Kansas City

National Wrestling Alliance - Central States (1963-1987)

In the years following the formation of the NWA, the Midwest region drastically changed. The alliance had ties all over the US, but the power was centralized in the middle of the country. George Simpson and Orville Brown had brought together several of the independently run markets for many years. Eventually, a group headed by Simpson took over the the nebulous region in 1963 under the name of "Heart of America Sports." This group included Bob Geigel, Pat O'Connor and Gust Karras. Eventually, Geigel assumed Simpson's role and began expanding his power base from Kansas, Missouri and Iowa to run shows in Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Like his friend Dory Funk Sr., Bob Geigel's market had no business being as prominent as it was. For both the Kansas City and Amarillo offices, the population was spread over a large area, nearby metropolitan areas already had established NWA members and their roster had a bell-shape to its drawing power. Those two made a pact and frequently traded talent over the years. Geigel also created a strong alliance with NWA kingpin Sam Muchnick and that partnership did more to keep Central States a viable entity than any other. Their biggest locally produced star was Harley Race, who developed into one of the top stars in the business, an NWA champion and a power player behind the scenes as well. Central States, under the guidance of Geigel, Race and Pat O'Connor, remained a key territory throughout the 1970s. They lacked the booking power to move into the top echelon, but politically they were one of the most important. As the decade wore on, the NWA was growing weaker as long-time president Sam Muchnick stepped down in 1975. The power struggle began pulling the Alliance apart and many strong promoters with major markets began leaving to escape the politics. This disorder turned into opportunity for the Kansas City office. Between 1978 and 1987, Geigel reigned for six years as NWA president, but it was largely ceremonial as Jim Crockett Jr. (president during the other three) and his company were taking over the lead spot in the NWA. Geigel, Race and O'Connor along with booker Larry Matysik took over St. Louis from Sam Muchnick in 1982. Pro-wrestling was changing though and the Midwestern approach just could not compete with all the superior products in other regions. The WWF just happened to be the first one to move into the area. Eventually, Race jumped and the promotion fizzled out after nearly three decades of operation. Geigel tried several times to get promotions started, but everything failed.