August 26, 2005

By Larry Matysik.

Welcome to the St. Louis wrestling web site! This should be a lot of fun. In particular, I want to thank Mitch Hartsey and Herb Simmons for all their efforts on behalf of this site. My computer knowledge would fit inside a thimble…so Mitch gets to carry the load!

One thing that Herb and Mitch have asked is for me to share a few thoughts on St. Louis wrestling with those who visit. Based on the reception of the book "Wrestling at the Chase," I would anticipate that many fans and readers are interested in the comparison I described between Sam Muchnick, the father of St. Louis wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance when it mattered, and Vince McMahon, Jr., the mastermind of World Wrestling Entertainment.

The big question which always arises is whether or not Sam’s method of promoting and booking would work today in 2005.

Well, of course it would succeed, if a serious, objective fan puts everything into perspective.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Sam was the first promoter to develop direct mail contacts to plug his shows with the mailing of the "Wrestling" news. He was the first to do season ticket reservations in wrestling, thus following in the steps of major league baseball.. He was the first to utilize radio stations and weekly newspapers (at the time every little town and neighborhood had one), just as the big sports did in those days. And, although a few shows had popped up on television, "Wrestling at the Chase" on Channel 11 began a new way of using the medium to promote wrestling and gain attention and respect for the business.

Vince really conquered the use of pay-per-view, although it was hardly new as boxing and other events had been using PPV to make money. But Vince really put it together for wrestling. Vince took advantage of the changes cable was making in the television – just as Sam had with "Wrestling at the Chase." Vince really utilized the income from merchandise sales and opened up the type of merchandise that was sold – just as rock promoters and toy manufacturers had for years. And Vince took advantage of advertising sales on his television programs, as television syndicators had for years.

The point is…Sam and Vince both noted and exploited and refined the avenues that were open to them at that time in history. Would Sam have been suddenly dumb in the 1980s when new opportunities arose? Would Vince have been stupid in the 1950s when other methods were needed? Both tailored technologies and ideas to their business of wrestling.

One big difference between Sam and Vince would have been the booking. Some claim the St. Louis style is "old fashioned and would not work today." Well, who knows that for sure? After all, nobody has tried the St. Louis style in 25 years!

Sam used an athletic based booking scheme where wins and losses mattered. Because the talent understood a finish was more than just a cradle but the moves that led into it, both victor and vanquished got over with the audience. All the attention was focused on the competitors in the match. And once Sam earned the trust of the talent, nobody minded "doing a job" in a St. Louis main event because there were other big paydays on the horizon for the stars win or lose.

Other territories (and WWE today) cater to egos, wrestlers who are so afraid to lose clean that every finished is muddled and neither party gets over with the audience. Likewise, bookers or writers today are so in love with their own "creativity" that after three referee bumps and interference by half the dressing room, nobody can remember what the main event was supposed to accomplish. It works because that audience has been educated to a wild style without clear resolutions.

But, if the television was geared to educate the viewers about clean finishes, working up and down the ladder, losers become winners and winners become losers and the fun is who does which when, it can work.

Old fashioned? Won’t work today? Well, how many umpire bumps did you see in the World Series of 1974 and how many did you see in the World Series of 2004? And baseball is booming.

How many run-ins did you see from other teams during the Super Bowl of 1974 and how many run-ins did you see during the Super Bowl of 2004? And football is booming.

So, yes, the St. Louis style COULD work today if the television and talent were geared to educating the audience to the details. And Sam Muchnick would have utilized the tools at his disposal just as Vince McMahon, Jr. has and Sam himself did decades ago.

What are the big differences between Sam and Vince, wrestling then and now? Well, I’ve been on the soapbox too long now – you’re probably bored numb! Next time, let’s kick those differences around.

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