OO Column: Timeline by Hatter X (Pro Wrestling News, Analysis, and Commentary... WWF, WCW, ECW, The Rock, Steve Austin, RVD, Undertaker, Triple H)

TIMELINE
Introdcuing Magnum TA, NWA Champ
December 10, 2001

by Hatter X
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

In late 1986, Terry Allen, known to fans around the world as
Magnum T A, was involved in a tragic car accident that took from him a promising career in pro wrestling. Terry Allen, a star for Jim Crockett's World Championship Wrestling, a division of The NWA, was involved in a heated blood feud during 1986 with top heel, the hated "Russian Nightmare", Nikita Koloff. Magnum and Nikita had just completed the "Best of 7" series for the US title. Even though Nikita came out on top, Magnum was established as a break out star and was poised for a top run against Ric Flair, the current NWA Champion and flagship of the NWA organization. Magnum was to have headlined the 1986 edition of the NWA's biggest show of the year, Starrcade, against Flair. There is little doubt that Magnum would have defeated Flair and gone on to be a major star in the business, however, that was not to be. With Magnum sidelined, Crockett, along with top booker, Dusty Rhodes, scrambled to re-book the storylines and set up Koloff, TA's hated enemy, as the sympathetic hero, fighting in the name of a man he grew to respect, in order to keep the fallen star's memory alive.

The question before us today is simply this: What if Magnum TA hadn't been involved in the wreck? What if Magnum had gone on to face Flair and win the NWA World Title? In this reality, we explore the answers to these questions as we introduce wrestling fans to Magnum TA, NWA World Champion.

Timeline: January 1987
Location: Techwood Drive Studios

The crowd roared as Magnum TA emerged from the curtain with the "10 pounds of gold" strapped to his waist. Dusty Rhodes, Wahoo McDaniels, Ronnie Garvin, The Road Warriors, Jimmy Valiant, Barry Windham, Sam Houston, Baron Von Raschke, The Kansas Jayhawks, Brad Armstrong, Baby Doll, Hector Guerrero, The Rock & Roll Express and many other baby face talents help celebrate the dawning of a new era. Tony Shiavonie & David Crockett interview Magnum, who gives and emotional speech thanking the fans and his friends for helping him to achieve such an honor. The celebration is interrupted however, by The 4 Horsemen, who storm the area with tire irons and bats, laying waste to the baby faces and bloodying Magnum TA. The feud between Flair & Magnum would escalate into the summer with TA and Flair trading the World Title numerous times. Also during the summer of 1987, The NWA would introduce us to the War Games: The Match Beyond. During this series of matches, Dusty Rhodes & The Road Warriors with Paul Ellering would join Magnum to face The 4 Horsemen and JJ Dillon. The feud would carry the NWA through '87 and into early '88. Another event directly affected by Magnum's elevation to the top face position, was the NWA career of Nikita Koloff. Without a strong face to feed of off, Koloff's evil Russian character fell into obscurity in early 1987, eventually dropping the US Title to baby face newcomer, Lex Luger. That fall, Nikita Koloff would debut prior to the first ever, Survivor Series, for Vince McMahon. Koloff would take a top slot in the Main Event, as a replacement for he aging and nearly debilitated, Andre the Giant, under the management of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Koloff would go on to face Hulk Hogan in a top level feud through out 1988, capturing the World Title from Hogan on February 4, 1988, when The WWF would present "The Main Event”, live on NBC. Koloff would then turn over the WWF Title to manager, Ted DiBiase, leading to a Tournament at Wrestle Mania 4, which was won by "Macho Man" Randy Savage. With Hogan gone to film a movie, Koloff would feud throughout the summer with Savage, leading to a huge tag team match at the inaugural Summer Slam, teaming with DiBiase against Savage and the returning Hogan. Koloff was becoming an awesome heel star for McMahon.

Meanwhile, down in the NWA, as 1989 dawned, Magnum TA was enjoying a 6th reign as NWA champion. However, late last year, with Crockett in desperate financial problems, it became necessary for Jim Crockett Promotions to sell the company to Ted Turner. During this period, Crockett lost many stars to the WWF, including, Ron Garvin, Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, The Powers of Pain and The Sheepherders. All would go on to enjoy moderate success under Vince McMahon. Magnum was running out of heels to face, with his feud with Flair getting stale. Dusty Rhodes had left the organization after being ousted as top booker, and the Horsemen were no longer. Flair took over as top booker and decided to feed Magnum TA to Lex Luger, a talent that while not the worker Magnum was, Lex had the look and size to be a dominant champion. Magnum lost the NWA World Title to Luger at the 5th Clash of the Champions, on February 13, 1989. During this period, Flair returned to the top spot as well, aligned with Luger. Ricky Steamboat was brought in to team with Magnum. Another young star, Sting, was gaining momentum and huge fan base. Without Rhodes, a huge Magnum supporter, Terry Allen was quickly becoming just another baby face. A this point, Flair made the decision to turn Magnum heel and team the former champion with Luger, Windham and himself. Flair was intent on reforming a newer, younger, more dominant Horsemen stable. Magnum had no choice and completed the heel turn in the summer of 1989, forming a new Horsemen stable and elevating Sting as the new top baby face. As Starrcade 1989 approached, Arn Anderson returned to the NWA, along with Ole Anderson and Magnum saw an opportunity. Magnum had received a call just days prior from Dusty Rhodes, who had joined the WWF earlier that summer. Rhodes offered TA the chance to make a jump, talking up how much Vince McMahon wanted to do business with him. Magnum approached Flair and asked for his release. Flair booked Magnum to lose to Sting at Starrcade '89, which he did, and Terry Allen was a free man.

1990 started off on a good note for Terry Allen. He had a contract with the WWF, and was scheduled to start with the company on January 21, 1990, at The Royal Rumble. That night, Magnum TA debuted to a loud ovation coming to the rescue of Dusty Rhodes & Hulk Hogan, in the tag team Main Event of the Rumble as the popular duo faced the monster heel tag team of Randy Savage & Nikita Koloff. On a side note, the actual Rumble Match was won by Curt Hennig, who would go on to face Hogan at Wrestle Mania 6. The under card of Wrestle Mania that year consisted of some of the hottest matches available in the WWF, many of which would have seemed like Dream Matches just years earlier. Dusty Rhodes defeated Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior defeated Rick Rude, Ted DiBiase defeated Jake Roberts, The Hart Foundation and Demolition fought to an exciting 30 minute draw, and Magnum TA defeated Nikita Koloff in a steel cage re-match 3 years in the making. Curt Hennig would go on to defeat Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title.

The summer of 1990 in the WWF was a hot one as Dusty Rhodes & Magnum TA carried the torch for the absent Hulk Hogan, who was off filming yet another movie. Along with the insanely popular Ultimate Warrior, the summer belonged the baby faces. Dusty Rhodes convinced McMahon to duplicate the NWA's success of 1987 by forming a stable similar to the Horsemen, with Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, Rick Rude and World Champion, Curt Hennig. McMahon decided to try the combination and it worked very well. Koloff was demoted to upper mid-card and programmed into a feud with The Ultimate Warrior. In November of 1990, the WWF presented their annual Survivor Series Pay-Per-View. The event showcased two gigantic 4 on 4 matches and one debut that would give life to a megastar for the future, The Undertaker. In the opening match of the evening, The Ultimate Warrior and his team of The Legion of Doom and Kerry Von Erich defeated the team of Nikita Koloff and Demolition Ax, Smash & Crush. The Main Event saw Hulk Hogan return to team with Dusty Rhodes & Magnum TA and Hacksaw Duggan to face and defeat Ted DiBiase, Curt Hennig, Randy Savage & Earthquake (replacing Rick Rude, who left due to contract dispute). While nowhere near the #1 star in the WWF, Magnum TA was still a huge star. While his counter part, which enjoyed major success for the past 2 years, Nikita Koloff, was becoming a non-factor once again.

During an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, January 11, 1991, Magnum TA shockingly won the WWF Title from Curt Hennig in a surprise title challenge. The title switch was part of a much bigger plan. On January 15, 1991, the USA bombed Iraq, effectively sinking us deep into Operation Desert Storm and the Persian Gulf War. Vince McMahon had positioned Sgt. Slaughter, playing the part of Iraqi-sympathizer and American turncoat, to win the WWF World Title from a very popular
American wrestler... Magnum TA. TA dropped the World Title as planned, setting up Hulk Hogan to regain the belt at Wrestle Mania 7, being an American Hero and all. But even more significant, Dusty Rhodes was released in February of 1991 after "creative differences" with Vince McMahon became too much. Rhodes blamed Hogan for getting him ousted, due to he and Magnum drawing a better summer in '90 than Hogan did against Nikita in '89. Koloff, by the way, was jobbed to The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestle Mania 7. Koloff departed the WWF that spring to join the dying AWA, in hopes of saving the promotion and giving baby face Tom Zenk a heel champion to fight. Meanwhile, Hogan was programmed to face The Ultimate Warrior for most of 1991, while Magnum TA was turned heel, a move he fought against whole heartedly, to be programmed into a tag team with former foe, Curt Hennig.

Fall of 1991 saw Ric Flair enter the WWF to take over the top feud with Hogan, giving fans their "Dream Match". The Warrior had been released after failing yet a 3rd drug test. For most of 1992, the team of Magnum TA & Curt Hennig dominated the tag ranks as the unbeatable heel combo, giving top baby face teams such as The Legion of Doom, The Natural Disasters, The New Foundation and The Steiner Brothers headaches from coast to coast. Even though he was extremely successful, Magnum felt he was spinning his wheels. Finally, McMahon put the tag titles around the waists of The Legion of Doom. Magnum no longer had a commitment to Vince, so 1993 began with Magnum TA getting a release from the WWF to head back down to the NWA territory, now WCW.

1993 saw WCW being run backstage by former AWA producer, Eric Bischoff. Bischoff had positioned his company around heel World Champion, Vader, who was fighting top baby face, Sting. Dusty Rhodes was booking again, and Dustin Rhodes was chasing the US Champion and WWF cast off, Rick Rude. Magnum TA was brought back on February 21, 1993, as a surprise tag partner for Sting, against the heel team of Vader & Cactus Jack. The special guest ref for the match was Dusty Rhodes, and after the match, won by Vader & Jack, the heels beat down on the faces with help from Rude, manager Harley Race and surprisingly enough, returning superstar, former World Champion, Ric Flair. Dustin Rhodes cleared the ring, saving his father and the other faces, setting up a hot summer of Sting, Rhodes, Magnum & Dustin vs. Flair, Vader, Rude & Cactus Jack, managed by Race. Things were right again in the old Crockett territory.

Then in late fall of 1993, tragedy struck, as Magnum TA was involved in a tragic car accident, taking his legs from him. Rhodes bounced back and saved the Starrcade Main Event, which was scheduled to be Magnum vs. Vader, by putting Vader in the ring against newly signed territory legend, Nikita Koloff. Koloff, wearing a Magnum TA shirt and armband, defeated Vader for the WCW Title that night. Koloff dedicated the win to Magnum TA as the fans chanted the superstar’s name. Koloff would be a top baby face for the WCW, until WWF mainstay, Hulk Hogan, jumped ship to WCW in mid-1994. Magnum would remain an assistant to Rhodes for years, even accompanying him to the ring once in a while, with the aid of a cane.

In late '94, Koloff made a jump to ECW out of Philly along with Cactus Jack.

But that is another story.

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Amarillo, TX, is home to Hatter X, a wrestling fan for 25 of his 30 years. He enjoys pure wrestling, but its the edgy drama and quality storytelling that really frosts his donut. E-mail Hatter X at [email protected].

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