Time Machine: The Early Years
Originally published on June 10, 2004
Written by Gladiator
Come and step into the pro wrestling time machine, where I will write about each generation of wrestling. And we begin in the early years of pro wrestling.
In the early years, promoters ran their respective territories, as specific federations were not popular at the time. Until July 14, 1948, of course, when promoters from St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, Des Moines and Columbus fused to form the National Wrestling Alliance. Amongst competition were the World Wrestling Association led by the LeBells, and other territories run by promoters like Jess McMahon, Jules Strongbow and Jim Crockett. But none could top the success of the NWA.