WWF All American Wrestling (show)
| WWF All American Wrestling | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Created by | Vince McMahon |
| Starring | World Wrestling Entertainment roster |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA Network |
| Original release | September 4, 1983 – October 16, 1994 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
WWF All American Wrestling was a cable television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The show was a predecessor to Tuesday Night Titans and Saturday Night's Main Event, originally filling the 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time slot on Sundays vacated by the cancellation of Southwest Championship Wrestling. The show ran from September 4, 1983 to October 16, 1994 on the USA Network. After it was canceled in 1994, it was replaced by Action Zone. The longest running host of the show was Gene Okerlund, who hosted it for nine years of its run.
All American Wrestling went through three different formats during its run. The first incarnation of WWF All American Wrestling was a show that would focus on one specific wrestler in the WWF. After a few weeks, it turned into a program that featured mainly high-card wrestlers from various promotions across the United States. However, after a few months it featured WWF talent only. Although the USA Cable Network had carried WWF events from New York's Madison Square Garden and the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, this was the first weekly national telecast of the original flagship shows for the World Wrestling Federation.
The show mainly re-aired matches and segments from other WWF programs and featured one exclusive match, which early in the run typically came from one of the monthly house show tapings in Madison Square Garden, Philadelphia Spectrum, Boston Garden, or Maple Leaf Gardens. Vince McMahon was the original host of the program, and from then on would fill-in for other hosts as emergency replacements as late as 1994. Afterward, Lord Alfred Hayes became host. Subsequently, Gene Okerlund took over hosting duties and stayed there for most of its run. Okerlund hosted in the WWF Production studio, often interacting with staff members and asking for their thoughts and opinions on the various going ons in the WWF. Another of Okerlund's running bits was him pretending to be on the phone with someone, often a famous celebrity. Oftentimes a guest wrestler or personality would stop in and hang out with Okerlund, Bobby Heenan being one of the most common guests, along with former co-host Alfred Hayes. Starting in 1989, Okerlund was sometimes joined by Hillbilly Jim, with Jim becoming a full-time regular of the show later that year.
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