Sam Muchnick (1905 - 1998)

Real Name - Sam Muchnick (born "Jeshua Muchnick")

Lifespan - 8/22/1905 - 12/30/1998

St. Louis, MO

Business Background - Boxing Promotion, Cahokia Downs Shareholder

Mentor(s) - Tom Packs

Promotional Background - St. Louis(`42), St. Louis(`45-`48), NWA [St. Louis](`48-`82)

Peak Years - `50-`60

Place in History - When the "National Wrestling Alliance" is evoked, many legendary names may come to mind.  Typically, those names are men like Lou Thesz, Jack Brisco, Harley Race and Ric Flair who held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship during its lengthy heyday.  The name that perhaps should come to mind is that of its most powerful and influential member, its long-time president and the person who was responsible for holding it together through disputes and litigation - Sam Muchnick.  The child of blue-collar Russian Jews who rose to the top of the pro-wrestling world has a life story that sounds like a Hortio Alger rags-to-riches tale.  Muchnick's interpersonal skills made him a successful sports reporter in his hometown, which eventually got him tied up with local promoter Tom Packs.  He went to work for the man who was the kingpin of pro-wrestling in the Midwest and learned all facets of the business as a publicist, road agent, booker and even referee.  Muchnick broke away from Packs to pursue promoting on his own, but struggled to get off the ground due to political maneuvering and limited access to quality talent even after joining the NWA upon its formation.  He never overcame Packs and when he retired, a consortium took over operations, which included Lou Thesz.  Muchnick and Thesz worked out a merger with Muchnick as the promoter and Thesz emerging as the NWA's champion.  Muchnick was soon made the NWA President and proved to be critical in the early years of the organization.  He carefully dealt with promoters across North America and while the monopolistic practices of the NWA were even looked at by the US Government, the NWA territorial system proved to be extremely lucrative for promoters and talent.  While all of this was going on, Sam Muchnick was maintaining St. Louis as one of the premier pro-wrestling cities in the world.  His access to the best talent, his straightforward approach and excellent payoffs, allowed him to keep his city going strong for the majority of his thirty-five years promoting there.  After stepping down in 1960, the NWA began deteriorating quickly as factions took over and membership declined.  He took the helm again for another ten years and the NWA enjoyed perhaps its most successful era.  Upon stepping down from the presidency, Sam Muchnick continued to be influential and continued promoting St. Louis until 1982.  After turning the reigns over, the city, like the NWA quickly declined.  Sam Muchnick's contributions to pro-wrestling are perhaps as a vast and comprehensive as any single individual.  He unquestionably held the NWA together for most of its first thirty years.  While the dominance of the Alliance prevented competition, it also prevented the sort of promotional wars that killed many cities over the years and allowed for longer periods of stability and prosperity.  It was this philosophy of avoiding the boom-and-bust cycle that allowed St. Louis to run so successfully for decades.  He was considered the main decider of whom would wear the NWA Championship and therefore influenced the careers of many of pro-wrestling's greatest stars.  Sam Muchnick is without question one of the most important and influential people in the history of the sport.