| Acronym | HWA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States (1998-current) |
| Founder(s) | Les Thatcher |
| Owner(s) | Chad Dellifield (1998-current) |
| Website | HWAonline.com |
The Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) is a Midwestern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, it was listed as one of the top independent promotions in the United States by The Professional Wrestlers' Workout & Instructional Guide by Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat and Les Thatcher in 2005.[1] The HWA produces a one-hour weekly television series, HWA Adrenaline, which is available on the America One and select CW networks.
Contents |
History
The Heartland Wrestling Association was started in 1995 by Les Thatcher and Brady Laber, in association with his wrestling school Main Event Pro Wrestling Camp, and held the first annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show in 1998.[2]
The promotion served as the developmental territory for both World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) whose former roster including wrestlers such as Mike Sanders,[3] Shannon Moore,[4] Victoria[5] the Hardy Boyz and brothers Charlie and Russ Haas as well as former WCW veterans Bill DeMott and Elix Skipper[6] Among the top independent wrestlers to have competed in the promotion include Nigel McGuinness, BJ Whitmer, Matt Stryker, Sharkboy, Cody Hawk and Chad Collyer.[7] Although WWE pulled out of the HWA to cut their budget, HWA continues to have a working relationship with the promotion. The HWA was once featured in an episode of MTV's True Life in the episode "True Life: I'm A Professional Wrestler".
HWA airs a weekly TV program "Adrenaline" nationally on the America One television network. As of early-2007, HWA has produced three online pay-per-view events: "CyberClash" from the HWA Arena in Evendale, Ohio, on March 17, 2006, "Road to Destiny" from the Dayton Gym Club in Dayton, Ohio on June 10, 2006, and "CyberClash 2.0" from the HWA Arena in Evendale, Ohio on March 10, 2007.
In August 2007, the HWA seemed to be shut down, with Cody Hawk launching a new promotion called EGO Pro Wrestling. However, it wound up being a split, as the HWA found new investors and began running live events and producing new episodes of "HWA Adrenaline." The first "HWA Reborn" event occurred on November 9, 2007, with subsequent live events being announced through 2008.[8] Starting in September 2008, HWA will perform at The Sorg Opera House in Middletown, Ohio. In August 2009, Jake Crist became the longest reigning heavyweight champion in HWA history.
Roster
Male wrestlers
- "The Angelic Assassin" Aaron Williams
- Aaron Xtreme
- Ala Hussien
- "Bad Attitude" Brian Beech
- Chad Cruise
- Chris "The Kid" McGraw
- Christian Faith
- Dave Crist
- DDK
- Donovan Cain
- Drake Younger
- Dylan Bostic
- Jake Crist
- Jason Lyte
- Jesse Emerson
- Joseph Schwartz
- Jon Moxley
- JT Stahr
- Kaden Assad
- "King Vu" Richard Phillips
- Lightning Tim Lutz
- "The Madness" Chris Hall
- Matt Taylor
- "New Attitude" Ron Mathis
- Ryan Campbell
- Tim Donst
- Sean Tylerstein
- Sid Fabulous
- Kid Fabulous
- Vincent Nothing
- V-Rad
Female wrestlers
- Nevaeh
- Hardcore Heather Owens
Tag teams
- Royal Violence
(King Vu and Jon Moxley) - The Entourage
(JT Stahr and "The Madness" Chris Hall) - Faith in Nothing
(Vincent Nothing and Christian Faith) - The Hybrids
(Donovan Cain and Jason Lyte) - The Irish Airborne
(Dave and Jake Crist) - The Kosher Klub
(Joseph Schwartz and Sean Tylerstein) - Noble Bloods
(Lord Matthew Taylor and Sir Chadwick Cruise) - Utterly Fabulous
(Kid and Sid Fabulous) - The Assassins
- Ala Hussien and Kaden Assad
Managers
- Brock Guffman
- Danny O'Brien
- Shawn Bond
Staff
- Bob Bowling
(Play-by-Play) - Chris "The Brain" Kurtis
(Play-by-Play) - Doug Devore
(Play-by-Play) - Parker Riley
(Ring Announcer) - Tim Tatum
(President of Operations)
Referees
- Joe Kopasz
(Senior Official) - Brandon Tolle
- Tyler Rafflewitz
(Junior Referee)
Current champions
| Championship | Champion(s) | Previous | Date Won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWA Heavyweight Championship | King Vu | Jake Crist | August 22, 2009 | Norwood, OH |
| HWA American Luchacore Championship | Aaron Williams | N/A | June 10, 2009 | Cincinnati, OH |
| HWA Tag Team Championship | The Irish Airborne (Dave and Jake Crist) |
Royal Violence | October 14, 2009 | Middletown, OH |
Retired and inactive championships
| Championship | Last Champion(s) | Previous | Date Won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HWA Cruiserweight Championship | Aaron Williams | Vacant | August 30, 2009 | Cincinnati, OH |
| HWA Television Championship | Ganger | Quinten Lee | June 5, 2007 | Cincinnati, OH |
| HWA Barroom Brawl Championship | JT Stahr | Vacant | April 21, 2006 | Cincinnati, OH |
| HWA European Championship | Nigel McGuiness | Hoss | November 4, 2003 | Cincinnati, OH |
References
- ^ Race, Harley, Ricky Steamboat and Les Thatcher. The Professional Wrestlers' Workout & Instructional Guide. Champaigne, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2005. (pg. 6) ISBN 1-58261-947-6
- ^ "Les Thatcher Bio". LesThatcher.com. http://www.lesthatcher.com/thatcherbio.shtml. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ Speer, Phil (2003-02-11). "EPWT Training Camp Testimonials". WWE.com. http://www.epwt.com/epwttestimonials.shtml. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ Hardy, Matt and Jeff Hardy. The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. (pg. 7) ISBN 0-06-052154-6
- ^ "Much To Celebrate For Victoria On Her Birthday". http://www.owow.com/RingsideWith/Victoria/Interviews/02-11-03.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ Lacroix, C. (2005-03-10). "Primetime has reached the big time". Canadian Online Explorer. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/03/10/956560.html. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
- ^ Horie, Masanori (1999-02-22). "View from the Rising Sun". http://www.geocities.com/smokyrobmoore/jp022299.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ HWA (2003-02-11). "Heartland Wrestling Association". hwaonline.com. http://www.hwaonline.com/. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
External links
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