Follow Up:  There was no return date announced live at the Compaq Center that night.  To this date there is no return date up on wwe.com.  Because of that, it is sketchy to forecast when WWE will return to the Houston area….or what arena.  Also, due to WWE being an international presence, there is no local presence to help generate interest to their next show, barring the announcement of an on-sale date with a meet-greet time with one of the stars.   

Promos:  While there were a few promos cut in front of the crowd, Raw relied heavily on backstage pre-taped skits.  The promos were mainly done to promote a match that night, as opposed to greater things ahead.  One notable exception was the Eric Bischoff promo, which not only announced the roulette theme for the next week’s Raw, but also announced the merging of the World and Intercontinental titles at No Mercy.   

Houston Wrestling   

Production:  For the time, Houston Wrestling had great production values for their television show.  The opening segment featured Paul Boesch introducing the show to us, and again…for the time, the production values were also top notch.  While there were no promotional packages like the one for Randy Orton, Boesch would air Joel Watts’ ahead-of-their-time videos to help get people over in the Houston area.   

Action:  The action at Houston Wrestling was never boring, thanks to the tremendous amount of talent available from Paul Boesch’s co-ventures with Southwest and Mid-South wrestling.  Especially during the Mid-South era, matches on television were extremely compelling, and served a purpose…even the “squash” matches.  One of the main things that made the Mid-South promotion so compelling was that everything was done for a very specific reason.   Matches were booked extremely intricately, and usually had more than one angle interwoven in it.  This also came into mind during the Houston house show segments on television, as Boesch or Peter Birkholz would often comment on the situations from television during the match between two feuding wrestlers or teams. 

Atmosphere:  The Sam Houston Coliseum was unique to say the least.  While not in the most glorious part of Houston, the Coliseum did have its charm, and specific ambiences that made it special.  For one, Boesch and/or Birkholz were usually at ringside to comment on the action.  As well, long time Houston radio personality Cleat Dumpster from (former rock now country) 93Q would always handle the ring announcing (at least during most of the Mid-South era).  Further, one would see the Houston Wrestling curtained area where wrestlers would travel to be interviewed by Boesch for promos about the next card.  And, no card would be complete without the localized advertisements for Gallery Furniture, Doug Russell Chevrolet, Mr. Norman, and I.W. Marks Jewelers, who often would make appearances in front of the cameras live at the Coliseum.  The promos cut at the curtained off area almost were never able to be heard through out the Coliseum, instead leaving the live viewer to race home to see what their favorite or their non-favorite had to say. 

Promotion:  Due to the fact that Houston Wrestling was such a localized television show, promotion was heavy.  Numerous times Boesch or Birkholz would run down the next card scheduled for action, usually the next week or two weeks from that day.  They would use localized promos from the aforementioned curtained area to sell the viewer on the reasons why we should see the next big extravaganza.  There were almost no radio advertisements, and usually the only time ads in the newspaper would appear would be in columnist Ken Hoffman’s column in the Houston Post.  But, the ticket office at 1919 Caroline was local, and always open during the week.  Furthermore, the number for the office was published on all programs, and displayed on all television shows, so local fans could stop by and actually talk to Boesch if he was in, while buying their tickets.  This local feel led to more than one sellout to the Coliseum for a card that may not have had the right to sellout. 

Follow Up:  There was always a return date announced to the fans live at the Coliseum, and immediately upon conclusion of one card, the build up to the next card began.  One never had to wonder when Houston Wrestling would return to the Coliseum, as Boesch and Birkholz always had the viewer aware of the goings on within Houston Wrestling. 

Promos:  Houston Wrestling relied almost exclusively on taped promos, whether sent in from their home area (Southwest or Mid-South), or taped at the matches to air the next night/week.  Mainly the only mic work that occurred in front of the crowd was a wrestler challenging another wrestler to come back and “get some more.”  Rare was the in ring promo.  One notable is that the promos were always geared towards the next match.  Comedy was basically nil.  All promos were targeted at the “next showdown,” or the “Last Stampede,” for example.   

Thoughts:  Could a promotion like Houston Wrestling survive…or even thrive today?  One could debate either side fairly hotly.  One thing is for sure….We can certainly learn a few good tricks from the “good ole days.” 

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