• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Jim Ross talks about the decision made in late 1976 over who would be world champion

Posted: Sep 29th 2015 By: Jim Ross

Many fans of the genre of pro wrestling are not aware of just how close long time WWWF champion Bob Backlund came to becoming the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. It was 1977 and the NWA power brokers, think mafia-like non crime families, and you'll get the picture were looking for a new titleholder. Who was going to succeed Terry Funk who had been on the road non stop as the NWA top dog since December 1975 and was working in a series of one night stands over 300 nights a year. Terry was a great champion because he could be a viable baby face or a heel and had the skill set to make the local guy who was challenging him look better after the match than going into the match. It was an art form that few could master. Plus, the travel demands were amazingly challenging to say the least in that era of airline travel and hideously long car trips.

The three candidates being considered to be Terry's successor were Harley Race, a former NWA champ and another Backlund mentor/supporter, ironically, Jack Brisco who had a magnificent 500 day reign traveling the world defending the NWA title beginning after defeating Race in Houston in 1973 but who was reluctant to have a repeat performance and young Bob Backlund.

The champion had to be a workhorse, endure a ridiculous travel schedule, have the physical skills to retain the title if some local wrestler tried a 'power play' and to take liberties with the champion and to have the skill set to be effective as both a fan favorite and a villain. Bob had all the qualities that the NWA honchos were looking including being younger than all the finalists for the position except no one thing. No one was completely sure if Bobby could pull off the role of being a pro wrestling, also known as a heel, effectively as he had always been a fan favorite essentially playing himself in the ring since his first match in 1973 for Lee Roy McGuirk in the Tri State Territory after a seven month training period with Minnesota pro wrestling trainer trainer extraordinaire Eddie Sharkey.

"The NWA promoters were very worried about me turning their territories top baby faces heel because of my style and my look," said Backlund. "The unique part of the NWA story is that I never had a clue that these discussions were going on and that I was even in the mix. These high level talks were well above me because I never got involved in office or company politics. I was a team guy because that was my background and I simply did as instructed to the best of my ability and stayed out of the politics."

So how was the NWA decision finally made? Ironically it was essentially made by one of the business's most powerful men and a man who did not even officially fly the NWA banner with his promotion, Vincent J. McMahon, the boss of the WWWF. McMahon, who had a vote in the NWA business dealings as he worked with many of the NWA promoters in trading talents and ideas, etc had shared with Eddie Graham, Florida promoter, NWA power broker and close confidant that McMahon wanted to find an 'All American Boy' to be his next long term WWWF Champion. After having hugely successful runs with ethic champions such as Italian Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales of Puerto Rico, Graham had just the man for the job who fit the bill perfectly in the then 27 year old Bob Backlund.

McMahon flew to St Louis to meet with the NWA Championship committee, yes there actually was a championship committee, that made the decision as to who would be their next champion and for how long that person would hold their most prestigious and valued commodity, the NWA World Title. McMahon informed the committee in 1977 that he was going to break the tie, vote for Race and bring Bob to WWWF beginning in 1977 to establish Bob on WWWF TV and that Bob would then become the WWWF Champion in early 1978 for a long term run. Eddie Graham endorsed the decision and the wheels were then set in motion. Jack Brisco was somewhat reluctant to get back on the road, Bob was now headed to the WWWF and Harley was a proven commodity who had been a great champion and was ready to pack his suitcase and embark on another tour of duty that lasted off and on for five, grueling years.

The NWA with it's top stars such as Terry Funk, Harley Race, Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco and other greats grooming Backlund under the watchful eye of such promoters as Sam Muchnick, Jim Barnett, Eddie Graham and many others the savvy McMahon, with Eddie Graham's sage advice, knew that he had found the 'All American Boy' that he wanted to cast/book as his next top star in the most lucrative territory in the business. McMahon's intervention regarding Bobby broke a voting deadlock that was essentially a three way logjam with Race, Brisco and Backlund all having their supporters. McMahon's vote for Race broke the deadlock.

Bob wasn't aware of the NWA political wrangling that was ongoing nor was he even aware of the amazing plans that Vincent J. McMahon, the father of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, had for him either until April 1977 in Allentown, Pennsylvania at the WWWF TV tapings. The senior McMahon pulled Bob aside and into the privacy of the men's restroom, locked the door and told Bob of McMahon's plan for the future. That was a history making albeit succinct conversation that would set the wheels in motion for Backlund's near 6 year run beginning in February of 1978 in Madison Square Garden when he defeated the charismatic Superstar Billy Graham to become the WWWF champion at the ripe old age of 28 and a mere 6 years removed from being a two sport national champion at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.

When the people in Bob's own hometown of Princeton, Minnesota felt that there wasn't any demand for an 'All American Boy' in the world of pro wrestling, even though they were huge supporters of Minnesota's own, two sport star turned promoter/wrestler Verne Gagne, the genius known as Vincent J. McMahon knew what he wanted, why he wanted that particular role filled at that specific time and that he could build a heel factory to challenge the undersized, courageous fan favorite who could take care of himself for real and represent the WWWF in a classy, athletic way. McMahon knew he had earmarked the ultimate, non political team player that he could rely on and that no one would go into business for themselves and attempt to take liberties.

Bob Backlund was, in real life, the same character that he was positioned to be in the WWWF during his first run as the champion. It has been said that the greatest pro wrestling personas are organic extensions of their true personalities and Bob Backlund is living proof of that theory.

Check out Bob's new book, 'BACKLUND: From All American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion' on sale now. Great read for wrestling fans, fans of history and for those who enjoy positive motivation.