Gordon Scozzari

Gordon Peter Scozzari (June 26, 1970-January 5, 2011) was an American professional wrestling promoter, commentator, ring announcer, television producer, restaurateur, and legal librarian.

He was best known as founder of the short-lived American Wrestling Federation.

Gordon Peter Scozzari was born on June 26, 1970, and was raised in the Brooklyn-Queens area of New York City, New York.

At an early age, he developed a serious kidney disorder, which would plague him for the rest of his life.

Scozzari credited his mother, who was a British wrestling fan, with his interest in professional wrestling.

The initial AWF television tapings boasted some of the top NWA and WWF stars of the 1980s wrestling boom, as well as top-level talent from All-Japan Pro Wrestling, the World Wrestling Council, and the U.S. independent circuit.

As a teenager, he began reading wrestling newsletters and became part of the New York wrestling fan community during the 1980s wrestling boom.

Scozzari later became close friends with Northeast Wrestling co-promoter Mike Henry.

Other people from this close-knit group later entered the industry as managers, promoters or other behind-the-scenes personnel, in addition to wrestling historians and wrestling journalists.

Scozzari's family was originally from England, and his parents both worked as legal librarians.

He originally planned to model the AWF after Johnny Rodz's wrestling school shows at Gleasons' Arena from 1986 to 1990.

Rodz mostly used his students and local wrestlers for these live events headlined by one or two major stars, and he consistently drew between 400 and 500 fans a month.

Over the years, however, many wrestlers in the Tri-State area had a poor relationship with Sunny Beach, forcing Scozzari to bring in outside talent.

This eventually came to include former NWA and WWF stars and wrestlers from All-Japan Pro Wrestling, the World Wrestling Council and the U.S. independent circuit.

It was one of several start-up promotions that appeared across the U.S. in the early 1990s, many with the intention of becoming a third national promotion along with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.

Though the AWF was never promoted as such, it was among the first of these companies to utilize a competitive talent roster.

His father's firm represented Emerson Electric during its merger with a Texas electronics company in the summer of 1991.

Scozzari, who was also employed at the firm, held stocks in the company and was able to make a substantial profit.

At age 21, Scozzari decided to use the money earned from the Emerson merger to start his own wrestling promotion.

In late 1991, Scozzari founded the American Wrestling Federation.

Jim Quinlan and Sunny Beach were brought on as vice president and head booker, respectively.

Scozzari's venture initially received attention from both mainstream and pro wrestling publications for being among the first start-up promotions using national wrestling stars.

Unlike UWF promoter Herb Abrams, who announced his intention to "put Vince McMahon out of business", Scozzari's ambitions were much more modest.

In a radio interview with John Arezzi, Scozzari envisioned the AWF as a Northeast U.S.-based regional promotion and potential competitor to International World Class Championship Wrestling.

The first television tapings were held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on December 14, 1991, and Lowell, Massachusetts on December 16, 1991.

These initial episodes, which hosted a tournament to crown the inaugural AWF Heavyweight Champion, were beset by major production problems.

The TV production crew failed to arrive for the first taping in Asbury, and the Jersey Shore, while a popular tourist destination in the summer months, was virtually deserted in the middle of winter resulting in only 475 fans attending the show.

There were also issues with the New Jersey State Athletic Commission, which would not allow The Sheik to wrestle due to his age.

Eddie Gilbert, who was hired to be the promotion's booker, decided not to appear despite being paid a $500 advance and provided with a return plane ticket.

Pez Whatley and Dutch Mantel offered to assist Scozzari in booking for the rest of the tapings.

The second taping was moved to Billerica, Massachusetts after the original venue, Rutgers University Gym, was damaged by a fire.

Part of the decision to leave New Jersey was to avoid paying $25,000 in fees to the state athletic commission.

Once in Massachusetts, however, plans to use the local high school in Billerica fell through at the last minute and Scozzari was forced to change the venue again to the nearby Lowell Memorial Auditorium.

Scozzari got in contact with Bill Apter who gave him permission to use footage from a Pro Wrestling Illustrated-produced VHS tape to run local ads two weeks before the event.

The show advertised 25 bouts, including the final matches for the AWF Championship Tournament, with part of the proceeds being donated to the Children's Hospital and other charities.

Paul Orndorff ended up defeating Stan Lane in the finals to become the promotion's first champion.

Serious production problems arose during the tapings, however, ultimately forcing Scozzari to close the promotion in 1992.

He continued working in pro wrestling as a booker-promoter in the Northeastern U.S., Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom before leaving the industry in 2000.

The circumstances surrounding the promotion's demise were a source of controversy prompted by the Pro Wrestling Torch, which falsely portrayed the then 21-year-old Scozzari as a teenage wrestling fan who had squandered a $100,000 inheritance, with many of the performers taking advantage of his inexperience and naivety.

In spite of Scozzari's efforts, it is an urban legend that has persisted in the internet wrestling community as late as 2022.