Pro-Wrestling Illustrated Tv Show

[fg76]

Anybody remember this show? They used to air it in syndication on either Fox, or another local network in Richmond that ended up being bought out by WRLH - our fox affiflate (sic). [In the old cable days - we acutally had two fox affilates - one in DC, and the one in Richmond. A third network not owned by Fox started up, but went out of business before 1988 if I remember.]

The show starred Bill Apter and Gordon Solie at one point, and then later I think it was Bill Apter and Paul E Dangerously right before he went to WCW. They actually covered all the major promotions at the time along with the NWA (or WCW to be techinial about it), AWA, WWF, and World Class - and a few indies in between.

I'm thinking it started airing here around 1987-88, because I remember them doing a Bruiser Brody memorial episode and Paul E doing a storyline on the show where he drove either Bill Apter or Gordon Solie off the show (Probably Solie). The show aired around the time Lawler was AWA champion too, and they focused a lot on Lawler and World Class moreso. Although, they did interview Koko B. Ware and a few midcarders from the WWF.

Anyone else remember the show?

[Slingshot Suplay]

I wish I did. It sounded like a wrestling fan's dream.

[dlg3000]

I too remember this show and I hated that it no longer aired. That is how I found out about Tommy Rich, Jerry Lawler, and sadly, about the tragic death of Bruiser Brody in Puerto Rico. I also remember that in South Carolina, it aired on Sunday nights as well.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

No, but it sounds like another show that they used to air on TSN (The Sports Network, the Canadian version of ESPN). Ed Whalen used to do a one hour recap show of pro wrestling from around Canada and the US (no WWE or NWA matches though).

[Triple Kelly]

That was Pro Wrestling This Week, syndicated in many markets around the country.

Gordon Solie and Joe Pedicino hosted the show and Joe's future wife Bonnie Blackstone read the viewer mail until Gordon was basically forced out by the main financial backer (Patrick Schaeffer) who also wanted to host the show. So they had Paul E. (who was also doing his "Danger Zone" segments for the show every week) kayfabe buying out PWTW and fired Gordon on air. Bill Apter also used to do PWI editorial segments and interviews every week.

I have quite a few episodes on tape and it was a real fun and fascinating look at all the different wrestling territories and promotions.

Joe and Bonnie also used to host a localized Georgia "Superstars of Wrestling" show on WATL Channel 36 (now it's a MY Network station) that was like 6 hours long version of PWTW.

[legendkiller66]

Here we have some clips!

[Sir Woodrow]

Sounds like one of the greatest shows ever.

[johnnyk9]

I think a clip of this show appears on the Rise and Fall of WCW

[destrucity]

I remember a different theme song for the show. For some reason I thought it was an instrumental version of Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time"

[Triple Kelly]

Dec 30, 2009 0:47:26 GMT -5 destrucity said:

I remember a different theme song for the show. For some reason I thought it was an instrumental version of Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time"

That was the music used in the "going to commercial" bumpers.

[Kash Flagg]

I would kill for some episodes of this.

[Professor Chaos]

This sounds awesome.