Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever

Tim Hornbaker

Mar 2019 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Kyle Tait

About this audiobook

For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom. Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late '70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters. An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion national soon capitalized on the situation. A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent. By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever.

Ratings and reviews

tremendous book. quite an education.

About the author

Tim Hornbaker is the author of eight nonfiction books, including National Wrestling Alliance and Capitol Revolution. His biography Turning the Black Sox White was nominated for SABR's Larry Ritter Award and the Seymour Medal in 2015. He lives in Tamarac, Florida, with his wife, Jodi.

Kyle Tait is a professionally trained voice actor and narrator in Atlanta, Georgia. His first brush with a microphone came in sports radio, calling baseball in the Atlanta Braves' organization. He started voicing audiobooks during the off-season; a few years later, he left baseball to work as a narrator full-time.