Death of the Territories: Expansion, Betrayal and the War that Changed Pro Wrestling Forever

A few years ago a Louisiana indie wrestling vet sold me ,for cheap,Tim Hornbaker's book on the history of the NWA. I loved that book and decided that I would read any wrestling history book that Mr Hornbaker did.Skip ahead to fall of 2018 and I see that Tim Hornbaker has put out a new book. Death of the Territories expansion,betrayal,and the war that changed pro wrestling forever. I added it to my Amazon wishlist. And totally forgot about it.Skip ahead,this time to November of 2019,my mother had asked me what I wanted for Xmas. I remembered the Death of the Territories book. Saw it was cheap on Amazon,under 15 bucks,so told her that was what I wanted.It came in about a week later. But at the time I was knee deep in another book. So I thought OK I will put this in the bathroom and read it while taking a dump. What I didn't plan on was how captivating this book would be. There has been a few times where I go so into reading the book that I sat on the toilet too long and my legs went to sleep.Before the 1980s the US was divided up into a bunch of territories. Each territory had a wrestling fed that ran that area. And feds from outside the area would not run another fed's area. This is a rule that is still kinda in effect with indie wrestling. And most feds worth watching will not run another feds area. The few that do run other feds area will run into problems.By the early 80s Vince McMahon Sr was ready to sell the WWF. Being based in the NYC area the WWF got lots of press. But back then if you lived outside the Northeast you usually couldn't see WWF wrestling. For example I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Back then that was Mid South territory.Well once Vince Jr bought the WWF he started going into other feds territory. Add in that WWF was now on the USA Network. Which meant people all over the US could see WWF wrestling. So Vince used this TV exposure plus some dirty tactics to help kill off the territory system. Vince would so stuff like offering say the Mid South territory's biggest name huge money to come work for WWF.Now most wrestling fans that were around back then,or have an interest in history of wrestling know part of this story. But this book is the first time I know of where in one place you can find all the info on what Vince Jr did and what the other feds did to fight him.The Tim Hornbaker NWA book while it was a great book ,it was very dry and could be a chore to read. Death of the Territories on the other hand is a fast easy read.You can tell Tim did lots of research. And there is stuff in this book that I had never heard before. And if you didn't already dislike Vince Jr for all the stuff he has done to pro wrestling you will really dislike him after reading this book.So if you are a fan of pro wrestling and want to learn about a important time in modern wrestling history this is a great book to pick up.

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up watching wrestling in the 70’s & 80’s. I remember when McMahon started taking over the territories & I was pissed. This is a great read that tells how it took place.

It had pretty much everything I wanted in a book about the history of the territories. There's no personal opinions that I can recall, it's all taken from quotes, newspapers, facts, etc. It was very interesting to hear about who and how much folks would draw in certain places throughout the years it and how it changed. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is there were some parts that seemed like a tedious read without something interesting happening to break up the pace.

A must read wrestling book for fans!

I followed pro wrestling back in the days of the territories, and watched with delight as more and more promotions could be found in my cable outlet. My delight was short-lived, as those promotions vanished into thin air over the course of the next two years. The author has done a tremendous job in exposing the behind-the-scenes politics and maneuvers that culminated with VKM emerging as the king. There are fewer villains than most imagine. Many of the major players would have done or were doing the same things for which McMahon was eventually vilified. Great risks were taken and great rewards were realized. Death of the Territories is an absolute must-read for anyone who remembers this pivotal time in wrestling history. I had a hard time putting it down.

I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable wrestling fan and historian,but jeesh Tim Hornbraker makes me look like a starry eyed rookie. The level of research is simply astonishing.The history of the territories is explained, little fiefdoms across the country and a "good ol boys" mentality of not treading on someone else's turf. For decades the system worked. Then cable television came along. Superstations out of Atlanta, Chicago and New York began sending their programing across the country and it was the beginning of the end of the territory system. Vince K. McMahon had the foresight to see the possibilities in roughly 1983 and by 2001 the business of professional wrestling was his alone.Greed,hubris,old age, and the many poor business decisions of others helped him along,but McMahon's asencion was a done deal regardless,the only variable was time.Enjoy this treasure.

A good read for reliving the last great days of professional wrestling or rasslin’. Most fans who kept up with the sport in the 1970s-1980s already know the general threads and the end result; however, there are a few bits that are unknown and clarify the situation.

If you want to be a worker (wrestler) or some makeshift arm chair analyst you need to know the history of the industry, from Gotch, to George, to Mid South, to Fritz, to McMahon. You have to know the history, the evolution and the mistakes. if you are a promoter definitely this is an important subject to master. The mistakes that were made in the territory days, the rise of the "outlaw" promotions such as the Poffo's, etc. Its an education you cannot get by old road stories in a bio by some washed up wrestler. This is facts. Buy this.