Wrestling at the Chase

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Overview

Wrestling at the Chase was a professional wrestling television series that aired in St. Louis, Missouri. Initially, the matches were broadcast live on Saturday nights and repeated traditionally on Sunday mornings. This production method was later replaced by a live-to-tape system, meaning that while the performances were taped for later broadcast, they were shot entirely in one take as if airing live, so that no allowances were made for unforeseen or unscripted developments or events. It was promoted by the St. Louis Wrestling Club, which was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance. The show was the brainchild of Sam Muchnick, president of the St. Louis Wrestling Club, and Harold Koplar, who owned KPLR and the old Chase Park Plaza Hotel. The two were together on an airplane in 1958 and wondered how they could put wrestling into St. Louis area homes.