This week on the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show, I am excited to present the first of our Mailbag Shows for 2026! Our great viewers, listeners and members of our various communities have submitted questions that we have curated for the show. Steve Gennerelli, our WWWF Analyst and Time Tunnel family member is here to assist with the fun.

Come along for this week’s show as we dive deep into the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Mailbag to answer the questions our community members want to know!

• (00:00:02) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Mailbag
• (00:07:07) - Who Would Have Been the NWA Champion?
• (00:13:33) - Steve Austin on Wrestlers Who Throw Fire
• (00:18:28) - Was There Anything That Could Have Been Done To Prevent The NWA
• (00:25:18) - What's The Best Territory in Wrestling?
• (00:28:39) - If Fritz and Verne Could Have Played Nice...
• (00:36:26) - Dusty Factor on the UWF
• (00:39:47) - Pro Wrestling Magazine
• (00:46:48) - Honorizing Southern Territory Managers
• (00:50:13) - Gary Hart on Mark Matsuo and More
• (00:53:01) - Tony Stark on His Memorabilia Collection
• (00:59:35) - Who Is The First Masked Wrestler?
• (01:07:33) - Mailbag
• (01:11:23) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel

This week on the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel History Show, I am pleased and thrilled to welcome back one of my best friends and esteemed colleagues in the professional wrestling history space, it’s Brian R. Solomon, host of the Shut Up and Wrestle Podcast.

Brian just was announced as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Book of the Year Award for 2025 for his excellent biography of WWE superstar, announcer, owner and executive, Gorilla Monsoon. Brian is the first two-time winner of the Observer Book of the Year Award, having previously won for his book on The Original Sheik, Ed Farhat.

When I invited Brian to come on the show to talk about winning the award, I intentionally did not tell him I had invited another three of his esteemed friends and peers to the show to help us with this surprise celebration. Noted AWA Historian George Schire, Bob Smith, the host of the Outdated Wrestling Hour podcast and Steve Gennerelli, our WWF Analyst at the Time Tunnel and co-host of the Stick to Wrestling podcast show.

It’s a surprise party to celebrate Brian’s success and in the process, a really great pro wrestling conversation among four passionate lovers of this crazy business. I could tell Brian was touched by the celebration and I’m happy to have pulled this off and together for him. I hope you enjoy this special episode of the Pro Wrestling Tunnel History Show!

• (00:00:02) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel
• (00:02:41) - SEC Tournament Preview
• (00:10:10) - Kentucky Bourbon Soap
• (00:12:57) - Brian R. Solomon Surprise Party
• (00:15:44) - Brian Solomon on Shut Up and Wrestle
• (00:17:35) - Dory Funk on the NWA World Champions
• (00:20:48) - Book of the Year
• (00:25:44) - Baby's First Birthday
• (00:26:06) - Brian Solomon's Surprise Party
• (00:26:47) - Gorilla's Best Book
• (00:31:45) - Brian on The Sheik's Book
• (00:35:06) - The Life and Times of Gorgeous George
• (00:42:10) - Bookmark: The Making of Professional Wrestling
• (00:44:27) - Understanding the History of Wrestling
• (00:45:32) - Bob Ley on The Old School Wrestling
• (00:50:52) - Brian Fallon on Bobby Heenan's Letter
• (00:51:13) - Brian Hill on His Own Audio Book
• (00:54:54) - Brian McIntyre on His Audio Book
• (00:57:40) - Vince McMahon On Gorilla Monsoon's Drug Test
• (01:02:24) - Kurt Hennigan on the Drugs in Wrestling
• (01:06:01) - Bob and Tony on the AI Comment
• (01:13:05) - Brian Stokes on Dissent
• (01:16:20) - Wonders of Wrestling: Brian Last
• (01:21:09) - Buffalo in the Honeymoon
• (01:21:23) - Brian Solomon
• (01:25:41) - Brian Solomon's Book of the Year Surprise
• (01:26:18) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel: The Q&A Mailbag

We are in the middle of our “1985 Territory Review” Series! Its a a weekly review of the territories in the year of 1985. In order to add context on where 1985 falls in the spectrum of the territory era of professional wrestling, here is my historical framework entitled: “Stages of Growth of the Territory Era”:

Stage One: Conception (1925 to 1935)

Stage Two: Formation (1935 to 1945)

Stage Three: Innovation and Expansion (1945 to 1955)

Stage Four: Investigation (1955 to 1965)

Stage Five: Re-Consolidation (1965-1975)

Stage Six: Fragmentation (1975-1985)

Stage Seven: Disintegration (1985-1995)

1985 is the first year in the last stage of the territory era, and we are reviewing what is remaining of the system as the Disintegration Stage gets started. By the time we reach the halfway point in this stage, 1990, only a bare thread of the vast network of wrestling territories will remain. By the end of the Disintegration Stage, 1995, only one territory, in Memphis, is barely breathing, and by 1997 would be gone.

Portland Wrestling is a territory that didn’t get a lot of magazine coverage during the territory era and its owners, The Owen Family, were quite content with that. They were wrestling promoters going back another generation to Herb Owen, who carved out a wrestling territory using Portland, Oregon as the center office and extending out through the state of Oregon, as well as parts of Washington as well. Herb’s son, Don Owen took over after Herb retired and was an early member of the National Wrestling Alliance. The territory drew steady money, kept a small roster of talent and featured the traveling NWA World Champion a couple of times per year. They ran every Saturday night in Portland and sometimes added an additional show on Tuesday nights.

This business model lasted multiple decades and was still drawing some decent money heading onto 1985. The Wrestling Supershow concept was sweeping through the territory booking offices and Portland was no exception, adding the Extravaganza shows in 1985 and doing some big business. Aided with help from former Portland superstar and now WWF employee, Roddy Piper, Portland Wrestling stayed relevant to its local fanbase, successfully holding the WWF at bay in Oregon, also with Piper’s promise not to work on any shows opposite Don Owen. Today, I am joined by the foremost Portland Wrestling Historian, Mike Rodgers along with Frank Culbertson and we travel in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel back to review the year of 1985 in Portland Wrestling!

• (00:00:02) - PODCAST
• (00:00:34) - Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel: 1985 Territory Review Podcast
• (00:04:50) - 1985
• (00:06:20) - 1985
• (00:09:08) - Maharishi Ahmed In Portland As Ed Wiskowski
• (00:11:55) - Buddy Rose on His 'Town' Gimmick
• (00:17:54) - Ric Flair in Portland Wrestling's Extravaganza
• (00:24:04) - Portland Wrestling's 60th Anniversary Match
• (00:28:04) - milo on AWA and The Road Warriors
• (00:29:33) - Mike Miller vs Rick Martel
• (00:31:40) - Billy Jack vs Ric Flair
• (00:37:13) - Portland Wrestling: Don Owen's Comments
• (00:43:44) - Bruiser Brody vs Magnum TA in Oregon
• (00:50:00) - Portland vs Boise
• (00:56:42) - The Top Five Angle's in Portland Wrestling History
• (01:01:15) - Gary Royal On His 1985
• (01:07:30) - Portland Wrestling Fan Interview
• (01:10:38) - Ringside to Rose City and Hawaii Wrestling Podcast
• (01:16:34) - Portland Wrestling Review
• (01:19:59) - SUPPORT THE PRO WRESTLING TIME TUNELONG