World Championship Wrestling
| World Championship Wrestling | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Details | |
| Acronym | WCW |
| Established | 1988 |
| Style | Professional wrestling, sports entertainment |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Founder(s) | Ted Turner |
| Owner(s) | Ted Turner (1988-2001) Vince McMahon (2001) |
| Parent | Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), Inc. (1988 – 1996) Time Warner (1996 – 2001) World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Inc. (2001) |
| Formerly | NWA Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions NWA World Championship Wrestling Universal Wrestling Corporation |
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001.[1]
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that appeared on the national scene under the ownership of media mogul Ted Turner. The promotion ended in 2001 when it was sold to Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).[2]
History
Although the name "World Championship Wrestling" had been used as a brand and television show name by various promotions affiliated with the NWA since 1982, (most notably Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions) it was not until five years later that an actual NWA-affiliated promotion called World Championship Wrestling appeared on the national scene, under the ownership of media mogul Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia.
The beginning
At the outset of WCW's existence, as well as with the promotions that came before it, the company was strongly identified with the Southern style of professional wrestling (or rasslin'), which emphasized athletic in-ring competition over the showmanship and cartoonish characters of the WWF.[3] This identification persisted into the 1990s, even as the company signed former WWF stars such as Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. WCW dominated pro wrestling's television ratings from 1996 to 1998 (84 straight weeks) mainly due to its incredibly popular New World Order storyline, but thereafter began to lose heavy ground to the WWF, which had recovered greatly due to its new "Attitude" branding. Repetitive story lines and bad bookings eventually led the promotion to began losing large amounts of money, leading to parent company AOL Time Warner selling the name copyrights and tape library to the WWF for $2.0 million in 2001.
In the late 1980's, WCW based itself regionally, mainly doing all its shows in the Deep South. WCW was the more popular choice among fans in the Deep South in comparison to the WWF. A few years later, WCW slowly started expanding nationally making it a national rival to the WWF, which led to a huge ratings competition between the two promotions. Despite signing big name stars from the WWF, WCW eventually lost out and folded in 2001. The WCW legacy still lives on in WWE. WWE decided to keep the WCW World Heavyweight, Cruiserweight and USA Championship belts. Also when Hulk Hogan returned to WWE, he returned to his traditional red and yellow WWF colors. However, WWE decided to keep his Hollywood nickname, which was given to him by WCW. In 2004, WWE brought back the Great American Bash.
Final champions
Under WCW banner
Under WWF banner
| Championship | Final champion(s) | Date won | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship[2] | Chris Jericho | December 9 2001 | Vengeance |
| WCW United States Championship[3] | Edge | November 12 2001 | RAW |
| WCW World Tag Team Championship[4] | The Dudley Boyz | October 23 2001 | SmackDown! |
Footnotes
- Unified with the WWF Championship at Vengeance 2001.[4] The belt design was later reintroduced as WWE sanctioned the World Heavyweight Championship in September 2002.
- Unified with the WWF Intercontinental Championship against Test.[5] Reactivated in 2003 as the WWE United States Championship.[6]
- Unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship at Survivor Series 2001.[5]
- Kept active after WCW and renamed WWF Cruiserweight Championship after The Invasion.[7]
WCW in other media
From 2000 to late 2001 there where a series of monster trucks based off of wrestlers' names. These include, nWo (2000), Sting (2000-2001), Nitro Machine (2000-Currently Inferno), Madusa (2000-Present), Goldberg (2000-2001). The first to go was nWo which only ran for a season. Next all but Goldberg, Nitro, and Madusa were retired after the WCW sponsor was lost. Nitro then became Flashfire then was converted into Inferno. Madusa has stayed as the same name ever since it was created, because it is driven by a woman who's name is Madusa. As for Goldberg it was then changed to Team Meents in 2002 then into Maximum Destruction which debuted in 2003.
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship1 1988-1992
- NWA World Tag Team Championship2 1992
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)3 1988-1991
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship 1988-1991
- NWA World Television Championship 1988-1991
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship 1988-1991
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship 1988-1991
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship 1991-2001
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship 1991-2001
- WCW Cruiserweight Championship 1996-2001
- WCW World Tag Team Championship 1991-2001
- WCW World Television Championship 1991-2000
- WCW Light Heavyweight Championship 1991-1992
- WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship 2001
- WCW Hardcore Championship 1999-2000
- WCW United States Tag Team Championship 1991-1992
- WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship 1991
- WCW International World Heavyweight Championship 1993-1994
- WCW Women's Championship 1995-1997
- WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship 1996
1The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was defended in World Championship wrestling until WCW was withdrawn
from the National Wrestling Alliance in September 1993.
2The NWA World Tag Team Championship was briefly defended in WCW beginning on July
12, 1992. The title was unified with the WCW World Tag Team Championship on September 21, 1992 and was defended until WCW's withdrawal from the NWA,
resulting in the two championships being separated once more.
3This title was considered the "unofficial" NWA World Tag Team Championship until a tournament was held in 1992
to declare an official NWA World Tag Team Championship for the first time in NWA history. This version of the NWA World Tag Team
Championship was renamed the WCW World Tag Team Championship in January 1991.
WCW programming
Throughout its history, World Championship Wrestling (and its predecessor, Jim Crockett Promotions) presented several wrestling programs.
- WCW Monday Nitro (1995 – 2001)
- WCW Thunder (1998 – 2001)
- WCW Saturday Night, aka WCW Saturday Morning, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling (1971 – 2000)
- World Championship Wrestling: Sunday Edition (1973 – 1987)
- WCW WorldWide, aka World Wide Wrestling (1975 – 2001)
- WCW Pro, aka NWA Pro Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling (1985 – 1998)
- WCW Main Event, aka NWA Power Hour (1989 – 1992)
- WCW Power Hour, aka NWA Power Hour (1989 – 1992)
- WCW Prime (1995 – 1997)
- WCW Clash of the Champions aka NWA Clash of Champions
References
- ^ Green, Jordan. "I was famous for getting beat up': The glorious and tragic story of Carolina wrasslin", YES! Weekly, 2005-12-14.
- ^ Assael, Shaun; Mooneyham, Mike (2002-07-16). Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Crown Publishers, pp. 252. ISBN 0-609-60690-5.
- ^ Assael, Shaun; Mooneyham, Mike (2002-07-16). Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Crown Publishers, pp. 61. ISBN 0-609-60690-5.
- ^ the rock defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin to become Undisputed Champion. WWE.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ a b
- ^ History of the United States Championship. WWE.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
- ^ History of the Cruiserweight Championship. WWE.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
See also
- Jim Crockett Promotions
- Monday Night Wars
- List of WCW pay-per-view events
- List of World Championship Wrestling alumni
- Nitro Girls
- The Alliance
External links
- WWE.com's WCW World Heavyweight Championship History
- WCW Title Histories
- WCW on the Wayback Machine
- DDT Digest - "The Unofficial Resting Place Of WCW"
- The Complete History of WCW
- Mid-Atlantic Gateway - The Website of Record on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling History
| World Wrestling Entertainment |
|---|
| History |
| Black Saturday • Monday Night Wars • Montreal Screwjob • The Invasion • Brand Extension • WWE Video Library |
| Programming |
| RAW • SmackDown! • ECW Current programming • Former programming • Pay-per-views |
| Developmental territories |
| Ohio Valley Wrestling • Florida Championship Wrestling |
| Former and defunct developmental territories |
| Deep South Wrestling • Heartland Wrestling Association • International Wrestling Association • Memphis Championship Wrestling |
| Subsidiaries |
| WWE Films • WWE Niagara Falls • WWE Records • WWE Video Games • WWE Home Video • WWE Books |
| Defunct subsidiaries |
| Coliseum Video • World Bodybuilding Federation • The World • XFL |
| Other wrestling organizations acquired |
| World Championship Wrestling (history) • Extreme Championship Wrestling |
| Talent |
| Current roster • WWE Divas • Alumni • Hall of Fame (inductees) • Diva Search • Tough Enough • WWE Draft • |
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