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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 17, 2017 15:34:17 GMT -5
Tom Zenk’s recent passing reminded me of this promotion. It was weird what with the Round system and Tito Santana being the main event champ.
Any memories of this promotion? Also, any idea who owns the footage of it now?
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Post by The 1Watcher Experience on Dec 17, 2017 15:46:55 GMT -5
I only saw a few of those shows. The show had a good look to it, but the rounds system annoyed me so much so I didn’t go out of my way to keep up with the promotion.
Fun Fact: Tito Santana still owns the AWF title and brings it to appearances occasionally. A lot of fans like getting their pic taken with belts so it’s pretty smart on his part.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 17, 2017 16:38:21 GMT -5
I only saw a few of those shows. The show had a good look to it, but the rounds system annoyed me so much so I didn’t go out of my way to keep up with the promotion. Fun Fact: Tito Santana still owns the AWF title and brings it to appearances occasionally. A lot of fans like getting their pic taken with belts so it’s pretty smart on his part. Yeah the round system barely ever works. Some people like to romanticize it since World of Sport had rounds decades ago or like to think it legitimizes wrestlig since it’s similar in structure to things like boxing or MMA. For the former, it’s a funny thing. What worked decades ago just might not work today. Not only had wrestling changed (even by 1994, TNA trying to use rounds in 2017 is beyond ridiculous), but the world has changed. For the latter the fact that wrestling is predetermined is what makes the in-ring action so entertaining. Making it have rounds just because boxing and MMA do would be like the director of a Superman movie saying Superman isn’t going to fly this movie because heroes can’t fly in real life. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 19:22:55 GMT -5
Paul Alperstein was the promoter, wanted to sell (floppy) discs of the events for like $10 for a month's worth.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 17, 2017 19:32:15 GMT -5
Paul Alperstein was the promoter, wanted to sell (floppy) discs of the events for like $10 for a month's worth. Haha I vaguely remember that (hearing about it years after the fact anyway). Was there a detailed plan about how he meant to go about doing this? Even the most advanced floppy disks back then held very little memory. So to even have one show you’d need 20+ disks or more. Even then the quality would be crappy. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 19:57:26 GMT -5
Paul Alperstein was the promoter, wanted to sell (floppy) discs of the events for like $10 for a month's worth. Haha I vaguely remember that (hearing about it years after the fact anyway). Was there a detailed plan about how he meant to go about doing this? Even the most advanced floppy disks back then held very little memory. So to even have one show you’d need 20+ disks or more. Even then the quality would be crappy. He did a multi-part Torch Talk explaining all of this. Of course, it was all based on a certain amount of people actually buying the darn things. |
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 17, 2017 20:10:46 GMT -5
Haha I vaguely remember that (hearing about it years after the fact anyway). Was there a detailed plan about how he meant to go about doing this? Even the most advanced floppy disks back then held very little memory. So to even have one show you’d need 20+ disks or more. Even then the quality would be crappy. He did a multi-part Torch Talk explaining all of this. Of course, it was all based on a certain amount of people actually buying the darn things. Haha I wish I could have interviewed him about it back in the day. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Alperstein: It’s because we’re a new company and with us we bring new, innovative ideas. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Alperstein: Before long the big companies will be asking why they don’t sell floppy disks. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Add more bullshit and repeat. Anyway, whatever happened to Alperstein. Didn’t the company go broke because they paid a ridiculous amount of money for TV time in major markets? Hopefully Alperstein at least isn’t destitute or something. Were the wrestlers at least taken care of well for those 11 shows he ran? I’d probably watch the heck out of an AWF documentary if they could get a good angle on it. I’d also love a Herb Abrams documentary, but neither are going to happen any time soon. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 20:16:24 GMT -5
They supposedly ran a show here that drew 150 people.
I cannot confirm nor deny it happened, but I knew absolutely nothing about it and they did nothing to promote it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 23:21:37 GMT -5
One good gimmick (at least I *think* it was AWF) was having buff refs so there couldn't be intimidation or ref bumps. Clever little touch albeit executed badly.
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Ultimo Gallos
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Dec 18, 2017 1:30:45 GMT -5
First saw the AWF at like 3am on a Saturday when I had just gotten home from the bar. The local ABC affiliate aired AWF then WCW Worldwide. So I got 2 hours of wrestling.
Somewhere in my collection I got a few DVDs of AWF.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 2:47:07 GMT -5
decent syndication but the over the top rope DQ and rounds killed it
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FHgrad99
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Post by FHgrad99 on Dec 18, 2017 15:53:58 GMT -5
I found a video of one of their shows on YouTube.
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Post by vashondude on Dec 18, 2017 21:25:53 GMT -5
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Post by BlackoutCreature on Dec 18, 2017 21:28:37 GMT -5
I remember watching this at like 2AM back in the day. I once described it as WWF at its cheesiest meets WCW at its worst, with a roster of forgotten 80's mid-carders that even mid-90's Eric Bischoff wouldn't touch. Topped off with a ridiculous round system that was decidedly not what the 90's wrestling scene was looking for.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 18, 2017 21:29:48 GMT -5
Awe that’s a shame. I’m a fan of any guy who tries to give wrestlers a place to work and treats them, their staff, and the fans well. I’m not sure if he did, but I’d be curious about it and will give him the benefit of the doubt. Even if he did have some pretty out there marketing strategies. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 21:53:35 GMT -5
He lost millions on it due to overpaying talent and buying TV time on broadcast network affiliates in major markets. Like, essentially buying an infommercial on the CBS affiliate in NYC, Los Angeles, and Chicago... that sort of thing. He made his initial fortune by being involved in the rollout of the first wave of ATMs.
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Post by cassonova on Dec 18, 2017 23:26:34 GMT -5
I know you can get the first, like, 16 episodes on Amazon for a good price. It's labeled "Warriors of Wrestling" without acknowledging that it's the AWF. I actually enjoyed Terry Taylor's commentary (I must have been the only one).
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 7:53:04 GMT -5
Was this the promotion that Lord Alfred Hayes was a commentator for (for a while anyway)?
I remember watching it but, outside Hayes, Tito and I think Koko B. Ware being involved, remember almost nothing of....
1994 or so was when I was becoming bored with WWF and started looking elsewhere. This and WCW were it, and eventually just WCW.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Dec 19, 2017 8:43:31 GMT -5
Was this the promotion that Lord Alfred Hayes was a commentator for (for a while anyway)? I remember watching it but, outside Hayes, Tito and I think Koko B. Ware being involved, remember almost nothing of.... 1994 or so was when I was becoming bored with WWF and started looking elsewhere. This and WCW were it, and eventually just WCW. Yeah, Hayes was even a heel which was weird. He played a heel much earlier in his career too, but at that stage it just didn’t work. He came off more like a confused old man. |
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Post by Mozenrath on Dec 19, 2017 8:50:57 GMT -5
He did a multi-part Torch Talk explaining all of this. Of course, it was all based on a certain amount of people actually buying the darn things. Haha I wish I could have interviewed him about it back in the day. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Alperstein: It’s because we’re a new company and with us we bring new, innovative ideas. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Alperstein: Before long the big companies will be asking why they don’t sell floppy disks. Me: Why don’t you just sell tapes? Add more bullshit and repeat. Anyway, whatever happened to Alperstein. Didn’t the company go broke because they paid a ridiculous amount of money for TV time in major markets? Hopefully Alperstein at least isn’t destitute or something. Were the wrestlers at least taken care of well for those 11 shows he ran? I’d probably watch the heck out of an AWF documentary if they could get a good angle on it. I’d also love a Herb Abrams documentary, but neither are going to happen any time soon. I'd be inclined to think that maybe he just got a good deal on floppies or knew where to get them on the cheap, but given the major market stupidity, I'm less keen on that theory. It probably was just for the sake of doing something different. |
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