HailtotheYo

Jim Crockett was in debt. While 1989 had not provided the dollar figures to show for it, the year did provide what many believe to be the best year of wrestling action in history. Undoubtedly that year housed one of and began another one of the greatest feuds ever. Steamboat/Flair, and Flair/Funk were the two hottest tickets that wrestling had ever seen. Even those two great feuds couldn't keep Jim Crockett out of the red. Crockett didn't want to become just another casualty of the business, especially with the tradition that the NWA name held. What Crockett did instead was even worse. Yes, Jim Crockett had too much pride to go bankrupt and abruptly end the NWA name. What he didn't have, was too much pride to sell out.

With pressure coming from Ted Turner, Crockett felt that selling out was his only option to keep the NWA name alive with the history and tradition it held still inctact. So, Crockett signed, sealed, and delivered his entire Jim Crockett Productions over to ... Vincent K. McMahon ? Good God, wrestling was headed straight to hell as Crockett spurned Turner and signed over to the devil himself. Or was wrestling heades straight to hell ?

There was no way to hide something of this magnitude. Vince and Jim put on a press conference to announce everything. At the end of the press conference McMahon announced that in honor of Crockett's contributions to the wrestling business, the WWF would name a PPV in honor of him - The King's Cup Tournament. Also, keeping with the tradition of the NWA (and their large, rabid, and purist fan base) the NWA's 'supershow' Starrcade would be kept on as a supershow running opposite of Wrestlemania. The names of some of the NWA's large shows and PPV's were adopted as well in order to keep as much of the NWA alive as possible, without overruning the WWF.

The NWA Titles were left untouched and remained on their respective owners. The NWA roster (while trimmed) was pretty much fully taken on. With three television shows McMahon now had enough airtime to remedy the large roster problem and to keep his true intentions from showing themselves.

McMahon had to go slowly with his real plan. The NWA and their star power (and more importantly their strong/pure history) simply couldn't be dissolved into the WWF. In the single most brilliant move that Vince made, he kept alive the white hot feuds from the NWA. The spill over immediately clutched the NWA audience, and the newly re-christened WWWF already had a 'cult-like' global following. The feuds ignited a newfound craving for professional wrestling. Flair once again found himself in the crosshairs of Ricky Steamboat (Funk fled the scene in disgust). Windham and Eddie Gilbert were at it again (until an injury sidelined Windham) and the NWA wrestlers came in with more heat than any WWF stars save for Hogan, Andre, Warrior, Perfect, Savage, and Piper (even though Piper quickly fell out of the picture due to an injury sustained during a match with Warrior).

The start of 1990 saw Vince having to not only sit back and watch his WWF talent outclassed, but he had to go out and call the action as well. Infuriated, McMahon started to get visibly shaken on camera. See, part of the problem, was that he had given Crockett and JJ Dillon as much booking power as Gerald Briscoe and Pat Patterson. That, combined with the fact that James Cornette was as big of an onscreen presences as Bobby Heenan, put the NWA boys in control of the action most of the time. After just a few short months McMahon had had enough. He would not have his greatest creation, his brainchild, (Wrestlemania) stolen from him. McMahon did have at his aid, perhaps the single greatest face/face feud in history in Hogan/Warrior ...

WRESTLEMANIA VI

Opening Match - Ron Simmons V Rowdy Piper

(Match was supposed to go down, but with Piper's injury, the WWWF went with a 'bad ass' Ron Simmons gimmick wich was given a huge boost when Simmons kept after Piper up to Wrestlemania, and Piper didn't show for the match.)

Strongman Challange - Hercules V Dino Bravo

(In a strongman contest Bravo beat Hercules in a combined total of the bench press, squat, and deadlift.  Afterwards Bravo nailed Hercules with the golden dumbell.)

NWA U.S. Title Match - Magnum T.A. V Lex Luger

(Magnum T.A. took down the now arrogant Luger and perhaps took his final step up in order to crack the main event.)

Return to the WW(W)F Match - Paul Orndorff V Ted Dibiase

(Mr. Wonderful returned to the WW(W)F and defeated Dibiase in a classic matchup.)

NWA/WWF Tag Title Unification (to WWWF Tag) Match - Twin Towers V Steiners

(In a job orcheastrated by McMahon, Akeem/Bossman became the first 'new' WWWF Tag champions - the loss sent the Steiners to the U.S. Tag tournament.)

#1 Contender to WWF World Title - Rick Rude V Andre the Giant

(Rude was given the green light to stardom as he won this historic match.  After the match Andre officially retired from the ring due to health problems.)

NWA World Title Match - Ricky Steamboat V Ric Flair

(This should have been a landmark event, but was ruined by McMahon.  The Horsemen stood at ring side but didn't interfere (out of respect).  McMahon had the Commonwealth come down and throw this match out due to interference.  The match officially ended in a DQ and turned Flair and the Horsemen into the 'good guys'.)

WWF World/Intercontinental Title Match - Hulk Hogan V The Ultimate Warrior

(An epic battle, perhaps the greatest match ever.  Warrior had the proverbial torch passed to him as he vanquished the 'Immortal' Hulk Hogan.)

It was now obvious that McMahon was out to extort and suck dry the NWA name. McMahon had to live with the top teir talent, but was starting to weed out the rest and put over the WWF talent. The same type of booking swept through April and May. The NWA boys were now fully aware of what was happening and started taking not only offense, but action. The summer housed majorily NWA named PPV's and the King's Cup Tournament would round out the year. Having won the NWA U.S. Tag Titles in an open challange at the Great American Bash, the Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious/Dan Spivey) had put the title scene back into the hands of the NWA labeled talent. After the Great American Bash McMahon knew he had to save face and it was at SummerSlam that he did just that.

To round out the summer Vince booked Snuka over The Great Muta for the NWA TV Title, DiBiase over Arn Anderson, and Ric Rude over Sting. Now though it was time for the King's Cup Tournament. Before the Tournament however, Vince pulled a few tricks out of his bag. He knew that the Tournament would land in the NWA's favor due to its setup, so Vince had to do something, and once again he dug into his bag of tricks. He announced that this year's Survivor Series and Royal Rumble would hold significant meaning. Now, the winner of the King's Cup Tournament would not only get a shiny silver ring, but a shot at the WWF Title at Wrestlemania VII. So, Vince announced that the final survivors of each winning team would face each other for the 30th and final spot in the Royal Rumble. McMahon further stated that the winner also got to name the #1 entrant. As for the Rumble, McMahon stated that the winner of the Rumble would be the #1 contender of the WWWF Title which would be decided at Wrestlemania VII. But didn't the winner of the King's Cup Tournament have that title shot ? Yes, and McMahon continued to say that the King's Cup winner would fight the WWF champion. The winner of that would go on to fight the NWA champion later in the evening, and finally the winner of that match, would go on to face the Royal Rumble winner to crown the 'new' WWWF Champion. On top of all of that, EVERY title would be refashioned and renamed to a WWWF title. Now, McMahon had dropped more than a bomb, but he forgot something. Halloween Havoc came before the Survivor Series. Just as McMahon thought he'd stolen the thunder, Ric Flair styled-n-profiled with a HUGE win over Randy Savage, Sting stepped up by avenging his SummerSlam loss to Ric Rude, the Steiners avenged their Wrestlemania loss to the Twin Towers and captured the WWWF Tag Titles, and Kerry Von Erich defended his Intercontinental Title against Bret Hart.

The Greek tragedy that had become the re-fromed WWWF was now in full swing, and the Survivor Series was set up as the next grusome act. The Series went down as follows:

Match 1 - The Horsemen V The Commonwealth

(Davey Boy Smith outlasted everyone and was the only survivor from this match.)

H = Anderson, Blanchard, Flair, Ole ... C = Rougaes, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith

Match 2 - Camp Cornette V The Heenan Family

(Eddie Gilbert followed Davey Boy Smith's lone survivor performance with one of his own.)

CC = Bobby Eaton, Stan Lane, Eddie Gilbert, Ric Rude ... HF = Akeem, Bossman, Buzz Saywer, Butch Reed

Match 3 - The Wild Samoans V Team Heavy Metal

(Haku continued the lone survivor trend.)

WS = Fatu, Samu, Haku, Kokina Maximus ... HM = Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, Jimmy Garvin, Michael PS Hays

Match 4 - Hird Guns V Team Heratige

(Ron Simmons, Magnum T.A., and Sting all survived this match.)

HG = Warlord, Barbarian, DiBiase, Rotunda ... TH = Magnum T.A., Kerry Von Erich, Ron Simmons, Sting

Final Survivors Match - Haku V Davey Boy Smith V Eddie Gilbert V Ron Simmons V Magnum T.A. V Sting

(Magnum T.A. survived the ultimate test to gain his spot at Wrestlemania.)

Well, that part of McMahon's plan had backfired, and Magnum T.A. wasted no time in naming Hulk Hogan as the #1 entrant into the Royal Rumble. Vince was furious to say the least, and several roster members wouldn't make it to the end of the month. Notables that received their pink slips: The Samoan Savage, Junk Yard Dog, Iron Sheik, Hillbilly Jim, Barry/Bob Orton, and Ronnie Garvin. The piping hot McMahon would get no relief from the King's Cup Tournament.

(The King's Cup Tournament pit the best of the best from each 'faction' (NWA/WWF) against each other. Flair was ineligable due to being the NWA World Champion. Hogan got a bye to the second round due to being the previous WWF Champion. Kerry Von Erich received a bye for being the WWF Intercontinental Champion (won from the Ultimate Warrior at The Great American Bash, in July).)

The King's Cup Tournament

Round One:

Lex Luger def. Ricky Steamboat

Mr. Perfect def. Eddie Gilbert

Paul Orndorff def. Randy Savage

Sting def. Ted DiBiase

Ric Rude def. Arn Anderson

Bret Hart def. Dusty Rhodes

Round Two

Paul Orndorff def. Lex Luger

Ric Rude def. Sting

Mr. Perfect def. Kerry Von Erich

Hulk Hogan def. Bret Hart

Semifinals

Hulk Hogan def. Mr. Perfect

Paul Orndorff def. Ric Rude

Finals

Paul Orndorff def. Hulk Hogan

Orndorff had finally defeated Hogan, and the NWA name was more than holding the momentum. McMahon's seething over his apparent loss of control helped not just the WWWF, but the rest of the wrestling world as well. It gained viewers because they simply couldn't get enough of the industry. Without even knowing it, Vince had created a monster of popularity. The AWA ratings increased, the house shows of SCW grew, the USWA erupted into cult status, and remember 'ol spurned Ted Turner ? Well, he bought out the UWF and CWF rights and formed the WCW he was after with Jim Crockett Productions. Wrestling was healthy and living the high life. All of this eluded McMahon and at the Royal Rumble Vince tried again to push down the NWA branded men ...

At the Royal Rumble Hogan and Davey Boy Smith started the match. WWF after WWF labeled talent came to the ring. Hart, Snuka, Rude, DiBiase, Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, and Bossman follwed until finally at #10 Ron Simmons entered the Rumble. Of the 30 men, only 7 were NWA branded. Kerry Von Erich, Ron Simmons, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Magnum T.A. The WWF stars protected Hogan while ganging up on the NWA guys. At the announce table McMahon loved it and it showed. It all came down to Jake Roberts, Snuka, Warrior, and Hogan standing across from Orndorff and Magnum T.A. Hogan wanted Orndorff for pay back from the King's Cup, but wanted Magnum T.A. for putting him in the rumble as the #1 entrant. Orndorff (already assured of his shot at Wrestlemania) lunged forward at the four WWF stars and managed to take out Roberts and Snuka. Warrior and Hogan didn't know what to do, and before they could react T.A. was on them. In desperation Warrior threw a right hand but connected with Hogan instead and sent him reeling through the ropes. T.A. irish whipped Warrior into the roped and then ducked a clothesline attempt by Warrior. As Warrior came to the opposite ropes, Hogan was trying to pull himself back up. This caused the top rope to be lowered, and inadvertantly, Hogan sent Warrior to the floor. While Hogan looked on in shock, T.A. suplexed him back into the ring and then gave Hogan his own 'Legdrop of Doom'. Hogan was all but out, and was easy to toss over the top.

McMahon sat at the announce table so livid that he all but cried on camera. At Wrestlemania VII the re-instatement of the WWWF World Title would be the Main Event, and Magnum T.A. had just ensured the NWA talents a 75% chance of walking out with that title. The four men headlining Wrestlemania would be Ric Flair (NWA Champion), Paul Orndorff (King's Cup Winner), Magnum T.A. (Royal Rumble Winner), and The Ultimate Warrior (WWF Champion).

After a special edition of Prime Time wrestling where Vince retired the old NWA/WWF belts and handed the champions their new WWWF titles (save for the NWA/WWF World titles which were to be done at Wrestlemania), the year long civil war betweent he divided locker room would reach its apex at Wrestlemania VII ....

Yeah, this sucks. Mondesi is a hell of a player. The thing about his kids is crazy though ... never imagined that it would have been his first time EVER to do that. Damn.