Friday, June 28, 2019

Championship Wrestling from Amarillo (1971)


Host Steve Stack with Dory Funk, Sr. on the set of Championship Wrestling from Amarillo, TX in 1971. 

The Funks taped their television show Saturday afternoon in the studios of KVII channel 7 in Amarillo (later moving the tapings to KDFA channel 10 in the mid-1970s).  Wrestling had been taped at KVII going back to the early 1960s when Funk Sr. was in partnership with legendary Amarillo promoter Doc Sarpolis.

The ring announcer at those tapings was Shelton Key and Stanley Blackburn was their commissioner.

We miss those simple days of territory wrestling from the small, intimate TV studios.


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 - The screen capture above within our old-school TV set is from the Vault section of the WWE Network, under Hidden Gems for 1971.
- Thanks to Tim Hornbaker and Larry Statser for additional info.

Edited with additional info August 29, 2020.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Championship Wrestling host Bill Krieger (WFBC Greenville 1961)


Bill Krieger hosted "Championship Wrestling" on WFBC-4 in 1961, featuring all the stars of the early 1960s for Jim Crockett Promotions.

Bob Poole originally hosted from 3/26/60 until WFBC-TV sports director Bill Krieger took over as host in February of 1961. Billy Powell served as color commentator during some of this time with Krieger.

For more information on live Studio Wrestling from WFBC-4 in Greenville, visit the 
WFBC Studio Wrestling page on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway.
Clipping courtesy Don Holbrook.