Two Wrestling Tragedies: What Could Have Been

[The Brain]

In the 1980s wrestling was hot in the state of Texas and there was no one hotter than the Von Erich family. They were local legends of the lone star state and were in large part responsible for a wrestling renaissance in the south. It turned out Kerry would become the most famous from the family but before his death in 1984 it was David that was pegged as the breakout star. He had the size, charisma, and ability that many thought could take him to the NWA title. In early 1984 David began a feud with NWA champion Ric Flair and was scheduled to get a title shot in April. Many predicted David would win the title but unfortunately while on a tour in Japan in February David passed away before he ever got his title shot.

Later in 1984 an exciting new star joined Jim Crockett's promotion in the NWA. Tom Selleck was one of Hollywood's most popular stars and his show Magnum PI was a hit in the 80s. Terry Allen felt he bore enough of a resemblance to Selleck that he might be able to capitalize on his popularity and became Magnum TA. I'm not sure how much Magnum TA owed to Magnum PI for his success but TA did become quite popular with the fans. He had the look of a champion and many felt it was only a matter of time before he unseated Flair for the title. Magnum was a two time US champion and had memorable feuds with Tully Blanchard and Nikitta Koloff. After dropping the title to Koloff in a best of seven series it seemed Magnum may have been ready to move on to challenging Flair. In the fall of 1986 Magnum TA was in a car accident that nearly cost him his life. He would never wrestle again.

How do you think their careers would have played out had tragedies not befallen these two budding stars? David Von Erich was 25 when he died. Magnum TA was 27 when he suffered his accident. Could either or both have been successful champions? Maybe if David didn't die he would have been in Magnum's way. Maybe if Magnum didn't suffer the accident Sting wouldn't have become as popular as he did when he did. Or maybe both would have just had a brief reign before dropping the title right back to Flair after a couple months if they ever won it at all. It's a shame both careers ended so soon (particularly David since he lost his life) as I think we may have missed out on some real special talents.

 

[klunderbunker]

I'd think Magnum had the greater potential, even though both were guaranteed the World Title. Magnum was better against more top talent and got over in more places, but David had a star quality to him that is hard to overlook.

That being said, I don't know how much it would have mattered. If you look at the NWA at the time, the champion was almost always a heel. Long term face champions almost never happened so it's hard to imagine either being on top for more than a few months. They might have gotten six months to a year but at the end of the day, ti was coming back to Flair almost no matter what.

As for Sting though, he had more charisma than both and would have risen to the top somehow over both of them.

 

[Ace Amoeba]

The whole Von Erich tragedy still gets to me because I feel it could have been preventable. Read Ric Flair's book(I think it's in his book) and he tells a sad story of wrestling Kerry when he was in no condition to wrestle. After the match he threw the belt down in the locker room in front of Fritz because he was so mad.

Magnum was so great and i feel he was a few years from his peak. Of all those who didn't reach their potential there are so many more who have and for that I am grateful.

 

[thestud77]

In the 1980s wrestling was hot in the state of Texas and there was no one hotter than the Von Erich family. They were local legends of the lone star state and were in large part responsible for a wrestling renaissance in the south. It turned out Kerry would become the most famous from the family but before his death in 1984 it was David that was pegged as the breakout star. He had the size, charisma, and ability that many thought could take him to the NWA title. In early 1984 David began a feud with NWA champion Ric Flair and was scheduled to get a title shot in April. Many predicted David would win the title but unfortunately while on a tour in Japan in February David passed away before he ever got his title shot.

Later in 1984 an exciting new star joined Jim Crockett's promotion in the NWA. Tom Selleck was one of Hollywood's most popular stars and his show Magnum PI was a hit in the 80s. Terry Allen felt he bore enough of a resemblance to Selleck that he might be able to capitalize on his popularity and became Magnum TA. I'm not sure how much Magnum TA owed to Magnum PI for his success but TA did become quite popular with the fans. He had the look of a champion and many felt it was only a matter of time before he unseated Flair for the title. Magnum was a two time US champion and had memorable feuds with Tully Blanchard and Nikitta Koloff. After dropping the title to Koloff in a best of seven series it seemed Magnum may have been ready to move on to challenging Flair. In the fall of 1986 Magnum TA was in a car accident that nearly cost him his life. He would never wrestle again.

How do you think their careers would have played out had tragedies not befallen these two budding stars? David Von Erich was 25 when he died. Magnum TA was 27 when he suffered his accident. Could either or both have been successful champions? Maybe if David didn't die he would have been in Magnum's way. Maybe if Magnum didn't suffer the accident Sting wouldn't have become as popular as he did when he did. Or maybe both would have just had a brief reign before dropping the title right back to Flair after a couple months if they ever won it at all. It's a shame both careers ended so soon (particularly David since he lost his life) as I think we may have missed out on some real special talents.

Magnum was a no talent bum that got to the upper card for the sole reason of being friends with Dusty. Only a fool would imply that Magnum would have overshadowed Sting as Sting is one of the best of all time.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Magnum was a no talent bum that got to the upper card for the sole reason of being friends with Dusty. Only a fool would imply that Magnum would have overshadowed Sting as Sting is one of the best of all time.

Trolling aside (surely there should be a law) it is somewhat fair to say that Magnum TA was not a sure success. Indeed he was very unproven at that main event level, as was David Von Erich.

TA had the potential for sure but much as Scott Hall always had potential, Davey Boy, Rick Rude and Curt Hennig all had the main event potential but never quite made the leap, TA was likely to end up in that group as well. He didn't have the raw talent and charisma of Sting or the all round game that Flair had. The NWA may have made him champion, but he would have lost it relatively quickly and he wouldn't have been able to translate into the WWF at a level higher than a mid carder.

David Von Erich had more chance of being a success but again I feel the NWA title wouldn't have been with him for long. As territory focused as Fritz was he would not have passed up the chance for he and his boys to head to New York if it helped sell tickets in Texas and I think that would have been more realistic post NWA title reign. The Von Erichs as a unit at Mania I would have been a very real possibility, indeed the Freebirds were there at a similar time. Vince would have promoted the hell out of that feud and given the New York audience his version of it... and all involved would have been relatively bigger stars. But not the top guys... Inevitably Vince would either pass on the younger boys and sideline Kevin as time went on... something would piss Fritz off and he'd "pull the boys" from the territory causing a big issue. Kerry would have arguably have been the one Vince "wanted" for his look and I am sure of all of them he would have gotten the bigger push over time.

There is a thing that almost forces young guys with tragedy to be eulogised as better than they were, it applies to both these guys... they were very, very good...but not yet or guaranteed to be great and fate decided they weren't going to be... now Gino Hernandez... THAT was a big loss to the business!

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I can't really comment on David Von Erich...I never really saw much World Class when I was younger, and when I did, David had already passed away. What I did see of him, I saw in a series of broken clips.

Magnum T.A., however, I think would've gone on to be a star, possibly along the lines of Sting. He certainly had the look, and he was able to cut some very intense promos; fans definitely reacted to him. That said, I don't think he was nearly as good in the ring as someone like Sting, and I always felt his belly to belly suplex was something of a joke: It never looked particularly impactful, IMO...not compared to someone like a Rick Steiner.

I think the question is whether Magnum would've had a productive title reign, and that's tricky. I think one of NWA's biggest mistakes was not capitalizing on the popularity of some of its face stars and give them a legit title reign. Take Nikita Koloff for instance. He was red hot coming into at Starrcade 86. He had the story of his feud with Magnum going into the event, and his reason for turning face just made a lot of sense. I think better booking would've had him take the title from Flair in a shocker, and hold it into the following summer. Ditto Magnum T.A., had he actually been in the event. A title win over Flair, a high profile defense, and then into a title defense against Koloff (who would've stayed heel as the US champion). Eventually Magnum would've dropped the title to either Flair or possibly Luger. I think NOT having Magnum in the picture made Crockett circle his wagons and cling to Flair a little too long as the champion. Magnum being in the NWA would've certainly made Starrcade 1987 a more interesting picture, as you wouldn't have had Garvin in the main event at all.

It really depends of what Magnum's drawing power would've been. The WWF showed how one guy could become the masthead for a whole company. Now obviously McMahon was a much better businessman than Crockett, but if Crockett had a face who was equally appealing (i.e. not Rhodes), then who knows what would've happened? Maybe delayed the inevitable? Or maybe it rolls right into a bit of a golden era where you have Magnum, Flair, Sting, Luger, Koloff, and Windham at the top of your card -- that would've been a sight to see.

Edit: BTW, my thoughts on Sting and the comparison to Magnum. Sting was very, very good, but I also think he was overrated by many. He was not NEARLY as charismatic as some would suggest, and I'd say his promos were lacking for the most part. But he did have energy and excitement, and that managed to carry him through. Not every guy can be Flair on the mic. And in the ring, again, he had intensity and a physical charisma that many didn't have. So both Magnum and Sting were extremely good wrestlers who could be in the main event, but I kind of question whether or not they were guys like Hogan, Flair, Austin or Rock. They were a level below that, IMO.

 

[J.J.]

Did any of y'all actually remember these guys wrestling during this period? Magnum TA in my eyes was a few years too late. Outside of the territories WWE was riding the wave of Hulkamania. Magnum TA was too 'southern' to be the next big face of the territories to save it from continuing to be dwarfed by Vince McMahon. Despite Flair and Crockett wanting to drop the title to TA I still felt Sting was going to regardless be a bigger star.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

There's always been the talk that David Von Erich was promised the NWA title, was a guaranteed future champion, ect. He probably was... but likely he just would have had the reign that Kerry had instead... maybe a couple though since David was considered to be more reliable than Kerry was, and was the better hand in pretty much every way. As long as David stayed with his father in Texas though, that would have been the most he could expect, because with the politics of the day, Crockett basically owned the NWA title, and McMahon owned the rest of the country.

What was lost when David died though is immeasurable. The guy was a legit 6'7 at a time when that was rare... who could work... who could play both a beloved, fiery babyface and a strong, dastardly heel (check out his Florida work when his dad sent him there to learn how to work heel). The guy would have been a massive star once he got out on the national scene, and eventually he would have. Even if David lives, I don't see a situation where his dad is able to survive where he didn't before. Eventually, WCCW would have petered out exactly like it did, and David would have moved on to work either for Crockett or Vince. I'd guess Vince since everyone did in the end. With David's size and skill... he could have easily been repackaged as a strong heel challenger to Hogan or Savage, and possibly even been good enough to eventually turn from mega-heel to beloved-face like Savage did. He easily could have been remembered like a Savage today had he lived. He was that good.

As for Magnum? NWA fans absolutely loved him. I get where the Sting comparisons in this thread are coming from... but I really get the feeling that most of the commentors are at best vaguely familiar with Magnum TA, which is understandable because his accident happened right near the start of the first wrestling boom, so newer fans never got much of a chance to get familiar with him. Had he not had that accident... for one I think unless he jumped to the WWF like everyone else eventually did, Sting wouldn't have had the career he had (meaning his first major opportunity to be on top wouldn't have happened because he wouldn't have had the Magnum spot to take). Magnum would have had an easier time with the NWA title than Von Erich would have since he worked for Crockett, the guy who basically owned the title. The NWA model was to go with a heel champ for the most part, but once the title was domain of the Carolina's, the need for that model actually goes out the window, and there's a lot of merit to pushing Magnum as the guy over Flair at that point.

Problem there would be Dusty. Dusty and Magnum stayed close likely because of the accident taking Magnum out of the business. I say that, because one of the biggest problems Crockett's NWA had was Dusty's booking, and how in the end, everything had to come back to Dusty being the #1 face. He may not have let Magnum get that spot (probably would have done an angle where Magnum turns heel on Dusty at some point).

I can also see Magnum in the end though, going to the WWF, either as the #2 babyface behind Hogan, or repackaged as a #1 heel challenger. Watch his Mid-South stuff with Mr. Wrestling II and you'll see Magnum could play a strong heel as well as a fiery babyface.

We lost out on a lot with both of these guys. Truly sad (although at least Magnum's done pretty well for himself outside of wrestling).

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Problem there would be Dusty. Dusty and Magnum stayed close likely because of the accident taking Magnum out of the business. I say that, because one of the biggest problems Crockett's NWA had was Dusty's booking, and how in the end, everything had to come back to Dusty being the #1 face. He may not have let Magnum get that spot (probably would have done an angle where Magnum turns heel on Dusty at some point).

Yeah, you can't underestimate the negative impact Rhodes had on Crockett Promotions, nor can you dismiss the terrible mistake Crockett made in going after the UWF's roster (minus some of its biggest stars). Both of these made it virtually impossible to recover. I like to think that having Magnum, Koloff, and Luger at the top of the card with Flair would've made it more obvious that Rhodes was not needed. Without Magnum, Rhodes was able to make the Super Powers pitch, and keep himself in the limelight -- they needed that second face. Rhodes milked that idea all the way to Starrcade 1987 where his Royal Blobness took the U.S. title from Luger. By that point, Rhodes should've been wrestling his final match in NWA (in my perfect world), in a Loser Leaves Match with Flair.

 

[Judah's Lion]

i honestly cannot speak with any great knowledge or intelligence on David Von Erich. i know very little about the man on a personal or professional level. i've learned more about him from this thread than i have from my own video library or books. Ric Flair did mention him, albeit pretty briefly, in his book. mostly, though, Flair mentioned the Von Erich family as a whole and the angle with Kerry for the NWA Title. if i'm not mistaken, that angle/match was made as a tribute to David after his passing. but from all accounts here, it sounds like he had star potential. having the last name he had (let's not kid ourselves cuz family does matter in the wrestling business) and the size he had, he kinda had it more-than-halfway made.

as for Magnum TA, i've never read or heard a bad word about the guy. Flair himself speaks very highly of him both as a person and as an athlete. that's enough for me. i've not seen much of his matches, but i've seen a handful between Magnum and Flair and Magnum and Tully Blanchard. some matches spread out over a couple of years as he feuded with the Four Horsemen. he was good inside the ring and got incredible reactions from the fans. he kinda reminds me of a Diamond Dallas Page in his look and connection to the audience. i can also see the resemblance people are making between Sting and Magnum. either way, it's a tough call to make on this one. he could've been another Savage or Sting, or he could've landed in the Perfect, Jake the Snake, Scott Hall, Rick Rude, etc, category, meaning he could've held a World Title in the NWA or other regional promotion without ever holding the WWF Title despite how good he was and how much he may have deserved it. if for Ric Flair's endorsement alone, i give this guy mad props and grieve for the loss to the business that is his short-lived career.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I didn't see the Von Erichs as much back then. Growing in Pittsburgh we were in WWE's back yard (home of Bruno Sammartino) so we got LOTS of WWE. However, we got lots of Jim Crockett Promotions/NWA, plus a fair amount of the AWA and (while they lasted) UWF. Actually, if you were a wrestling fan 1985-89 you had great access to a lot of stuff on Pittsburgh TV.

That said I watched a lot of the NWA, even though this was WWE country here there show was so corny, fans who think today's kid friendly product is tame would have been lulled to sleep by 1986 WWE. The matches were horrible most of the time, very little athleticism as WWE had to limit more skilled wrestlers so as not to show up Hogan. The NWA product definitely had a more "adult" nature to it and the matches typically were far superior, plus they had lots of violent gimmick matches...brutal steel cage matches that were the forerunner to today's Hell In A Cell (making the old Blue Cage WWE Matches look really weak in comparison), Leather Strap and Chain matches, Texas Death Matches, even one of the first Ladder Matches at Great American Bash 1987.

I remember Magnum TA vividly. Extremely athletic, very charismatic, he was good but maybe not great on the mic, and he could flat out wrestle in the ring. He already had one run with Flair in early 86 I believe, excellent matches, before he moved into a run alongside Dusty vs Midnight Express and Jim Cornett, leading to a revival of his US vs USSR feud vs Nikita Kolloff. Kolloff basically has Magnum & Flair to thank for his entire career, they made him more than anyone or anything else with the two runs he had vs each of them in 85 & 86.

There were numerous stories that Crockett was considering letting Magnum win the title at Starrcade. Fact was, Flair had never lost in 3 Starrcades. It's never been addressed what the long term plans were, IE would this have been a feel good/short term run like what they did for Kerry Von Erich (who's drug & alcohol problems limited any chance he had for a long reign) or Dusty Rhodes (more an appreciation for your total work type thing that wasn't intended as a long term solution at champ) or would they have given Magnum a full scale shot at a lengthy reign ? Since no one has ever been able to clarify that (and it wasn't written in stone he was winning the title at Starrcade, just being considered) we may never know.

Now one poster pointed out that Dusty was in charge of booking here. He wasn't able to convince Crockett to remove Flair as champ and give him the belt full time as Crockett believed Flair was his best star. Part of Magnum's popularity was his association with Dusty on screen, though another poster was critical of Dusty (and his Starrcade 87 US Title win over Lex Luger) fact was in terms of star power and national recognition Dusty was huge, he was probably the second most popular fan fave natiowide outside of Hogan, especially with Andre wrestling sporadically and turning heel (Dusty won the readers poll for "Most Popular" as late as 1987 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated). I believe after his legendary run vs Tully Blanchard that Magnum was established enough in his own right but no doubt part of his appeal, at least initially was tied to Dusty. Question is....would Dusty let Magnum get the title for any length of time knowing that if they were both faves he wouldn't be high in the title picture ? We'll never know, but given some of the problems The Four Horsemen had with Dusty's booking it's a valid question.

As for Magnum keeping Sting down, if Magnum stayed healthy and won the title at Starrcade 86 that was two years before anyone ever heard of Sting. In 1986 he wasn't even Sting, he was Blade Runner I believe in a UWF Tag Team with Ultimate Warrior. Sting got zero promotion in the NWA until late 1987 after the acquisition of the UWF. His famous Clash Of Champions Match vs Flair was in March 1988. Magnum was well ahead of Sting (and Lex Luger for that matter) and would have been clearly established as the No. 1 Fan Fave in the company before Sting ever stepped in an NWA ring.

As far as who would have had a better career ? Id say Magnum based on the fact David Von Erich likely would have been loyal to his dad like Kerry was and stayed local in World Class until it completely died. Kerry didn't turn up in WWE until 1988. Rick Rude had bailed in 1986 for the NWA, The Freebirds stayed in World Class until 1987. Al Perez left in 1988 for the NWA and basically World Class was done by then. If David stayed like Kerry did then he wouldn't have reached one of the "Big 2" until at least a year, maybe two, after Magnum was already enthrenched as the NWA's Top Good Guy if not it's #1 overall star alongside Flair. That jump start I believe would have given Magnum the leg up in any race between the two to become top stars.

As for the poster that claimed Crockett should have had Kolloff win the title at Starrcade 86, one there was still a very vocal audience that disliked Kolloff due to how effective his anti American gimmick had been (Flair gets a surprising amount of cheers at Starracde 86). Two, the roster at the time was top heavy in quality World Title contenders as faces but not as strong in heels (especially with Rude leaving mid 87 to join WWE). Most of the heels were midcarders or tag teams since The Horsemen were the top bad guys, and even then only Flair & Blanchard were legit main eventers circa late 86-early 87 (Arn Anderson wasn't established yet, Ole Anderson was way past his prime and on the way out). Plus, with Florida Championship Wrestling ending you had an influx of talent coming in early 1987 including the heavily hyped Luger as well as Barry Whyndam. It made sense to leave the title on Flair, use him to get Luger over, plus his series of matches vs Whyndam not only did good money they were among the best series of matches anywhere in any company the entire year (as good if not better than Flair-Steamboat or HBK-Hart).

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Now one poster pointed out that Dusty was in charge of booking here. He wasn't able to convince Crockett to remove Flair as champ and give him the belt full time as Crockett believed Flair was his best star. Part of Magnum's popularity was his association with Dusty on screen, though another poster was critical of Dusty (and his Starrcade 87 US Title win over Lex Luger) fact was in terms of star power and national recognition Dusty was huge, he was probably the second most popular fan fave natiowide outside of Hogan, especially with Andre wrestling sporadically and turning heel (Dusty won the readers poll for "Most Popular" as late as 1987 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated). I believe after his legendary run vs Tully Blanchard that Magnum was established enough in his own right but no doubt part of his appeal, at least initially was tied to Dusty. Question is....would Dusty let Magnum get the title for any length of time knowing that if they were both faves he wouldn't be high in the title picture ? We'll never know, but given some of the problems The Four Horsemen had with Dusty's booking it's a valid question.

The thing with Dusty booking himself to take the title once it became tied to Crockett, is that Dusty knew that for him, the money was in the chase, and not being the champion. People love an underdog, and Dusty played that role well by stacking the odds against himself pretty thoroughly (it seemed every heel in the territory was out to get Dusty). Eventually to keep fans interested in the chase, the underdog has to come out on top, so Dusty would get himself a short reign with the title, before being overcome by the odds again. Then the fans would be back to dying to see him overcome again, since they had a taste of it and wanted more. That's why he loved using the Dusty finish so much. It helped to feed his chase.

There's easily a case to be made that by '86, when Dusty beat Flair at the Bash for the title, that he should have kept the title for a while. They'd already gone a while with Flair on top, and the WWF was picking up steam with Hogan on top. Countering with their own guy who could rival Hogan in popularity could have helped draw more fans in. But Dusty didn't want that, because again, he had learned that his money came from the chase.

Magnum ascending to the #1 face role as a long term face NWA champion while Dusty had the book? I should have elaborated before and said that I feel the reason Dusty and Magnum have a good relationship today is because Magnum never had to find out if that would have happened. I don't believe that Dusty would have let it happen, and that he would have rather turned Magnum heel instead (which could have been a good program in it's own right)... and since they loved the Horsemen so much, would it really surprise anyone that if in the end, heel Magnum in Crockett-land was just a member of the 4 Horsemen?

As for Magnum keeping Sting down, if Magnum stayed healthy and won the title at Starrcade 86 that was two years before anyone ever heard of Sting. In 1986 he wasn't even Sting, he was Blade Runner I believe in a UWF Tag Team with Ultimate Warrior. Sting got zero promotion in the NWA until late 1987 after the acquisition of the UWF. His famous Clash Of Champions Match vs Flair was in March 1988. Magnum was well ahead of Sting (and Lex Luger for that matter) and would have been clearly established as the No. 1 Fan Fave in the company before Sting ever stepped in an NWA ring.

When I say Magnum keeping Sting down, I mean that Sting ended up taking what was Magnum's spot on the roster. That's where the super-push for Sting came from. They'd needed to have someone in that role since the accident. They famously went with Nikita at first, but that was winding down and they needed someone else to step up. If Magnum's still there... then that isn't necessary (unless as I posted earlier, they got screwy with the booking to protect Dusty and Magnum's heel by this point).

If Magnum doesn't have the accident, is kept babyface, and doesn't jump, then Sting has a longer ascension to the top because he moves down one spot on the babyface roster side. What that means is completely hypothetical. He could have been more interested in jumping to Vince back then (seeing more opportunity). He could have worked different programs that may have reshaped how he turned out. He could have simply bided his time until getting the same spot a year later after the exodus.

 

[J.J.]

To add to the discussion because I was a huge fan of the Mid-Atlantic in the 80s. A lot of people are quick to point out JCP's financial woes. But the reality is Magnum TA's wrestling career being cut short is ultimately one of the larger problems the company faced. Some years later after Jim Crockett sold the company to Ted Turner I wonder what would had happened if TA's career hadn't ended when it did. I feel JCP would've been around much longer and Nikita Koloff would've never been forced into a face role(which was another problem JCP faced).

 

[FlairFan2003]

To add to the discussion because I was a huge fan of the Mid-Atlantic in the 80s. A lot of people are quick to point out JCP's financial woes. But the reality is Magnum TA's wrestling career being cut short is ultimately one of the larger problems the company faced. Some years later after Jim Crockett sold the company to Ted Turner I wonder what would had happened if TA's career hadn't ended when it did. I feel JCP would've been around much longer and Nikita Koloff would've never been forced into a face role(which was another problem JCP faced).

Money wise JCP was doing exceptionally well in 84-86. The money problems started in 1987 and grew in 1988, not for a lack of popularity, but for poor management.

When Vince was expanding his operation out of the North East and going nationwide, attacking the other territories, he did it slowly. Get some of his syndicated TV in the local market, run a single, well promoted event, star heavy, like a special occasion, increasing interest in the product but also making it seem special in comparison to the product already present there. Then wait a few months and do another "super show". Meanwhile Vince and WWE worked their own Northeast and Canada area extensively for the bulk of their live shows, their original territory where they were only show in town and could consistently draw well.

Crockett wanted to do the same thing, and had a product popular enough and exposed nationwide via TBS to do it. His mistake was trying to "Out Vince" McMahon by expanding much faster, he wanted to tour routinely all over the country, traveling out west, etc, and running as many shows as possible in areas dominated by McMahon and Verne Gagne (The AWA, in the pacific north west). He was running fewer shows in his core area and taking on much larger travel expenses. The problem was those areas couldn't match the consistent live attendance that NWA did in GA, NC, SC, KY, even into FLA & TENN. Crockett was spending a lot more on travel and getting less returns than he used to, the exact opposite of McMahon who relied on his territory for most of his touring income to minimize expenses, making his in frequent trips to rival territories further away more lucrative initially.

Crockett also made a huge mistake buying all of the UWF (Universal Wrestling Federation). The Bill Watts run promotion ran in areas where Crockett was strong and had a similar style of matches and story telling as his NWA programs, so in a sense they were a natural fit. However, the UWF owed money to talent and also owed money to several TV stations, they were deep in debt when the closed (if they were making a profit they wouldn't have shut down). By buying the entire company Crockett locked up all the talent (though now he had to pay them) and he inherited all the outstanding debt. Compare that to Vince buying WCW. Vince didn't actually buy the WCW Company, he only purchased the video library, which he assumed would be worth a lot of money (and it has been). He did not purchase any other assets, including talent contracts, basically leaving the company as a whole on the Time Warner balance sheet (he did buy the name or acquire the trademark for "WCW"). With the video library and trademark no one else could step in and open WCW again and none of the wrestlers could market themselves in Japan, TNA, or elsewhere with any WCW footage. Fact is, the company was going under regardless, Vince bought was worth it to him and let the rest die. He was then able to negotiate new deals with talent he wanted (Flair, Hogan, Nash, Goldberg) while lesser known performers basically started over at the bottom (if he was interested in them). Crockett didn't need the basic infrastructure of a wrestling company, he already had that, therefore he didn't need to way overspend on the UWF (plus spend more paying their existing debts). As far as TV and talent was concerned, Crockett already had TV contracts in many of the those areas and after the UWF went under could have bid on the now free TV space that he wanted. With regards to Talent he could have cherry picked who he wanted (Steve Williams, Sting, etc) and let the rest walk. Eventually only a handful of UWF guys were around past Starrcade 87 anyway yet Crockett ended up taking them all on to payroll for several months. This deal, in mid 1987, wreaked havoc on NWA financials all through 1988.

With regards to Magnum, the rapid fire cross country travel schedule didn't really hit full stride till 88 I believe (although the NWA was having success moving into WWE areas like PGH & PHI and even managed to run shows at Nassau Coliseum in 1987) and the UWF debacle was 87 into 88, both after Magnum's career ended. If Crockett made those blunders anyway, the fate of the NWA likely would have been the same. The only way it might have been worse is if Flair had accepted Vince's offer in 1988 and jumped ship then instead of waiting three more years, long after Crockett was done and the company was being run into the ground by Jim Herd.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

With regards to Magnum, the rapid fire cross country travel schedule didn't really hit full stride till 88 I believe (although the NWA was having success moving into WWE areas like PGH & PHI and even managed to run shows at Nassau Coliseum in 1987) and the UWF debacle was 87 into 88, both after Magnum's career ended. If Crockett made those blunders anyway, the fate of the NWA likely would have been the same. The only way it might have been worse is if Flair had accepted Vince's offer in 1988 and jumped ship then instead of waiting three more years, long after Crockett was done and the company was being run into the ground by Jim Herd.

Hmmm, you could make the argument that with Magnum around and getting the push that many have said was coming for him then Flair might've had even more incentive to bolt for the WWF. Koloff also had massive interest from the WWF around 1986-87 as well, and played hard to get. Again, with Magnum around, would he have jumped to the WWF?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In terms of personality, David Von Erich was the strongest of the Von Erich kids and he also embodied much more of the blue collar image than Kevin or Kerry. Outside of wrestling, David was a legit horse rancher and had a very successful breeding operation, so the guy was a hard worker. He was also just a lot more comfortable on the mic than Kevin or Kerry and he was someone who I think was more of his own man. He & his father frequently butted heads over this or that, which is part of the reason why David sought out and gained success in other territories and apart from wrestling itself with his horse ranching enterprise.

They had much different physiques and looks than David, which helped make them stars in their own right, but they weren't the kinda guys who'd sit down in the local watering hole after the show and down 5 or 6 brews or eat a big piece of chicken fried steak. You'd be more likely to find them working out in the gym rather than doing manual labor on a farm. They also seemed to do anything and everything Fritz told them to do. They had better looks than David, Kevin was the overall more athletic of the brothers, but David had a stronger connection with fans.

Had he not died, I think there's a strong possibility he'd gone onto become NWA World Heavyweight Champion, at least for a short while. By the mid 80s, Jim Crockett, Jr. became THE power in what was left of the NWA, Flair's home base was in Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory and I think that David would have had to be willing to say goodbye to Dallas or he wouldn't have been champion for all that long.

Magnum T. A. was easily the top babyface in Mid-Atlantic during the mid 80s. He was in great shape, had a great, natural look about him, chicks went crazy over him and he could go in the ring. Had he not been in the car accident, I think he would've taken the title from Ric Flair at Starrcade '86. I don't necessarily think he would've taken Flair's spot, all in all, but I think he would've had at least one significant run with the title before dropping it back to Flair. I could also seen him make the jump to the WWF in the late 80s or very early 90s where I've little trouble believing he'd have been Intercontinental Champion a couple of times. As far as the WWF Championship, MAYBE he could've gotten there, depending upon how consistently he impressed Vince in the ring, his reliability, his ability to get over, etc. It's POSSIBLE Magnum could've gotten the spot that Bret Hart ultimately got since the company was making a transition from Hulk Hogan as the top guy by 1992.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

In terms of personality, David Von Erich was the strongest of the Von Erich kids and he also embodied much more of the blue collar image than Kevin or Kerry. Outside of wrestling, David was a legit horse rancher and had a very successful breeding operation, so the guy was a hard worker. He was also just a lot more comfortable on the mic than Kevin or Kerry and he was someone who I think was more of his own man. He & his father frequently butted heads over this or that, which is part of the reason why David sought out and gained success in other territories and apart from wrestling itself with his horse ranching enterprise.

They had much different physiques and looks than David, which helped make them stars in their own right, but they weren't the kinda guys who'd sit down in the local watering hole after the show and down 5 or 6 brews or eat a big piece of chicken fried steak. You'd be more likely to find them working out in the gym rather than doing manual labor on a farm. They also seemed to do anything and everything Fritz told them to do. They had better looks than David, Kevin was the overall more athletic of the brothers, but David had a stronger connection with fans.

Had he not died, I think there's a strong possibility he'd gone onto become NWA World Heavyweight Champion, at least for a short while. By the mid 80s, Jim Crockett, Jr. became THE power in what was left of the NWA, Flair's home base was in Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory and I think that David would have had to be willing to say goodbye to Dallas or he wouldn't have been champion for all that long.

Magnum T. A. was easily the top babyface in Mid-Atlantic during the mid 80s. He was in great shape, had a great, natural look about him, chicks went crazy over him and he could go in the ring. Had he not been in the car accident, I think he would've taken the title from Ric Flair at Starrcade '86. I don't necessarily think he would've taken Flair's spot, all in all, but I think he would've had at least one significant run with the title before dropping it back to Flair. I could also seen him make the jump to the WWF in the late 80s or very early 90s where I've little trouble believing he'd have been Intercontinental Champion a couple of times. As far as the WWF Championship, MAYBE he could've gotten there, depending upon how consistently he impressed Vince in the ring, his reliability, his ability to get over, etc. It's POSSIBLE Magnum could've gotten the spot that Bret Hart ultimately got since the company was making a transition from Hulk Hogan as the top guy by 1992.

Doubtful Magnum would have been "that guy" if Ted DiBiase, who was better in all areas except "sex appeal" couldn't get the title in the WWF no way Magnum would have... if he was in his "peak" 86-87 for the NWA then realistically, by 92 he would have been waning. Where Bret was able to make the transition work over other similar workers to what Magnum would have been had your scenario worked, like Ric Flair, Savage and Jake was that he wasn't overexposed when the push finally came. He had two relatively short IC reigns and won the title barely a year after the first of those happened.

Had Magnum done the NWA title, then 2 or 3 IC's he would have been very overexposed and short of a McMakeover from hell he couldn't have made it work.

Vince could have used other guys in 92 but Bret was "fresh" despite being on the roster for years and his winning really opened up the "anything can happen" mantra... but he was internal. Looking at how Luger, Flair, Harley, Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat after their NWA runs were treated in the WWF there is no reason to think Magnum would have been any different. All those guys were massively over in the NWA/WCW but only really Luger and Flair got the "full Vince treatment" and it's tough to say they blew it cos in reality Vince did or just soured on them/didn't commit to it 100% and they had the look or pedigree he wanted... Magnum would never have had that, Sting could have made it... and at the end of the day Magnum NEVER reached that potential, there is no guarantee he would have either.

If David was going to do it it would have been instead of the NWA title rather than doing both... that's the big difference. He could have gone to the WWF in 84/85, taken Kerry, Kevin AND The Freebirds with him and THEN gone to the NWA and probably won it there.