Tunney would book both Backlund and AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel on the same cards leading up to their Mar 1979 match-up and there was casual mention of Backlund getting a shot at Bockwinkel's AWA World Title. When the announcement was made, it became a title vs. title due to the fact that the WWWF Title held as much, if not more prestige as the AWA belt. It was much looser in those days but I perceived Toronto as an NWA town, which meant the NWA Champion was the king anyways.  

It did put Toronto on the map again, and being that Backlund gets kicked around a lot now, shows that Tunney thought both men were worthy of being on the world's stage. In the later years I hoped for a Bockwinkel-Flair unification bout but it was never to be (they did meet years later in Winnipeg ), think they may have missed the boat on that one!  

Backlund was very popular here due to the TV (we got Championship Wrestling) exposure and the proximity of the WWF territory. Upstate NY is a 2-4hr drive and in the early 80's the WWF were running shows in Buffalo in conjunction with the Tunney's.  

Although Backlund's title wasn't officially a "World Title" at the time (the WWF was a member of the NWA), his appearances were always a must-see for the fans that appreciated his skills and traditional wrestling persona.  

Backlund would make his last area appearance with a decisive victory over Playboy Buddy Rose in a Texas Death Match in 1982 and we wouldn't see the WWF Title defended here again until the post Tunney years.  

Harley Race will forever be enshrined in Toronto wrestling history for winning the NWA World Title from Terry Funk in 1977 to begin his second reign with the prestigious honor. Race had also appeared here in 1973 during his first run with the belt in a defense versus former champion Pat O'Connor and would prove to be an integral part of Toronto wrestling right up to the last days of the promotion. 

Being that the NWA belt seemed to hold the most prestige here during the kayfabe era, Race would make many appearances over the final years of the promotion. Race would also help elevate the Canadian Title Belt (as Bockwinkel had previously vs. Bravo) and whomever was holding it by facing our local champ and giving up the win or at least most of the match. His bout with Dewey Robertson stands out as one of the great moments at MLG when Dewey (as Canadian Heavyweight Champion) held the champ to a draw after nearly pinning him before time ran out.  

As has been discussed in previous columns Race would make good use of the ramp with his suplexes and falling head butts and though wrestling as the heel, had the fans respect when he appeared here. His battles with Ric Flair in the 1980's helped to keep Toronto on the wrestling map. 

Race would be a part of several of Tunneys milestone cards including the 40^th Anniversary ( June 6 1976 ), July 11 1977 (the aforementioned Sheik's final area appearance), the 50^th(MLG) Anniversary Show ( Nov 15 1981 ), and Night of the Champions I & II (July 1983) which were the first major shows after Frank Tunney passed away in May 1983.  Jack Tunney would bring the Race-Flair wars back for the sixth and final time in Feb 1984 and it would mark Harley's last appearance in the area before coming back with the WWF in 1986. 

Ric Flair would earn respect and acclaim in Toronto long before attaining the NWA World Title in 1981. From the feud with former partner Greg Valentine and The Andersons to his classic battles with Ricky Steamboat and Roddy Piper over the U.S. belt Flair would pay his dues. His effort in matches against Backlund and Bravo would cement Flair as the most popular wrestler of the post-Sheik era.  

Unlike many of the other cities, Flair's appearances here as NWA Champion were always as the classy champ, and the fan-favorite. Even former champions Jack Brisco and Terry & Dory Funk Jr. would adopt the heel persona when facing Flair in T.O. In other cities this was often reversed, with the NWA Champ being the "tweener" and facing the local babyface. 

He would also find time to team with old friend Angelo Mosca as one of the more popular teams to ever appear in the area. Other local title defenses would include Valentine and Piper (as well as the aforementioned Brisco & The Funks), while Flair would reverse his role in Ottawa , Ontario to take on Steamboat in July 1982. 

It has been said Frank Tunney made the decision to align with the Crocketts in 1978 due to the desire to re-build the area on the capable shoulders of Flair and Steamboat who were tearing up the M-A region at the time. He made the right decision. Some of the bigger shows would see 15,000 fans, a huge improvement over the dying days of the Sheik era and would carry the promotion into the early 1980's on an up swing.  

With Backlund's (and Bockwinkel's) last appearance in 1982, Flair would become the sole World Champion to frequent the area. Flair would make his final appearance as NWA Champion in 1984 and the title would be absent until Mosca-Mania in 1986 ( Hamilton ).   

Nick Bockwinkel was also an integral part of Toronto during the AWA affiliation in 1977-79. For more on Nick Bockwinkel in Toronto , be sure to read Jim Zordani's AWA column here. 

Thanks to Gary Will. 

For the purpose of this column, Maple Leaf Wrestling, the territory run by Tunney Sports and including Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton, St Catherines, Niagara Falls, Brantford, London, and Kitchener-Waterloo ceased operations in July 1984 when it was taken over by the WWF. They continued to use the brand name "Maple Leaf Wrestling" to promote their product across Canada and the US , which has been the source of some confusion. If you have comments or suggestions carltonst@rogers.com.