Superstars of Wrestling is a nationally syndicated professional wrestling television program that aired throughout the United States from 1986 to 1992. Created and produced by Joe Pedicino, the series broadcast eight hours of wrestling from around the country and was the first to provide national coverage of both the National Wrestling Alliance and international promotions. It was also the earliest U.S. television show to regularly broadcast Japanese puroresu and joshi wrestling as part of the Fuji Television Network's efforts to develop a market in the American television industry.
The series was initially hosted by Pedicino who was later joined by Boni Blackstone and Gordon Solie. Pedicino and Solie hosted a popular segment on the show, "Pro Wrestling This Week", which discussed the then current news from the "Big Three" (AWA, NWA and the WWF) as well as regional territories. Bill Apter, editor of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, has also credited Pedicino for considerably raising his profile among wrestling fans due to his weekly segment. The magazine's yearly awards ceremony was shown on Superstars of Wrestling in 1987 and 1988.
History
Development
Superstars of Wrestling was developed by Joe Pedicino while working at WATL TV 36 in 1985. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School, Pedicino had been with the station's sales department for only two months when he pitched the idea to management. The Black Saturday incident had occurred a year earlier and professional wrestling was still very popular in Atlanta, Georgia. The station's Saturday morning wrestling show from the NWA's Memphis territory was getting very low ratings despite its booming popularity on television. Pedicino, a wrestling fan for most of his life, advised the program director that WATL was "running the wrong show at the wrong time". The Memphis promotion sent the station random footage that was out of order and confused Georgia area fans as the results from upcoming matches were never acknowledged the following week. Pedicino explained that it was the equivalent of a soap opera teasing the audience with a cliffhanger and then never following up on next week's episode. Instead, Pedicino argued, WATL should capitalize on the popularity of Jim Crockett Promotions' flagship show WCW Saturday Night on TBS by moving their show to prime time.
Inspired by the success of Elvira's Movie Macabre, Pedicino proposed broadcasting eight hours of professional wrestling from the National Wrestling Alliance's regional territories, as well as from Puerto Rico and Japan, allowing wrestling fans to watch programming from throughout the United States for the first time. The station agreed to extend the show to fill up its night time programming schedule. Pedicino was later able to acquire Japanese puroresu and joshi wrestling as part of the Fuji Television Network's efforts to develop a market in the American television industry.
Early popularity
Superstars of Wrestling debuted in May 1986, airing on Saturday nights from 8:00 pm to 3:00 am, was a ratings success. Eight different wrestling organizations from as far away as Dallas, Texas and Birmingham, Alabama were broadcast during its first year. These would later include the Continental Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling as well as events from around the world. Because the show never disclosed that the wrestling being shown was pre-taped, with Pedicino adding commentary during post-production, fans watching the show at home would often travel to the studio hoping to attend the show. In November, twenty fans drove in a van from Snellville, Georgia to the locked studio in downtown Atlanta, only to be turned away by security.