Even though Watts had lost much money and was facing bankruptcy, he was still a very proud man. Would he have sold the company that he worked so hard to build had he known in advance that Rhodes was going to bury the UWF and nearly all of its workers and treat it as a minor league promotion? Who knows?

REASON # 6: JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS WANTED THE UWF’S TELEVISION SLOT ON TBS.

It’s true, it’s true. Both promotions were running shows on TBS in 1987. The UWF’s "Power Pro" show was a studio-based show hosted by Jim Ross. Ross would set up matches that were presented on tape. The show usually featured the promotions’ top stars competing against one another and always had at least one title match. This might not sound like much today, but in 1987 televised pro wrestling existed on a steady diet of squash. The WWF rarely featured its Superstars in matches against each other on TV, instead relying on the famous WWF Job Squad to provide the competition. Likewise, JCP would have matches involving its stars against a collection of jabronis. I can’t recall the number of times I saw Arn and Ole Anderson hammerlock some poor stiffs into submission. As I remember, World Class was the only other promotion that had its stars wrestling each other on TV.

The Power Pro show was good television, a little too good for the liking of Jim Crockett. With his buyout of the UWF, Jim Crockett would no longer have to contend with a show that, in terms of quality wrestling, often made his programming seem second-rate.

SPECULATION # 1: JIM CROCKETT PROMOTIONS BLEW A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO DO AN "INVASION" ANGLE

Si, si. Watts has said that when he sold the UWF to JCP, he gave them all they needed to move to number one. That statement is certainly debatable, but Watts is right in that it is much better to create your own competition than for it to come from outside. Watts has also said he was informally asked by WCW about the feasibility of the N.W.O. angle and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. With their control of the UWF, JCP had that capability and wasted it.

What if JCP used the NWO angle back in 1987, except with UWF instead of NWO? In hindsight, this would have seen a far better use of UWF talent (at least they would have been used), and could have created an angle which would have rocked Vince McMahon, right in the middle of his world domination plan.

If there were one angle that could have brought interest and ratings for JCP/TBS at a time when it was really needed, it would have been a JCP/UWF feud. Crockett could have kept the syndicated UWF shows as such and had them in competition with the JCP shows. Then, he could have made the Sunday night TBS slot a UWF show and had a huge war between the two promotions, with people jumping back and forth and constantly changing alliances. As bad an announcer as David Crockett was, suppose Davey decided he was tired of being in Jim's shadow and defected to the UWF. Oh well, the joys of what if?….

Ironically, the speculated WWF buyout of WCW is rumored to feature a possible "invasion" of the WWF by WCW. Who would spearhead this invasion? None other than Jim Ross!

Well, that’s it for this time. Thanks for reading and please stop by the UWF message board here at Kayfabe Memories if you get a chance. 

NEXT MONTH:

I’ll provide the first installment of an overview of the major feuds and title changes in the UWF.