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

Written by Tim Hornbaker

Narrated by Kyle Tait

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977346964

Tim Hornbaker

Tim Hornbaker is a lifelong sports historian and enthusiast. His books Turning the Black Sox White: The Misunderstood Legacy of Charles A. Comiskey and War on the Basepaths: The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobb were received with critical acclaim. He lives in Tamarac, Florida.

Reviews for Death of the Territories

[Ben Hannon · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Good collection of Wikipedia entries. Low on narrative, original content

[Dylan Gott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great good great good fun good great fun fun great

[writemoves · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have been a pro wrestling fan for almost 60 years. I remember Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, The Kangaroos, Bobo Brazil and many other Old-time wrestlers. I remember watching Florida Championship Wrestling with Gordon Solie in black and white when I was in college. I have been fascinated by the entertainment that pro wrestling has provided and have always been interested in knowing more about the business side of it.

Hornbaker takes me back to the AWA, NWA, Mid-South and other regional federations and how they tried to fend off the national ambitions of the WWF and Vince McMahon.

My sense is that this book is fine for readers who are long time pro wrestling fans. I think many other readers would be confused without knowing more about the history of the federations and the personalities of the wrestling federation owners and the wrestlers.