This drove Dusty Rhodes crazily violent, and he took Magnum’s baseball bat, and tried to choke Blanchard to death.  Many officials and referees tried to break it up, but Dusty wouldn’t let go.  Even Jim Crockett tried, and ended up getting clocked with the bat via Dusty.  The angle would culminate with a board room meeting, in which the NWA board of governors would strip Dusty of the US title and suspend him for ninety days.  This in turn would introduce Dusty’s alter ego “The Midnight Rider,” to a national audience for the first time. (Granted that he had been the Rider in Florida, and even Bill Watts portrayed the Midnight Rider in Mid-South)  The vote from the “board” though, was not unanimous….as Paul Boesch voted not to strip Dusty of the title!!   

Now, I am speaking for myself here, but I completely marked out when I saw Paul Boesch on an NWA television show!!!  Immediately I wondered if he was going to promote JCP wrestling in Houston.  I would soon receive my answer. 

In May 1988, Jim Crockett announced that the tournament for the held up U.S. title would be held at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston…. promoted by Paul Boesch!!!  Imagine my excitement when I heard the news!!!  The “good ole’ days” were back again…weren’t they?   

As most historians well know, Barry Windham, the newest member of the Four Horsemen, cemented his status in the group by winning the U.S. title from Nikita Koloff in the tournament finals.  The stage was set for a most interesting summer. 

Summer:  The summer months would see fireworks both in the ring, and behind dressing room doors.  As the Great American Bash loomed around the corner, Houston was chosen as one of the host cities, with a Bash card to be held at the Coliseum.  Once again, no shows would rear their ugly head.  One of the more interesting feuds going on in JCP at the time was the feud between the Road Warriors and the Powers of Pain.  The feud had escalated to the point where the two teams would fight it out in a series of scaffold matches throughout the Great American Bash.  Suddenly, right in the early part of the series, the Powers bolted for the “safer” confines of the WWF, leaving the Roadies to face Ivan Koloff and the “Russian Assassin” as their replacements.  The only problem was that the fans were never told, and were very let down.  However, at the Bash card, we were treated with the return to Houston after a three year absence of the Rock-n-Roll Express, who battled the Sheepherders.  The card wasn’t bad, and drew respectably well, from what I hear, around 8,000 fans.   

However, things were not going well again behind the scenes.  Disappointments with gates, no shows, and booking decisions were beginning to be a regular item of talk amongst most in the company.  It was no secret that Jim Crockett was trying to sell out to Ted Turner before he began to be bled dry of money.  The last time Paul Boesch dealt with someone trying to sell his company, it didn’t end well.  Would this time be any different? 

Fall-Winter:  At the Bash 1988 PPV, Ron Garvin turned heel and began a feud with Dusty Rhodes.  The two were to have a high profile match at the Coliseum in September.  That match never came about due to Garvin’s “vacation” in the AWA prior to his jump to the WWF.  Again, a scheduled main event didn’t take place as advertised, making Boesch irate.  Not to mention the fact that two of the biggest players in the NWA had just made their own jump to the WWF, ruining another anticipated match.   

Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson switched sides after dropping the NWA tag belts to the Midnight Express on September 10, 1988 in Philadelphia.  They would debut a short time later as the Brain Busters, managed by Bobby Heenan.  Their departure left the NWA, and Houston Wrestling in a daze.  A match between the two teams was also scheduled for Houston, and also had to be scrapped.  Paul Boesch hated no-shows and substitutions.  He had grown tired of them in the WWF, and was more than likely growing tired of them in the NWA. 

The end of 1988 would bring an end to JCP in Houston on a regular basis.  The December card would mark the true “end of an era,” as Paul Boesch would finally retire for good, only to pass away in March 1989.  Attendance was declining, and interest was dropping.  Although the majority of work in 1988 would be handled by Pete Birkholtz, Boesch was still heavily involved.  This time, there would be no retirement party.  The end was…..the end. 

Fast Forward: 

Even now there are still independent promotions that still try and “bring Houston Wrestling” back.  But they can’t.  They don’t have one particular ingredient that many long time fans miss:  Paul Boesch.  The memories of Houston Wrestling will live on, but there can not be a replacement….not even the WWE.   

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