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WWF Championship Wrestling
''WWF Championship Wrestling'' is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It aired from 1971 to August 30, 1986 and was the original television show of the WWF. Originally produced under the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) banner, ''Championship Wrestling'' featured all the stars of the WWF, interviews and championship matches. It was the flagship program of the WWWF/WWF's syndicated programming until it was replaced by ''Superstars of Wrestling'' in 1986. Select episodes are available for streaming on the WWE Network. History Run in syndication This was the first WWF program to be shown on national broadcast television. Vince McMahon built the syndicated network in part by persuading local stations to pay for the rights to air the program. Stations like KPLR-TV in St. Louis and KHJ-TV (now KCAL) in Los Angeles reportedly paid $100,000 to air the show.''Sports Illustrated'', March 18, 1985 issue, Hogan on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling company, of which he is still majority owner and wields the majority of voting power. He is also the founder and owner of Alpha Entertainment. Born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, McMahon graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in business in 1968 and began his tenure in professional wrestling as a commentator for the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) for most of the 1970s; McMahon bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon, in 1982 and almost monopolized the industry, which previously operated as separate entities across the United States. This led to the development of the annual WrestleMania, which became one of the most successful professional wrestling event ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antonino Rocca
Antonino Rocca (born Antonino Biasetton; 13 April 1921 – 15 March 1977) was an Italian Argentine professional wrestler. He tag teamed with partner Miguel Pérez. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 1995 and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996. Professional wrestling career As a soccer and rugby player when he moved to Argentina before World War II, Rocca was known for his unique, acrobatic, off-the-ground, flying wrestling style. He began his American professional wrestling career in the late 1940s in Texas. He had been trained by former World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Stanislaus Zbyszko in Argentina. In the early 1950s, he held two regionally recognized World Heavyweight Championships while still headlining nationwide, frequently in territories where other wrestlers were the recognized champions. Capitol Wrestling Corporation/World Wide Wrestling Federation (1949–1976) In 1949, Rocca started wres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Resnick
Ken Resnick is an American wrestling announcer who served as an interviewer for the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation. Early career Prior to working in wrestling, Resnick worked in public relations and marketing for the Calgary Cowboys, was the Media Information Director for the Minnesota Fighting Saints, was a sales manager for Chrysler, and was a sports reporter for KTTC in Rochester, Minnesota. Wrestling American Wrestling Association In late 1983, while covering a celebrity golf tournament for KTTC, Resnick interviewed AWA owner Verne Gagne. Gagne was looking for a replacement for interviewer Gene Okerlund and offered Resnick the job shortly thereafter. Resnick remained with the company until April 1986, with his final appearance coming at WrestleRock 86. Prior to the event, Resnick appeared in a promotional music video for the show entitled the "WrestleRock Rumble". It featured Resnick and other AWA talent rapping verses in a vein similar to ''Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kal Rudman
Solomon "Kal" Rudman (March 6, 1930 – November 30, 2021) was an American disc jockey, long-time publisher of the music industry magazine "Friday Morning Quarterback," professional wrestling television commentator and a philanthropist. He founded the Kal and Lucille Rudman Foundation with his wife. Early life and education Born in Philadelphia on March 6, 1930, Rudman attended Ferguson School, then graduated from Central High School (Philadelphia), Central High School with a strong interest in radio. He received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951, and worked as a Special education in the United States, special education teacher. Career Rudman later became a Top 40 disc jockey at WCAM in Camden, New Jersey, and later Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine's first R&B editor. In 1968, out of his basement, he began publishing ''Friday Morning Quarterback'', a music industry trade magazine. He said in an interview with ''The Philadelph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freddie Miller (broadcaster)
Freddie G. Miller (February 19, 1929 – November 25, 1992) was a broadcaster and television personality in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Miller worked for Atlanta television station WXIA-TV (then known by call letters including WLWA-TV and WQXI-TV) from the 1950s to the 1970s.http://www.11alive.com/company/history/default.aspx His greatest exposure and notoriety came in the years following, for his role on the announcing team of professional wrestling programs broadcast on another Atlanta station, WTBS. Miller is best remembered by wrestling fans as Gordon Solie's co-host on '' Georgia Championship Wrestling'', which was later renamed ''World Championship Wrestling''. When Vince McMahon, Jr. bought GCW's time slot, Solie left the promotion to remain with Ole Anderson and his renamed Championship Wrestling from Georgia, but Miller stayed on until McMahon sold the promotion and time slot to Jim Crockett, Jr. of Jim Crockett Promotions. Miller conducted some interviews, bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Reynolds (broadcaster)
Jack Reynolds (1937 – October 16, 2008), born Joseph James Rizzo, was an American broadcaster from Cleveland, Ohio, who was better known outside of his hometown as a professional wrestling announcer. Broadcasting career Cleveland area native Rizzo (who used the Jack Reynolds name on-air due to a feeling back then that his real name would sound "too ethnic") had a career in radio and television in Cleveland over several decades. He was a DJ/talk show host for the old WGAR AM 1220 and the old WWWE AM 1100. He was the booth announcer for then-independent TV station WUAB channel 43 (now Cleveland's affiliate for The CW), where he was the original host (and later frequent substitute host) of the long running afternoon ''Prize Movie''. He was also an on-air spokesman (on both radio and TV) for several local businesses. Reynolds landed a brief speaking part in ''The Godfather'' as an Army captain in the wedding scene. His line "I haven't had this much fun since the blitzkrieg" was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Finkel
Howard Finkel (June 7, 1950 – April 16, 2020) was an American professional wrestling ring announcer, best known for his appearances in WWE. He began working for Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1975, and was a Madison Square Garden ring announcer since 1977. Finkel was WWE's longest-serving employee (40 years) and was widely regarded as the greatest ring announcer of all time. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Early life and career Finkel was born on June 7, 1950, in the city of Newark, New Jersey, and grew up with a Jewish family. Finkel, debuted as a ring announcer at Madison Square Garden on January 17, 1977. By 1979, he was the World Wide Wrestling Federation's lead ring announcer for its biggest events. He became the first WWE employee on April 1, 1980, and later its longest-serving. Throughout his career, his distinctive voice was sometimes used in the title sequence for the company's various television programs. His signa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe McHugh (announcer)
Joseph P. McHugh (April 30, 1904 – January 31, 1993) was an American ring announcer. He announced boxing and wrestling matches in Allentown, Pennsylvania from the 1920s through the 1980s and gained national exposure on Capitol Wrestling Corporation, WWWF/WWE, WWF programming in the 70s and 80s. Early life McHugh was born on April 30, 1904 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was one of six sons born to Owen E. and Bridget (Brown) McHugh. One of his brothers was Terry McHugh, a boxer who fought bantamweight champion Pete Herman in 1919. He grew up on Gordon Street in the Irish section of Allentown's Sixth Ward and graduated from Allentown Central Catholic High School. Early career When he was 16 years old, McHugh went into vaudeville. He performed across the United States as a comedian and an Master of ceremonies, emcee. After vaudeville, McHugh worked as an entertainment promoter in Lehigh Valley clubs. He was part owner of Club Rio, a nightclub located in South Whitehall Township, Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Stevens
Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings " Everything Is Beautiful" and " Misty", as well as novelty hits such as "Gitarzan" and " The Streak". Stevens has received gold albums for his music sales and has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is also an inductee of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Early life Harold Ray Ragsdale was born on January 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Georgia. He is the elder of two sons born to Willis Harold Ragsdale (1915–2001) and Frances Stephens Ragsdale (1916–97). He has a younger brother, John, who was an actor and writer. John died in 2020 at the age of 75. While attending high school, Stevens formed his first band, a rhythm and blues group named The Barons. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor with the Reform Party and is the party's only candidate to win a major government office. Ventura was a member of the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War. After leaving the military, he embarked on a professional wrestling career from 1975 to 1986, taking the ring name "Jesse 'The Body' Ventura". He had a lengthy tenure in the WWF/WWE as a performer and color commentator and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004. In addition to wrestling, Ventura pursued an acting career, appearing in films such as ''Predator'' and '' The Running Man'' (both released in 1987 and starring fellow actor-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger). Ventura entered politics in 1991 when he was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Garea
Anthony Gareljich (born 20 September 1946) is a New Zealand retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tony Garea. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life The son of Croatian-born Ivan Gareljich, Anthony Gareljich was born in Auckland, New Zealand to parents of Yugoslavian and Irish descent. He was originally an accomplished sprinter and a rugby player. Professional wrestling career Early career Garea was trained by Wild Don Scott. He made his professional wrestling debut in his native New Zealand. He worked in the NWA San Francisco territory where he and Pat Patterson defeated Don Muraco and Invader I for the NWA San Francisco Tag Team Championship in May 1976. World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation Debut and early tag team championship reigns (1972–1979) Garea left New Zealand in 1972 and went to the Unite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
