Not all the stars of days gone by were gone from the scene.  Wrestlers like Bobo Brazil, The Love Brothers, the Kangaroos, and others would appear from time to time.  The area was seeing a good influx of new talent on a regular basis.  However in 1974 economic were tough of the steel belt areas of Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Cleveland.  With jobs being moved workers lost jobs and didn’t have the money for entertainment.  Wrestling was hard hit.  

By late October 1974 the house shows in Johnstown become monthly again.  The early November show in Johnstown was canceled.  The final Super Pro show in Pittsburgh was held on November 15, 1974.  Ironically a snowstorm in Buffalo caused several no shows like Stan Stasiak.  The final main event pitted Bruno Sammartino & Dominic DeNucci versus Baron Scicluna and prelim/midcarder Hangman Jim Grabmire.  By December 1975, Channel 53 in Pittsburgh had begun showing WWWF TV shows.  

By early spring 1975 WWWF began running Pittsburgh, Johnstown had its first WWWF show in June 1975.  An end of an era started in early 1974 with the changeover from Studio Wrestling to Super Pro, it was completed with the end of the territory. There was no warning, no final show celebration in any of the towns.  Many shows were just cancelled.  Such a great territory or 2 including the NWF, deserved a better ending and a better send off than it got.  

NEXT MONTH:

I look at great turns by wrestlers in the area.