Charting The Territories

On the latest episode of Charting the Territories, Al Getz and Jon Boucher look at the 4th quarters of 1973 and 1965 in Leroy McGuirk's territory, discussing the Bass family, Bob Backlund, and Lorenzo Parente among others. They then head west, but not before they open their Christmas presents for one another "live". Plus Al has an intern!

Here's a special look at Big Time Wrestling (Roy Shire; Northern California) in the 4th quarter of 1974. From time to time we will look at territories that I don’t normally cover on this blog; think of them as “Uncharted Territories”.

Welcome to Chapter 25 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk. Each chapter covers a three-month period of time and will list our exclusive statistics: 1) SPOT (Statistical Position Over Time) Ratings, which measure a wrestlers average position on the cards 2) Frequent Partners & Frequent Opponents, which let you see who a wrestler was teaming up with on a regular basis (if any) and who they were regularly wrestling against in meaningful matches high up on the cards In addition, we list the advertised lineups for all known house shows in the territory during the time period, an index of newcomers and other wrestlers (special attractions, women, midgets, etc) that passed through the territory, and

The following is a transcript of all four episodes of my "Wrestling History Mysteries" podcast. They are taken from the 'scripts' I prepared for each episode. I have also included numerous original-source materials where relevant to provide documentation.

In the 4th quarter of 1973, Akbar turns heel on Hodge, two ‘fake’ brother teams (one of whom is managed by their "Maw") and one masked team consisting of actual brothers-in-law, a rookie named Backlund & more!

On the latest episode of Charting the Territories, Thunderbolt Patterson was thankful he got into pro wrestling ... Don Jardine was thankful that Gary Hart was a comic book fan ... Swede Hanson was thankful George Scott always kept him in mind ... and we are thankful for all of our listeners! Tune in as Al Getz and Jon Boucher talk turkey regarding pro wrestling in the territorial era.

Here’s a look at the 4th quarter of 1973 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. We look at the talent roster, title histories, the big feuds in the territory, and a schedule of all known house shows. I’d like to thank Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway for providing the bulk of the house show records I used to compile this data. The Gateway, which is updated regularly by David Chappell, is an invaluable resource. I strongly encourage you to visit (and bookmark!) it: http://www.midatlanticgateway.com

The latest episode of Wrestling History Mysteries is Part III of "The Curious Case of Mr. Szabo", a multi-part series in which I attempt to uncover the identity of a masked wrestler who worked for Leroy McGuirk in February & March, 1963.

Welcome to Chapter 24 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk.

In the 4th quarter of 1977, Murdoch splits with Akbar, Doctor X cuts Pork Chop from his diet, a “wonderful” former football standout debuts, and more!

  The latest episode of the Charting the Territories podcast is here!

Here’s a look at the 3rd quarter of 1973 in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. We look at the talent roster, title histories, the big feuds in the territory, and a schedule of all known house shows. I’d like to thank Dick Bourne and Mark Eastridge of the Mid-Atlantic Gateway for providing the bulk of the house show records I used to compile this data. The Gateway, which is updated regularly by David Chappell, is an invaluable resource. I strongly encourage you to visit (and bookmark!) it: http://www.midatlanticgateway.com

The latest episode of Wrestling History Mysteries is Part II of "The Curious Case of Mr. Szabo", a multi-part series in which I attempt to uncover the identity of a masked wrestler who worked for Leroy McGuirk in February & March, 1963.

Welcome to Chapter 23 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk.

In the 4th quarter of 1981, Scandor Akbar returns, a surprisingly thin main-event roster, applying critical thinking in the absence of match results, and more!

Welcome to Chapter 22 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk.

The latest episode of my Wrestling History Mysteries podcast is part 1 of a multi-part series discussing my quest to identify a masked wrestler named Mr. Szabo that wrestled for Leroy McGuirk in early 1963, getting a huge push as a heel, and then disappearing after suffering an injury in a match with Lou Thesz.

In the 3rd quarter of 1973, Mantell and Sweetan put the boots to one another, Perez & Tapia win gold, early matches in the careers of Pistol Pez and Rotten Ron & more!

Welcome to Chapter 21 of The McGuirk/Watts Wrestling Almanac, an in-depth data-driven look at the wrestling territory run by Leroy McGuirk (and later, Bill Watts). The territory is most commonly known as Tri-State Wrestling and/or Mid-South Wrestling, though neither of those names were actually used until September 1979 when Watts split from McGuirk.

In the 3rd quarter of 1977, Murdoch breaks bad, the debut of not one but two future husbands of the boss’ daughter, the babyface roster includes a healthy diet of pork chops & candy & ‘oates’, and more! ----- Here is the roster for the quarter. Wrestlers are listed in descending order by their average SPOT Rating during the quarter. Directly below their week-by-week SPOT Ratings is a list of that wrestler's Frequent Partners and Frequent Opponents (if applicable): NEW TO THE TERRITORY THIS QUARTER (wrestlers either making their first-ever appearance as a regular in this territory or appearing in a significantly different role/gimmick than when they were here previously) BRIAN BLAIR – Blair turned pro earlier in the year, wrestling in Florida for a few months after being trained by Hiro Matsuda. He would later marry Mike McGuirk, daughter of Leroy. Blair later served as County Commissioner in Hillsborough County (Florida) and currently serves as the President & CEO of th