Wrestling MarketWatch: The Return To WCW

It’s hard to believe that WCW has been gone for over two decades. It’s even harder to believe that the company itself, as World Championship Wrestling, really only lasted a little over one decade. It produced enough memories, and memorabilia, to conjure up classic wrestling excitement to this day. The product had its ups and downs and everyone has their favorite era, but one thing is for sure: WCW was the ‘90s in a nutshell. Bright, neon and maybe some bad music in the first half of the decade. Dark, faux-edgy and worse music in the second half. It sounds like I’m putting it down, but I’m not. Nevertheless, it’s been nearly a decade itself since WCW was the topic of one of our MarketWatch posts. That means that it’s time to “Return To WCW!” As always the recent selling prices quoted are for unsigned examples.

*As big of a Hulk Hogan fan as I am (oh, you missed that?), I never truly warmed up to his WCW run. I mean, it’s ok, and the nWo turn was a shocker, but it just never felt the same as the WWF-Hulkamania glory years did. That doesn’t keep me from Hogan WCW merchandise, of course. In fact some of the early WCW-Hulkster items rival those from the decade prior with “those other guys.” Some say Hogan’s arrival took WCW marketing and merchandising to the next level, but you and I both know that’s not true. I think an argument could be made that the nWo concept shot it through the roof, but WCW merch was great from its inception. The Hogan “bow and arrow” pose foam hand recently sold for $57.

*Think you have all of the Starrcade programs? Think again! There were two editions of Starrcade in 1991 and the first was held on March 21st at the Tokyo Dome. In the United States the show was touted as “WCW/New Japan Supershow,” but on the soil on which it was held, this was Starrcade. An oversized program was sold for the show similar to many other Japanese wrestling programs of the time and some produced over the last twenty years or so here in the states. Think large, glossy, lots of pictures and some bios. All of the ’91 WCW names are inside as well as NJPW stars and some killer photos. WCW merchandise is sprinkled throughout, too! The program recently sold for $90.

*Another great WCW event was Fall Brawl, often featuring the beloved Dusty Rhodes creation of “War Games: The Match Beyond.” One of the final pay-per-view events of the 1990s was the 1999 edition of Fall Brawl held at the Lawrence Joel Center in Winston-Salem, NC. With Sting, Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg among the headliners of the show, the past decade of the company was certainly represented. It may not have been signed “Keep That Ass Warm” by DDP like my personal one is, but the promotional seat cushion from the event recently sold for $160.

*Along with The Hulkster came “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart to WCW. Initially aligned with the red and yellow hero, Hart went on to manage The Dungeon of Doom and even a reprisal of his “First Family” stable of many years prior. Managers weren’t quite the focal point that they once were by the time that Hart came to WCW, but The Mouth was still part of many storylines and feuds during his run. He also returned to the recording studio to create theme music just as he did in the WWF. Of course the world remembers Jimmy for his ubiquitous megaphone and his merchandise has always reflected that. The WCW souvenir version of his megaphone recently sold for $34.

*By now everyone knows that the classic Galoob WCW figure line went a tad longer in the United Kingdom than it did here in the states. Characters like The Fabulous Freebirds, Dustin Rhodes, Big Josh and El Gigante were added to the lineup while old favorites were reimagined with new colors. Sting and Lex Luger even received entirely new “entrance gear” sculpts. You may remember a near copy of this figure for The Stinger in the mid-1990’s line by The Original San Francisco Toymakers. The original was indeed produced by Galoob and is one of the most striking figures of the line. The Man Called Sting has recently been selling for an average of $45.

Well, that was quite an assortment of goodies from “Where The Big Boys Play!” Even still, like with most of the topics on MarketWatch, there are countless more great items out there. Say what you want about the WWF marketing machine, WCW knew how to do it pretty well, too.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Totally '80s!

Did nostalgia for the ‘80s ever really die? I remember myself and people that I knew being nostalgic for the “decade of excess” midway through the 1990s! I guess we knew that it was never going to get any better, and it hasn’t! But enough veiled statements on the sad state of the world, we’re here to talk about when life was FUN! Wrestling in the 1980’s certainly resembles that statement with the big “boom” of the Rock ‘n Wrestling era, some epic in-ring action and more stars than you could fill a sky with. Considering the amount of merchandise that was done for wrestling in the ‘80s, a MarketWatch entry on the topic could actually be a weekly feature. As usual we’ve whittled it down to five items at random. As always the prices listed are for unsigned examples unless otherwise noted. My own photos are used for reference which is why you’ll see a signature or two pop up. Grab your Members Only jacket, a can of New Coke and let’s get to it!

*Although there were examples earlier, it was in the ‘80s when wrestlers truly began to sing. On MTV, no less! One of the biggest singles off of 1985’s WWF The Wrestling Album was the classic number by The Junk Yard Dog, “Grab Them Cakes.” The song, co-sung by “Turn The Beat Around” songstress Vicki Sue Robinson, became the anthem for JYD once the era of licensed “real” music died off. Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” was out and people were grabbing cakes worldwide. The album itself had plenty of single releases, many of which have been seen over the years in this very blog. While the three 45 inch singles are best known (GTC, Land of a Thousand Dances?!!? & Don’t Go Messin’ With A Country Boy) there were other releases including both promotional and foreign. The 12 inch “Dance Mix” of everyone’s favorite song where you just go for your partner’s you-know-what recently sold for $20. 

*Though not affiliated with any major U.S. promotion in the ‘80s for any length of time, you can’t deny that the star power of Mil Mascaras carried over from the ‘70s into the 1980’s. His mask was made for merchandising and while he’s been grossly underrepresented in the action figure world (especially with modern day versions), his mysterious mug has made it onto countless other items over the years. In 1983 Bernie Lopez Enterprises and The Mil Mascaras Corporation released the aptly named “Mil Mascaras Pro Wrestling Game.” It doesn’t get more straight forward than that, does it? The game features an iconic George Napolitano shot of Mascaras in mid-air and the promise of the game allowing you to promote matches in major cities across the world. I’m not sure that anyone’s ever actually played it (I own it and haven’t…) but it certainly is fun to have. A copy just sold for a bargain price of $30.

 

*You knew we couldn’t talk ‘80s wrestling without talking LJN. The famous Wrestling Superstars figure line is what many collectors cut their teeth on. Proof? “Big Rubber Wrestlers” is one of the most searched phrases that has led to this blog over the years. That’s how they’re remembered by casual fans and it proves what an impact they had. You were hard pressed to find a kid who didn’t own at least one back then, even if he or she was not a wrestling fan. But while the carded versions seemed to be everywhere, the tag team two packs were not. Much more limited in distribution, the two packs included Hulk Hogan and Hillbilly Jim, Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, The Hart Foundation, The British Bulldogs, The Killer Bees, The Dream Team and Strike Force. All of those figures were released individually as well, but there’s something really cool about the tag team boxes. The Hillbilly and The Hulkster recently sold for $600!

 

*The WWF wasn’t the only game in town. Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA were producing a high-impact in-ring product born out of the classic southern style. Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, The Rock n Roll Express and The Midnight Express were just some of their top names that remain beloved to this day. Do I need to remind you of that? Nah, but who doesn’t love those great memories? Starrcade, “The Granddaddy of Em All” was the prime event in that wrestling world and even predated WrestleMania. While the world may not be as fun as it used to be, it is pretty nifty that, on a whim, we can go from watching WrestleMania to Starrcade with just a few clicks. If you do surf on over to a Starrcade, especially since we’re in that season, you may want to pick up some of the classic programs. The Starrcade ’87 program (Chi-Town Heat!) recently sold for $100.

 

*Let’s wrap it up by seeing stars. Superstars. Wrestling Superstars. But not by LJN. This time the 1985 stars of the World Wrestling Federation are coming to us via View-Master. As ubiquitous as LJN figures were in the ‘80s toy box, so were View-Master reels. If by some chance you’ve never owned some, you slide the thin reel into the viewer (there were plenty of viewers dating back decades and were all virtually universal) and magically you could flip through three-dimensional pictures of your favorite television, movie and cartoon characters, places around the world, wildlife and of course WWF Superstars. The Hulkster and Hillbilly are once again prominent here and are joined by Andre the Giant and Randy “Macho Man” Savage. There is a scarcer “gift set” where the reels are packaged in a window box with the viewer but the package of reels itself sells for around $20.

 

We still love the ‘80s and always will. It was magic, fun and just felt like a friendlier place. Admittedly I was but a child then, but many who were older in that day feel the same. The world has gone sour, especially in the last few years, but I recently saw a quote that brought me some comfort: “Nostalgia is one of the few rewards we get when getting old.” That’s why we have to hold onto it…

Wrestling MarketWatch: Merry Christmas!

Christmas time is here! Wrestling memorabilia and cheer! I'm sure that many of you have received many great wrestling-themed Christmas gifts over the years. Pictures of children receiving classic LJN WWF figures seem to be in abundance on Instagram. I remember Christmas 1987 all too well. Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy Stretch Wrestlers! And how about '92? That was the year that only good little children received the Hasbro Royal Rumble Mini Ring. After all, Santa knew that years later it could be sold to pay off debt. Not that I would.

But what about Christmas-themed wrestling items? Ornaments and the like. There are plenty out there from a variety of eras. On this Christmas Eve we're going to take a look at a handful of those items and their recent selling prices. Remember, the prices are for non-autographed examples even if the photos I've provided from my own collection show otherwise.

*We're going to bookend our menagerie of items with one man: Sgt. Slaughter. I don't know if the Sarge is the first wrestler that you think of at Christmas time, but seeing as he is one of the nicest men in the business I don't think that it's out of the question to do so. In recent years WWE has released a variety of gingerbread men ornaments decked out to look like WWE Superstars past and present. One of the cutest (yes, I used that word) is little Sarge, camouflage and all. He recently sold at auction for $10.

*World Championship Wrestling was no stranger to the Holiday game, either. In the "opener" picture above, you can see a rare Starrcade 1996 promotional stocking. Fitting for the event that was often close to Christmas! In 1991 WCW Magazine produced a Christmasy cover featuring two of your jolliest names: P.N. News and Missy Hyatt. Behind them is a Christmas tree filled with some great classic merchandise. Cover dated February 1992, the magazine has recently been selling for an average of $15. Ho Ho Ho, indeed!

*Despite the nonstop action of the "Ruthless Aggression" era, WWE still released plenty of Christmas items during that time. One of my favorites is a full sized snow globe featuring John Cena, The Undertaker and a slightly hard-to-identify Batista. If you can't picture that threesome standing outside in a Christmas brawl (another Miracle on 34th Street Fight?), then I don't think you're truly a wrestling fan. Even if some of these three don't quite qualify as three wise men (I'm looking at you, Big Dave), the trio in their wintry globe recently sold for $55.

*Later in the '90s WCW was on a roll popularity-wise and their merchandise hit an all-time peak. The company Trendmasters decided to dress up the stars of WCW and the nWo in Santa Claus-esque outfits and send them packing into stores and onto your Christmas tree. Even Bill Goldberg, who is Jewish, was Santa-ized. Well, after all, he did make the movie "Santa's Slay" years later. The ornaments, which also include "Hollywood" Hogan and Kevin Nash, have recently been selling for between $10 and $20. Who's next?

*As promised, Sgt. Slaughter is next, that's who. Going back to classic World Wrestling Federation items we have the December 1984/January 1985 issue of WWF Magazine. On this issue we have Sarge in a very impressively done artistic rendering offering Season's Greetings. It's actually nice enough to qualify for use on your Christmas card. Perhaps this WAS the WWF's Christmas card that year? Strictly speculation. The WWF actually had a few fun Christmas covers for both their magazine and programs. This one recently sold for $55. Just like the snow globe. A magic number? Hmmmm...

I hope you've enjoyed a look at all of these stocking stuffers. Who knows? Maybe whoever bought the items in the auctions quoted actually bought them for you! Next week we end the year with my choice for "Figure of the Year." Who is it? Look for hints all over our social media. In the meantime...

Wrestling MarketWatch: The Publications of Jim Crockett Promotions

It's almost the Fourth of July! This time of year always gets me to thinking of the magic of Jim Crockett Promotions. It may be true that a lot of the territorial wrestling promotions looked to summer as a time when business was down due to other activities taking up the evenings of the money-paying fan, but JCP changed that. The company and its talent took those long, hot, summer nights and created events that many remember to this day: The Great American Bash. It was a summer get together. Bring the kids! Bring grandma! Bring the beer and brats! It was music, food, the great outdoors, and hard-hitting wrestling action.

In this edition of MarketWatch we'll look at some of the most treasured memorabilia featuring The Great American Bash and other Crockett-promoted events: the publications. JCP produced some very nice all-slick, sometimes even all-color, programs and magazines that showcased their stars in a way that the WWF would later become famous for. The rough, often bloody, action that took place in JCP rings came through the pages making them highly collectible today. If you're a longtime reader, you've seen some of these items before. This time we'll look at some recent selling prices for them. As always, the prices given are for un-autographed copies.

*Jim Crockett Promotions history of high-quality color spectacles in publishing goes back to the legendary Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Magazine. Nearly all of the big stars of the promotion made the cover at one point or another as the production carried on into the 1980's. Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Dino Bravo, Blackjack Mulligan, The Mighty Igor, and Greg Valentine are just a few of the names who found themselves on the front page, but none may have looked more menacing than Ole Anderson. The notoriously gruff grappler was featured on the cover several times, but the Volume 4 Number 6 issue has Anderson, by himself, in a full color photo. A copy of this issue recently sold for $30.

*As mentioned earlier, The Great American Bash may have been the signature event for the company. While Starrcade was positioned as "The Granddaddy of Em All," The Bash, for me, signifies what Jim Crockett Promotions really stood for. In its original form, The Bash was a tour rather than just one event. Many cities and towns, large and small, got to taste live, summer, wrestling action. There will never be wrestling tours of that magnitude again, so taking in as much as we can about "the glory days" from both the wrestlers and the fans who were there is how we can still connect to that era. The '86 Bash tour is still fondly remembered as one of the best. The program from the tour recently sold for $25.

*Speaking of tours, The Rock & Roll Express even had their own offshoot, "The Summer Sizzler Tour." That tour produced its own publication, as did Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson themselves. Jim Crockett Promotions knew that many of the wrestlers had large female followings and produced what could almost be described as photo albums for some of the stars. The Express even had a fan club for a time with high-quality bulletins. One of the publications featuring Morton and Gibson was "The Rock & Roll Express: Solid Gold." This magazine, featuring photos of the boys in and out of the ring, recently sold for $20.50. It should be noted that the sold example had major cover wear. A copy as pictured here would likely fetch a bit more.

*Another signature JCP event was The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. More commonly known as simply "The Crockett Cup," the event was completed in two shows and held from 1986 to 1988. The winners were predictable, but it was still a chance to see interesting match-ups and wrestlers from outside the promotion. Many are hoping that the shows in as complete forms as possible will end up on WWE Network. It could also be said that The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is a successor to the Crockett Cup. The program from the final Crockett Cup tournament held in 1988 recently sold for $60.

*Jim Crockett Promotions, and many fans, definitely looked at Starrcade as the biggest event of the year. It certainly came before WrestleMania as the industry's biggest supercard, but often had endings that weren't quite as final or conclusive. Some also point to Starrcade being moved out of its original home of the Carolinas as the beginning of the end for the promotion. While I find the latter to be a bit dramatic, something just seems right about Starrcade and Greensboro, NC. After the move to Chicago in 1987, Starrcade came to the more fitting Norfolk, VA in 1988. The program from that event, subtitled "True Gritt," recently sold for $175.50.

It wouldn't be a Fourth of July for me without celebrating Jim Crockett Promotions a bit. Maybe I'll pull up a classic show on WWE Network, schlepp out the programs and magazines, perhaps even the Wonderama trading cards. I'll wrap a Road Warriors or Four Horsemen bandana around my head and cue up "Rock & Roll Is King." It's a great time to revisit that era. It may gone forever, but that's what's great about the kind of memorabilia that we look at here each week. It lets us hop in that time machine for a quick spin without ever leaving our seats.

Starrcade Was Turning Japanese

When you think of "The Granddaddy Of Em All," Starrcade, you think of huge NWA supercards held in November or December.  Japan, The Tokyo Dome, or the month of March usually aren't in the equation, unless you're thinking back to 1991.  Ric Flair was still holding "Big Gold," WCW had just broken away from the NWA, and stars such as Sting, Lex Luger, and The Steiner Brothers were at the top of the card. An alliance between WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling was born, thus creating the first Starrcade '91, or WCW Japan SuperShow as it was known here in the United States.

It was a star-studded card headlined by Flair defending the championship against Tatsumi Fujinami.  It was this match that led to the main event of the first WCW SuperBrawl event a few months later.  At the time, WCW seemed to be trying to position SuperBrawl against WrestleMania and replace Starrcade as its biggest yearly event.  I've always felt that, despite respect from a wrestling standpoint, the Flair-Fujinami rematch wasn't the main event to use to build a new supershow, but that's another argument for another time.

Although WCW was gone from the practice of event-specific programs, NJPW produced an amazing looking publication that was sold at the Tokyo Dome.  It is an oversized glossy program in the style that the WWF would not adopt for a few years.  Perhaps as a reflection in the advancement in photography by the Japanese, wrestling publications from their country almost always have a modern look and feel that holds up today.

Kicking off the program is a proclamation from James (Jim) Herd.  It is presented in both Japanese and broken English.  For those of you that have heard Jim Cornette rant about the former WCW Vice President, you can only imagine what the "Louisville Lip" would make of this. This is the WCW side of the program, and traditionally the "American" side.  Publications in Japan are generally read in what Americans would consider a "backwards" format, due to how their language is printed.  The other side of this program has a NJPW logo cover and contains opening statements from their officials at the time as well as their own rundown of the card.

To say that the card was star-studded is almost an understatement.  The top WCW and NJPW talent of the day is featured as well as men like Big Van Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow who competed regularly on both continents.  Sting battled his longtime rival The Great Muta in a match that would make any classics list, while El Gigante took on "Big Cat" Hughes probably to appease Japanese wrestling fans longtime fascination with "big man" wrestlers. 

WCW merchandise from the era is shown several times throughout, including the Wrestling Wrap-Up magazine and many now-collectible shirts.  One page displays merchandise made exclusively for this Starrcade In Japan event.  A pair of what appear to be pre-paid phone cards are particularly interesting looking.  T-shirts and even a beach towel were offered, but the crown jewel has to be the shiny silver Starrcade In Japan jacket.  With Ribera Steakhouse jackets becoming more and more common among Japanese wrestling lore, I would imagine that this jacket would be considerably rarer.  There's a treasure for puroresu collectors to hunt!

Interestingly, the ads are not limited to wrestling related goods.  Full page ads appear several times throughout the program for liquor, food, and other items.  Japanese ads often appeared quirky to Americans back in those days, as was often lampooned by shows like The Simpsons.  If you haven't sought out commercials featuring Hulk Hogan singing or Abdullah the Butcher frolicking on a beach with a young Japanese girl, you truly need to.  Nonetheless, in this program we see a rather creepy ad featuring a robot holding a baby in a wooded area, and girls dressed as Geisha advertising what is probably a ramen-style soup.

Although three of these SuperShows (all labeled Starrcade in Japan) were produced altogether and eventually sold in the United States on pay-per-view, this 1991 event is the only one to be released on VHS.  It was released as "Rumble In The Rising Sun" and appeared in many rental stores at the time.  All three would definitely be great additions to WWE Network, especially since "all" pay-per-views are supposed to be included.  So while these events aren't included in the regular Starrcade chronology, all are interesting footnotes in the history of both WCW and NJPW.

Starrcade--"The Granddaddy Of Em All" Turns 30

I was a few weeks shy of a year old for its debut, but in the thirty years since I'm not the only wrestling fan who has come to celebrate and cherish what Starrcade stood for.  It was the event, and concept, that combined southern territorial wrestling with the advent of going beyond the walls of the host arena via closed circuit television.  With no one denying the boundaries broken by WrestleMania less than two years later, the door was opened by Starrcade.

Growing up as a "WWF kid," to me Thanksgiving wrestling tradition meant the Survivor Series.  As my fandom grew, I learned that Starrcade has an equally large space at the wrestling holiday table.  These two events were actually a then new-era equivalent to traditions that had been going on for decades.  For many years, after wrestling fans enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner or opened their presents on Christmas, a night out at the matches was in order.  While it probably wasn't the ideal night to be working for the wrestlers themselves, I would imagine that some of the hottest crowds of the year packed armories and arenas for these special shows.  With the advent of Starrcade, the talent no longer had to be split up among towns.  Finally, one huge holiday supercard could be seen in multiple towns on the same night.

That first Starrcade in 1983 was subtitled "A Flare for the Gold."  Inside the brutal confines of a steel cage, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair was looking to regain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from the man who wanted him out of the business altogether, Harley Race.  Gene Kiniski, a former NWA Champion himself, officiated the match which saw Flair capture his second NWA title in a blood-soaked celebration that has been replayed many times since.

Championship grandeur aside, others look to another match that night as the most memorable portion of the event.  Rowdy Roddy Piper and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, two men who would go on to participate in the first WrestleMania as well, battled in an absolutely vicious dog collar match.  If certain ECW matches made fans of the '90s think that the participants were truly brutalizing each other, then this match did the same for the audience of a decade earlier.  Dog collars were wrapped around each man's neck which were connected by a heavy chain.  The chain ultimately became one of the stars of the event, helping each man to wreak havoc on the other.  Although Piper emerged victorious, he has since claimed that the effects of the chain hitting his ear caused hearing loss.

In 1984 and 1985 the event grew with subtitles of "The Million Dollar Challenge" and "The Gathering," respectively, but it was in 1986 that the event became "The Night of the Skywalkers."  It was on this night that one of the most awkward match concepts in wrestling history suddenly became one of the most memorable.  Jim Cornette's Midnight Express battled Paul Ellering's Road Warriors in the notorious scaffold match.  The only way to win?  Toss your opponents off of the scaffold.  While Hawk and Animal were successful in tossing "Beautiful" Bobby and "Loverboy" Dennis from the elevated war zone, it was a third fall that became the most memorable.  The fans rabidly wanted to see the much-hated Cornette get his just desserts that Thanksgiving.  Cornette's bodyguard Big Bubba Rogers was supposed to catch the loud-mouthed manager as he fell, but was legitimately just a few seconds too late.  Cornette blew his knee out thanks to the fall and says that he still feels the effects to this day.  Thanks to the moment being played on a commercial for the videotape that aired for weeks on end, it became one of the most seen wrestling "bumps" in history.

Due to the Survivor Series and the WWF's tactics of promotional war, Starrcade was later moved to late in December.  When Jim Crockett Promotions became WCW, the event continued and many fans point to the tenth anniversary of the event as its last great moment.  Once again Ric Flair, the man who arguably could add "Mr. Starrcade" to his list of nicknames, was on another quest for the gold.  This time, Flair would be up against the monstrous Big Van Vader.  A dramatic build insinuating that Flair was too old to defeat the behemoth from the Rocky Mountains only helped to bring the true Starrcade "feel" to the event.  Flair was victorious, in his hometown of Charlotte, NC to boot.  A few months later, Hulk Hogan would enter the company much to the chagrin of some fans who had been with the event and the NWA/WCW brand of wrestling for many years.

Although I was never able to attend Starrcade, my own "live" memories of the event were first created four years after the last one was held.  In 2004, my very first wrestling convention was the Thanksgiving weekend Mid-Atlantic Legends Fanfest in Charlotte.  The event was a tribute to Starrcade and included many of the stars that made the events what they were.  Fittingly, the first autograph that I obtained that weekend was from the original voice of the event, Bob Caudle.  Many of the Fanfests since have had Starrcade themed moments such as Flair and Race reuniting as well as Piper and Valentine posing for photos with the original dog collars, still owned by Piper today.

At press time, we're at just about the time of the year that would be the halfway point between Starrcade's two "homes," Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We're just a few weeks removed from the 30th anniversary of the event's premiere and just days away from the 13th anniversary of its end.  What would Starrcade be today?  I always held out hope that, like the Great American Bash, WWE would someday resurrect the name.  It's most likely not to be, but recent reports indicating that WCW-themed home video releases outsold most of the other WWE titles this year could be good news.  Will more DVD and Blu-Ray releases join the 2008 Starrcade collection?  Time will tell.  In the meantime, memories and memorabilia from the event like those just displayed here will continue to ensure that "The Grandaddy of Em All" is remembered for another thirty years...and beyond.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Mid-Atlantic Treasures

If you're a fan of classic wrestling, chances are that this upcoming weekend your mind will be focused on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling.  There's an even greater chance that you may be celebrating the great promotion, in person, with dozens of other fans.  August 1-4 is the Mid-Atlantic Memories Fanfest in Charlotte, NC.  A few weeks ago I had my annual pleasure of discussing everything that the weekend means to so many of us.  With the event finally here, it's a great time to take a look at some of the amazing memorabilia that helps carry on the tradition of MACW and Jim Crockett Promotions.

Wrestling MarketWatch is our regular feature where we take a look at a handful of items and their recent sale prices.  Since there are no accurate "price guides" in the Internet age, this is the closest thing to those great books of the past.  Remember, something is only worth what one individual person is willing to pay, and you should always collect for yourself as opposed to profit.  That being said, it's often a blast to know what people will pay for these great relics.

*Would you believe that some of the coolest Mid-Atlantic items actually come from Fanfest itself?  It's true.  In addition to shirts, lanyards, and DVDs, each years event is represented by a full-color program featuring all of the stars of the weekend.  In 2009 we were spoiled with a whopping set of four programs.  One program was dedicated to the annual Hall of Heroes ceremony, another commemorated the reunion of The Horsemen at the event, and the last two featured the other wrestling stars who would appear that weekend.  The individual program for Saturday recently sold at auction alone for $30.  The program was listed as having ten autographs inside, including the recently deceased "Fabulous" Jackie Fargo.

*When you're talking Mid-Atlantic programs, you have to mention the publication for Starrcade 1983.  The first edition of the legendary super show was highlighted by "A Flare For The Gold," Ric Flair challenging Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.  This publication is more of a photo album than a program and is labeled on the cover as such.  The photos show the stars of the event as well as a few who didn't quite make it onto the card, including Hulk Hogan.  With its classy artists renderings of Race, Flair, and the NWA "Big Gold" belt, the cover is the true star here.  Always high in demand, a copy recently sold for $130.

*Like the Fanfest program, not every Mid-Atlantic treasure is directly from the era.  The Anderson's were some of the biggest wrestling stars that the Carolina's ever saw.  The fans admiration for Ole Anderson at each Fanfest is concrete proof of this.  Several years ago, Anderson wrote a book titled "Inside Out."  Chronicling both his in-ring career as well as his many years booking and promoting, Anderson tells an incredible story in his usual "pull-no-punches" style.  Due to popular demand, the book was re-released a number of years ago with a two-tone color, but the original blue covered first printing remains highly coveted.  A copy from the first printing recently sold for $30. 

*Some of the best merchandise to come from Jim Crockett Promotions was the 1988 trading card set by Wonderama.  With over three hundred cards, many wrestlers have their rookie cards in this set, and many appeared in little to no other merchandise.  A limited test run of these cards is beginning to become noticed by collectors.  Printed in 1987, this limited test set only includes a few dozen cards as opposed to the 1988 run.  While the photos and card fronts are indistinguishable from the standard set, the test run card backs are on brown card stock as opposed to the white stock used in the regular run.  Few of these have surfaced, but an example of card #17, Sting, recently sold for $52.  The card is generally regarded as one of his rookies, and is the nicest Sting card to make it into the test run.

*Bright lights, big cities, fine women, and The Four Horsemen.  Fans of Jim Crockett Promotions later years have many memories of wrestling's original elite stable.  In the days that the group, along with manager J.J. Dillon, ran wild across the country, it was pretty difficult to obtain autographs.  After all, the guys were heels in every sense of the word.  Getting the four original members and Dillon on one photograph?  Impossible.  Thanks to modern day conventions, the task became a lot easier for many of us.  One of the most common photos autographed by the four is a great backstage shot from the time of the 1986 Great American Bash.  An 8x10 version of this photograph, authentically signed by Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson, and J.J. Dillon, recently sold for $50.  I've had higher offers for my own similar piece and can tell you that, in my opinion, fifty dollars for this treasure is an absolute bargain.

The Horsemen.  Dusty Rhodes.  Rip Hawk.  Johnny Weaver.  Magnum T.A.  Paul Jones.  Rick Steamboat.  These are just a few of the men who made Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling what it was.  It's the fans who carry on, and share, the legacy forever into the future.

The Thanksgiving Tradition--Starrcade or Survivor Series?

Depending on where you lived, it could be either! Of course, the first several editions of each event were presented on Thanksgiving. Due to the happenings of the wrestling business, which can be elaborated on another time, Starrcade eventually moved to December while Survivor Series moved to Thanksgiving Eve, and later to a regular Sunday night in November.

Some would argue that with either shows move, they each lost their uniqueness and charm. Regardless, Thanksgiving is a holiday that was long capped off with a great wrestling show...and the purpose of this entry is to remember that. Shown above are some great collectibles, past and present, that highlight the Thanksgiving tradition...regardless if you were an NWA fan or a WWF fan!

Happy Thanksgiving!

NWA Legends Fanfest 2009: The Greatest of All-Time

When one anticipates a period of time or event, often a great disappointment follows. After all, time marches on. With an event like the NWA Legends Fanfest, however, the days, weeks, months, and years that follow are just as exciting as the days a fan will spend there. That's because the event is all about one thing--making memories that will last a lifetime.

Three of my friends and I have been looking forward to the event for the better part of a year. It's a huge undertaking for both the folks involved in making the weekend happen and the fans themselves. For us, an eight-hour drive and four full days isn't easy. We're not rich, just a couple of guys looking to celebrate the sport we love and the hobby that grew out of it. Saving the money for the tickets, spending money, lodging, food, and travel expenses is no small chore, but I think we can all agree...it was 110% worth it.

Ric Flair. Harley Race. The Four Horsemen. Dusty Rhodes. These are names you think of when you think classic NWA Wrestling, and these are names that converged on Charlotte, North Carolina this past weekend for Fanfest.

Fanfest is more than just autographs and photos. Fanfest had question and answer sessions with Flair and Race, as well as legendary manager/promoter/booker/announcer Jim Cornette. Fanfest had two southern-style wrestling shows. Fanfest had the Hall of Heroes banquet and ceremony where we had the opportunity to see Lance Russell, The Fargos, Wahoo McDaniel, Nelson Royal, Gary Hart, and Blackjack Mulligan inducted into the Hall by their peers, friends, and family. Fanfest is the all-inclusive package.

While I'd love to go on and on about Fanfest, the name of this blog is Wrestling Memorabilia, so that is what I shall give you. Keeping to the topic, in this entry I shall present to you my top five favorite items I had signed and/or purchased at Fanfest.

NUMBER FIVE--The Glamour Girls & Jimmy Hart Photo

This item is the most personal to me, most likely because I made it. For a number of the NWA Fanfest guests, there simply isn't a lot of merchandise out there. While I go out of my way to find items for most of the guests, this year I went a different route for some and made my own photos. With each guest on the main Fanfest lineup, you receive two autographs on the autograph stage. While many of the guests will sign other items for you during the weekend, it is limited to two on the stage to ensure that all of the guests get at least two from each star.

When Judy Martin was announced for the lineup, I was elated. I've taken a particular interest in the '70s and '80s women's wrestling stars in the past few years, and Miss Martin was always one of my favorites. She was always believable in the ring, produced hard-hitting entertaining matches, and is even rumored to be one of the first to do the powerbomb on American soil. In the late '80s in the WWF, the Japanese Jumping Bomb Angels took the WWF woman's tag team ranks by storm. Their main opponents were Judy Martin and Leilani Kai--The Glamour Girls--managed by "The Mouth of the South" himself, Jimmy Hart.

Despite their great matches and popularity, neither team got much recognition as far as merchandising. A promo photo of the Girls and Jimmy does exist, but due to its rarity even I could not locate it. In lieu, I did the next best thing. I found a small copy of the photo, and that, coupled with seperate photos of Martin and Kai put together a photo I felt would look great signed. Despite promoter Greg Price's best efforts, Kai could not be found to complete the reunion. Martin, however, was my favorite of the team and did not disappoint. Both her and Hart gave me contact information to obtain copies of my work for themselves, and we "recreated" the picture in my photo with them.


NUMBER FOUR--Fanfest Event Programs

Each year, a host of items commemorating the Fanfest weekend are available. From photos of the stars appearing, to posters, to t-shirts are the norm, however this year fans were treated to the return of the NWA Fanfest program. Make that...programs. A beautiful full-color program was produced for each days events, as well as a special fourth program dedicated to the Hall of Heroes event. Each individual day book featured pictures of the legends who would be signing autographs that day, as well as other classic action photos. I will treasure my full set of these as much as I would a vintage program. I made sure to have my Hall of Heroes program signed by one of the inductees, in this case, the voice of Memphis wrestling himself, Lance Russell. (Thanks, Rick!)

NUMBER THREE--Inside Wrestling March 1979


Originally, Blackjack Mulligan was scheduled to attend Fanfest and be inducted into the Hall of Heroes in person. This was not to be, however. Nonetheless, I found a way to ensure Blackjack sign a few items I had specifically for Fanfest.

This magazine has in my opinion one of the greatest "Apter Mag" covers of all-time. Mulligan and Harley Race in a bloody battle for the ages. Mr. Race signed it at the event, and it's become one of my all-time favorite signed magazines.

Please say a prayer for Mr. Mulligan, as he is not in the best of health right now.

NUMBER TWO--Starrcade '86-The Skywalkers Event Program

From one great collection to another, I acquired this item at the show from Mr. Jim Cornette himself. It is signed by Mr. Cornette and Midnight Express members Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey. Normally on an item like this I would try and get as many autographs on it as I could from the stars within, however I believe I will let this one remain as is. Nearly everyone who paid to see Starrcade '86 paid to see Cornette and MX get theirs in the infamous scaffold match. The program included the original lineup sheet (with info on the next month's show at the Atlanta Omni) and inset is a picture of Mr. Cornette and myself with the piece.

NUMBER ONE--AWA Remco Ric Flair vs Larry Zbyszko Action Figure Set

In all my years of collecting, I've never actually owned a carded AWA Remco action figure. Most of them came in two packs like these, and cost in the three digits to purchase. When I saw this one only a few minutes after entering the vendor floor, I knew I had to have it. The price, which I will only say was a bargain, motivated me as did the fact that I could have Flair sign it just a few hours later. Getting Zbyszko to sign it should be relatively easy as well, and I'll be very happy once it is a "complete" piece.

Next time--My Top Five Items Of My #1 Favorite Wrestler!

...till then..."Dream" about it!