I laughed and told him, “Uncle Paul, you do have a nickel for every time you mentioned that address on television, and you are retired.”
My uncle burst out laughing and nearly fell off the ladder. When he carefully came down we hugged, then laughed until we cried. They were tears of joy and sadness. We decided that maybe we should wait a few weeks before continuing to close the office. After all, what was the hurry?
By this time, I was teaching at Sam Houston State University and enjoying my return to the classroom. Although the teaching kept me busy, one question still nagged at me: What now? At age thirty-four, was I really through, or did the Lord have something else in mind?
A quick trip to Lake Tahoe after the fall semester gave me an opportunity to hike the Desolation Wilderness trail at Emerald Lake and quietly meditate on a very special rock next to a hidden mountain lake. I guess many of us have these special spots which allow us to go into deep reflection and prayer. For me it was that big rock without a single soul around. While sitting there, I asked the Lord for a sign. A sign to let me know what he wanted me to do next. I was eager to move forward and I was hoping he was ready to open up that new door.
I did not have to wait long. As soon as I got back to my hotel room, the red message light was blinking. The call was from my uncle, who asked me to phone him as soon as possible. I anxiously did so and asked if he was all right. He assured me that he was fine, then set off the bombshell. “Jim Crockett had called and wants you to call him.”
At that time, Jim Crockett was head of Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. and the main man of the National Wrestling Alliance. He had also been a competitor to the Houston Wrestling promotion while Paul Boesch and I were still promoting. I had met Crockett on several occasions during my professional wrestling career. I respected the success that he and his organization had in promoting live shows throughout the east and southeast, especially around the Carolinas. I also respected Jim Crockett promotions’ successful television network, which included World Championship Wrestling on Ted Turner’s Superstation. Remember, Crockett bought out Bill Watts and the Universal Wrestling Federation, and he was also McMahon and the WWF’s number one competitor. What could Jim Crockett want?
It was late, so I called the next morning. After a quick “How are you doing?”, Crockett got straight to the point. He asked, “Pete, do you want back into wrestling?” I told him I would like to think about it and would call him back. Once again I was hiking in the wilderness, as my mind was weighing all the pros and cons.
What would it be like to work for a professional wrestling promotion that did not involve my uncle? What would it be like working in a wrestling promotion where I would not be the top decision maker, and needed to be satisfied with a limited role? What would it be like to once again work side by side with so many friends that I had left behind? Most importantly--could I walk away from a challenge? Crockett had given me one, so my competitive juices started to flow. I knew I had to take the next step, meet face-to-face with Crockett and hear his offer. When I called and told him so, he said, “Great! I will send down my private plane to pick you up.” I hung up the phone and burst out laughing. I never had anybody send down his or her private plane to pick me up. This would be a whole new experience in professional wrestling.
When I arrived at Hobby Airport, I went straight to the hanger. There I was met by my good friend Dusty Rhodes and several other Crockett associates. We quickly boarded the plane. I had a nice visit with Dusty on the flight, and upon landing in Dallas, spotted a limousine waiting on the runway. It was just like a scene in the movies. Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. was in the process of moving its corporate headquarters from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Dallas. Crockett and I met immediately after I arrived at the new corporate headquarters.
After the normal polite introductory chat, Crockett got down to business. I anxiously listened to every word. He said he was looking for a Special Events Coordinator, someone whose main responsibilities were to help coordinate all of the NWA’s national television shoots and as well as its special Pay-Per-View events. One of the planned upcoming PPV events was going to take place in Tokyo, Japan. It would be my job to go there and spend a month coordinating the event with the Japanese wrestling organization. I felt my heart beat faster and faster as Crockett kept talking. When Crockett discussed the Special Events Coordinator’s lucrative pay, my promotional blood was pumping. Then came the clincher. Crockett asked, “Do you want Houston Wrestling back?”
Jim Crockett knew that Paul Boesch had agreed to a “no compete” clause with Vince McMahon. I hadn’t discussed it with Vince because, at the time, I had no intention of staying in professional wrestling. Vince never brought it up because he was more focused on getting a “no compete” clause out of Paul Boesch. The fact that I agreed to help the WWF in the transition had also seemed to minimize the necessity of a “no compete” clause from Peter Birkholz. I was aware that Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. had promoted a live show in Houston just a few months earlier, and it had not gone well. Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. wanted that personal grassroots connection in the Houston market, one of the top television markets in the nation.
Jim Crockett did not even wait for an answer as he started laying out the details of his Houston Wrestling proposal. Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. and I would be fifty-fifty partners in the newly-formed promotion. I would be the local promoter and handle all the promotional activities, including television, and Jim Crockett Promotions, Inc. would handle the wrestling talent. I considered the tremendous challenge of bringing the “old” Houston Wrestling promotion back to life. It had been four months since I left, and I started to realize that Lou Thesz was right--it was in my blood!
I thanked Jim for the very generous offer and told him I needed to make a couple of quick phone calls. He understood and said that if I agreed to the position, he wanted me at their board of directors meeting later that afternoon. I immediately called my uncle. After hearing the details of the offer, Boesch said I would be crazy not to take the job. I called my dad and he encouraged me to accept the challenge as well, but also warned me to be very careful. I then called my wife since it would mean that, eventually, I would have to move the family from Huntsville to Dallas, Texas. She also gave me the green light. I went back and told Jim Crockett that I would be more than happy to accept the job. He smiled and we shook hands to seal the deal. “You start January 1, 1988,” he said, “and I will see you at the board meeting.” I was back in!
It was like old times. Jim Crockett and Dusty Rhodes gave me a very nice introduction to the rest of the board. I had worked with many of the board’s members for years. I felt right at home talking about upcoming live shows, ticket sales, television ratings, talent evaluations, and future bookings. It was also exciting to watch the board members’ reactions when Jim Crockett announced that I was the brand new National Wrestling Alliance promoter of Houston. They were as thrilled as I was about the tremendous potential of this new arrangement.
Now came the hard part: saying good-bye to my good friends at Sam Houston State University. I talked to my department head and friend, Dr. Ross Lovell. Ross graciously put his university role aside, and said I would be crazy not to take the challenge, especially the opportunity to work with the Japanese wrestling organization coordinating the Tokyo PPV event. He said with a friendly smile that it was an opportunity to gain some very valuable international working experience.
The first few months of 1988 kept me extremely busy, as I was working hard to learn the ropes at Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. and doing whatever I could to help local promoters with the various special events. At the same time, I was busy negotiating with television stations Channel 20 and Channel 26 in an attempt to once again have the locally-produced professional wrestling show that was so important to the Houston wrestling market. Months of discussion paid off as both stations agreed to work with the National Wrestling Alliance and me in our attempt to bring back Houston Wrestling.
&
nbsp; General Manager Vince Barresi of KTXH-TV (Channel 20) agreed to air the syndicated NWA Main Event with me as the host every Saturday morning, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. I would do the opening and closing along with special interviews. I would also provide the voice-over of many of the matches to add the local flavor. Paul Boesch could not be involved in the show due to his “no compete” clause with Vince McMahon. However, he was able to do commercials with his good friends and long-time sponsors Irv Marks and Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture. It was going to be an action-packed professional wrestling show featuring NWA main event matches from around the country. This plus my reputation with fans would be a great combination. A television contract was signed and the first airing would take place on Saturday morning, June 4, 1988.
General manager Jerry Marcus of KRIV-Channel 26 took it one step further and agreed to have his production crew out taping the live matches at the Sam Houston Coliseum and putting together a weekly show featuring that footage. It was the same formula that had been so successful for KHTV-Channel 39 for over twenty years. Paul Boesch would be able to co-host the show with me. It would air on Saturday nights at 10:30 pm, and last an hour. The local show would be followed by another hour of syndicated professional wrestling action from the NWA. The same locally-produced show would air again on Sunday mornings on Channel 26 starting at 10 am. The Channel 26 wrestling shows would start Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th.
Now that the local television shows were in place, it was time to get the wrestling ticket office at 1919 Caroline back open and functioning. Knowing that I would do a lot of traveling to fulfill my role as the Special Events Coordinator for Jim Crockett Promotions Inc, I had to recruit a good businessman to stay in Houston and manage the office. I talked my friend John Lampson into giving it a try. He was perfect, and did an outstanding job of not only getting the office running efficiently and smoothly, but also taking care of the other million and one things necessary for a successful wrestling promotion.
Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. and I began to promote live Houston Wrestling shows at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Every promotion brought a larger crowd and a bigger gate. The local wrestling shows started to air in late May and early June and provided a big boost to the live promotions. The climax of the return of Houston Wrestling was on July 29, 1988, when the famous American Bash came to the Sam Houston Coliseum. It drew a huge and enthusiastic crowd. Houston Wrestling was indeed on its way back! Or was it?
The winds of change were still whirling. This time it was Jim Crockett Promotions, Inc. and the NWA being tossed around. In an effort to establish some stability during the turbulent times, they were negotiating to be purchased by Turner Entertainment. The rumors were flying, then became facts. Turner Entertainment would buy out Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. and its television network. We were told to get ready to move to Atlanta, Georgia in the months ahead.
I was not as nearly as excited about the news as the rest of the organization. All the hard work and success of bringing back Houston Wrestling was now in jeopardy. With the transition of Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. to Turner Entertainment, no one could give me the answers to some critical questions. Where would the newly-formed Houston Wrestling promotion get its wrestling talent? Where would Houston Wrestling get its television programming? Would the new organization need a Special Events Coordinator? Would that special events coordinator have to move his family to Atlanta, Georgia? The fact that no one was able to answer the questions was an answer in itself. Again, I had to make a weighty decision.
While the rumors were flying, my personal life was changing as well. I had two wonderful sons, Jonathan and Allan, who wanted their Dad to stay home and play. One Saturday morning, while I was saying goodbye before heading to the airport for my next booking, my oldest son, Jonathan, looked up and with tears in his eyes said, “Don’t go, Daddy. Stay here and play.” I glanced over to my other son, Allan, who was looking at me with those same pleading eyes. I told them I had to go, I had a job to do. As if they would understand. They were just children.
On the way to the airport, the wheels inside my head were turning. My boys, who meant the world to me, wanted me at home. Dr. Ross Lovell had a spot for me at Sam Houston State University. Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. could not give me any real answers. I boarded the plane and took my seat. Then came the announcement that the flight was going to be delayed. There was a chance that I would not be able to make my booking. That was it!
My time with my family was more important than anything else in the whole world. It was time for Peter Birkholz to say his last “goodbye.” There was no extravaganzas or ticket tape parades, just the phone call to Jim Barnett, a top executive to Jim Crockett, asking him to set up a personal meeting with Crockett. Barnett asked why I needed a meeting and I told him it was time for me to move on. He was a friend and understood. The meeting with Jim Crockett never took place. Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. moved to Atlanta, and I moved back to Huntsville.
I regret never having the opportunity to personally thank Jim Crockett for the chance to work with him and his fine organization. Although I was frustrated at times because I felt I was not being used to my full capability, I understood that Jim Crockett was doing the best he could. I enjoyed those nine months with the National Wrestling Alliance as their Special Events Coordinator, and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to bring Houston Wrestling successfully back to the Sam Houston Coliseum. It was a wonderful experience with wonderful memories.
I promoted my last live professional wrestling show at the Sam Houston Coliseum on Friday, September 9, 1988. It was a world title card featuring World Champion Ric Flair against the challenge of powerful Lex Lugar, and a great way to wrap up a career of promoting professional wrestling. I purposely was the last one out of the dressing room that night. As I walked through the silent and empty Sam Houston Coliseum, I could hear my footsteps echo throughout the huge arena. I knew deep in my heart that I had made the right decision. This was finally the end. My exciting and rewarding twenty-five-year career in professional wrestling was over! I would not change them for anything in the world.
Do I miss it?
For over twenty-five years, professional wrestling, and Houston Wrestling in particular, was the focal point of my life. I ate, drank and slept Houston Wrestling. However, since my last live promotion years ago I have only attended a handful of live wrestling shows. The only professional wrestling I have seen on television has been a brief moment here and there as I surf through the channels.
Do I miss it?
I must confess, there are times. There are times even when I am sitting in my back yard and listening to the soothing sounds of the Taylor River in beautiful Colorado, when all of the sudden the world becomes silent. I gently close my eyes and find myself in a frantic free fall through the tunnel of time. I fall faster and faster and begin to hear the sounds of an arena in the final moments of preparation before a professional wrestling show. I smell the freshly popped popcorn. I hear the clanging of hundreds of folding metal chairs being set up at ringside. I hear the sound technician giving one more mike test on the public address system: “Testing, Testing, one, two, three.”
Faster and faster I am falling. Then I am there! In the most magical spot in the entire universe--the middle of the Houston Wrestling ring! The ring lights flash on as thousands of wrestling fans start to cheer, and I bellow into the ring microphone at the top of my lungs—
“WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN FOR ANOTHER EXCITING NIGHT OF HOUSTON WRESTLING!”
photograph copyright Geoff Winningham
from Friday Night in the Coliseum
* * *
1 Roy, James. “Scotty Moore - City Auditorium - Houston Tx. Scotty Moore. n.p., 2012. Web. 26 August 2012.
2 Ibid.
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