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. 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. 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. 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 United States, 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. 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.

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. 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.

A third and final AWF TV taping was held in Staten Island, New York on January 24, 1992, selling out with between 750 and 1,300 fans in attendance. The show was headlined with AWF Heavyweight Champion Paul Orndorff and Sunny Beach vs. Kamala and Botswana Beast, accompanied by High Chief Tulo as their manager, and a battle between former tag team partners Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov on the undercard. Cousin Luke, Iron Mike Sharpe, Barry Horowitz, Skull Von Krush and Sabu also appeared on the card. Scozzari was ultimately unable to sell the proposed series into syndication. Solid Gold (Jose Estrada Sr. and Jose Estrada Jr.) defeated the U.S.-based AWF Tag Team Champions Sunny Beach and Jeff Gaylord in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Scozzari helped produce two TV pilots for New York-based WXTV (Ch. 41). The episodes featured a mix of Puerto Rican and U.S. talent including, most notably, Savio Vega, Hercules Ayala, Huracan Castillo Jr., Jimmy Snuka, Tony Atlas, Tom Brandi, Misty Blue, and Luna Vachon. Although successful in getting the Americas Wrestling Federation a Spanish-language timeslot on WXTV, the AWF tapes were never sent, and the promotion's financial backer Gloria Uribe defaulted on the weekly $2,500 payments to the station. Scozzari subsequently ended his affiliation with the Puerto Rican version of the AWF.

Feud with Eddie Gilbert Three weeks before the AWF TV tapings, Eddie Gilbert was hired as the promotion's new booker. As part of their deal, Scozzari agreed to pay Gilbert $500 in advance and a return plane ticket back to Memphis. Gilbert did not show up at the tapings, which played a major role in the troubled production, and Scozzari never forgave Gilbert. Gilbert's then-wife Madusa confronted Scozzari about the incident while he and Junkyard Dog were visiting backstage at a WCW show. Scozzari denied any involvement in the attack. Gaylord, who had recently fired by Scozzari and Savio Vega for wrestling under the influence of marijuana, was wearing an AWF t-shirt when assaulting Gilbert.