WWF Championship Wrestling Jan 14 1984

Two weeks into 1984, and the surprises continue here at the "New York territory." Along with invading St. Louis, the WWF put Verne Gagne's AWA firmly in it's sights. McMahon pulled another MAJOR coup by poaching three AWA top talents in one foul swoop. Wrestlers Hulk Hogan and David Schultz were now exclusive to the WWF. Hogan, of course, would be the biggest defection that Vince would ever pull off, but at the time it was Mean Gene Okerlund that seemed to be the most impressive. Having been the voice of the AWA for nearly 15 years, his talents brought instant credibility to McMahon's nationwide move for supremacy. Another shock came when Roddy Piper bolted from the Carolinas to New York. Initially unable to wrestle due to medical issues, Piper debuted on the Jan 7 episode of All Star Wrestling as Dr. D's manager. The following week, he began managing Paul Orndorff and the on-screen chemistry was gold. Another pair of new faces were Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, who would soon become the tag champs.