A Q&A with R. Bruce Tharpe

A Q&A with R. Bruce Tharpe

Article
R. Bruce Tharpe became president and leader of the National Wrestling Alliance in July of 2012 to realize a particular vision that he had for a legendary wrestling institution fallen moribund. Mr. Tharpe was kind enough to detail that vision for us via a conversation conducted with the author through email in October 2014. When you think about your first childhood experiences with professional wrestling, what images do you see in your mind and what emotions do you feel? My first childhood experiences with professional wrestling date back to early childhood, as I was literally born into the wrestling profession. I was born in 1961, and - at the time - my father worked as the television ring announcer for Championship Wrestling from Florida, promoted by Cowboy Luttrall and booked…
Read More
Being a world champion is an honor – NWA MID SOUTH

Being a world champion is an honor – NWA MID SOUTH

Article
If you are a professional wrestler than your goal should be to become the world heavyweight champion. To be the top guy in our business, the person that is putting asses every 18 inches. However not everyone can be “The Man”, not everyone can be the champ, not everyone can be that guy. So in today’s wrestling, unfortunately, if you aren’t ever the world heavyweight champion you are almost looked at as a failure. If everyone got their turn as world champion then it would diminish the championship but somewhere along the way we’ve tried to determine that being the champion is our only measure of success. Give me a roster full of Roddy Pipers, Jimmy Snukas, Arn Andersons, Ted Dibiases over any of the 20 somethings that were world…
Read More
Nostalgia VS Tradition and the Resurgence of the NWA

Nostalgia VS Tradition and the Resurgence of the NWA

NWA MIDSOUTH
Nostalgia is a tricky thing. In small doses, it helps color memories fondly and allows us to appreciate where we've come from. Too much, and we're quickly living in the past, pining for a reality that is long since gone. Nostalgia, by its nature, neglects to remember the negative aspects of the past, thereby leaving us vulnerable to repeating previous mistakes. Professional wrestling is prime ground for the best and worst that nostalgia brings out of us. But, alongside nostalgia, exists tradition. Tradition operates within the same sphere as nostalgia. Tradition is nostalgia's stoic older brother, keeping a slightly wider orbit than its petulant sibling. Not content to dwell or ruminate, tradition upholds the elements that run consistently throughout multiple generations, with a steely focus on the future and what…
Read More