| Revision as of 07:28, 24 May 2021 editViperSnake151 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers109,676 edits MAJOR revamp because well, there are a lot of fascinating details this missedTag: Visual edit← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:27, 24 May 2021 edit undoViperSnake151 (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers109,676 edits complete the changesTags: nowiki added Visual editNext edit → | ||
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| {{Short description|American bodybuilding organization |
{{Short description|American bodybuilding organization}}{{Infobox organization | ||
| |name=World Bodybuilding Federation | |name=World Bodybuilding Federation | ||
| |image=World Bodybuilding Federation old logo.png | |image=World Bodybuilding Federation old logo.png | ||
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| }} | }} | ||
| The '''World Bodybuilding Federation''' ('''WBF''') was a ] organization founded in 1990 by ] |
The '''World Bodybuilding Federation''' ('''WBF''') was a ] organization founded in 1990 by ]. It operated as a subsidiary of his company Titan Sports, the owners of the ] (WWF, now WWE). The WBF was established as a competitor to the ] (IFBB), with McMahon and his partner ] going as far as to announce the venture at its ] competition in September 1990 (which they had attended as representatives of an accompanying magazine). | ||
| The WBF would sign long-term contracts with a number of IFBB regulars to join its inaugural roster, with promotional materials stating that its events would feature larger payouts and "bodybuilding the way it was meant to be". Its events would incorporate ]-inspired features, such as promoting its roster as themed characters. It also leveraged the WWF to provide ]. | |||
| The WBF held its inaugural championship on June 15, 1991 as a ] event from Atlantic City, receiving mixed reviews for its attempts to mix bodybuilding with ] gimmicks similar to WWF events. Amid a ] impacting the WWF, in March 1992 McMahon announced that the WBF would institute a ] protocol. The decision would ultimately hamper the quality of the 1992 WBF Championship (just as it had for the 1990 Mr. Olympia competition the WBF was announced at), which had a miniscule pay-per-view audience; the WBF would dissolve a month later on July 15, 1992. | |||
| == History == | == History == | ||
| ===Creation=== | ===Creation=== | ||
| ] |
In an effort by Titan Sports to diversify beyond its flagship ] business, Vince McHahon began to make investments into ] in 1990, including hiring bodybuilding personality ] to oversee its new magazine ''Bodybuilding Lifestyles'', and investing in a line of ] known as ICOPRO (Integrated Conditioning Program).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=2020-03-17|title=When Bodybuilding Met Wrestling: The Bizarre Tale of the World Bodybuilding Federation|url=https://barbend.com/world-bodybuilding-federation/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=BarBend|language=en-US}}</ref> While rumors emerged that McMahon was also planning to establish a competitor to the long-established ] (IFBB), the WWF initially denied the claim.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2019-03-07|title=Vince McMahon's Attempt to Take Over Bodybuilding|url=https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/vince-mcmahons-failed-attempt-take-over-world-bodybuilding/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Muscle & Fitness|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Dilbert|first=Ryan|title=Vince McMahon's Failed Attempt to Take over Bodybuilding|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2542941-vince-mcmahons-failed-attempt-to-take-over-bodybuilding|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Bleacher Report|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> | ||
| The magazine secured a booth at the ] competition on September 15, 1990 in ], where Platz and McMahon made appearances and signed autographs. Tom Platz asked if he could make a speech to the crowd, unbeknownst to the IFBB's co-founders ] and ]. Platz used that platform to announce that Titan Sports would be forming the World Bodybuilding Federation, and proclaimed that they planned to "kick the IFBB's ass".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchnick|first=Irvin|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/244769018|title=Wrestling Babylon : piledriving tales of drugs, sex, death and scandal|date=2007|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55490-761-8|location=Toronto |oclc=244769018}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> A group of models |
The magazine secured a booth at the IFBB's ] competition on September 15, 1990 in ], where Platz and McMahon made appearances and signed autographs. Tom Platz asked if he could make a speech to the crowd, unbeknownst to the IFBB's co-founders ] and ]. Platz used that platform to announce that Titan Sports would be forming the World Bodybuilding Federation as a direct competitor to the organization, and proclaimed that they planned to "kick the IFBB's ass".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Muchnick|first=Irvin|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/244769018|title=Wrestling Babylon : piledriving tales of drugs, sex, death and scandal|date=2007|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55490-761-8|location=Toronto |oclc=244769018}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> A group of models then entered the auditorium to distribute a promotional pamphlet.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
| At the conclusion of that competition, the booth handed out press releases announcing the WBF's formation. The press release stated that the WBF would "revamp professional bodybuilding with dramatic new events and the richest prize money in the history of the sport." It also mentioned that Tom Platz would be Director of Talent Development for the organization.<ref name=":0" /> In a press conference the next day, McMahon explained that the WBF planned to feature "bodybuilding the way it was meant to be"—which was interpreted by some as a thinly-veiled reference to a lack of ]; the 1990 Mr. Olympia competition was the first to employ drug testing of participants, |
At the conclusion of that competition, the booth handed out press releases announcing the WBF's formation. The press release stated that the WBF would "revamp professional bodybuilding with dramatic new events and the richest prize money in the history of the sport." It also mentioned that Tom Platz would be Director of Talent Development for the organization.<ref name=":0" /> In a press conference the next day, McMahon explained that the WBF planned to feature "bodybuilding the way it was meant to be"—which was interpreted by some as a thinly-veiled reference to a lack of ] for ]; the 1990 Mr. Olympia competition was the first to employ drug testing of participants, but poor reception to the quality of the competition by attendees led the IFBB to reverse course the following year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Only Natural For Bodybuilders|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940318&slug=1900879|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-24|website=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> | ||
| ===Inaugural event=== | ===Inaugural event=== | ||
| In a January 30, 1991 press conference at the ] in New York City, McMahon presented the inaugural members of the WBF's roster, and announced the organization's inaugural championship.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The federation signed 13 |
In a January 30, 1991 press conference at the ] in New York City, McMahon presented the inaugural members of the WBF's roster, and announced the organization's inaugural championship.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The federation signed 13 bodybuilders, many IFBB regulars, to long-term contracts, including Aaron Baker, Mike Christian, Vince Comerford, David Dearth, Berry DeMey, Johnnie Morant, ], ], Jim Quinn, Mike Quinn, Eddie Robinson, ], and Troy Zuccolotto.<ref name=":0" /> The WBF offered contracts with values of at least $100,000 per-year (in addition to competition prizes), with Strydom's reportedly valued at $400,000 per-year.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> | ||
| The IFBB warned that it would ] bodybuilders who defected to the WBF.<ref name=":0" /> In an effort to compete with the WBF, the IFBB also increased the top prize of ] to $100,000, while its 1991 Night of Champions event featured an opening skit mocking the WBF, with its competitors destroying ] engraved with the names of the 13 WBF members.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
| The WBF sought to combine traditional bodybuilding competitions with ] elements similar to the WWF's programming and events. The roster |
The WBF sought to combine traditional bodybuilding competitions with ] elements similar to the WWF's programming and events. The roster was promoted as the "WBF BodyStars" (in a similar fashion to the WWF marketing its performers as "superstars"), and adopted ] personas used during competitions (such as Tony Pearson being billed as "The Jet Man"). During the lead-up to the inaugural WBF Championship ], the competitors made appearances and cut ] during WWF programming.<ref name=":2" /> WWF performers also promoted the WBF, and a celebrity episode of the game show '']'' was played between teams representing the WBF and WWF.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Promotions for ICOPRO supplements were also prominently seen in all WBF and WWF programming at the time.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
| The |
The 1991 WBF Championship would be held at the ] in ] on June 15, and was hosted by talk show host ] and WWF manager ], with guest appearances by ] and ]. The competition would consist of two mandatory pose rounds, followed by an "entertainment" round, where the competitors performed in-character during a pre-recorded skit that concluded live on-stage. The event's presentation included wrestling-inspired features such as entrance videos for each competitor, and the use of pyrotechnics.<ref name=":2" /> Strydom would win the inaugural WBF Championship, winning $275,000.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
| The show was met with mixed reviews: some critics praised the event's |
The show was met with mixed reviews: some critics praised the event's high production values and emphasis on the competitors' personalities, but felt that its use of sports entertainment gimmicks drew too many comparisons to wrestling.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
| ===Going drug-free, 1992 championship=== | ===Going drug-free, 1992 championship=== | ||
| ⚫ | In June 1991, shortly after the WBF Championship, former WWF ringside doctor George Zahorian was ] of illegally supplying anabolic steroids to multiple WWF wrestlers. The WWF would introduce a drug testing policy shortly afterward.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=1993-11-29|title=MCMAHON, TITAN FACE STEROID INDICTMENTT, LAWLER EXPECTS TO BE CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES|work=]|access-date=}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite news|date=28 April 1994|title=Wrestling Promoter Fights Steroid Charges|work=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/28/nyregion/wrestling-promoter-fights-steroid-charges.html|access-date=11 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="nyn">{{cite web|date=1994-07-12|title=Nailz the Wrestler Testifies He Was Told to Use Steroids|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/12/nyregion/nailz-the-wrestler-testifies-he-was-told-to-use-steroids.html|url-access=subscription|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2021-04-29}}</ref> In August 1991, in an attempt to boost public interest in its competitions, the WBF announced that it would sign former bodybuilder and '']'' star ]. The contract was reported to be valued at $900,000 per-year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1991-08-09|title="Incredible Hulk" star resumes bodybuilding|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19910809&id=I90hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=k0cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6627,2002679&hl=en|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-24|website=|publisher=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> In an interview on '']'', he stated that he was attracted to the WBF for his return to competitive bodybuilding because it had the "strictest drug testing in all of professional sports."<ref name=":3" /> Despite claiming prior to its 1991 championship that steroid testing would be used, the WBF did not actually perform any tests during the competition.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
| ⚫ | In a continued effort to build crossovers |
||
| ⚫ | In a continued effort to build crossovers with wrestling, Titan Sports hired ] away from the WWF's chief competitor ]; he would serve as a co-host for a weekly WBF television series on ], ''WBF BodyStars'',<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Assael|first=Shaun|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/49276567|title=Sex, lies, and headlocks : the real story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation|date=2002|publisher=Crown Publishers|others=Mike Mooneyham|isbn=0-609-60690-5|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=49276567}}</ref> and serve as a spokesperson for the organization in promotional appearances (such as an interview aired during ])''.''<ref>{{cite web|date=April 23, 2006|title=The Return Of Gary Strydom!|url=http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lonnie14.htm|access-date=April 25, 2007|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> | ||
| ⚫ | In June 1991, shortly after the WBF Championship, former WWF ringside doctor George Zahorian was convicted of illegally supplying |
||
| Promotional material for the 1992 WBF Championship, scheduled for June 13, 1992 in ], billed Ferrigno as a top contender for Strydom's title.<ref name=":1" /> In March 1992, three months prior to the Championship, McMahon publicly announced that the WBF would begin conducting ] for its competitions. Titan Sports would hire ] to oversee the drug testing programs for the WWF and WBF.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="dppppav">{{cite book|author=], Mike Mooneyham|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhNgjI3pSPkC&q=mauro+di+pasquale+steroid+hunter+sex+lies+and+headlocks&pg=PA117|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment|date=February 24, 2004|publisher=Crown Publishing|isbn=978-1-4000-5143-4|page=117|accessdate=August 7, 2013}}</ref> The '']'' reported that in a company meeting, "most of the guys freaked out about being told to give up all their drugs just three months before a contest, despite many willingly spouting the drug-free company line", and that Ferrigno quit the WBF shortly afterward |
Promotional material for the 1992 WBF Championship, scheduled for June 13, 1992 in ], billed Ferrigno as a top contender for Strydom's title.<ref name=":1" /> In March 1992, three months prior to the Championship, McMahon publicly announced that the WBF would begin conducting ] for its competitions. Titan Sports would hire ] to oversee the drug testing programs for the WWF and WBF.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="dppppav">{{cite book|author=], Mike Mooneyham|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhNgjI3pSPkC&q=mauro+di+pasquale+steroid+hunter+sex+lies+and+headlocks&pg=PA117|title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment|date=February 24, 2004|publisher=Crown Publishing|isbn=978-1-4000-5143-4|page=117|accessdate=August 7, 2013}}</ref> The '']'' reported that in a company meeting, "most of the guys freaked out about being told to give up all their drugs just three months before a contest, despite many willingly spouting the drug-free company line", and that Ferrigno quit the WBF shortly afterward. Although he cited his upcoming and legitimate ] as reasoning, it was observed that "the idea of competing without drugs, as he was so proudly talking of on ] months earlier, apparently wasn't even considered as an option". Ferrigno subsequently rejoined the IFBB to compete at ] later that year.<ref name=":3" /> | ||
| On ''WBF BodyStars'', promotion of the Championship repeatedly emphasized the "drug-free" nature of the event. This was despite the fact that many of the participants would fail drug tests in the weeks leading up to the event, leading to fines and six-week suspensions that reduced morale.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> In their book ''Sex, Lies, and Headlocks'', ] and Mike Mooneyham noted that in between ''BodyStars''<nowiki/>' monthly tapings, the competitors "stayed home, taking copious amounts of drugs to stay in shape while Vince was running around telling America his company was drug-free."<ref name=":5" /> Some of the competitors relied on Di Pasquale's ] "Anabolic Diet" as an alternative to steroids.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
| The 1992 WBF Championship would be co-hosted by Platz, McMahon, and Heenan, and see Strydom win for the second year in a row.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=2018-04-20|title=Induction: The 1992 WBF Championship - Posers beware|url=http://wrestlecrap.com/inductions/wbf1992/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=WrestleCrap - The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling!|language=en-US}}</ref> Luger was scheduled to appear during the event as a guest performer, but was involved in a ] accident prior to the event. He was instead interviewed from a hospital bed during the pay-per-view.<ref>{{cite web|title=RETRO SPECIALIST – WWE 15 Yrs. Ago: The Best & Worst Moments of 1992 (Part 1 of 2)|url=http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20068.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528092339/http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20068.shtml|archive-date=May 28, 2007|access-date=April 25, 2007|publisher=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The competition was marred by most of the competitors being relatively out-of-shape due to their drug-free regiments;<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6" /> the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' noted that "while the idea of promoting a show where the majority of participants had recently failed a steroid test as drug-free on the surface was both ludicrous and fraudulent, the funny thing is, when show time came, it appeared that in the preparatory period for the show among the crew, there was less steroid use than at any contest of that level in recent years."<ref name=":3" /> | |||
| === Demise === | === Demise === | ||
| The 1992 WBF Championship received only around 3,000 pay-per-view buys.<ref name=":2" /> Just over a month later on July 15, 1992, McMahon called Ben and Joe Weider to tell them that the WBF had been disbanded, and encouraged them to allow the WBF members to rejoin the IFBB. He also attempted to negotiate advertising for ICOPRO in Weider's publications.<ref name=":2" /> The IFBB would allow WBF members to re-join after paying a $25,000 fine; at its 1993 Night of Champions event, an opening skit referencing the 1991 event featured ] "]" the WBF bodybuiders, who emerged from ] and destroyed their own tombstones.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
| After the dissolution of the WBF, Lugar made his WWF roster debut in 1993 at the ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Reynolds|first=R.D.|url=https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre/page/161|title=WrestleCrap|author2=Baer, Randy|publisher=]|year=2003|isbn=1-55022-584-7|page=|chapter=Moonlighting|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/wrestlecrapveryw00rdre}}</ref> The same year, McMahon would also be indicted by the ] for his role in the WWF steroid scandal.<ref>{{cite web|date=1993-11-19|title=W.W.F.'s McMahon Indicted|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/19/sports/wwf-s-mcmahon-indicted.html|url-access=subscription|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2021-04-29}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name="nyn" /> | |||
| == Champions == | == Champions == | ||
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| Both the 1991 and 1992 WBF Championship events were released by ]. | Both the 1991 and 1992 WBF Championship events were released by ]. | ||
| == |
== Legacy == | ||
| In an induction of the 1992 WBF Championship, ] remarked that "watching a WBF event was like watching a WWF event, if a WWF event consisted only of the wrestlers’ ] and the participants got paid substantially more per year".<ref name=":6" /> | |||
| ''WBF BodyStars'' was a weekly television program that aired weekends in 1992 on ]. ] was advertised as the show's host prior to its première, but he never made an appearance. Instead, it was co-hosted by Vince McMahon, Cameo Kneuer, and ], the last of which . The show followed the training lifestyles of the bodybuilders, featured a variety of skits and humorous quips, and offered general bodybuilding and health-related advice. | |||
| ⚫ | Even after the WBF was shut down, WWF events and programming continued to regularly include commercials and plugs for ICOPRO products through at least 1995,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-08|title=Induction: ICOPRO - Inedible COlonic PROduct|url=http://wrestlecrap.com/inductions/icopro/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=WrestleCrap - The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling!|language=en-US}}</ref> to the point that an ICOPRO banner was displayed inside ] during a throwback-themed leg of the '']'' ] in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://411mania.com/wrestling/raw-25-manhattan-center/|access-date=2021-05-23|title=Live Notes From RAW 25 At Manhattan Center: How Many Segments Expected, ICOPRO, More|work=411Mania|language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
| The program changed its title to ''BodyStars'' in late 1992 after the WBF had disbanded. At that point, the program was primarily used to promote McMahon's ICOPRO line of bodybuilding supplements. Having lost much of its appeal, the show was soon taken off the air. | |||
| == Legacy == | |||
| ⚫ | Even after the WBF was shut down, WWF programming continued to regularly |
||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 17:27, 24 May 2021
American bodybuilding organization| [REDACTED] | |
| Formation | September 15, 1990 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | July 1992 |
| Purpose | Professional bodybuilding |
| Parent organization | Titan Sports |
![[REDACTED]](https://u3vuiephb.global.ssl.fastly.net/File:World_Bodybuilding_Federation_old_logo.png){kind=link}
The World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) was a bodybuilding organization founded in 1990 by Vince McMahon. It operated as a subsidiary of his company Titan Sports, the owners of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The WBF was established as a competitor to the International Federation of BodyBuilding (IFBB), with McMahon and his partner Tom Platz going as far as to announce the venture at its Mr. Olympia competition in September 1990 (which they had attended as representatives of an accompanying magazine).
The WBF would sign long-term contracts with a number of IFBB regulars to join its inaugural roster, with promotional materials stating that its events would feature larger payouts and "bodybuilding the way it was meant to be". Its events would incorporate professional wrestling-inspired features, such as promoting its roster as themed characters. It also leveraged the WWF to provide cross-promotion.
The WBF held its inaugural championship on June 15, 1991 as a pay-per-view event from Atlantic City, receiving mixed reviews for its attempts to mix bodybuilding with sports entertainment gimmicks similar to WWF events. Amid a steroid scandal impacting the WWF, in March 1992 McMahon announced that the WBF would institute a drug testing protocol. The decision would ultimately hamper the quality of the 1992 WBF Championship (just as it had for the 1990 Mr. Olympia competition the WBF was announced at), which had a miniscule pay-per-view audience; the WBF would dissolve a month later on July 15, 1992.
History
Creation
In an effort by Titan Sports to diversify beyond its flagship professional wrestling business, Vince McHahon began to make investments into bodybuilding in 1990, including hiring bodybuilding personality Tom Platz to oversee its new magazine Bodybuilding Lifestyles, and investing in a line of bodybuilding supplements known as ICOPRO (Integrated Conditioning Program). While rumors emerged that McMahon was also planning to establish a competitor to the long-established International Federation of BodyBuilding (IFBB), the WWF initially denied the claim.
The magazine secured a booth at the IFBB's Mr. Olympia competition on September 15, 1990 in Chicago, where Platz and McMahon made appearances and signed autographs. Tom Platz asked if he could make a speech to the crowd, unbeknownst to the IFBB's co-founders Ben and Joe Weider. Platz used that platform to announce that Titan Sports would be forming the World Bodybuilding Federation as a direct competitor to the organization, and proclaimed that they planned to "kick the IFBB's ass". A group of models then entered the auditorium to distribute a promotional pamphlet.
At the conclusion of that competition, the booth handed out press releases announcing the WBF's formation. The press release stated that the WBF would "revamp professional bodybuilding with dramatic new events and the richest prize money in the history of the sport." It also mentioned that Tom Platz would be Director of Talent Development for the organization. In a press conference the next day, McMahon explained that the WBF planned to feature "bodybuilding the way it was meant to be"—which was interpreted by some as a thinly-veiled reference to a lack of drug testing for anabolic steroids; the 1990 Mr. Olympia competition was the first to employ drug testing of participants, but poor reception to the quality of the competition by attendees led the IFBB to reverse course the following year.
Inaugural event
In a January 30, 1991 press conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, McMahon presented the inaugural members of the WBF's roster, and announced the organization's inaugural championship. The federation signed 13 bodybuilders, many IFBB regulars, to long-term contracts, including Aaron Baker, Mike Christian, Vince Comerford, David Dearth, Berry DeMey, Johnnie Morant, Danny Padilla, Tony Pearson, Jim Quinn, Mike Quinn, Eddie Robinson, Gary Strydom, and Troy Zuccolotto. The WBF offered contracts with values of at least $100,000 per-year (in addition to competition prizes), with Strydom's reportedly valued at $400,000 per-year.
The IFBB warned that it would blacklist bodybuilders who defected to the WBF. In an effort to compete with the WBF, the IFBB also increased the top prize of Mr. Olympia 1991 to $100,000, while its 1991 Night of Champions event featured an opening skit mocking the WBF, with its competitors destroying tombstones engraved with the names of the 13 WBF members.
The WBF sought to combine traditional bodybuilding competitions with sports entertainment elements similar to the WWF's programming and events. The roster was promoted as the "WBF BodyStars" (in a similar fashion to the WWF marketing its performers as "superstars"), and adopted kayfabe personas used during competitions (such as Tony Pearson being billed as "The Jet Man"). During the lead-up to the inaugural WBF Championship pay-per-view, the competitors made appearances and cut promos during WWF programming. WWF performers also promoted the WBF, and a celebrity episode of the game show Family Feud was played between teams representing the WBF and WWF. Promotions for ICOPRO supplements were also prominently seen in all WBF and WWF programming at the time.
The 1991 WBF Championship would be held at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City on June 15, and was hosted by talk show host Regis Philbin and WWF manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, with guest appearances by Miss Elizabeth and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. The competition would consist of two mandatory pose rounds, followed by an "entertainment" round, where the competitors performed in-character during a pre-recorded skit that concluded live on-stage. The event's presentation included wrestling-inspired features such as entrance videos for each competitor, and the use of pyrotechnics. Strydom would win the inaugural WBF Championship, winning $275,000.
The show was met with mixed reviews: some critics praised the event's high production values and emphasis on the competitors' personalities, but felt that its use of sports entertainment gimmicks drew too many comparisons to wrestling.
Going drug-free, 1992 championship
In June 1991, shortly after the WBF Championship, former WWF ringside doctor George Zahorian was convicted of illegally supplying anabolic steroids to multiple WWF wrestlers. The WWF would introduce a drug testing policy shortly afterward. In August 1991, in an attempt to boost public interest in its competitions, the WBF announced that it would sign former bodybuilder and The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno. The contract was reported to be valued at $900,000 per-year. In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, he stated that he was attracted to the WBF for his return to competitive bodybuilding because it had the "strictest drug testing in all of professional sports." Despite claiming prior to its 1991 championship that steroid testing would be used, the WBF did not actually perform any tests during the competition.
In a continued effort to build crossovers with wrestling, Titan Sports hired Lex Luger away from the WWF's chief competitor WCW; he would serve as a co-host for a weekly WBF television series on USA Network, WBF BodyStars, and serve as a spokesperson for the organization in promotional appearances (such as an interview aired during WrestleMania VIII).
Promotional material for the 1992 WBF Championship, scheduled for June 13, 1992 in Long Beach, billed Ferrigno as a top contender for Strydom's title. In March 1992, three months prior to the Championship, McMahon publicly announced that the WBF would begin conducting drug testing for its competitions. Titan Sports would hire Mauro Di Pasquale to oversee the drug testing programs for the WWF and WBF. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that in a company meeting, "most of the guys freaked out about being told to give up all their drugs just three months before a contest, despite many willingly spouting the drug-free company line", and that Ferrigno quit the WBF shortly afterward. Although he cited his upcoming and legitimate carpal tunnel surgery as reasoning, it was observed that "the idea of competing without drugs, as he was so proudly talking of on Carson months earlier, apparently wasn't even considered as an option". Ferrigno subsequently rejoined the IFBB to compete at Mr. Olympia later that year.
On WBF BodyStars, promotion of the Championship repeatedly emphasized the "drug-free" nature of the event. This was despite the fact that many of the participants would fail drug tests in the weeks leading up to the event, leading to fines and six-week suspensions that reduced morale. In their book Sex, Lies, and Headlocks, Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham noted that in between BodyStars' monthly tapings, the competitors "stayed home, taking copious amounts of drugs to stay in shape while Vince was running around telling America his company was drug-free." Some of the competitors relied on Di Pasquale's ketogenic "Anabolic Diet" as an alternative to steroids.
The 1992 WBF Championship would be co-hosted by Platz, McMahon, and Heenan, and see Strydom win for the second year in a row. Luger was scheduled to appear during the event as a guest performer, but was involved in a motorcycle accident prior to the event. He was instead interviewed from a hospital bed during the pay-per-view. The competition was marred by most of the competitors being relatively out-of-shape due to their drug-free regiments; the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that "while the idea of promoting a show where the majority of participants had recently failed a steroid test as drug-free on the surface was both ludicrous and fraudulent, the funny thing is, when show time came, it appeared that in the preparatory period for the show among the crew, there was less steroid use than at any contest of that level in recent years."
Demise
The 1992 WBF Championship received only around 3,000 pay-per-view buys. Just over a month later on July 15, 1992, McMahon called Ben and Joe Weider to tell them that the WBF had been disbanded, and encouraged them to allow the WBF members to rejoin the IFBB. He also attempted to negotiate advertising for ICOPRO in Weider's publications. The IFBB would allow WBF members to re-join after paying a $25,000 fine; at its 1993 Night of Champions event, an opening skit referencing the 1991 event featured Dorian Yates "ressurecting" the WBF bodybuiders, who emerged from coffins and destroyed their own tombstones.
After the dissolution of the WBF, Lugar made his WWF roster debut in 1993 at the Royal Rumble. The same year, McMahon would also be indicted by the FBI for his role in the WWF steroid scandal.
Champions
- 1991 - Gary Strydom
- 1992 - Gary Strydom
Results
WBF Championship - 1991
- June 15, 1991 from the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey
- 1. Gary Strydom
- 2. Mike Christian
- 3. Berry de Mey
- 4. Jim Quinn
- 5. Eddie Robinson
WBF Championship - 1992
- June 13, 1992 from Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California
- 1. Gary Strydom
- 2. Jim Quinn
- 3. Aaron Baker
- 4. Berry de Mey
- 5. David Dearth
Home video
Both the 1991 and 1992 WBF Championship events were released by Coliseum Video.
Legacy
In an induction of the 1992 WBF Championship, Wrestlecrap remarked that "watching a WBF event was like watching a WWF event, if a WWF event consisted only of the wrestlers’ entrances and the participants got paid substantially more per year".
Even after the WBF was shut down, WWF events and programming continued to regularly include commercials and plugs for ICOPRO products through at least 1995, to the point that an ICOPRO banner was displayed inside Manhattan Center during a throwback-themed leg of the WWE Raw 25th anniversary special in 2018.
References
- ^ "When Bodybuilding Met Wrestling: The Bizarre Tale of the World Bodybuilding Federation". BarBend. 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ "Vince McMahon's Attempt to Take Over Bodybuilding". Muscle & Fitness. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- ^ Dilbert, Ryan. "Vince McMahon's Failed Attempt to Take over Bodybuilding". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- Muchnick, Irvin (2007). Wrestling Babylon : piledriving tales of drugs, sex, death and scandal. Toronto : ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55490-761-8. OCLC 244769018.
- "Only Natural For Bodybuilders". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "MCMAHON, TITAN FACE STEROID INDICTMENTT, LAWLER EXPECTS TO BE CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 1993-11-29.
- ^ "Wrestling Promoter Fights Steroid Charges". New York Times. 28 April 1994. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ "Nailz the Wrestler Testifies He Was Told to Use Steroids". The New York Times. 1994-07-12. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- ""Incredible Hulk" star resumes bodybuilding". Associated Press. 1991-08-09. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Assael, Shaun (2002). Sex, lies, and headlocks : the real story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Mike Mooneyham (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-609-60690-5. OCLC 49276567.
- "The Return Of Gary Strydom!". Bodybuilding.com. April 23, 2006. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
- Shaun Assael, Mike Mooneyham (February 24, 2004). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. Crown Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-4000-5143-4. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^ "Induction: The 1992 WBF Championship - Posers beware". WrestleCrap - The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling!. 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- "RETRO SPECIALIST – WWE 15 Yrs. Ago: The Best & Worst Moments of 1992 (Part 1 of 2)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
- Reynolds, R.D.; Baer, Randy (2003). "Moonlighting". WrestleCrap. ECW Press. p. 161. ISBN 1-55022-584-7.
- "W.W.F.'s McMahon Indicted". The New York Times. 1993-11-19. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
- "Induction: ICOPRO - Inedible COlonic PROduct". WrestleCrap - The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling!. 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
- "Live Notes From RAW 25 At Manhattan Center: How Many Segments Expected, ICOPRO, More". 411Mania. Retrieved 2021-05-23.