Dave LaGrecca and DCW legend Tommy Dreamer break down the legacy of the territories and delve into American Wrestling Association.

Welcome to the Busted Open podcast, Legacy of the Territories.

I'm Dave LaGrecca here with the walking pro wrestling encyclopedia, the landlord and the house of hardcore and the heart and soul of professional wrestling.

Tommy Dreamer and Tommy today, we talk about the AWA, the American Wrestling Association.

I'm talking about the wrist, talking about the gamble, breaking away from that mafia family, the NWA and starting your own company, believing in yourself, betting on yourself.

All these things that Verne Gagne did ahead before they were cool and I look forward to talking to our good friend Greg Gagne.

Later, the man, the AWA, you and I watched it, we grew up on it, we saw those massive crowds, we saw how big professional wrestling was.

And I mean, it was, I know for me, top three, it was always NWA, AWA and WWF.

Growing up in those wrestling magazine era, you would always see it.

It was either Harley or Flair, Nick Bachwinco Verne Gagne, Bob Bachwin, whoever else it was.

So I mean, it was, it was big, it was gigantic.

And you talk about three and I obviously may get some backlash on this, but I think every wrestling fan has their opinion on this, Tommy.

But when you mention three, I talk about the big three arenas, at least for me, growing up as a pro wrestling fan.

And the big three arenas that I used to see a lot on TV was Madison Square Garden, the Omni in Atlanta and the St. Paul Civic Center.

And when you look at the big shows for the AWA, it seems like all those big shows came out of the St. Paul Civic Center.

Dude, I mean, honestly, how's the guy from New Jersey and the kid from New York going to know about these famous arenas?

Or people like Awali Carbo or Tom Rocky Stone, it's all because they're embedded for what we would see each and every week.

And these were, I mean, minute players, Stanley Blackboard, you know, these, these random names and wrestling, but they were big deals because they were outside of what we had our own territory, which was New York.

But then with the advent the cable and the advent, I mean, before cable, it was the wrestling magazines. And that's how we learned about all that.

And I remember that famous picture of Hulk Hogan, American made and then Hulk Amania. We've had Greg Gagnia on before where him and Jim Brunzel are kind of talking to Hulk Hogan.

And they just did it on a whim about ripping his t-shirt because he was such a tight t-shirt. And then that kind of became his deal. I mean, the list goes on and on.

We could joke about the crappy angles of Jerry Blackwell splashing a two by four. And it like, but back there with like, oh, my God, if he hits you with a crack with that splash is going to break you at half.

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