The promotion known as the American Wrestling Association (A.W.A.) was once one of the most powerful and influential forces in all of wrestling.  The territory that the A.W.A. promoted within consisted of over a half dozen states, and included midwestern wrestling hotbeds such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Omaha and many others.  Eventually, the A.W.A. even extended out to western states such as California and Colorado.  Needless to say, at one point in time, the A.W.A. was (as their slogan went) "the major league of professional wrestling."

So, of course, you can't have a hot promotion without The Superstar, right?

It was in Verne Gagne's Minneapolis-based promotion that "Superstar" Billy Graham got his first real taste of being the top heel and wrestling in  main event World title matches.  The A.W.A. is also the place where the fast-talking, muscle-bound hippy truly hit his stride in terms of his ground-breaking interview style.

The following three interviews were taped for Gagne's "All Star Wrestling" program between 1973 -1974, and as you will soon hear, it was in the AWA that The Superstar truly mastered his Ali-inspired rap, a skill that would eventually help take him all the way to the top of the wrestling world...

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN!