Tom Zenk's debut in AWA, 1984

tom zenk's debut year

AWA, 1984

Tom Zenk entered the AWA (American Wrestling Alliance) in 1984. He had been introduced to pro-wrestling by former Minnesota wrestler, promoter, and referee, Eddie Sharkey. Sharkey ran a pro-wrestling school in Minnesota, and had helped train and begin the ring careers of The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal), Jesse Ventura, Bob Backlund, John Nord, and The Terminators, among others.

Eddie Sharkey (right) referees this early match.... featuring Tom Zenk

In early 1984, AWA was a thriving federation comprising much of wrestling's major talent. The major cities and promoters included Denver (Gene Reed), Milwaukee (Dennis Hilgart), Chicago (Verne Gagne), San Francisco (Leo Nomellini), Winnipeg (Don Brinton) and Minneapolis-St Paul (Wally Karbo). Cards were offered on a less regular basis in smaller centers, particularly in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. In the same year the WWA promotion based in Indianapolis, Indiana merged with the AWA.

Nick Bockwinkel was reigning AWA Champion (managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan). Bockwinkel had in recent times defeated Mr. Saito, Jesse Ventura and Rick Martel in title challenges but was coming to the end of his championship reign. On February 23, 1984 he lost the title to Jumbo Tsuruta in Tokyo. Tsuruta in turn lost the title to Rick Martel (St. Paul Civic Centre, Minnesota, May 13, 1984). Steve Regal was, at the time, AWA light heavyweight champion.

Also appearing on AWA circuits at this time were, Dick the Bruiser, Craig Carson, Scott Irwin, Sheik Adnan El Kaissey, Rick Gainer, Roger Kirby, "Steve O" [Steve Olsonoski], Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Rick Renslow, Billy Robinson, Wilbur Snyder, Larry Hennig, Chris Markoff, Brad Rheingans, "Mad Dog" Vachon, Natcho Verrera, Baron von Raschke, Woody Wilson, "Rock'n'Roll" Buck Zumhoff and Larry Zbyszko.

In the mid America AWA rings "The Fabulous Ones" (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane ) were engaged in a wild vendetta with "The Zambuie Express" (managed by JJ Dillon). Jimmy Hart was managing Joe Le Duc, "Killer" Karl Krupp, Sabu and "The Bruise Brothers". Hart's newest protégé was Ric Rude (formerly Rick Rood) and his valet Angel. Also appearing in AWA's Mid America rings were The Rock'n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson and Rick Martin), Sabu, "The Jaguar", Randy Savage, Terry Taylor, "The A-Team", Art Crews, Terry Gibbs, Angelo Poffo, Tommy Gilbert and Eddie Gilbert - and the young Tom Zenk.

On the tag scene, the reigning Tag Champions at the time of Zenk's debut were "The Sheiks" (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera) who were feuding with "The High Flyers" - Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell. The AWA tag scene also included The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) - who subsequently took the title from von Raschke and Blackwell (August 25, 1984), "The Fabulous Ones" (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) and "The Freebirds" - various combinations of Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy. A new tag team, "The East West Connection," (comprising Mr. Saito and Jesse Ventura) had formed to challenge "The Sheiks" for the tag title. Blackjack Mulligan had returned to the AWA and joined his old friend Blackjack Lanza ("The Black Jacks") to knock off the Sheiks. Abdullah the Butcher and King Kong Brody were another new combination under the management of Sheik Adnan El Kaissey.

Nationally the "top twenty" wrestlers of Tom's debut year included Nick Bockwinkel (AWA Champion), Hulk Hogan (WWF Champion), Ric Flair (NWA World Champion), Carlos Colon (Universal Champion), Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Paul Orndorff, Bob Backlund, Stan Hansen, Billy Jack Haynes, Kerry and Kevin Von Erich, Ken Patera, Curt Hennig, and Jack and Jerry Brisco.

Tom Zenk - as a young journeyman - was destined to spend most of 1984 gaining experience in preliminary bouts and working his way up the AWA card. Though he spent most of the year on the losing side (see cards below) - it was against top competition in the singles division including AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel and upcoming AWA champion Larry Zbyszko - and in tag action against the Road Warriors and Bockwinkel and Saito.


Michael Hayes is about to post Tom Zenk, 1984	Zenk is thrown from the ring by Steve Regal

	Victory over Steve Regal

It was also during this time at AWA that Tom Zenk and Rick Martel's paths crossed for the first time. Martel was settling into a sustained period as AWA Heavyweight Champion and a friendship developed that was to take Martel and Zenk to Canada (IWA), then to Japan and the WWF as the Can-Am Connection - and finally dissolution of their friendship and tag team in mid 1987.

Despite his relative inexperience in the professional ring, Wrestling Observer Newsletter recognized Tom's early talent, awarding both Zenk and Keiichi Yamada (Jushin "Thunder" Liger of New Japan Pro Wrestling) the 1984 "Rookie of the Year" Award. (Interestingly both Yamada and Zenk share the same birthday, November 30).

The AWA was characterized by a particular style of no-nonsense wrestling that Zenk imbued early on. The AWA style is perhaps best described as "scientific wrestling" in the Lou Thesz tradition, specializing in sustained bouts, often hour long matches, using an extraordinary range of holds (before McMahon and WWF this was the norm).

In 1987, the AWA began to fade under the impact of the WWF and NWA.

In 1988 Tom returned to the AWA for a short tour before moving to the NWA which had recently been purchased by Ted Turner's TBS and was rising to challenge WWF.

For that short period Tom had returned to his roots in "the Fenway park, the Wrigley Field of wrestling - home teams [such as the AWA] rarely win the accolades of the nation, but they are timeless entities who merit respect". The same might be said of former AWA wrestlers with the style and endurance of Tom Zenk.

AWA Souvenir Program, 1984 Introducing 'Rookie Tom Zenk'

Tom Zenk and Desire, AWA 1984 (Paul Ellering)

"One thing you can say about Zenk ... he has desire. If desire means anything, every time he gets into the ring I can see that he gives a hundred percent. But this is not the era in which desire alone, tenacity and an 'I don't care attitude' (will be enough) to become as great as the Legion of Doom."

Precious Paul Ellering, manager of the Legion of Doom a.k.a. The Road Warriors - extract from his commentary on an early AWA match between Zenk and Craig Carson vs Nick Bockwinkel and Akio Saito.

Results from Tom Zenk's 1984 AWA matches can be found here If you can add to or disagree with anything above -or have additional information on match results from 1984 - please email here.

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