50th State Big Time Wrestling

50th State Big Time Wrestling was a Territory pro wrestling promotion operating in the United States, based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The BTW HAWAII promotion was founded on August 4, 1936 by Al Karasick, and it ceased operations on October 24, 1979.

Mid-Pacific Promotions emerged as the local Hawaii territory in the 1930s, founded by Russian immigrant to America Al Karasick with Bobby Bruns as booker, becoming a popular visit for wrestlers on their way to Japan for a booking abroad. Its partnership with the Japanese Wrestling Association would bring Asian talent to the state, one with a high Asian American population unlike other states. When Karasick retired in 1961, “Gentleman” Ed Francis and “Lord” James Blears would buy the promotion, and usher in a golden age of Hawaiian wrestling with some of the state’s highest drawing shows and stars wrestling in this period. After a 3 year break from 1974 to 1977, the promotion would begin to lose money due to rising costs of production, whereby Francis would sell the promotion to New Zealand promoter Steve Rickard. Sometime from 1979/the early 1980s, Rickard sold his rights to Peter Maivia, who would go on to found Polynesian Pacific Pro Wrestling as its successor.

50th State Big Time Wrestling: Info