For me, the night of August 1st – symbolically if nothing else – represented the very pinnacle of life at 340 West King Street … it was the night of a pay-per-view event known forever as the WRESTLING EXTRAVAGANZA.
Just a week ago, on the eve of the Fools Day, Floyd Mayweather (39-0), a 150 pound boxer, disposed of The Big Show, a 400 pound professional wrassler in a challenge match as part of Wrestlemania XXIV. Undoubtedly, had the 340 club still been in existence we woulda bought it and had the usual gang of idiots on the couches watching the action. Wrestlemania traces its lineage back to Wrestlemania I in 1985. However, before the WWF hit its stride (and earned a third W) there were other pay-per-view events that were the progenitors of Wrestlemania. One such spectacle took place on August 1, 1981 and the 340 Club promoted it as the Wrestling Extravaganza. For me, the event symbolizes the peak of the Club’s greatness not so much for the event itself but the symbolism of what happened before and after.
The Setup:
The Club was furnished superbly with a raised TV on a table at the far end sitting on another TV. The lower television sometimes didn’t even work and was merely a stand for the other. The top TV was tuned into to Prism or whatever the PPV vehicle at the time presented such spectacles. In front of the TV was a couch, behind the couch was another couch and behind that was a third sofa. So, the 340 living room had stacked TVs vertically and stacked davenports horizontally. Behind the divans was a raised bar with stools and tucked into the corner behind it was the still mighty 340 Club juke box.
The Souvenir Program:
On the cover was a stock wrestling photo under the headline WELCOME TO THE 340 CLUB’s Wrestling EXTRAVAGANZA … Saturday, August 1, 1981 – 8:30 p.m. 340 West King Street – Lancaster, PA
The centerfold consisted of a copy of an ad for the event from the Philadelphia Journal billing the feature match a 20 man battle royale … in which twenty all-star wrestlers enter the ring and go at until there is a last man in the ring and he gets to do battle with the champ – Bob Backlund. The live event took place at the Spectrum in Philly and could be attended for tickets ranging from $5.50 to $7.50. Also depicted in the program were 3 or 4 entries from the Funk & Wagnall such as ex-trav-a-gance, ex-tra, ex-trav-a-gan-za and ex-trav-a-gate complete with pronunciations, definitions and alternate definitions.
The back page had a brief write up on the card and the credits:
Special thanks to: City of Lancaster, Prism, WWWF, Serena Kirchner Beer Distributor, The 340 Club.
Typist: Audrey
A Ted Knorr/Phil Zangari Production
The Card
1-4. Prelims
5. Battle Royale featuring the Rex Moondog, King Moondog, Andre the Giant, Magnificent Murocco, Killer Khan, Pedro Morales, S.D. “Special Delivery” Jones, Curt Henning, Dominic DeNucci, Larry Sharpe, Baron Mikel Sicluna, Strong Kobiashi, Johnny Rodz, Chris Cannon, Bulldog Brower, King Kong Mosca, Rick Martel and Tony Garea.
Intermission
6. Prelim
7. Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter in an Alley Match (i.e. no rules, no referee, wear whatever you want, bout ends when one man can no longer continue)
8. Bob Backlund, WWF Champion defends against the winner of the Battle Royale
The Results:
I have no clue
The Aftermath:
I do know this; it was a Saturday in the summer of 1981 and house was packed from 6 till 2 and the juke box take was only $6.55. Why so little? Was it an off night? An aberration? the answer, sadly, was that it was no aberration … it was a new dawn or more accurately – a new midnight.
Check back at the Virtual Club on Thursday for the rest of the story.
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