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WWC - Puerto Rico


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I have always had a strange fascination with the WWC in Puerto Rico.

 

Granted, it has an extremely murky past with the Brody stabbing in 1988 by Jose 'Invader I' Gonzalez, but on the other hand, the amount of talent that has worked over there is immense.

 

Dory & Terry Funk, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, Greg Valentine, Stan Hansen, Dick Murdoch, Missing Link, Carlos Colon, TNT, Hercules Ayala, Mr. Pogo etc etc.. all worked on occasion for WWC.

 

They drew decent crowds and got very high TV ratings in there homeland. However does the stabbing overshadow all this? Or does the WWC deserve to be listed as a major promotion of the past?

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I think it depends on what the criteria. It was BIG in Puerto Rico but then again All Star was BIG in the UK, so do they qualify??

 

As far as legendary promotions, i think you have to factor in loads of elements:

 

Talent

areas run

Money generated

National exposure

stars created

innovation

crowds drawn

number of shows ran

 

these are all variables really.

 

I'd say they were a major promotion for there conutry (again the same way as allstar is the UK equivalent) however in the overall scheme of things i'd say you couldnt rate them in the same league as

 

WWF(e)

nWa

WCW

ECW (and i only include ECW due to the legacy its had)

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I think it depends on what the criteria. It was BIG in Puerto Rico but then again All Star was BIG in the UK, so do they qualify??

 

As far as legendary promotions, i think you have to factor in loads of elements:

 

Talent

areas run

Money generated

National exposure

stars created

innovation

crowds drawn

number of shows ran

 

these are all variables really.

 

I'd say they were a major promotion for there conutry (again the same way as allstar is the UK equivalent) however in the overall scheme of things i'd say you couldnt rate them in the same league as

 

WWF(e)

nWa

WCW

ECW (and i only include ECW due to the legacy its had)

 

WWC drew crowds of 20,000+ plus and had 40% shares on TV in Puerto Rico in the past. FAR FAR FAR more successful than All Star would ever be.

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WWC run in a variety of different venues, and yes they are still a promotion (Carly "Carlito" Colon" is back) - They run "anniversario" (there version of Starrcade, Wrestlemania) The first show was held in 1983 to mark the tenth anniversary of WWC's creation in 1973. Anniversario Results

 

In the past they ran stadium shows drawing 20,000+ - however some wrestlers HATED working Puerto Rico due to fear of crime, violence and rioting fans.

 

Nowadays they have downsized (in heyday would be able to book the NWA champion and he would draw huge) and they run small arena's and their shows aren't as newsworthy. IWA is basically WWC's rival, I think set up by the late Victor Quinnones.

 

Basically WWC was the major influence in setting up the "garbage promotions" in Japan (FMW, WI*NG, IWA Japan) which in turn influenced ECW and the hardcore style worldwide.

 

Side note: WWC was owned by Capitol Sports which Gorilla Monsoon had a stake in.

 

Excellent post, thanks very much for the great response!

 

I remember watching a Sunny shoot tape in which she paints a very dirty picture for life as a gringo in Puerto Rico, with tales of heroin addicts out of their faces all over the streets and constant threats of muggings etc and taunts of

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You are indeed correct Richie, they ran various shows in outdoor stadiums over the years.

 

Here are some random WWC matches and clips from there heyday:

 

 

Manny Fernandez vs. Invader III (not for the squemish) Side note: It was pigs blood.

 

 

Enjoy :)

 

Thanks very much for those. I anticipate getting home from work later to watch the fuckers ha haa! Cheers mate. :)

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The last link highlights nicely the stadium shows and the size of the crowds. Please comment about the video's you watch, as I would like some decent discussion about this promotion, as it is VERY underrated in the grand scheme of things.

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