By Tim Hornbaker Once a year, the members of the National Wrestling Alliance converged to discuss the inner workings of professional wrestling. Huddled around cluttered tables in smoke-filled conference rooms, these men spent the weekend arguing about various topics, gossiping, and personally mixing an awesome combination of jealousy, suspiciousness, and delight in their individual clout. It was an exhausting effort, and the individuals partaking in the conventions smugly returned to their home territories to run their businesses as they saw fit. With membership in the NWA, their promotions were safe from outside influences, and all of the unique benefits that the organization provided, would be exploited to the maximum. The National Wrestling Alliance was a safe-haven for these like-minded booking agents. In a turbulent wrestling world, membership meant a level of stability and protection, particularly against rival promoters seeking to set up shop in their exclusive territories. They also traded talent freely, which kept a steady rotation of wrestlers on the circuit. Additional factors like mandatory appearances of the World Heavyweight champion and the intimidating threat of blacklisting by the entire organization if crossed, gave proof of the tangible advantage of being associated with the NWA. Additionally, there were social connotations, bringing together the best minds in wrestling to swap stories and to both lament and boast about the happenings in their territory. Most of the members weren’t exactly afraid to brag and were usually in the hunt to obtain more power one way or another. The exclusivity of membership bolstered fragile egos, and during the first five years of its existence, there were no limits to the rules it could impose on the wrestling business. Flaunting its power without fear, the NWA was immensely shortsighted as it consolidated all authority over the profession, and formed a monopoly that slowly began to strangle competition. The Alliance was no longer a minor Midwestern organization, but an international conglomerate representing hundreds of promoters. Soon, it was hard to ignore its nefarious actions. Complainants griped to the Department of Justice and in 1956, the U.S. Government forced the NWA membership to sign a Consent Decree, formally agreeing to end its monopolistic actions. Many changes took place in the years that followed, and there was a considerable decline in Alliance participation. By 1958, the NWA was near death, and few saw little hope of it surviving the year. Over the course of 10 years, the National Wrestling Alliance saw amazing growth and prosperity, then a stunning reversal. It was nothing like professional wrestling had ever seen before, and will never see anything like it again. Behind closed doors at the yearly conventions, there was a unique blend of manipulators – some of them honest, others simply corrupt and self absorbed. Together, the NWA membership combined to direct pro wrestling, and the most significant decisions were made at the annual meetings. It affected the bookers, promoters, wrestlers, and finally, the product fans saw in the ring. This information, as a whole, has never been made completely available. 1948 – The National Wrestling Alliance is Born Date: July 18, 1948 Location: Gold Room of the Hotel President in Waterloo, Iowa In Attendance: Paul L. “Pinkie” George, Max Clayton, Orville Brown, Sam Muchnick, Wally Karbo Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • The expanded National Wrestling Alliance (separate from the Iowa-based NWA) was organized • The National Wrestling Alliance was defined as a “cooperative group in wrestling” with each member running their own territories without interference from other members • Only one heavyweight and one junior heavyweight champion would be recognized and the initial NWA champions were Orville Brown (heavyweight) and Billy Goelz (j.h) • Orville Brown had to post a $5,000 forfeit and Goelz a $1,000 forfeit as “insurance for this group that said champions will not run out or refuse to defend their title” • Champion will receive 10% of the gate for matches • The first temporary chairman-president was Pinkie George • The NWA was to “act as their own commission to police wrestling, and any wrestler who does anything detrimental to wrestling, or if any club of this group should suspend a wrestler, the suspension will be accepted by the whole group.” • Fred Kohler of Chicago reportedly agreed to the NWA principles by telegram 1948 – 1st Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 25, 1948 Location: Dyckman Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota Members: 6 In Attendance: Paul L. “Pinkie” George, Max Clayton, Orville Brown, Tony Stecher, Sam Muchnick, Frankie Talaber (representing Al Haft), Bert Ruby (representing Harry Light) Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • The charter members of the NWA were, officially, George, Muchnick, Stecher, Haft, Light, and George Simpson. Simpson was, essentially, a co-member with Brown – since Brown was an active wrestler and it couldn’t be known publically that he was affiliated with the behind-the-scenes leadership of the Alliance; Fred Kohler did not yet join. Max Clayton also had endorsed the NWA “agreement,” but was not a member. • It was determined that all decisions of the Alliance would be made by majority vote • NWA World Champion Orville Brown had to post $2,500 with the secretary- treasurer by November 1, 1948 as a forfeit and another $2,500 each additional time he beat a recognized claimant – the forfeit would not exceed $10,000 • A meeting would be held at least once a year to be determined by the president • Each charter member would post $100 upon signing the “agreement” (by-laws) of the NWA and post $50 each succeeding year; new members had to pay $150 • Recognition of a junior heavyweight champion held in abeyance until next meeting • Officers elected: George (President), Haft (V.P), Muchnick (Secretary-Treasurer) 1949 – 2nd Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: November 25-27, 1949 Location: Claridge Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri Members: 20 In Attendance: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Pearl Christy, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Al Karasick, Johnny Doyle, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Jerry Meeker, Eddie Quinn, (the following attended, but were not members) Bobby Bruns, Billy Thom, Lloyd Carter, Gust Karras, Leon Balkin, Ed McLemore, George D. Simpson, Wally Karbo, Bill Atkinson, Les Wolfe, Ted Thye, Martin Thesz Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • In September 1949, Sam Avey and Fred Kohler joined, and the group had eight members • Morris Sigel and Max Clayton joined shortly thereafter; Clayton became a member after the Lou Thesz-Sam Muchnick war in St. Louis ended due to a conflict involving the Dusek Brothers, who were affiliated with Clayton in Omaha and also had loyalty to Thesz • 10 booking agents joined the NWA at the November 1949 convention • NWA World champion Orville Brown was booked to wrestle National Wrestling Association World champion Lou Thesz on November 25, 1949 in St. Louis, but was critically injured in a car accident on November 1, 1949 • Lou Thesz was picked by a special championship committee to be the National Wrestling Alliance World champion, replacing Brown and Leroy McGuirk was selected to be the NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion • Thesz would be booked by Muchnick and McGuirk booked by Avey • Thesz was asked for a $2,500 forfeit and McGuirk $1,000; called a “performance bond;” Thesz’s forfeit would be held by Haft and Stecher. McGuirk’s forfeit would be held by Kohler and Sigel • It was determined that Thesz wrestle Orville Brown when the latter was ready for a match; it was not known at the time that Brown’s career as an active wrestler was over because of the injuries he sustained in the auto accident • A $25 per member assessment was arranged for the Ed Lewis Fund, to be sent monthly • National Wrestling Association members were reportedly on hand to merge interests with the Alliance • A banquet was held on Sunday, November 27 to end the convention • Officers elected: George (President), Haft (V.P), Muchnick (Secretary-Treasurer) 1950 – 3rd Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 8-10, 1950 Location: Baker Hotel, Dallas, Texas Members: 24 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Pearl Christy, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Johnny Doyle, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Both Jerry Meeker and Al Karasick left the NWA prior to the meeting • Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George and Dave Reynolds joined the NWA before the meeting • Added at the Dallas meeting were Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London and Joe Gunther • Sam Muchnick was elected to his first term as NWA President • Leroy McGuirk was injured earlier in the year and the NWA World Junior Title was declared vacant; a tournament was recommended by the junior heavyweight championship committee to fill the vacancy. • There was talk of Ed Lewis accompanying World Heavyweight champion Lou Thesz more often • Fred Kohler made a motion to prevent NWA members from working with non- members and it was defeated 8-1 • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Sigel (V.P.), McGuirk (Second V.P.), Avey (Treasurer), 1951 – 4th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 7-9, 1951 Location: Mayo Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma Members: 36 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Pearl Christy, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Johnny Doyle, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Rudy Dusek, Leonard Schwartz, Al Karasick, Sam Menacker, Don Owen, Larry Tillman, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, and Dory Detton. Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Before the end of 1950, Joe “Toots” Mondt and Rudy Dusek became members, and Fred Kohler resigned, and the NWA had 25 members at that time. • Around January 1951, Kohler rejoined and Leonard Schwartz (also of Chicago) became a member. The NWA had 27 bookers associated with the group. • Al Karasick rejoined the NWA in April 1951, becoming the 28th member • At the 1951 convention, 8 new members were added, giving them 36 in total. These new members were Sam Menacker, Don Owen, Larry Tillman, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, and Dory Detton. • Applications from Al Mayer, Ted Thye, Harry Newman, and two Cuban promoters, were rejected for membership • It was agreed that the entire NWA membership would recognize a single heavyweight and junior heavyweight champion by February 1, 1952 • Tony Stecher, Chairman of the Heavyweight Committee, recommended that each territory develop contenders for the heavyweight championship • Stecher noted that Verne Gagne, Mike DiBiase, Leo Nomellini, Pat O’Connor, and Ray Gunkel were outstanding challengers to the heavyweight throne, who possessed the “necessary ability, personality, and appearance” • Fred Kohler, speaking for the Junior Heavyweight Championship Committee, told membership that the committee was pleased with Verne Gagne as champion and “hoped he would continue undefeated during the coming season,” according to the meeting minutes • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Ed Don George (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P.), Avey (Treasurer) 1952 – 5th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 5-7, 1952 Location: Miramar Hotel, Santa Monica, California Members: 38 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Johnny Doyle, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Ignacio Martinez, Rudy Dusek, Leonard Schwartz, Al Karasick, Sam Menacker, Don Owen, Stu Hart, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, Dory Detton, Bob Murray/Tex Porter, Salvador Lutteroth In Attendance: Sam Muchnick, Ed Don George, Leroy McGuirk, Sam Avey, Morris Sigel, Pinkie George, Tony Stecher, Jack Britton for Harry Light, Orville Brown, Fred Kohler, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Hugh Nichols, Johnny Doyle, Roy Welch, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Pedro Martinez, Frank Tunney, Eddie Quinn, Al Karasick, Billy Wolfe, Don Owen, Tex Hager, Dory Detton, Sam Menacker Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Orville Brown, the longtime silent partner in the Kansas City Booking Office, replaced Pearl Christy as the official representative in the NWA • Ignacio “Pedro” Martinez purchased the Manhattan Booking Agency in New York City and replaced “Toots” Mondt in the membership • Stu Hart bought out Larry Tillman in Calgary and replaced him in the membership • New members at the Santa Monica convention were Bob Murray/Tex Porter of Seattle and Salvador Lutteroth of Mexico City. • Johnny Doyle hosted the Santa Monica convention • The NWA sponsored as World Light Heavyweight champion, and it became one of three championships officially recognized by the organization as a whole, after the world heavyweight and world junior heavyweight • Annual dues were increased to $100 • A Leader Dogs for the Blind Fund was discussed • James Dow lectured the membership about an official NWA calendar • It was reported that members spent $1,800 on food, which came out of the Alliance treasury • Johnny Doyle told the Justice Department that the blacklist was established at this convention and that members notified each other by postcard with the names of the wrestlers they wanted suspended listed in red ink. The NWA membership, according to Doyle, went forward with the plan even though they knew it was illegal. • James Dow of the Louis F. Dow Co. spoke to the membership about creating a National Wrestling Alliance calendar, and it was subject to the approval of a committee appointed by the president • The next meeting was slated for the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Fred Kohler (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P.), Avey (Treasurer) 1953 – 6th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 4-6, 1953 Location: Hubbard Room, Blackstone Hotel, Chicago, Illinois Members: 38 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Johnny Doyle, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Rudy Dusek, Leonard Schwartz, Al Karasick, Sam Menacker, Don Owen, Stu Hart, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, Dory Detton, Bob Murray, Salvador Lutteroth Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Joe “Toots” Mondt returned to the membership, replacing Ignacio Martinez • Leroy McGuirk, who worked as the matchmaker for NWA member Sam Avey in Tulsa, was sometimes referred to as a member in the Alliance • Heavyweight Championship Committee Chairman Fred Kohler reported that Thesz had appeared in 32 NWA territories as champion • Members refused to take a firm stance on the Billy Wolfe-Mildred Burke feud • The NWA ratified a proposal eliminating any official supervision of women’s wrestling • The Health and Welfare Committee, made up of Kohler, Pinkie George, and Ed Don George, proposed offering insurance benefits for wrestlers, bookers, and promoters, but the measure was voted down 25-5 in a secret ballot; members agreed to discuss the matter further • Verne Gagne was recognized as the United States Heavyweight champion, a “sectional” championship, which was not to interfere with Lou Thesz’s recognition as World titleholder; the U.S. Title was sanctioned by Fred Kohler of Chicago only, not by the entire NWA • The NWA affirmed the rule that no member could sell their membership without the organization’s approval • Complaints about other members had to be sent to the NWA President and submitted to the entire group in the latter’s bulletins • Sectional groups within the NWA were permitted, but could not establish its own rules • Wrestling films were a problem and a motion was made by Fred Kohler to compel all makers of wrestling films to announce during their broadcast that they are films and the date of which the films were made; the motion was carried unanimously; problems were arising where matches from several years before featured wrestlers getting beaten, who were currently starring in the territory the films were being shown; this had a negative effect on box office numbers; the NWA wanted to get the FCC involved in the matter • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Kohler (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P.), Avey (Treasurer) • After the meetings, Muchnick told the press: “This has been the most successful convention in the history of the Alliance.” • The meeting minutes were prepared by the Chicago office and distributed to Muchnick, however, Muchnick felt the minutes were poorly recorded and requested that it be redone; Kohler submitted a revised meeting minutes and signed his name, “with apologies” 1954 – 7th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 3-5, 1954 Location: Claridge Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri Members: 39 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Tony Stecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Ed Don George, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Rudy Dusek, Leonard Schwartz, Al Karasick, Sam Menacker, Don Owen, Stu Hart, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, Dory Detton, Bob Murray, Salvador Lutteroth, Cal Eaton, Rod Fenton In Attendance: Sam Muchnick, Sam Avey, Orville Brown, Max Clayton, Jim Crockett, Dory Detton, Rudy Dusek, Pinkie George, Ed Don George, Joe Gunther, Al Haft, Tex Hager, Stu Hart, Paul Jones, Al Karasick, Mike London, Salvador Lutteroth with Salvador Lutteroth Jr., Cowboy Luttrall, Joe Malcewicz, Cliff Maupin, Sam Menacker, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Bob Murray, Hugh Nichols, Don Owen, Eddie Quinn, Dave Reynolds, Frank Tunney with Billy Watson, Roy Welch with Nick Gulas, Billy Wolfe, Jim Barnett for Fred Kohler, George Linnehan for Paul Bowser, Jim Crockett for Bill Lewis, Jack Britton for Harry Light, Sam Muchnick for Leonard Schwartz, Frank Burke for Morris Sigel, Wally Karbo for Tony Stecher; with Dennis Stecher Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Early in 1954, Johnny Doyle sold out in Southern California and was replaced by Cal Eaton; Eaton’s application was unanimously approved • Rod Fenton of Tucson, AZ was added to the membership; unanimously approved • In May 1954, the long promotional war between Morris Sigel and Ed McLemore in Texas came to a peaceful conclusion • On May 25, 1954, Morris Sigel resigned as the chairman of the Television Committee. Sam Muchnick, in turn, appointed Leonard Schwartz chairman. • In May 1954, Sam Menacker (El Paso) and Dory Detton (Amarillo) worked out their problems • The 1954 convention was originally scheduled to be held in New Orleans between September 3-5, 1954. • Muchnick was authorized to fine members $25 if they were late to the Saturday meeting • The NWA rejected the membership applications Nick Gulas, Ray Fabiani, and Gorilla Ramos because they did not operate separate booking offices and were not qualified for membership • The applications of Pedro Martinez and Ed Contos were tabled until the report of the Grievance Committee; later, Martinez was rejected because membership could not be purchased “from the federal government through bankruptcy of another members territory,” according to the meeting minutes • Promoter Ray Fabiani, who was not a member, sent a letter to the NWA requesting that Philadelphia be an “open city,” allowing promoters to obtain wrestlers from any booking office they wanted; this was rejected by the NWA after a vote, 25-11; Philadelphia was returned to “Toots” Mondt and Rudy Dusek • Baltimore, Albuquerque, and Roswell were to remain “open cities,” and the decision was passed unanimously by the membership • Frank Tunney complained that Larry Kasaboski of North Bay was going into his towns and under-bidding him to promoters • Hugh Nichols complained that Fred Kohler went to California to under-bid him for a live TV show, but this was denied by Jim Barnett; Barnett said he’d take a lie detector test to prove it • The membership rejected the idea of changing the organization’s name to the “International Wrestling Alliance” • Lou Thesz, Baron Leone, and Frank Stojack were all praised for their work as official NWA World champion in the heavyweight, junior heavyweight, and light heavyweight divisions, respectively • It was determined that the next heavyweight champion would have to post more money with the NWA as a forfeit than Thesz had • Members wanted Thesz to wrestle four times a week; his arriving territory would always pay his expenses; for instance, if he was traveling from Amarillo to Chicago, Chicago would pay his one-way expenses • There were complaints that Thesz had not been advertised as champion in Chicago, and Barnett reaffirmed that Verne Gagne was billed as the “U.S. Heavyweight Television champion” • An “NWA Official Calendar” was shown to the membership, put out by the Chicago office, that didn’t advertise Thesz or Leone as champions; Muchnick was to notify the Louis F. Dow Co. and Fred Kohler that “NWA” was not to be used after the 1955 calendar, and that Thesz and Leone must be advertised as champions; if these were not followed, legal action would be taken • Chairman of the Television Committee, Dave Reynolds, told members that his committee recommended a ban on all future filming of wrestling matches; members in Chicago, Dallas, and Hollywood, where they filmed bouts, all considered the recommendation; A formal decree stating that the NWA was “against filming of matches by any member,” and that “members must stop filming wrestling matches when existing contracts” expired, was passed unanimously • Pinkie George offer a re-organization plan in which the majority of the work of the NWA, including booking the NWA World Heavyweight champion, would be done by an Executive Secretary, and the position of President would be strictly an honorary position; the plan was tabled until the next meeting • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Frank Tunney (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P), Avey (Treasurer), Jim Barnett (Recording Secretary) 1955 – 8th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: September 2-4, 1955 Location: Claridge Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri Members: 38 Membership: Paul “Pinkie” George, Al Haft, Sam Muchnick, Harry Light, Orville Brown, Sam Avey, Fred Kohler, Morris Sigel, Max Clayton, Frank Tunney, Paul Bowser, Paul Jones, Joe Malcewicz, Hugh Nichols, Roy Welch, Eddie Quinn, Billy Wolfe, Dave Reynolds, Cowboy Luttrall, Mike London, Joe Gunther, Leonard Schwartz, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Rudy Dusek, Al Karasick, Don Owen, Stu Hart, Tex Hager, Jim Crockett, Bill Lewis, Cliff Maupin, Salvador Lutteroth, Cal Eaton, Rod Fenton, Dennis Stecher, Dr. Karl Sarpolis, Pedro Martinez, Billy Watson In Attendance: Sam Muchnick, Orville Brown, Cal Eaton, Joe Gunther, Paul Jones, Mike London, Cliff Maupin, Eddie Quinn (and proxy for Rudy Dusek), Dennis Stecher, Frank Tunney, Max Clayton, Rod Fenton, Al Haft, Fred Kohler, Salvador Lutteroth, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Dave Reynolds, Roy Welch, Paul Bowser, Jim Crockett (and proxy for Bill Lewis), Paul “Pinkie” George, Stu Hart, Harry Light, Cowboy Luttrall, Hugh Nichols, Leonard Schwartz, Billy Wolfe, Frank Burke (proxy for Morris Sigel), Sam Avey (proxy for Leroy McGuirk), Frank Malcewicz (proxy for Joe Malcewicz) Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Founding member Tony Stecher died in October 1954. His son Dennis took over as the local Minneapolis NWA representative; the membership stood in silence as a tribute to Stecher shortly after the meeting began on Friday afternoon • Dr. Karl Sarpolis replaced Dory Detton on the membership roster after buying the Amarillo booking office • Prior to this meeting, Sam Menacker of El Paso ended his NWA membership • Pedro Martinez of Buffalo and Billy Watson of Seattle were new members, replacing Ed Don George and Bob Murray, respectively • Paul Bowser, Don Owen, and Leonard Schwartz had failed to pay their annual dues and their membership was at risk • Muchnick talked at length about the Department of Justice investigation • The NWA membership held a vote whether or not to dissolved the organization and there was a unanimous vote not to • The NWA attorney Harry Soffer spoke to the membership and suggested changes to the By-Laws in an attempt to silence the charges of monopoly; Soffer took questions • Pinkie George discussed the Sonny Myers case against himself and the NWA • The NWA voted unanimously that the organization would not be responsible in any lawsuits involving any specific member unless the NWA itself was named in the suit • Joe Malcewicz was the chairman of the Championship Committee, Fred Kohler of the Grievance Committee, and “Toots” Mondt of the Membership Committee, Sam Avey was head of the Junior Heavyweight Committee • The membership application of Henry Irslinger of Johannesburg, South Africa was held in abeyance because the NWA By-Laws stated that “only members be admitted from United States, Canada, and Mexico,” according to the meeting minutes, and that the By-Laws had to be altered to admit Irslinger • The membership applications of Pat O’Dowdy and Joe Marshall were rejected • Ed Contos of Baltimore came in to discuss admission into the NWA, and, according to the meeting minutes, Contos “allegedly made a remark before the meeting that if he did not become a member he would tear the Alliance wide open;” Contos told the membership that he wanted to join the Alliance “to protect my territory,” and that it was a “great organization;” the application of Contos was tabled until the next meeting of the membership committee • Fred Kohler agreed not to book any more shows into Las Vegas starting October 1, which had been a point of contention for Hugh Nichols and Cal Eaton; in response to Kohler’s announcement, Nichols and Eaton agreed not to run Albuquerque against Mike London; it was decided that if someone broke this agreement, they would be expelled from the NWA • Tex Hager wished to be reinstated in the NWA and was willing to pay any back dues and assessments by October 1; Muchnick recommended that he be reinstated that the membership passed it unanimously • Muchnick did not want to be President again and that he did not want to book the NWA champion any longer, but since Thesz personally requested that he continue, Muchnick agreed to do one job or another – not both • Muchnick told the membership that he’d received numerous complaints about Thesz and wanted to know why no one was bringing them up on the floor of the convention • Members wanted Muchnick to accept reelection as NWA President and would only stay on if he was guaranteed a salary of $15,000 annually, and the Alliance unanimously agreed to pay him that amount; Muchnick had previously stated that he didn’t want to depend on the NWA champion working dates to obtain a salary • Thesz and new NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion Edmund Francis were both introduced to the membership • Leonard Schwartz was having some problems with his business in Chicago and wanted to buy Indianapolis and Rockford from Kohler to begin operating a booking office; Kohler had recently purchased Indianapolis, it was noted, and he wanted to get the business running before selling it to Schwartz • Members still wanted to know why Kohler had the right to bill anyone as a United States TV champion, and were reminded that it had been approved in 1953 • A vote took place selecting Tulsa as the site of the next NWA convention, with Montreal and Chicago following • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Tunney (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P.), Salvador Lutteroth (3rd V.P.), Avey (Treasurer) 1956 – 9th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: August 31-September 1, 1956 Location: Claridge Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri Members: 36 Membership: Sam Muchnick, Frank Tunney, Salvador Lutteroth, Sam Avey, Orville Brown, Jim Crockett, Cal Eaton, Pinkie George, Al Haft, Tex Hager, Stu Hart, Paul Jones, Fred Kohler, Harry Light, Mike London, Cowboy Luttrall, Pedro Martinez, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Hugh Nichols, Eddie Quinn, Dave Reynolds, Dr. Karl Sarpolis, Dennis Stecher, Roy Welch, Paul Bowser, Max Clayton, Rudy Dusek, Rod Fenton, Joe Gunther, Al Karasick, Bill Lewis, Joe Malcewicz, Cliff Maupin, Don Owen, Morris Sigel, Billy Wolfe In Attendance: Sam Muchnick, Frank Tunney, Salvador Lutteroth, Sam Avey, Orville Brown, Jim Crockett, Cal Eaton, Pinkie George, Al Haft, Tex Hager, Stu Hart, Paul Jones, Fred Kohler, Harry Light, Mike London, Cowboy Luttrall, Pedro Martinez, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Hugh Nichols, Eddie Quinn, Dave Reynolds, Dr. Karl Sarpolis, Dennis Stecher, Roy Welch, Frank Burke for Morris Sigel Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • Leonard Schwartz and Billy Watson were no longer members of the NWA • 24 members attended the NWA convention and all of them signed the Consent Decree, which had resulted from the U.S. Government’s investigation into the Alliance for antitrust violations; 10 others had signed the decree by mail; the only two who hadn’t yet signed were Joe Malcewicz and Rod Fenton; the document was soon going to be submitted to the Des Moines Federal Court and if Malcewicz and Fenton hadn’t yet signed at that point, they were to be expelled from the organization • 24 of the 36 members paid their annual dues of $100 • A By-Laws Committee was established to refine the document to conform to the Consent Decree; it was comprised of Tunney, Avey, George, Kohler, Sarpolis, Sigel, and Nichols • The Edouard Carpentier-Lou Thesz World Title split was likely designed during the meeting; the match took place on June 14, 1957 in Chicago and both were booked as a claimant to the World Heavyweight Title following that match • Officers elected: Muchnick (President & Secretary), Tunney (V.P.), McGuirk (2nd V.P.), Lutteroth (3rd V.P.), Avey (Treasurer) 1957 – 10th Annual National Wrestling Alliance Convention Date: August 23-25, 1957 Location: Claridge Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri Members: 31 Membership: Sam Muchnick, Frank Tunney, Salvador Lutteroth, Sam Avey, Orville Brown, Jim Crockett, Cal Eaton, Pinkie George, Al Haft, Tex Hager, Stu Hart, Paul Jones, Fred Kohler, Harry Light, Mike London, Cowboy Luttrall, Pedro Martinez, Joe “Toots” Mondt, Dave Reynolds, Dr. Karl Sarpolis, Dennis Stecher, Roy Welch, Rod Fenton, Joe Gunther, Al Karasick, Bill Lewis, Joe Malcewicz, Cliff Maupin, Don Owen, Morris Sigel, Billy Wolfe Among those in attendance: Sam Muchnick, Jack Pfefer, Cliff Maupin, Eddie Quinn Highlights of Meeting & Notes: • As of August 1957, the NWA had 31 members • In the period following the 1956 convention, Hugh Nichols and Max Clayton died • Eddie Quinn of Montreal walked out of the convention after displaying his anger at the attendance of independent promoter Jack Pfefer; Quinn wrote a famous letter to Muchnick outlining the situation and resigned from the NWA; Quinn also pulled any co-recognition for Edouard Carpentier as “NWA” World Heavyweight champion; Quinn also asked Muchnick to return “Edouard Carpentier’s $10,000,” which was likely held as a forfeit • Members voted unanimously to continue the NWA • It is likely that the membership and/or NWA Championship Committee discussed putting the World Heavyweight Title on Dick Hutton; Hutton won the belt in November 1957. • On a copy of Sam Muchnick’s typed out speech, there are some handwritten notes; it notes that the late Nichols had to be replaced on the heavyweight championship committee and it notes that “Disq. Twice Lose Title,” which can only mean that if a titleholder was disqualified twice, they’d lose their belt; this may have been a proposal brought up at the convention, but it isn’t not known whether it was or not • Paul Bowser of Boston soon left the NWA • Rudy Dusek of New York City retired • By December 1957, the NWA only had 28 members; Cal Eaton and Rod Fenton didn’t pay their annual dues and Paul Jones of Atlanta left the NWA; eight members had left the group between the signing of the consent decree at December 1957 One of the most secretive topics of discussion at the annual conventions was the determination of when and where one of the board-sponsored championships would change hands. The selection of a successor to the heavyweight, junior heavyweight, and light heavyweight championships was a primary topic that was brought into the open yearly. The championship committee for each division had a vote, and it is uncertain whether or not the NWA Board of Directors also had a say during this first decade of the organization’s existence. In the heavyweight division, Thesz was champion between 1949 and ’56, and it can be assumed that during the 1954 convention, members concocted the Leo Nomellini title split that occurred on March 22, 1955 in San Francisco. After that controversial match, Muchnick booked both Thesz and Nomellini as title claimants, and this continued through July 15 when Thesz beat Nomellini in St. Louis. At the 1956 convention, the Edouard Carpentier ploy was seemingly designed, and was enacted on June 14, 1957 when Carpentier beat Thesz by disqualification in Chicago. Carpentier and Thesz were both booked as rival claimants until the August convention, when Carpentier’s manager Eddie Quinn left the NWA and pulled Carpentier from any future Alliance bookings as titleholder. Later in the year, Thesz desired to give up his championship, and the NWA had already decided that Dick Hutton would succeed him. A lot of speculation has to be made on topics such as when the membership debated title changes and the potential contenders. One has to wonder how many times Verne Gagne’s name legitimately came up as a replacement for Thesz, only to be shot down by dissenting opinions. Or Buddy Rogers for that matter. Because there isn’t any documentation, no one will know for sure what happened during these discussions. The same thing can be said about the most nefarious actions of the National Wrestling Alliance, particularly when it came to blacklisting wrestlers and promoters. Other than what was told to Department of Justice investigators, little is known about what was actually said. If we did have an audio recording of one of these annual meetings, it is possible that the overall public understanding of what kind of people NWA members were, would change. And not for the better. Wrestling was a tough sport to regulate, no question about it, but when you add power hungry egomaniacs and sense of reckless entitlement across the board, it was dangerous. That’s why the Department of Justice sought to break the NWA monopoly. Imagine where professional wrestling would have ended up had the Government not stepped in? The ideas of domination over the profession were limitless and would have continued to spiral out of control until reaching a breaking point. Even the fair minded Sam Muchnick, who had to regularly swim with sharks, was a player in the overall scheme. His willingness to cut every corner was far less than his contemporaries, and he took the most pride in the National Wrestling Alliance than anyone else. Without his stable point of view, the NWA would never have survived. There are still tons and tons of secrets, concepts, rumors, innuendos, threats, and other shenanigans that were said behind closed doors and never made public in any shape or form. No kayfabe breaking books were written by any of these members and basically, all of these individuals took their knowledge and history to their graves. This is basically what is known based on surviving documents and Department of Justice interviews. If more information becomes available, I will add it to this article, or delete data that is proven incorrect. I keep thinking that in a basement somewhere, there are boxes and boxes of old NWA documents that will shed additional light on the organization’s history. But unfortunately for the people who care about this stuff, the materials were likely discarded. One day, however, I might get a message from someone with a box full of answers to the questions that remain…you never know. |
National Wrestling Alliance Annual Conventions – 10 Years of Closed Door Meetings Finally Revealed |