WWWF Championship Wrestling
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WWF Championship Wrestling was the original TV show of the World Wrestling Federation. Championship Wrestling featured all the stars of the WWF, interviews and championship matches. This was when it was a territory for the National Wrestling Alliance. The show lasted from 1978-1986.
This show introduced Piper's Pit hosted by Rowdy Roddy Piper, and in late 1983, Hulk Hogan made his return to the World Wrestling Federation by appearing on this show after spending time with the AWA.
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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 in St. Louis and KHJ-TV (now KCAL) in Los Angeles reportedly paid $100,000 to air the show.[1]
- In an episode of Buddy Rogers Corner in early 1983, Jimmy Snuka fired his manger Captain Lou Albano, minutes later the Magnificent Muraco began a bloody feud with Snuka.
- In a tag-team match, André the Giant was being double-teamed by Big John Studd and Ken Patera, and then with the help of Bobby Heenan, Studd and Patera cut the hair of André the Giant.
- Hillbilly Jim made his World Wrestling Federation debut with a bear hug over his opponent. Prior to that, the show shows weekly vignettes on Jim becoming a pro wrestler, his trainer was none other than future WWE Hall of Fame member Hulk Hogan.
- Terry Funk made his World Wrestling Federation debut a memorable one on this show by beating up a ring attendant named Mel Phillips.
- Randy Savage once brought a group of managers in his match and after he won the bout, he announced his new manager, it wasn't Mr. Fuji, Bobby Heenan, Fred Blassie, Johnny Valiant or Jimmy Hart, instead it was Savage's real-life wife at the time, Miss Elizabeth. Later in 1985, Savage begins a long-running feud with Hulk Hogan after having Elizabeth get into the ring and ask Hogan why he doesn't wrestle anyone "with credentials."
- Big John Studd has just defeated two jobbers in a $15,000 body slam match when after contuining beating up those jobbers, King Tonga came in and after a wicked chop, he bodyslammed Studd and brought the crowd to its feet.
- Paul Orndorff turns against Hulk Hogan following their tag team match vs. Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy, leading to a bloody feud between Hogan and Orndorff. There had been weeks of friction between the two (which Adrian Adonis had picked up on during previous segments of "The Flower Shop"); prior to the match, an agitated Orndorff accused Hogan of missing a phone call.
- Rowdy Roddy Piper returned to the WWF and was loudly cheered as he defeated a jobber with one arm tied behind his back.
- Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson beating Wild Samoans for the tag team titles in the fall of 1983.
- Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch shocked the wrestling world by upsetting Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson for the tag team titles in April 1984.
- Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo beating Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik for the tag team titles in 1985.
- Vince McMahon and Pat Patterson (1980-1984)
- Vince McMahon and Gene Okerlund (1984)
- Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino (1984-1986)
From 1984 to 1986, the theme of Championship Wrestling was an instrumental version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", with footage of Hulk Hogan winning the WWF title from the Iron Sheik.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, March 18, 1985 issue, Hogan on the cover
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Categories: Articles needing additional references from December 2007 | World Wrestling Entertainment television programs | First-run syndicated television programs | 1978 television program debuts | 1986 television program series endings | 1970s American television series | 1980s American television series