Embedded Files
NWA - Vancouver (1949-1968)
NWA - Vancouver (1949-1968)
In 1949, wrestler Cliff Parker claimed Vancouver for the National Wrestling Alliance. After Percy Hicks' operation closed in the mid-40s, various promoters had tried to capitalize on the city, but Parker ended up being the right man for the job. For the next thirty years, Vancouver would be an NWA city with various promoters behind it. Parker aligned with nearby promoters Don Owen and Stu Hart to build the city through the golden age of the 1950s. Vancouver was the biggest city in Western Canada by the time, Parker's disciple Rod Fenton took over. Fenton had been promoting in Arizona, which was a weak region, but had NWA support. However, Fenton was able to scout University of Arizona star Gene Kiniski, who became a huge star for Vancouver during the 1960s. Fenton secured a television deal with Stu Hart's Big Time Wrestling out of Calgary in what was to be a mutually beneficial. Calgary had great TV and a strong product, while Vancouver had larger population and bigger stars. The trade ended up bankrupting Hart. Fenton continued on for several more years after that before selling the promotion to Kiniski and his booker Sandor Kovacs. That duo would helped take Vancouver to new hieghts in the 1970s.
Mitsu Arakawa
Red Bastien
Red Berry
John Paul Henning
Don Jardine (The Spoiler)
The Kalmikoffs (Ivan & Karol)
Reggie Lisowski (The Crusher)
Bill Miller
Bull Montana
Rocky Munroe (Sputnik Monroe)
Leo Numa
The Outlaw (Dory Funk Sr.)
Angelo Poffo
Dave Ruhl
Dutch Schultz (Dutch Savage)
Chief Thunderbird
Tarzan Tourville (Tarzan Tyler)
Billy Wicks
Bearcat Wright
NWA - All-Star [Vancouver] (1968-1980)
NWA - All-Star [Vancouver] (1968-1980)
In the late 1960s, Sandor Kovacs and Gene Kiniski took over the Vancouver promotion from Rod Fenton. In the 1970s, they were able to turn All-Star Wrestling into one of the premier Canadian promotions. Both Kovacs and Kiniski were widely respected and well travelled wrestlers who were able to bring in some of the best talent of the day, not to mention the NWA Champion. Kovacs was always the brains of the office and he booked clean singles matches almost all of the time. It was a very "old school" promotion and the wrestling world was changing. When Kovacs sold his half of the company to Al Tomko in 1977, the company changed dramatically. Tomko, aligned with Don Owen's Portland office, used much of their talent and began booking matches very differently than Kovacs had. It turned Kiniski off and he sold his half after three years.
Kovacs and Kiniski Years
Kovacs and Kiniski Years
Skandar Akbar
Andre the Giant
Wayne Bridges
Emile Dupre
Keith Franks (Adrian Adonis)
Flash Gordon (George Gordienko)
Leroy Hirsch (Al Tomko)
Sandor Kovacs
Dale Lewis
Al Madril
Roy McClarty
Don Morrow (Don Muraco)
"Mighty" John Quinn
Bob Remus (Sgt. Slaughter)
Mr. Sekigawa (Mr. Pogo)
Texas Red (Red Bastien)
Larry Whistler (Larry Zbyzsko)
Billy Whitewolf (Adnan Al-Kaissie)
Wild Samoans (Sika & Afa)
Bearcat Wright
Tomko Years
Tomko Years
Adrian Adonis
Bobby Bass
Guy Mitchell
Bruce Reed (Butch Reed)
Rip Rogers
The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller)
Gama Singh
Al Tomko
Gary Young
Mr. X (Guy Mitchell)
All-Star Wrestling (1980-1989)
All-Star Wrestling (1980-1989)
Al Tomko, the AWA's promoter in Winnipeg, helped squash the local competition that Winnipeg had experienced for decades. However, he wanted more, so Tomko gave up Winnipeg to the AWA and bought Sandor Kovac's half of Vancouver, an NWA affiliate. Tomko aligned himself with nearby Portland promoter Don Owens, also an NWA member and the two exchanged talent in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, he and partner Gene Kiniski did not see eye to eye, so Kiniski left in 1980. Kiniski had been the barrier between Calgary and Vancouver for years, but once he left things opened up. Tomko decided to pull out of the NWA and expand into Stu Hart's territory and Hart tried to do the same thing by running the Vancouver region. While it did not really work for either in the long run, Tomko's severing of ties with the NWA saw his talent pool greatly depleted. Tomko shifted from the top heel to the top babyface spot and while pushing himself and his sons strongly road All-Star until it sunk to the ground. The company's bad production and angles eventually caught up with them and closed up in 1989.
Andre the Giant
Rip Oliver
Rip Rogers
The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams)
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