Big Time Wrestling (Boston)

This article is about the wrestling promotion based in Boston, Massachusetts from 1960 to 1975. For the promotion based in Dallas, Texas from 1966 to 1982, see Big Time Wrestling (Dallas). For the promotion based in Detroit, Michigan from 1964 to 1980, see Big Time Wrestling (Detroit). For the promotion based in San Francisco, California from 1961 to 1981, see Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco). For other promotions of the same name, see Big Time Wrestling.
Big Time Wrestling
AcronymBTW
Founded1960
Defunct1975
StyleRasslin'
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts
Founder(s)Tony Santos, Sr.
Owner(s)
  • Tony Santos, Sr. (1960–1974)
  • Tony Santos, Jr. (1974–1975)
  • Gene Santos (1974–1975)
ParentSantos Wrestling Enterprises, Inc.

Big Time Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the New England area of the United States from 1960 to 1975. For much of the 1960s, BTW was the top professional wrestling promotion in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a significant competitor to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).

The company was founded by Tony Santos Sr.[1] in 1960, following the death of Boston's longtime promoter Paul Bowser,[2] and the departure of Bowser's rival Eddie Quinn. Partnering with Jack Pfefer, Santos solidified his control over the city after securing the Boston Garden that same year. Big Time Wrestling was a staple of the regional carnival circuit and regularly visited New England's summer resort towns. Its live events often featured female and midget wrestlers, as well as a variety of wrestling animals.

Under Pfefer's guidance, the "outlaw" promotion became infamous for using "soundalike" wrestlers which parodied a number of stars from both the National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation.[3] Big Time Wrestling was one of several promotions to recognize the Atlantic Athletic Commission World Heavyweight Championship, a world title created by Bowser in 1957, although it gradually diminished in importance after the mid-1960s.[4]

In 1963, Abe Ford spearheaded the WWWF's expansion into Boston. Santos was able to keep the New York–based promotion at bay for several years. A rivalry developed between Big Time's top star Frankie Scarpa and the WWWF's Bruno Sammartino which attracted big crowds in New England, particularly among the Italian-American population in Boston,[2] and saw Sammartino eclipse Scarpa as the region's top "babyface" performer by the end of the 1960s. Santos slowly lost his hold on Boston after WWWF television programming began airing in New England and the emergence of Sammartino as a major star in the Northeastern United States. Big Time Wrestling went on an unofficial hiatus following the in-ring death of Scarpa in 1969. The promotion enjoyed one last big run in the mid-1970s, this time operated by Gene and Tony Santos Jr., before finally shutting down in 1975. The promotion was revived by former BTW mainstay Richard Byrne in 2006 and began touring nationally in 2013.

  1. ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling (2 ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 307. ISBN 978-1476605050.
  2. ^ a b Encarnacao, Jake (September 26, 2004). "In city's wrestling prime, no holds were barred". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Jim Cornette (August 12, 2019). "Jim Cornette's Drive Thru – Episode 103". Jim Cornette's Drive Thru (Podcast). YouTube.com. Event occurs at 58:56. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference PWT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).