during the Summer of 1976 in the Sunshine State of Florida. Sit back, relax and enjoy as we review the year of 1976 in Championship Wrestling From Florida! Chapters (00:00:02) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel(00:02:35) - Buddy Fuller Was Involved In Building The Tallahassee(00:09:12) - Crown Wrestling From Florida(00:13:31) - The Wrestling World Should Be True To Its Roots(00:21:56) - Neville on The Internet and Wrestling(00:28:15) - Buddy Rogers on Jaden Price(00:28:39) - Steve Kern(00:30:44) - Steve Kern(00:38:17) - Eddie Guerrero on Starting Out Wrestling(00:43:08) - Bob Orton on His Match With Rupin Orton Jr(00:49:09) - Five Things I Learned From Working For Vince McMahon(00:54:41) - Steve Kern on His Florida(01:00:32) - Steve Kern on His Jobber Era(01:04:34) - Bob Backlin on Being Groomed By Dusty and Eddie(01:10:24) - Bob Group on Steve Kern's Death Threats(01:16:09) - Bobby Orton on His Florida Career(01:22:50) - Steve Austin on His WrestleMania(01:24:05) - Miami vs Tampa(01:29:37) - Paul Heyman on His Book(01:34:32) - Ian Snowden on His Dad's Book(01:37:22) - Tony on His Love Letter to Steve(01:38:10) - Wrestling's Paradigm Changes(01:41:29) - Florida 1976(01:52:01) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel: Florida 76