This week’s episode continues our Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel 1976 Territory Review Series and for this installment of the show, we review one of, if not the strongest, NWA territory at the time, Championship Wrestling From Florida.
Along for the journey is our regular Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Florida Analyst, Howard Baum, from Miami, Florida, whose first full year as a fan was in the year of 1976. Howard’s memories of the matches and the cards of the Miami Bean Auditorium as well as the weekly television are pure gold in every episode. In this special show, we have as our special guest, Howard’s all time favorite wrestler, Steve Keirn.
We have the extra special opportunity to travel back in the time tunnel with Steve and his memories of his biggest singles push thus far in his career, which takes place in 1976! New booker, Jody Hamilton, also known as the masked Assassin, has arrived to take the book from Harley Race and manage and coordinate the talent, the television and the house shows under the watchful mentorship of Eddie Graham, Due to Graham’s relationship with both Sam Muchnick and Vince McMahon, Sr, Graham is asked who would bea great next babyface champion for the WWWF in the mold of Jack Brisco as NWA World Champion.
Graham recommends Keirn, based on his in-ring ability and the angle of his father, the war and POW veteran who had just returned home to this family in 1973. McMahon has his eyes on Bob Backlund, who had had a run in the Amarillo territory in 1974 and had returned to Florida in 1975 as a mid-card performer, still refining his abilties. Keirn and Backlund are put into a tag team program to put a shine on both of them with the faather-son heel tag team of Bob Orton Sr and Bob Orton Jr along with their top heel associate Bob Roop. As we know, McMahon chooses Backlund to be his next guy and that’s where we will pick up the story in today’s episode as Steve relates how he came up with the angle, his conversation with his father about it to get his approval, and the emotions and incredible heat that built during the Summer of 1976 in the Sunshine State of Florida.
Sit back, relax and enjoy as we review the year of 1976 in Championship Wrestling From Florida!
This week’s episode of Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel Episode 58 should be in your inbox this morning if you are a subscriber here at the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel! You can also see the video version here on Substack and at our YouTube Channel plus download the audio version of our show on your favorite podcast provider platform.
Here’s the archive of our regular podcast episodes for 2026:
Episode 52: Brian R. Solomon 2025 Book of the Year Surprise Party Celebration
Episode 53: 2026 Mailbag Episode 1
Episode 54: The Pro Wrestling World of Ian Douglass
Episode 55: The Dennis Condrey Tribute Show
Episode 57: Wrestlemania 42 Weekend
The 1976 Territory Review Series:
Episode 56: Herb Simmons and Darla Staggs and the 1976 Review of St. Louis Wrestling Club
The 1985 Territory Review Series:
Episode 40: Steve Gennerelli and the 1985 Territory Review of The World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
Episode 43: Lance Peterson and the 1985 Territory Review of World Class Championship Wrestling
Episode 44: Tim Dills and the 1985 Territory Review of Memphis Wrestling
Episode 45: George Schire and the 1985 Territory Review of The AWA
Episode 48: Jammie Ward and the 1985 Territory Review of Jim Crockett Promotions
Episode 50: Greg Klein and the 1985 Territory Review of Mid-South Wrestling
Episode 51: Mike Rodgers & Frank Culbertson and the 1985 Territory Review of Portland Wrestling
Special Bonus Episodes In 2026:
Special Bonus Episode 47: Lizzy Flanagan and the 40th Annniversary of the Passing of Gino Hernandez
Thank You for Watching and Listening
I’m Tony Richards, Pro Wrestling Historian, Author and Storyteller. I share pro wrestling historical items in each issue of the Time Tunnel Pro Wrestling History Newsletter and each episode of our podcast show. Thanks for your support! If you enjoy my information on select events, matches and insights, please share with folks you think might like to be a subscriber!
Remember, Premium subscribers get access to exclusive and special content such as some special issues including a multi-part deep dives on wrestling territories, wrestler bios and championship title histories, special audio and video interviews on territory pro wrestling and more available in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel for Premium Subscribers. Being a Premium Subscriber also means you support me in my efforts to document Pro Wrestling History through my research, writing, books, vidoes and podcasts. And…I have something very special planned for our Premium Subscribers on the Podcast side of things in 2026! Details soon here in the Pro Wrestling Time Tunnel.
