The 1980s

Wrestling exploded in popularity during the 1980s, thanks in part to the growth of cable television. Ted Turner’s Superstation TBS–one of the early giants of cable TV–considered pro wrestling one of its most important programs, and cards from Georgia Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett’s Mid-Atlantic promotion, Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory, and even Vince McMahon’s WWF aired on the station during the 80s.

McMahon also committed himself to expanding the WWF (which shortened its name from WWWF) into a national promotion. McMahon began syndicating his shows nationwide, driving local territories out of business by stealing their talent and running shows in their market. The WWF also landed shows on the USA Network and gained major mainstream publicity from airing on MTV through its “rock and wrestling” crossover, which in turn led to the creation of Wrestlemania and a deal with NBC for airings of Saturday Night’s Main Event and even prime time specials billed as The Main Event.

Promotions like the AWA, NWA, and World Class followed McMahon’s lead by trying to
broaden their scope with national television and supercards. Jim Crockett broke new ground with the Starrcade in 1983, the first major closed-circuit TV event. McMahon followed with Wrestlemania in 1985 and the first wrestling pay-per-view broadcast, The Wrestling Classic, later that year.

By the end of the decade, the entire landscape of wrestling had changed. Many of the territories had folded or been absorbed by larger companies, and others were on the verge of collapse. Only those promotions with national television exposure and pay-per-view clearance would survive, with the WWF leading the pack.