WWE buys UPW tape library

[Deleted]

Cool, cool. Probably is just to get their hands on the Prototype stuff, though having more Masters, Melina, and Miz stuff could probably come in handy - particularly Miz.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

Feb 23, 2010 19:57:43 GMT -5 Sigma: Current SRW Champ! said:

Feb 23, 2010 18:31:33 GMT -5 Vice honcho room temperature said:

For a second there I thought it was UWF. That would have been rad

Yeah, I still think Bill Watt's Wife owns those tapes. But I haven't seen much UPW stuff, so this could be cool. Maybe they'll air some of that stuff on their new network or on Classics ON Demand. I mean, they need to fill out their programming. I mean, it could be a good spot for a Territories retrospective.

I was thinking the bad one

[Zen411]

Does WWE own USWA tape library?

[VengeanceGOD]

I think I own a UPW DVD...I never watched much of it, because the footage and audio quality was so terrible it hurt me.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Feb 23, 2010 21:48:19 GMT -5 @slickster said:

WWE owns the complete SMW tape library. No one seems to know who owns the Memphis library since it went bankrupt. The Savoldis own IWCCW and all World Class footage after 1988, along with the GWF library. The Herb Abrams UWF is owned by Todd Okerlund, Gene's son.

That GWF library would have been cool to use. You would have Lightning Kid (X-Pac) vs. Jerry Lynn, Ebony Express (Harlem Heat), Scotty Anthony (Raven), John Tatum and Rod Price (at least while they were heels), The Patriot, Eddie Gilbert, "The Winner" Barry Horowitz, and for s***s and giggles the appearance of The Handsome Stranger (Buff Bagwell).

[Drillbit Taylor]

Sounds good. I have a UPW dvd and its not bad. Cena vs CW Anderson is not a bad match

[Bullhead]

I have a UPW DVD that features a match were The Miz takes the nastiest Muscle Buster I've ever seen. I thought he was dead.

[Mrs. Potato Dick]

Didn't Bassman bring Sting and Warrior to wrestling? The Blade Runners or something like that?

[Error]

Feb 24, 2010 0:09:18 GMT -5 Mrs. Potato Dick said:

Didn't Bassman bring Sting and Warrior to wrestling? The Blade Runners or something like that?

I think they were Powerteam USA under Bassman and became the Blade Runners under Watts.

[Mrs. Potato Dick]

Feb 24, 2010 0:10:51 GMT -5 Error said:

Feb 24, 2010 0:09:18 GMT -5 Mrs. Potato Dick said:

Didn't Bassman bring Sting and Warrior to wrestling? The Blade Runners or something like that?

I think they were Powerteam USA under Bassman and became the Blade Runners under Watts.

Yeah, that's it. I knew it was something like that. Who were the other members of Power Team and what are they doing now(other than pumping gas)?

[Phil Parent]

The rights to the Montreal wrestling tapes are split, to the best of my knowledge, as follows:

- Half is owned by Quebecor Media through their TVA television network, a billion dollar company owning pretty much the entire mediatic scene in Quebec, and the largest newspaper presses in the world. They aired the show and owned half of it. Really, wrestling helped establishing Quebecor in the 60's and 70's.

- The rest is owned by the Rougeau family. Whom exactly I don't know, but if I had to guess, I'd say Jacques Jr probably got it from his dad at some point, because he's been using footage on his shows.

- WWE actually owns about one or two year's worth of it, from late mid 80's. A Montreal promoter never owned it, this was shot when International Wrestling was under WWE control. Vince promised that he'd keep it alive....that didn't last. He took the wrestlers and left. Oh, and that year they own, there isn't much good on it. I'm thinking about pedestrian Rougeau/Bravo/Martel matches, early Haku, and rookie Fatu.

- Montreal Wrestling contains a big, invaluable asset: The rookie years and prime of Andre The Giant. And of course, the early years of all those you expect from Montreal (Rougeau, Martel, Bravo, Garvin...)

The physical library is in the vaults of Quebecor Media, and I know they are digitalizing it along with the rest of their old programming. Quebecor is in the running to start a sports station, and that's certainly cheap programming they could use. I know that if they do air it, I'm taping it ALL.

I would say that WWE acquiring Montreal Wrestling's library is a near impossibility. Quebecor Media doesn't need to sell it, and they may have a use for it. Jacques Jr. won't do business with McMahon, so that's that.

Unfortunately, that means you may never get a comprehensive Andre DVD.

[Big DSR Energy]

Feb 23, 2010 20:03:37 GMT -5 Error said:

Also, I keep reading this as the "UPN Tape Library"

WWE Home Video presents:

HOMEBOYS IN OUTER SPACE!

[Johnny Flamingo]

I own the UPW DVD (Overload) that has Chyna signing on it. It's actually worse than it sounds.

On the plus side it has DDP, Kazarian, Ballard Brothers and Psicosis.

[ritt works hard fo da chickens]

Bassman did a lot of stuff with the WWF back then and used contracted wrestlers on occasion. I think UPW was also a partially funded training facility for the WWF at one point.

[AriadosMan]

When did UPW close?

[drjayphd (feat. Pitbull)]

Feb 24, 2010 2:35:50 GMT -5 AriadosMan said:

When did UPW close?

Wikipedias say 2007.

[Dragonfly]

Man, I wish Pittsburgh's Studio Wrestling would have survived the 70's. The Crusher, George "The Animal" Steele and Larry Zybysko in their respective primes, Giant Baba, Nikolai Volkoff, Bruno (of course)... that would have been awesome to see. (For those unaware, the master tapes were erased in favor of the six o'clock news. The stuff filmed in Erie still might exist, though.)

And while I think about it: Who owns the Big Time Wrestling library? I'm guessing Sabu, but I'm not sure. Love to see that as well.