Superstars of Wrestling (Canadian TV series)

This article is about the 1970s Canadian syndicated television program. For the U.S. syndicated program that aired during the 1980s, see Superstars of Wrestling (American TV series). For the WWF show, see WWF Superstars of Wrestling.
Superstars of Wrestling
Created by
Presented by
StarringSuperstars of Wrestling roster
Opening theme"The Ox" by The Who
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
No. of seasons8
Production
Production locations
Camera setupMulticamera setup
Running time
  • Approximately 45-48 minutes per episode
  • (60 minutes with commercials)
Production companyContact Sports Inc.
Original release
NetworkCBET-TV (1975–1984)[3]
Release1975 (1975) –
1984 (1984)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Superstars of Wrestling, also sometimes known as the Canadian Wrestling Association,[a] was an internationally syndicated Canadian professional wrestling television program. Based in Windsor, Ontario, the show ran live events in Eastern Canada and the Great Lakes region of the United States from 1975 to 1984.

The show was created by George "Crybaby" Cannon after the close of Eddie Einhorn's International Wrestling Association, which had attempted to become the first-ever national wrestling promotion. Cannon, who served as the IWA's booker,[8] brought in many of its former stars during the show's early years. The group also used wrestlers from NWA Big Time Wrestling in Detroit throughout the 1970s.[9][10][11]

Superstars reached the height of its popularity following their 1977 debut in Montreal. French Canadian fans had not seen televised wrestling since the close of All-Star Wrestling and Grand Prix Wrestling the previous year. For much of the 1970s and early 1980s, Cannon was seen as the face of pro wrestling in the city.[3] Superstars eventually began working with Promotions Varoussac and later produced the English-language version of its flagship programs "Les Étoiles de la Lutte" (The Stars of Wrestling)[12] and "Lutte Internationale" (International Wrestling).[9][13]

While Cannon possessed a strong TV syndication network throughout Canada and parts of the Midwestern United States, Superstars of Wrestling had difficulty securing talent and promoting house shows. The situation worsened following the close of Detroit's Big Time Wrestling in 1980 and Cannon was forced to scale back its production values and roster. In 1983, in an effort to counter Ole Anderson's planned "invasion" of Detroit, Cannon made a deal with World Wrestling Federation promoter Vince McMahon to co-promote shows in the area. Cannon's partnership with McMahon played a key role in securing the Detroit and Canadian markets as part of the WWF's national expansion during the 1980s. In less than two years, however, the WWF ended its partnership with Cannon. The show would subsequently be replaced by WWF Superstars of Wrestling.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MadDogs-JC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SLAM-Curran was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Michalski, Michael (February 14, 2013). "Windsor's most famous pro wrestling performers, personalities". OurWindsor.ca.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hornbaker2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference WTH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Drason, Dave (August 17, 2010). "For The Supermouth Fan's !1". KayfabeMemories.com.
  7. ^ Cannon, George (September 6, 1980). "George Cannon promo for CWA Wrestling". Superstars of Wrestling.
  8. ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 18, 1994). "Here and There". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, CA.
  9. ^ a b c Gleason, Daren (2002). "Int'l Wrestling – Montreal #12 Page #2". KayfabeMemories.com.
  10. ^ D'Amore, Scott (October 18, 2016). "Can-Am Wrestling School: Creating World Champions in the Rose City". LastWordOnProWrestling.com. Last Word On Sports.
  11. ^ Greer, Jamie (June 28, 2017). "The Canada 150, Prologue: The Promotions". LastWordOnProWrestling.com. Last Word On Sports.
  12. ^ Leduc, Claude J. (2003). "The History of Wrestling in Quebec". The WAWLI Papers. No. 780.
  13. ^ Gleason, Daren (2004). "Int'l Wrestling – Montreal #15 Page #2". KayfabeMemories.com.


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