After I became owner of the American Wrestling Association, I sat down with the office for my first creative meeting.
I wanted plain answers.
Who can draw?
Who can talk?
Who can work?
Who has a future?
Who should I be careful with?
We started with the franchise players.
The first name was Nick Bockwinkel.
Nick had the name, the brain, the interviews, and the ring work. He could make a title match feel important before he ever stepped through the ropes.
After him came Dino Bravo, Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, and Verne Gagne.
That showed me where the AWA stood.
We had stars. Real ones.
But some of those stars had a lot of miles on them. They could still help us, and they could still sell tickets, but I could not ask every older name to carry the whole company forever.
Then we talked about the next big things and hot prospects.
Two names came up.
Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis.
That got my attention.
Jesse was 28. He had size, mouth, attitude, and confidence. You could see why people thought he might become something big.
Adonis was 25. He could work, he had presence, and he already acted like he belonged in a better spot.
Those two gave me a clear idea.
Ventura and Adonis could be more than young heels. They could be part of the next main group in the AWA.
The other names were Randy Morse, Steve O, Ron Ritchie, and Spike Huber.
They were not ready to carry the company yet. That was fine.
A wrestling office needs more than main eventers. You need young wrestlers who can learn, get better, lose the right way, and earn wins when the time is right.
Then we talked about the best talkers.
That list was strong. Bockwinkel, Ventura, Heenan to name a few.
That told me interviews had to be a big part of our shows.
Bockwinkel could sell a title match with class and venom. Ventura could make people mad in thirty seconds. Heenan could stir up trouble just by walking into the room.
We also had Rodger Kent and Super Mark Destroyer II as strong talkers.
That gave us more tools not only inside the ring, but also at the commentary table.
Then we looked at momentum.
The hottest man in the company was Jesse Ventura.
That was big.
Jesse was not just a future name. He was hot right now, and that meant I had to use him.
Greg Gagne was also very hot. So were Mad Dog Vachon, The Crusher, and Bockwinkel.
That pointed straight to one feud.
Jesse Ventura against Greg Gagne.
It made sense right away.
Ventura could say Greg got his spot because of his father. Greg could fight to prove he earned everything himself, and the fans already cared about both men.
After that, we talked about time decline.
The names were George Gadaski, Kenny Jay, Mad Dog Vachon, and Rick Hunter.
Mad Dog was the one I watched closely.
He still had momentum. He still had name value. But the office believed his best years were behind him.
You do not throw away a man like Mad Dog.
You use him the right way.
Short fights. Hot angles. Brawls. Special matches.
Let the people see what made him famous, but do not ask him to carry tomorrow on his back.
Finally, we looked at hidden gems outside the roster.
The names were strong. Butch Reed, Wayne Farris, Buzz Sawyer, Curt Hennig, Barry Windham.
Hennig felt like a natural AWA name. Windham was only 19. Reed had power, and Sawyer and Farris were young enough to grow into something.
I did not sign anyone that day.
Not yet.
First, I needed to check the money, the titles, the contracts, and the schedule. A promoter who signs every wrestler he likes will run out of cash fast.
But the meeting gave me a plan.
Bockwinkel is the ace.
Dino Bravo can be a top babyface.
Ventura is ready for more now.
Adonis has to be protected.
Greg Gagne has real value.
Heenan needs to be on screen often.
Mad Dog and The Crusher can still draw, but they cannot be the whole future.
That was my first real look inside the AWA office.
We had enough talent to win.
Now we had to book it right.