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The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948. Prior to the 1960s, it acted as the sole governing body for most of professional wrestling, operating as a talent and brand name franchiser for the inter-regional "territory" system^[2].

History[link]

1940s[link]

Before the NWA was founded in 1948, there existed many regional professional wrestling promotions across North America (each promoting its own "World" champion). None of them, however, had backing or recognition outside of their own respective geographic base-areas. The concept of the NWA was to consolidate the championships of these regional companies into one true world championship of pro wrestling, whose holder would be recognized worldwide.^[3] In 1948, Paul "Pinkie" George, a promoter from the Midwest, founded the original version of the National Wrestling Alliance with the backing of five other promoters (Al Haft, Tony Strecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, and Sam Muchnick). This newly-formed NWA Board of Directors wanted Brown to be the first-ever NWA World champion.^[3] During the reign of the second NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Lou Thesz (1949–1956),^[3] the title was further unified with several more previously-competing "World" titles, such as those recognized jointly by the National Wrestling Association and the American Wrestling Alliance (in Boston), plus another version promoted from the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium. This legitimized the NWA's claim that its title was a "Unified World Title," and its lineage continues to this day.

The NWA members divided up North America, as well as Japan, into territories that each promoter would "own" and operate in. Having a territory meant that no other NWA member could promote wrestling in that area unless special arrangements were made between the promoters involved. If non-NWA promoters tried to promote their show in an NWA territory, then the other member groups were obliged to send stars to help force the intruder out. Reportedly, threats of violence or physical retaliation were used against any promoters (and/or talent) who disregarded the territory system. If any member territory broke the NWA's rules, it faced expulsion, and thus risked missing out on having nationally-known wrestlers appear on their local shows. For most promoters under the NWA umbrella, the benefits of membership were well worth the dues. Usually, the NWA President's territory was the main territory of the entire alliance.

Beyond the benefit of having other promotions to draw on in case of an intruder, each territory also received periodic guest visits from the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The champion did not have a "home territory" as such, but instead traveled from territory to territory, defending the title against the top stars of each territory. A number of former NWA World Champions often remarked that their primary goal was to make the top stars of each territory "look good" and give crowds the impression that those "local heroes" had the potential of being the champion by almost winning the title. Many promoters would build up to the appearance of "The NWA World Heavyweight Champion" weeks or months in advance, making the local World title matches that much more special, and the shows they headlined more lucrative. In addition, each NWA member promotion usually produced a TV show that aired in their territory only, meaning that the local fans only saw the World champion when he came to their area, not year-round. It was not just the champion that would travel the territories; often, wrestlers from a different area would come into a territory (often the heels / "bad guys"), and run an angle or two with its top local faces ("good guys"). Also, if the local fans ever tired of a wrestler, he could go to a whole new area and perform the same act for new audiences, who would think the act was brand-new.

1950s–1960s[link]

Upon becoming the booker for Lou Thesz in 1950, Muchnick, who was the head of the St. Louis Wrestling Club, became the new NWA President and maintained that position until 1960.

In the mid-1950s, serious disputes broke out within the NWA. There were antitrust problems with the government and there were a number of competing factions who wanted to replace Thesz as champion with different wrestlers, such as Verne Gagne. The antitrust case led to the infamous NWA Consent Decree of 1956 in US v. National Wrestling Alliance.^[4] There were also disputes over the number of dates wrestled by the champion in various parts of the country. The first break within the organization occurred in 1957, when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn walked out of the August NWA meeting in St. Louis. Quinn had fallen out with Muchnick over a number of issues. Quinn was a partner in the St. Louis territory and disagreed with how it was being run, and was also angry that Muchnick had business dealings with rogue promoter (and Quinn rival) Jack Pfefer. At the time Quinn walked out, a wrestler of his named Édouard Carpentier was involved in an angle where he and Lou Thesz were both being presented around the NWA as champion. This occurred after Carpentier had a disputed win over Thesz on June 14, 1957, and some of the NWA promoters considered it a legitimate title change, while others did not.^[5] The original idea was to build the idea of the "disputed" NWA title into a high profile rematch. When Quinn left the NWA, Muchnick announced that Carpentier had never been an official champion and had no claim on the title.

Afterward, Quinn saw the financial possibilities in the Carpentier situation and began to negotiate with factions within the NWA, as some territories such as Boston (AAC/Big Time Wrestling), Nebraska, and Los Angeles (NAWA/WWA) continued to recognize Carpentier as champion. He offered to have Carpentier lose a title match to their prospective champion thus giving them, if they decided to break away, a legitimate claim on the world title. The AAC recognized Killer Kowalski as world champion when he defeated Carpentier in Boston, and Nebraska recognized Verne Gagne as champion when he defeated Carpentier in Omaha (after winning the belt, Gagne tried for two years to work things out with the NWA, but finally left the organization in 1960 forming the American Wrestling Association.^[5] Gagne's win over Carpentier was used to legitimize the world championship status of the AWA title). The NAWA/WWA recognized Freddie Blassie as world champion when he defeated Carpentier in 1961. The promotion then left the NWA officially and became the World Wrestling Association (WWA) until it returned to the NWA in 1968.

Muchnick's replacement at the NWA's helm in 1960 was Toronto's Frank Tunney; he in turn was succeeded by Fred Kohler, who was the main booker for the new NWA world champion, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers. October 1962 saw Rogers defeat Kowalski in a match promoted by Doc Karl Sarpolis, the NWA member promoter in Amarillo, Texas, and Sarpolis rose to the NWA presidency as a result. On January 24, 1963, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Lou Thesz defeated Rogers in a one-fall match and was declared champion. After the event, however, Northeastern promoter Vincent J. McMahon refused to recognize the title change and withdrew his operation from the NWA, becoming the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE) with Rogers as the star performer.^[6] The WWWF recognized Rogers as its first world champion in April 1963.^[6] Although both Gagne and McMahon promoted their own world champions, their promotions continued to have representatives on the NWA Board of Directors and regularly exchanged talent with NWA promotions.

Decline of the territory system[link]

In the 1980s, video tape trading and cable television paved the way for the eventual death of the NWA's inter-regional business model, as fans could now see for themselves the plot holes and inconsistencies between the different regional storylines. Also, the presence of stars like Ric Flair on TV every week made their special appearances in each region less of a draw. Vincent K. McMahon, who had bought the WWWF from his father in 1982 and renamed it the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), used these gathering trends to turn his Northeastern territory into the first truly national promotion. To combat this threat, various NWA promoters, along with the AWA, attempted to co-promote shows under the Pro Wrestling USA banner. Internal disputes over power and money, however, caused this deal to eventually fall apart. The AWA ended up owning the group's ESPN timeslot, and used it to broadcast its own weekly shows.

In 1984, McMahon bought NWA member Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) and merged it into the WWF, with the WWF taking over GCW's long-time TV slot on TBS.^[7] Meanwhile, to hold off the threat of the WWF, Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) decided to unify certain NWA territories and "go national" itself. Accordingly, Jim Crockett, Jr. began buying out some of the other NWA member promotions or, in some cases, allowed them to quietly die and just absorbed their rosters. Because of his acquisition spree, and because he failed to consistently match the WWF's ambitious marketing, TV production values, and merchandising, Crockett was facing bankruptcy by 1988. TBS owner Ted Turner bought JCP and renamed it World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after the popular GCW TV show on TBS.^[8] With the backing of Turner’s money, it grew into a national promotion. With time, WCW became the main NWA territory with the JCP versions of the Tag-Team, United States, and Television Champions being recognized on a national scale. Up until this point only the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship had had national recognition. WCW was still a member of the NWA, but with time felt that the NWA needed it more than it needed the backing of the NWA, especially since both WCW and the WWF toured the entire country instead of staying within a confined territory. To make matters even more confusing, WCW spent much of 1992 and 1993 recognizing and promoting both WCW-brand world champions and NWA-brand world champions.

Another promotion that withdrew from the NWA to operate on their own was Mid-South Sports. Originally owned by Leroy McGuirk (who booked the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion for the NWA), the promotion was sold to Bill Watts in 1979. Watts changed the name of the promotion to Mid-South Sports and declined to join the NWA. However, Watts did have a working agreement and exchanged talent with Jim Crockett Jr., allowing him to book the NWA world champion. In 1986, Watts renamed his promotion the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in a bid to expand nationally, but was eventually bought out by JCP in March 1987, after going bankrupt.^[9]

In February 1986, promoter Fritz Von Erich withdrew World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) from the NWA in a bid to become a national promotion. He teamed with another former NWA member, the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), and the AWA to try to compete with WCW and the WWF, but the arrangement soon fell apart due to inter-promotional politics. WCCW and the CWA later merged to form the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), which folded in 1997. Abroad, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) all seceded from the NWA in the mid-1980s, but not many American fans followed or even knew about these promotions.

1990s–2000s[link]

In January 1991, WCW officially began to recognize a WCW World champion, with Ric Flair, who had just defeated Sting to regain the NWA World championship, as the first title holder. Ric Flair was simultaneously recognized as the World champion of both the NWA and WCW until he left WCW over a dispute with WCW president Jim Herd (with the actual title belt in his possession) to join the WWF. Upon leaving, Flair was stripped of the WCW World title causing the separation of the WCW and NWA titles, but continued to be recognized as the NWA World champion until his arrival in the WWF a few months later when he was officially stripped of the NWA World title as well. Afterwards, the NWA World title lay dormant for a year, until New Japan Pro Wrestling hosted a tournament to crown a new champion. In September 1993, WCW withdrew completely from the NWA, and, despite Flair's possession of the physical belt, made no mention of the NWA name on air after the split.

In August 1994, Philadelphia-based Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) withdrew their membership from the NWA in somewhat surprising fashion. As one of the most popular independent promotions of the early 1990s, they hosted a tournament to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion after WCW had withdrawn from the NWA. The finals of the tournament saw Shane Douglas defeat 2 Cold Scorpio for the world title. Then, in a surprising turn, Douglas threw the title belt to the ground, claiming that he did not want to be the champion of a promotion that died "seven years before" (when JCP was sold to Ted Turner). Shane then grabbed the ECW Heavyweight Championship belt and declared himself the ECW World Heavyweight Champion. ECW owner Tod Gordon then renamed the company to Extreme Championship Wrestling and officially withdrew ECW from the NWA. This act all but obliterated any remaining prestige connected to the NWA World Championship and relegated it to an all but forgotten status among wrestling fans.

After the AWA's bankruptcy in 1991 and the secession of ECW in 1994, the NWA wasn't what it once was. Through the mid to late 1990s, the all-but-forgotten organization was left with a small collection of independent promotions during the peak of the Monday night ratings war between WCW and the WWF.

In a bid to become a major wrestling promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) split from the NWA in 2004. TNA was founded in 2002 as NWA: TNA and quickly came to hold exclusive booking rights to the two NWA world titles (NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship). In 2004, TNA withdrew from the NWA, but cut a deal to keep the promotional rights to the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team championships. However, due to TNA not reporting to the NWA about title changes in accordance to NWA bylaws, TNA and NWA worked out a split and the titles were returned to the NWA on May 13, 2007 and TNA then created its own championship titles.

NWA today[link]

Today, there is still a group of promoters which hold membership in the NWA and continue to use the NWA name, although no members are holdovers from the membership of the promotion's "glory days" of the 1940s–1980s.

In order to join the NWA, a promoter must have been operating for at least one year in a territory uncontested by any other NWA member, and their application must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors—although, there are numerous exceptions to this bylaw currently within the organization. In August 2005, the presidency of the NWA was dissolved and the duties of the office assumed by the Board of Directors, following the resignation of Ernie Todd (promoter of NWA: Canadian Wrestling Federation). On his promotion's website, not only did he explain his reasons for resigning from the NWA and its Board of Directors, but Todd stated that he would be joining AWA Superstars of Wrestling. Other members on the NWA's message board posted their thoughts on Todd's departure, and his decision to join AWA Superstars of Wrestling. It was announced on the NWA's website on Monday, October 10, 2005, that NWA legal counsel Bob Trobich would become its new Executive Director. In April, 2012, North Carolina businessman and NWA Carolinas promoter David Baucom took over as the Executive Director

Promotions[link]

Regional promotions of the past[link]

Several smaller promotions that were once cornerstones of the NWA ceased to exist as the WWF (now World Wrestling Entertainment) and WCW grew to national levels. Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) was one of the main NWA territories into the 1980s, but, due to the aging of promoter Don Owen and dwindling profit, it closed down in 1992. Another territory that was once considered a main territory of the NWA was promoter and two-time NWA President Sam Muchnick’s St. Louis-based promotion, the St. Louis Wrestling Club, which ran until 1982 and was then sold to a promotion that Jim Crockett Promotions absorbed in 1985 in its attempt to create a national promotion. NWA Mid-America, booked by Nick Gulas, and the Continental Wrestling Federation, booked by the Fullers, both folded in the 1980s, but were long-time members. Southwest Championship Wrestling out of San Antonio was a member from 1978 until it was bought by another NWA member promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), in 1985. When wrestler and Detroit NWA member Ed Farhat made several appearances as The Sheik in an "outlaw territory," his promotion, Big Time Wrestling, was deemed to have violated the NWA charter and was expelled from the organization. Another American former NWA member is Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was a member until it was made a WWF developmental territory in 2001.

The NWA is not restricted to the United States alone. At various points, promotions in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia were members. In Canada, Maple Leaf Wrestling was a long-time member of the NWA, with its promoter, Frank Tunney, serving as the NWA President in the early 1960s. Maple Leaf Wrestling withdrew from the NWA when it was incorporated into the WWF in 1984. Another Canadian promotion that was a key member in the NWA until also being absorbed into the WWF was Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, although when it was relaunched in 1999, it did not become a member of the NWA. Another Canadian territory, encompassing the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, was known as the Eastern Sports Association, and operated only in the summer months. This promotion dissolved in 1977, and promoter Al Zink’s subsequent ventures into wrestling were not affiliated with the NWA. Out of Vancouver came NWA All-Star Wrestling. Run by promoters Gene Kiniski and Sandor Kovac, NWA All-Star Wrestling was an NWA member until 1985, after which recognized a fictitious sanctioning body known as the "Universal Wrestling Alliance."

In Mexico, the primary NWA member was Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre (now called CMLL). Founded in 1933, it precedes the creation of the NWA. EMLL joined with the NWA later on, but broke away from the group in 1980. Despite not being a member of the NWA since 1980, CMLL still recognizes three titles with NWA lineage: NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship, NWA World Middleweight Championship and NWA World Welterweight Championship, which are all unsanctioned and only defended at CMLL events.

In the Caribbean, long-time promotion the World Wrestling Council, owned by Carlos Colon and based out of Puerto Rico, was a member from 1973 until 1988, when the territory concept became semi-obsolete due to WCW’s growth. Rival Puerto Rican promotion International Wrestling Association, founded in 1994 by Victor Quiñones, was a member of the NWA from its inception until its withdrawal in 2001.

The NWA’s presence in Japan was established in 1953, when Japanese wrestler/promoter Rikidōzan founded the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance, which quickly became the main promotion in Japan. In 1972, the JPWA’s two top draws Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki left to form their own promotions, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) respectively. As a result, the JPWA soon folded. AJPW became an NWA member upon its inception in 1973 and stayed until the late 1980s. NJPW was also a member of the NWA at various points between 1975 and 1985, mainly in order to gain control of the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. In 1992 and 1993, NJPW joined with the NWA once more to re-establish and promote the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but left the NWA when WCW withdrew. NJPW returned to the NWA in 2004, again mainly for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, and it is not a connection that is strongly emphasized. Between NJPW's departure in 1993 and its return in 2004 NWA representation in Japan was scattered among a few independent promotions: the International Wrestling Association of Japan (1994–1996); the Wrestle Yume Factory (1995–1997), the Universal Fighting Arts Organization (1999–2000); and Pro Wrestling Zero-One (2001–2004). In June 2007, it was announced that the Inoki Genome Federation would replace NJPW as the Japanese affiliate of the National Wrestling Alliance. In February 2008, however, New Japan returned to the NWA. At the annual meeting in 2010, New Japan did not renew its membership and left the NWA yet again. In 2011, Pro Wrestling Zero1 returned to the NWA as their Japanese territory.

The NWA brand name has been seen most prominently in recent years in conjunction with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), a former NWA member promotion started by Jeff Jarrett and his promoter father Jerry in 2002, which withdrew from the NWA in 2004. In 2004, TNA negotiated a new deal to license the NWA name and the use of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship, for ten years. On May 13, 2007, the NWA announced that it had ended this deal, revoked official World Heavyweight and World Tag Team championship statuses from the current (TNA-based) holders, and announced tournaments for both newly-vacated titles. In reality, both sides wanted to end the arrangement, as TNA wanted to brand its own World titles, and the NWA membership wanted final say on (and control of the booking dates for) NWA-brand champions.

Current major promotions[link]

The most visible NWA member promotion in the United States recently was NWA Wildside. It aired 300 consecutive weeks of syndicated television before closing in April 2005, when the promoter, Bill Behrens, signed a deal to work as a television syndicator for WWE. Bill Behrens and Jerry Palmer began NWA Anarchy after the closing of NWA Wildside. NWA Anarchy continues to broadcast weekly television programs appearing on stations all across the U.S. and Canada. NWA Pro Wrestling, operated out of Los Angeles by David Marquez and John Rivera, have been successful in running arena events throughout the American Southwest using top Lucha libre stars to draw houses. The current promotion, NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood is broadcast in the Southern California television market on KDOC, NWA Main Event, Tennessee, Mike Porter

NWA Pro Wrestling also has affiliates throughout California and New Jersey. Explosive Pro Wrestling, a joint promotion in Western Australia and South Australia, makes up the Alliance's newest Australian member after the failed NWA Australia venture.

The largest and most successful member promotion of the NWA was New Japan Pro Wrestling, the second-largest and most profitable wrestling promotion in the world (after WWE). NJPW was sanctioned by NWA member and wrestler, Antonio Inoki, who at times has also sanctioned Zero-One and the Universal Fighting Organization as NWA promotions. NJPW holds events consistently throughout Japan, and has also run shows in Europe and the United States. However, it is no longer an NWA territory, as Inoki transferred the rights to his Inoki Genome Federation when he left New Japan. at the 2010 Annual Meeting, New Japan did not renew its membership and has left the NWA.

The late 1990s also brought in the first European member, NWA UK Hammerlock. Due to European recognition of the UK-based All Star Promotions World Heavyweight Championship and the match rule differences (matches in Europe were usually divided into rounds), the NWA did not have a presence in Europe in its heyday.

In 2008 a new Mexican promotion, NWA Mexico run by Blue Demon, Jr. (adopted son of the original EMLL star Blue Demon) arose as the NWA's new Mexican affiliate. Demon, Jr., made an instant impact by winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (the first Mexican luchador to do so) without any EMLL involvement.

Recent television programs[link]

[edit] NWA Wrestling Showcase

In January 2008, Colours TV on Dish Network and the NWA announced that they would begin airing an hour-long show entitled NWA Wrestling Showcase, featuring the NWA's current lineup of stars in action. The show was hosted by David Marquez (with Rob Conway co-hosting the first four episodes) with match commentary by announcers Todd Kenneley, Kris Kloss and Rick Otazu. Ten episodes were shown before re-runs began. All the matches were taped at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. In January 2009, NWA Wrestling Showcase started airing new episodes, this time the tapings took place in Hollywood California.

[edit] NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood

On July 12, 2010, NWA Pro Wrestling, Inc. and KDOC-TV Los Angeles announced a partnership in producing National Wrestling Alliance branded television programming to the station beginning September 2010.

NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood is now an ongoing weekly television series that originates from KDOC-TV Los Angeles. The series premiere was on September 17, 2010.

Personnel[link]

Presidents[link]

Since the NWA was founded in 1948 there have been twenty different presidents of the company. In 2005, at the NWA's annual meeting, the position of President was abandoned in favor of the position of "Executive Director".

¹ Brody replaced Jim Crockett, Jr. a short time into this term.
² Trobich is the NWA's first Executive Director, after the Presidential position was abandoned at the 2005 NWA annual meeting.

Current champions[link]

Hall of fame[link]

See also[link]

• List of National Wrestling Alliance championships
• List of National Wrestling Alliance territories
• NWA Anniversary Show
• Wrestling From Marigold (NWA TV show from Chicago, live on WGN-TV/DuMont, 1949-1955, then on WGN until 1957)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Tim Hornbaker (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-741-3. 
• Shaun Assael and Mike Mooneyham (2002). Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. Crown. ISBN 1-4000-5143-6. 

External links[link]

• Official NWA Wrestling Twitter
• NWA Website
• Official NWA Facebook Page
• NWA Title Histories
• History of the National Wrestling Alliance

v t e Professional wrestling in the United States Active promotions National promotions WWE · Total Nonstop Action Wrestling · Ring of Honor Notable independent promotions Men: All Pro Wrestling · Chikara · Combat Zone Wrestling · Dory Funk’s Bang · Dragon Gate USA · East Coast Wrestling Association · Empire Wrestling Federation · Evolve · Florida Championship Wrestling · Full Impact Pro · Heartland Wrestling Association · Jersey All Pro Wrestling · Juggalo Championship Wrestling · Lucha Libre USA · Maryland Championship Wrestling · Memphis Wrestling · Ohio Valley Wrestling · Pro Wrestling Alliance · Pro Wrestling Guerrilla · Real Championship Wrestling · United Wrestling Federation · World Xtreme Wrestling · World League Wrestling · Wrestling Retribution Project Women: ChickFight · Professional Girl Wrestling Association · Shimmer Women Athletes · Women Superstars Uncensored · Wrestlicious Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances Global Professional Wrestling Alliance · National Wrestling Alliance Defunct promotions National promotions World Championship Wrestling (Jim Crockett Promotions) · Extreme Championship Wrestling · American Wrestling Association Notable former independent promotions and wrestling territories Men: American Wrestling Federation · Championship Wrestling from Florida · Continental Championship Wrestling · Continental Wrestling Association · Deep South Wrestling · Georgia Championship Wrestling · Global Wrestling Federation · Hardcore Homecoming · Heart of America Sports Attractions/Central States Wrestling · Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South · International Championship Wrestling · International (World Class) Championship Wrestling · Major League Wrestling · Memphis Championship Wrestling · National Wrestling Federation · Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts · Pacific Northwest Wrestling/Portland Wrestling · Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling · Pro Wrestling USA · Smoky Mountain Wrestling · United States Wrestling Association · Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)/Mid-South Wrestling · Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams) · Windy City Pro Wrestling · World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis) · World Class Championship Wrestling · Wrestling Society X · Xcitement Wrestling Federation · Xtreme Pro Wrestling Women: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling · Ladies Major League Wrestling · Ladies Professional Wrestling Association · Powerful Women of Wrestling · Women of Wrestling · Women's Extreme Wrestling · World Women's Wrestling Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances Pro Wrestling USA · Wrestling Superstars Live

v t e Professional wrestling in Canada Active Major promotions Men Maximum Pro Wrestling Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling Northern Championship Wrestling Women NCW Femmes Fatales Independent promotions Great Canadian Wrestling Monster Pro Wrestling Prairie Wrestling Alliance WFX Wrestling Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances National Wrestling Alliance Wrestling Superstars Live Defunct Major promotions Action Wrestling Entertainment All-Star Wrestling Border City Wrestling BSE Pro Eastern Sports Association Grand Prix Wrestling International Wrestling Syndicate Lutte Internationale Maple Leaf Wrestling Stampede Wrestling UWA Hardcore Wrestling

Robert Thomas Conway^[1] (November 28, 1972), better known as Rob Conway, is an American professional wrestler best known for his seven year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently employed by Juggalo Championship Wrestling.

Professional wrestling career[link]

Rob Conway began his career in Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) and Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), teaming with Nick Dinsmore under the names Limited Edition (MCW), the Borkcin Brothers, and the Lords of the Ring (OVW).^[1] While in OVW, he and Dinsmore were also members of Kenny Bolin's Bolin Services along with The Prototype, Bull Buchanan, and Mark Henry.^[1] As the Lords of the Ring, Conway and Dinsmore won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship on 10 occasions and captured the MCW North American Tag Team Championship once. On April 28, 1999 Rob Conway defeated his partner Nick Dinsmore to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship, but lost it back to him the next week. Conway won the OVW Heavyweight Championship a second time on August 17, 1999, pinning Damaja. He lost the title to Rico Constantino on November 10, regaining it on September 6, 2000, with another victory over Dinsmore.

World Wrestling Entertainment[link]

Occasional appearances (2000-2003)[link]

Conway had dark matches previously with Kurt Angle and Headbanger Mosh, then known as Beaver Cleavage. Conway's TV debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was on the May 20, 2000, episode of Jakked, where he was defeated by Bull Buchanan.^[3] Over the next three years, Conway appeared in tryout matches on Velocity and Sunday Night Heat, losing to wrestlers such as A-Train, Randy Orton, and The Hurricane.^[4]

In a match taped for the July 17, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, Rob Conway and Nick Dinsmore appeared under masks as "Los Conquistadores", losing to Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman.^[5] On July 27, at Vengeance, Conway once again competed as the masked Conquistador, this time with Johnny Jeter as his partner, as part of the APA Bar Room Brawl.^[6]

La Résistance (2003-2005)[link]

Conway made his proper debut for the company on the August 18, 2003, episode of Raw, planted in the audience dressed as an American airman.^[7] After Conway was "harassed" by the heel tag team La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée), he was invited into the ring by The Dudley Boyz, who were then feuding with La Résistance.^[7] While "celebrating" with the Dudley Boyz and waving the American flag, Conway suddenly hit them both with the flagpole, revealing himself to be a member of La Résistance.^[7] The trio feuded with several tag teams, including the Dudley Boyz, Hurricane and Rosey, and Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak. When Grenier suffered a back injury in October 2003, Dupree and Conway held the group together until the March 15, 2004 edition of Raw when Grenier returned. The trio did not last long after that, however, as Dupree was drafted to SmackDown! on March 22, 2004 during the Draft Lottery.

Conway making his entrance at a house show in 2005

Grenier and Conway, however, continued to team together as La Résistance on Raw. With American-Franco hostility subsiding, the WWE ceased billing the team as being from France and instead promoted them as being haughty French Canadians who carried the flag of Quebec to the ring, with Grenier often singing the Canadian national anthem. The team held the World Tag Team Championship three times. Their first title reign came when they defeated Chris Benoit and Edge on the May 31, 2004 edition of Raw in Grenier's home town of Montreal, Quebec.^[8] Shortly after this Conway grew his hair out and combed it back. The team dropped the belts to the same team of Benoit and Edge at Taboo Tuesday on October 19 when, even though Edge walked out on Benoit, Benoit was able to defeat La Résistance by himself.^[9] It was not long before La Résistance reclaimed the tag team gold for the second time on the November 1 edition of Raw, defeating Chris Benoit after Edge walked out on Benoit again.^[10] This time La Résistance did not hold the title as long as their last reign; they lost the belts two weeks later on Raw when they faced the team of William Regal and Eugene as well as Tajiri and Rhyno.^[11] In a 3-Way Elimination match, they dropped the title to Regal and Eugene. Their third, and final, Tag Team Title reign began at a Raw brand house show on January 16, 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba when they defeated Regal and Jonathan Coachman—Regal's actual partner, Eugene, had been injured and Coachman was selected to be his fill in partner, though Regal never tagged him in—to win the belts.^[1] La Résistance dropped the belts again a few weeks later on the February 7, edition of Raw, from Tokyo, Japan, to William Regal and his new tag team partner Tajiri.^[12] Conway cut his hair back short in March, 2005.

La Résistance repeatedly attempted to regain the gold (mainly on Heat) from Regal and Tajiri in a number of different matches but fell just short each time.^[13][14] During their "last shot" the team thought they had won back the title only to have the decision reversed by referee Mike Chioda due to La Résistance not pinning the legal man. The match was restarted but La Résistance lost the match and their last chance against Regal and Tajiri in a normal tag team contest. The team was given one more chance at Regal and Tajiri, only this time during a Tag Team Turmoil match including five teams—La Résistance, Regal and Tajiri, The Heart Throbs (Romeo Roselli and Antonio Thomas), Simon Dean and Maven, and The Super Heroes Hurricane and Rosey, at Backlash.^[15] During the match La Résistance managed to eliminate the champions, but were defeated by the last remaining team (and winners of the match) Hurricane and Rosey.^[15]

Split and singles competition (2005-2007)[link]

The team split in mid-May after repeatedly quarreling over his attitude towards men which of them was the superior wrestler.^[16] Grenier and Conway went into singles competition with announcers claiming that the members of La Résistance were trying to "one up" each other in singles matches without the other man in their corner. This saw Conway defeat a jobber and Val Venis, while Grenier was defeated by both Venis and Chris Jericho. Both men competed in a triple threat match against Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin for the title; Benjamin won the match not long after the La Résistance members began to argue and fight with each other.^[17] This altercation led to a main event match for the June 12 Heat (taped on June 6) in which Rob Conway portrayed the heel, and defeated Grenier.^[18] On June 30, 2005, Grenier was a last minute trade in the 2005 WWE Draft, sending him to SmackDown! while Conway stayed on the Raw brand. Conway then began wrestling in singles competition on both Heat and Raw.

On the July 17, 2005 edition of Heat Conway brought back his original identity of Rob Conway, making his new gimmick a narcissistic heel and developing a new appearance (similar to Buff Bagwell) including a biker hat, sunglasses, a mustache, see through tights, and a new haircut. He began referring to himself as "The Con-Man" Rob Conway.^[1] During the WWE Homecoming edition of Raw, Conway interrupted a segment involving a number of WWE Legends. After disrespecting the legends, they assaulted him.^[19] Conway, seeking retaliation, then went on to have matches against a number of legends, picking up wins over Doink The Clown, Greg Valentine (by disqualification), and Koko B. Ware.^[20]

During this time he would go on to begin feuding with Eugene, a big fan of the legends who stuck up for them.^[20][21] At the Taboo Tuesday pay-per-view, Conway teamed with Tomko to face Eugene and a legend (as voted for by the fans).^[22] Jimmy Snuka beat out Kamala and Jim Duggan in the voting to become Eugene's partner and picked up the win after a Superfly Splash ending Conway's winning streak.^[22] On the next Raw, Conway attempted to take the Intercontinental Championship from Ric Flair, but came up short when he was locked in Flair's figure four leglock.^[23]

After losing to Flair, Conway went on a long losing streak, losing almost every match he was in through the rest of the 2005 and the start of 2006. Conway went back to competing on Sunday Night Heat making few appearances on Raw and losing on every occasion. On the April 10, 2006 edition of Raw, Conway debuted a slightly changed look, including longer hair, no mustache, and blonde highlighted hair, in a loss to Rob Van Dam.^[24] Conway finally broke his losing streak for one night only on the May 12, 2006 edition of Heat when he won a mixed tag team match with Victoria against the team of Viscera and Torrie Wilson.^[25] It was short lived, however, as the next week he was defeated by Jim Duggan, re-starting his losing streak but starting a short program with Duggan and his protege Eugene.^[26] At the start of August, Conway dropped the Con-Man Gimmick as he stopped wearing sunglasses and his ego dropped. From this point on, Conway was used as a tweener who was desperate to pick up a victory over anyone possible but failed every time he tried.

During the first episode of Raw for January 2007 (1st Jan), Rob threatened to Quit if he lost his match with Jeff Hardy. He did, and was then fired by Vince McMahon.

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2007-2009)[link]

On the November 15 edition of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Conway made a surprise appearance, teaming with Sylvain Grenier to reform their old stable, La Résistance.^[27] The reformed team defeated Cody Runnels and Shawn Spears to earn a shot at the OVW Southern Tag Team Titles.^[27] The team, however, lost the title match.^[28] After months of losing, Conway appeared on the January 1, 2007 edition of Raw.^[29] Conway proceeded to make a New Year's resolution and vowed that he would not lose another match and if he did he would quit Raw.^[29] His opponent was the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, but he was pinned after 21 seconds.^[29] After the match, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon entered the ring and fired him.^[29] On May 11, 2007, Conway was released from his WWE contract.^[30]

Juggalo Championship Wrestling (2011-present)[link]

Conway debuted in Juggalo Championship Wrestling at the event Hardcore Hell.^[31] Per storyline, he announced that he was a master of submissions and a wrestler for hire.^[31] That night, Conway submitted three different opponents to showcase his skills.^[31] Two weeks later, he was hired by Breyer Wellington to face JCW Heavyweight Champion Corporal Robinson, but was defeated.^[32] Conway then participated in Juggalo Championship Wrestling's first internet pay-per-view Hatchet Attacks, where he submitted Sal the Man of a Thousand Gimmicks.^[33] At Up in Smoke, Conway was hired by Sabu's manager Charlie Brown to attack 2 Tuff Tony.^[34] After Rhino scared off Sabu and Conway, a tag team match was scheduled between the two and Rhino and Tony at St. Andrew's Brawl.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Rob graduated from Indiana's New Albany High School in 1990 where he was a standout basketball player. He later played basketball at the now defunct Graceland College in New Albany. Following college, Rob sold fitness equipment and worked as a personal trainer in the Southern Indiana/Louisville area. He broke into wrestling after driving past the old Danny Davis arena in Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1997. After walking in and watching what he considered out of shape guys wrestle, he thought he would give it a try. Within five minutes of being in the ring, Rob stated in a 2004 article in Indianapolis Monthly he knew this is what he wanted to do. Based on the appearance of the local wrestlers, he thought it would only take six months to make it to the WWE (then WWF); it eventually took him six years. Conway and his family attend East Audubon Baptist Church in Louisville. He also starred in the movie, "Thugin' It the Conway" featuring Val Venis.

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Ego Trip (Whiplash, sometimes to a rope hung opponent)^[1]
  • Iron Fist (Punch with loaded glove)^[1] - OVW

• Signature moves
  • DDT^[1]
  • Neckbreaker slam^[1]

• With Sylvain Grenier
  • Au Revoir (Aided Whiplash)
  • La Crêpe / Bonne Nuit (Hart Attack)

• Managers
  • Kenny Bolin
  • Nikita Fink
  • Jackie Gayda
  • Linda Miles
  • Sherri Martel
  • Victoria
  • Sam McCoy
  • Battle Baxter

• Nicknames

• "The Iron Man"^[1]
• "The Submissionary"^[31]
• "The Con Man"^[35]

• Entrance themes

• • "Hendrix Bleeds" by Alec Williams & Chieli Minucci
  • "Just Look at Me" by Jim Johnston

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Music City Wrestling

• MCW North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nick Dinsmore^[36]

• Northern Championship Wrestling

• NCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Sylvain Grenier^[1]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling

• OVW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)^[37]
• OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (11 times) – with Nick Dinsmore (10) and Pat Buck (1)^[38]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #45 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2004^[39]

• World Wrestling Entertainment

• World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Sylvain Grenier^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rob Conway

• "Iron Man" Rob Conway's Profile on OVW
• The Ironman's official website