Jim Crockett Promotions

Professional wrestling promotion

Jim Crockett Promotions Inc.

Company type| Private
Industry| Professional wrestling
Founded| 1931 (original company)[1]
March 1965 (reincorporated in North Carolina)
2022 (revival)
Founder| Jim Crockett
Defunct| February 1965 (original company)
April 1993 (reincorporated company)
Fate| Selected assets sold to Turner Broadcasting System and relaunched as World Championship Wrestling in October 1988[1]
Headquarters|

Charlotte, North Carolina[2][3]

United States[2]

Area served

| Eastern Seaboard[2]
Owner| Original company:
Jim Crockett
(1931–1965, 1965–1973)
Jim Crockett Jr.
(1973–1988, 1988–1993)
WWE (2001–present)
Revival:
Conrad Thompson and David Crockett (2022)
David Crockett (2022–present)
Parent| Original company:
WWE Libraries (2001–present)

Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.[2] Founded in 1931, the promotion emerged as a cornerstone of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). By the 1980s, Jim Crockett Promotions was, along with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), one of the two largest promotions in the United States. The Crockett family sold a majority interest in the promotion to Turner Broadcasting System (which was acquired by Time Warner in 1996, later became WarnerMedia from 2018–2022, now known as Warner Bros. Discovery), resulting in the creation of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1988.[4][1] In 2022, Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. was restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett.[2]

## History

[edit]

### Early history (1931–1952)

[edit]

Jim Crockett (1909–1973) was a promoter of live events including professional wrestling, music concerts, plays, minor league baseball, and ice hockey. In 1931, he founded his own professional wrestling promotion, Jim Crockett Promotions.[1] Crockett built JCP as a regional promotion centred on the Carolinas and Virginia.[5]

Although the business was always called Jim Crockett Promotions, it used a variety of pseudonyms as brand names for specific TV shows, newspaper and radio ads, and even on event tickets, themselves. Among those brand names that JCP created were "Championship Wrestling", "All Star Wrestling", "East Coast Wrestling", "Eastern States Championship Wrestling", "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling", "Mid-Atlantic Championship Sports", "Wide World Wrestling", and "NWA Pro Wrestling", NWA World Wide Wrestling", and "NWA World Championship Wrestling" following its membership in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

### Early membership in the NWA (1952–1978)

[edit]

#### 1950s to 1960s

[edit]

Crockett joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1952, and his "territory" covered Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The name "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" became JCP's primary brand name[citation needed] in print, radio, and other advertising (the name was also used for its main television programs). The business was incorporated in the 1950s.

#### 1970s

[edit]

Jim Crockett died in 1973. He left JCP to his family, with his eldest son, Jim Crockett, Jr., taking over as chief executive.[1][3]

Led by the younger Crockett and under the guidance of a new creative force—former wrestler-turned-match-booker George Scott—the promotion moved away from generally featuring just tag teams, to primarily focusing on singles wrestling (although tag-team matches continued to play a big part in the company).

By the early-1970s, JCP had gradually phased-out its multiple weekly television tapings in such cities as Charlotte, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, and High Point, North Carolina, consolidating its production schedule into just one shoot (a Wednesday night videotaping at WRAL-TV in Raleigh), and then syndicating the broadcast to several local TV stations throughout the Carolinas and Virginia. In 1981, JCP moved to the WPCQ-TV studios in Charlotte (a station once owned by Ted Turner).

The local shows hosted by announcers like Billy "Big Bill" Ward (from WBTV in Charlotte) and Charlie Harville (at WGHP in High Point) gave way to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (known briefly in 1978 as Mid-Atlantic Championship Sports). Mid-Atlantic was hosted by Bob Caudle, (a longtime WRAL weatherman). Caudle was joined by a rotation of co-hosts (everyone from Les Thatcher all the way to Dr. Tom Miller), before David Crockett (another son of Jim Crockett Sr.) became Bob's permanent co-host/color commentary man (after ending a very brief career as a wrestler, himself). For a brief period, a secondary show, East Coast Wrestling, was taped at WRAL; it was basically a re-packaged version of Mid-Atlantic, and it was also announced by Billy "Big Bill" Ward.

In 1975, JCP premiered a new, syndicated show, Wide World Wrestling (renamed World Wide Wrestling in 1978). The original host of this show was former Georgia Championship Wrestling announcer Ed Capral. Subsequent Wide World/World Wide announcers included Les Thatcher, George and Sandy Scott, and Dr. Tom Miller. It was also hosted by the team of Rich Landrum and Johnny Weaver. In 1978, JCP later added a short-lived show, The Best of NWA Wrestling, which was taped at the WCCB studios in Charlotte (across the street from the now-Bojangles' Coliseum, a regular venue for Mid-Atlantic live events) and featured then-active wrestler Johnny Weaver sitting down with top stars in a "coach's show" format (in which host and guest did running commentary over 16 millimeter film footage of matches from local arenas). Rich Landrum and David Crockett appeared on "Best Of", doing promo interviews for local arena shows.

### Regional expansion (1978–1983)

[edit]

JCP gradually began to expand, running shows in eastern Tennessee, parts of West Virginia, and even Savannah, Georgia. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it ran regular shows in Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. Crockett and Scott also bought minority shares of Frank Tunney's Toronto-based promotion, Maple Leaf Wrestling. Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling also aired on a Buffalo, New York station, enabling the Tunney/Crockett/Scott enterprise to bring a full slate of shows to Ontario and upstate New York.

In the 1980s, Crockett, Jr. began consolidating the Southern member promotions of the National Wrestling Alliance. Discarding the Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling brand, he began promoting his events simply as NWA shows, although his promotion remained distinct from the larger NWA entity.[6] In August 1980, Crockett, Jr. was elected president of the NWA,[3] and the next year (the same year Crockett moved his TV show tapings from Raleigh to Charlotte), former (and future) Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) booker Ole Anderson took over as Mid-Atlantic's booker. In 1981, Anderson booked both JCP and GCW simultaneously.

In 1982, Crockett partnered with wrestlers Ric Flair and Blackjack Mulligan to start Southern Championship Wrestling, a secondary company out of Knoxville, Tennessee. The promotion featured such stars as Mulligan; his son Barry Windham (then billed as Blackjack Mulligan Jr.); Kevin Sullivan; Wayne Ferris; The Mongolian Stomper; Terry Taylor; Tim Horner, and others. The enterprise lasted less than one year, however.

### National expansion (1983–1985)

[edit]

By the 1980s, American professional wrestling was undergoing seismic and rapid change. The old, NWA-sanctioned system of separate, regional "territory" promotions[7] was collapsing under increasing competitive pressure from Vincent K. McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE)—itself a family-owned territory promotion covering the northeastern U.S. — which was aggressively expanding into a nationwide promotion. Crockett had similar expansion goals, envisioning a united NWA through JCP's buyout of or merger with all of the NWA's regional promotions.

Ted Turner, whose Atlanta television station WTCG would become distributed nationally via satellite starting in 1976, had realized the value of professional wrestling for cable television in the early 1970s. WTCG aired Georgia Championship Wrestling's programming on Saturday evenings, and wrestling provided his then-fledgling enterprise (the future SuperStation WTBS) a source of cheap live entertainment which was well-suited to the station's target demographics. Turner could run per inquiry advertisements (for products like Slim Whitman albums and Ginsu knives) and take part of the sales profits just by providing the big viewing audience delivered by pro wrestling's loyal fanbase (wrestling generally did not attract large ad revenues at that time, due to negative industry perceptions of its lower-income target demographic).

SuperStation TBS's parent company, Turner Broadcasting System, had asked Georgia Championship Wrestling to change its public brand name to World Championship Wrestling, helping fuel rumors that the Jim Barnett-controlled company would go national itself; GCW acquiesced to the World Championship Wrestling name change in 1982.[8] Meanwhile, by 1983, JCP went from recording its weekly shows in a television studio to shooting on-location, in between matches at live arena events. After purchasing a mobile television production unit for $1 million, Crockett unveiled what became the NWA's dominant annual supercard, Starrcade.[9]

In 1984, McMahon's WWF purchased controlling interest in GCW from a number of its co-owners (including Barnett and brothers Jack and Jerry Brisco), thus gaining control of GCW's flagship Saturday night time slot on TBS. This tactic—co-opting the time slots of rival territories in their own "backyard"/local TV markets—was part of the WWF's national expansion strategy. To McMahon's surprise, however, the move backfired with TBS. When the WWF aired its first show on TBS on July 14, replacing World Championship Wrestling, viewer backlash was severe, as the show's Southern fans were incensed to see their beloved stars suddenly replaced—without advance notice—by an "invading force" of wrestlers from "up North", an event that has since become known in pro wrestling lore as Black Saturday. In response to the ensuing deluge of complaints, TBS granted an upstart promotion called Championship Wrestling from Georgia (backed by holdout GCW shareholder and NWA member Fred Ward and former GCW wrestler/booker Ole Anderson) an early Saturday morning time slot so that the local stars could still be seen. Championship Wrestling from Georgia's television show (which had the same name as the promotion itself), along with that of Bill Watts's Mid-South Wrestling (to whom Turner had also granted a time slot), easily surpassed the ratings for the WWF broadcast, which only featured clips and wrestler promos instead of original matches. The steep decline in ratings for the Saturday evening WWF show, and viewers clamoring for GCW's return, began to make the WWF's move a money-losing one. Eventually, McMahon cut his losses and sold the time slot to Crockett for $1 million. Although this gave Crockett vital national exposure, it also allowed McMahon to finance his own marquee wrestling event, WrestleMania. This chain of events was critical in Turner's eventual decision to purchase JCP and form World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1988.

An extra sense of urgency was added to Crockett's national expansion ambitions when, after Frank Tunney's death, his nephew and successor Jack joined forces with the WWF. Crockett would now have to either find other willing partner-promoters or buy them out if he wanted to run shows outside the Mid-Atlantic territory. This period also marked Crockett's first attempt to create a national promotion; Crockett and other wrestling companies needed this opportunity after the WWF buyout of the Toronto territory occurred, as well as after the airing of the WWF program The War to Settle the Score on MTV to high ratings. Together with the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), Championship Wrestling from Georgia, and Memphis-based Jarrett Promotions, JCP created Pro Wrestling USA. However, the organization fell apart in January 1986.

### Consolidation of the NWA (1985–1988)

[edit]

Crockett bought out Ole Anderson's Championship Wrestling from Georgia, on April 6, 1985,[10] and was re-elected NWA President. This was to help counter the WWF, after it became America's dominant wrestling business in the wake of WrestleMania. Crockett then purchased both Saturday evening TBS time slots from Vince McMahon and filled the time slot with two hours of original programming filmed in Ted Turner's Atlanta studios. The programming aired under the World Championship Wrestling banner, which had been adopted by GCW before its demise. The entire company was frequently referred to in the influential Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister publications by the WCW name or more commonly as "the World Championship area."[11][12] As a result of the success World Championship Wrestling now had from acquiring the Saturday night time slots, Crockett (along with JCP booker Dusty Rhodes) was able to establish an annual summer arena tour, "The Great American Bash" starting with a single supercard in 1985 and expanding to the full tour in 1986.

By 1987, Crockett was elected to a third term as NWA President, and gained control (either through purchase or working agreements) of the St. Louis Wrestling Club, Heart of America Sports Attractions (Bob Geigel's Central States brand), Championship Wrestling from Florida, and Bill Watts's Mid-South Sports (which operated under the Mid-South Wrestling, and later, upon expansion, Universal Wrestling Federation brand names). Despite Crockett now having six consolidated territories under his banner and leading the NWA, JCP and the NWA were still two separate entities, and Crockett—like all NWA promoters before and since—was simply licensing the NWA brand name, whose true value was as a credibility-infusing, fan-trusted brand name for wrestling championships. Still, Crockett had an iron-clad grip on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship during his presidency; by this point, JCP's top contracted performer, Ric Flair, was locked-in as the champion. Moreover, even though Flair was obligated to perform title-defense matches in each territory against the territory's own chosen star/challenger, any title changes only occurred between other performers also contracted to Crockett, such as Dusty Rhodes and Ron Garvin.

Crockett's rapid expansion had significant financial consequences for JCP. By December, the company had bought-out the rival UWF; Crockett even moved many of his administrative employees from his Charlotte base to the UWF's former offices in Dallas. Jim Crockett, Jr. and Dusty Rhodes personally manned the Dallas office, leaving Jim Jr.'s brother David Crockett in charge of the Charlotte operations. Bob Geigel, a former NWA President who bought his promotion back from Crockett in Febrtuary 1987 through a partnership, had also withdrawn from the NWA. JCP also began to run shows in new markets from coast-to-coast (often in less-than-sold-out arenas), greatly increasing travel costs and other overhead. JCP's first pay-per-view endeavor, 1987's Starrcade, was scheduled in its traditional Thanksgiving slot, but ran into unexpected competition from the WWF's inaugural Survivor Series PPV, which was scheduled to air the same night. Not wanting to possibly lose to the WWF in a direct PPV competition, Crockett decided to move Starrcade's starting time to Thanksgiving afternoon instead of the evening. However, the WWF then threatened cable companies that if they chose to air Starrcade, they would not be offered future WWF PPVs, including that year's Survivor Series and the forthcoming WrestleMania IV. Since the WWF was the uncontested #1 PPV content provider in America at the time, only a handful of companies committed to air Starrcade, devastating the event's profitability.[9]

After the cable industry warned McMahon to never again attempt such a move, Crockett felt it safe to restart his PPV attempts, and scheduled Bunkhouse Stampede in January 1988. However, the WWF again sabotaged JCP by airing the first-ever Royal Rumble on the USA Network opposite Bunkhouse Stampede, cutting into its buy rate. Crockett then attempted to use McMahon's tactics against him, airing Clash of the Champions I—featuring a PPV-quality card—on TBS in an attempt to draw viewers away from WrestleMania IV on PPV, which took place that same night. This was one of the few tactics to actually work for JCP in its war with the WWF, as WrestleMania IV's buy rate was much lower than that of the previous year's Survivor Series. However, Clash of the Champions was now the only thing Crockett could use to keep the NWA alive, though it was not even as highly watched as the WWF's Saturday Night's Main Event.[13][14] On the verge of bankruptcy, Crockett sold Jim Crockett Promotions to Ted Turner in November 1988, and the promotion was renamed the Universal Wrestling Corporation. Soon after, it was renamed again to World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

### Sale to Turner Broadcasting System (1988–1993)

[edit]

The eventual downfall of JCP, leading to its eventual sale to Ted Turner (and thereby the birth of WCW) can be attributed to several key factors. Magnum T. A. — one of JCP's top babyfaces, and the performer scheduled to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion at Starrcade 1986 — was severely injured in a car accident over two months before Starrcade (October 14), and could never wrestle again. So, JCP turned major "heel" Nikita Koloff, into a face on October 25, to take Magnum T. A.'s place while still being able to have a profitable build-up to Starrcade's main event. JCP alienated loyal fans in the Carolinas by moving Starrcade '87 and the Bunkhouse Stampede to arenas in Chicago and New York City, respectively. JCP had no real history and market presence in either of these non-southern metro areas, and its ability to drawing sellout crowds for arena shows in the Southeast eventually suffered, as some local fans vindictively withheld their support.[15]

Booking decisions also factored into the promotion's downfall. JCP flushed away a potentially profitable angle following the acquisition of Bill Watts's UWF by "burying" the UWF's talent. Instead of portraying them as competitive with JCP wrestlers, the UWF's wrestlers and championships were portrayed as second-rate compared to those of JCP. Meanwhile, mid-carder Ron Garvin beat perennial champion Ric Flair for the NWA world title. Although Garvin was booked to be a babyface, many fans did not find him credible enough to be a serious threat to Flair.[16]

JCP apparently neglected to monitor its own lavish spending as well.[17] Crockett flew himself and his top performers around in an expensive private jet.[18] In addition to the expense of Crockett's personal jet, there were other extravagant purchases such as the limousines provided for various wrestlers and regular business parties held by officials throughout JCP's regional offices.[19] In addition, the large amount of capital needed to take a wrestling company on a national tour and Crockett's aggressive territorial acquisitions had seriously drained JCP's coffers.[20] In purchasing the UWF, JCP also took responsibility for the UWF's large debt from TV contracts, etc.

Compounding the issues that came with expansion was a lack of investing in the kind of marketing needed to make it successful. As mentioned, major cards such as Starrcade and the Bunkhouse Stampede did not draw as well when moved out of JCP's traditional territory. According to Rhodes, JCP failed to gain the national name recognition that McMahon achieved with the World Wrestling Federation.[21] Rhodes also pointed out that with the WWF's success, McMahon was financially able to lure the top talent away from rival companies. Because of this, JCP offered many of its stars lucrative contracts - paying them beyond their actual value - to prevent them from leaving the company.

Another factor was the fans' exasperation with the "Dusty Finish" (a type of "screwjob" finish named after Rhodes, who did not actually invent the concept, but used it frequently for matches at regular house shows and PPV/major cards, alike). Due to the heavy overuse of this end-of-match sequence, many JCP fans started to expect the swerve at any moment, whenever a popular wrestler (usually a face) appeared to win a title match and was about to be awarded the championship belt (or any similar situation), only to have the win overturned due to a technicality. As a result, attendance at live shows began to fall — even at venues where JCP had traditionally drawn well or extremely well.[22]

By 1988, JCP was on the verge of bankruptcy.[6] In November 1988, Turner Broadcasting System purchased a majority interest in JCP for $9 million. The Crockett family retained a minority interest, with Crockett, Jr. becoming a consultant.[1][23] Turner Broadcasting System ultimately rebranded the promotion World Championship Wrestling. In 1993, JCP ceased to exist.

### Revival under Conrad Thompson and David Crockett (2022)

[edit]

On May 16, 2022, Ric Flair announced he would return to the ring for one last match under Jim Crockett Promotions, Ric Flair's Last Match on July 31, 2022. Shortly after Flair's announcement, David Crockett and Conrad Thompson of the Starrcast wrestling fan convention filed for U.S. trademarks on "Jim Crockett Promotions" and "JCP" with respect to wrestling events, news, and merchandise.[24]

During a media call promoting the pay-per-view, Thompson stated he will give his 50% percent of the U.S. trademarks of Jim Crockett Promotions to David Crockett on August 1, 2022, after the conclusion of the Starrcast weekend.[25]

## Championships

[edit]

World Championships  | Retired  | Notes  | Revived

|
|
|

NWA World Heavyweight Championship | –  | Currently active
NWA World Women's Championship | –  | Currently active
NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship | 1989  | Revived from 1995–2017  | Lightning One, Inc. reintroduced the championship in 2022
NWA World Television Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | 1991  | Became the WCW World Television Championship | Lightning One, Inc. introduced its own version in 2020
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | 1991  | Became the WCW World Tag Team Championship | National Wrestling Alliance, Inc. introduced its own version in 1992 and again in 1995
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | 1989  | Replaced with the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | NWA New Jersey reintroduced the championship in 1998
United States Championships  | Retired  | Notes  | Revived
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | 1991  | Became the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship | World Wrestling Entertainment reintroduced the championship in 2003
NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | 1991  | Became the WCW United States Tag Team Championship | Lightning One, Inc. introduced its own version in 2022
NWA United States Women's Championship | 1988  | Retired  | Defunct
National Championships  | Retired  | Notes  | Revived
NWA National Heavyweight Championship | 1987  | Unified with the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | Pro Wrestling Organization LLC reintroduced the championship in 1997
NWA National Television Championship | 1986  | Retired in favor of the NWA World Television Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | Defunct
NWA National Tag Team Championship | 1985  | Replaced with the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
Regional Championships  | Retired  | Notes  | Revived
NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) | 1986  | Retired  | Defunct
NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship | 1986  | Retired when JCP expanded out of the Mid-Atlantic
NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship | 1984  | Became the NWA World Television Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship | 1984  | Retired when JCP expanded out of the Mid-Atlantic  | Revived version promoted by the modern Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling from 1999–2017
NWA Western States Heritage Championship | 1989  | Retired when final champion Larry Zybysko returned to the American Wrestling Association | Defunct

## See also

[edit]

* Jim Crockett
* Jim Crockett Jr.
* List of former Jim Crockett Promotions personnel
* World Championship Wrestling

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Harris M. Lentz III (2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 75\. ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0.
2. ^ a b c d e Dave Meltzer (1986). The Wrestling Observer's Who's who in Pro Wrestling. Wrestling Observer. p. 4.
3. ^ a b c Tim Hornbaker (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 327\. ISBN 978-1-55490-274-3.
4. ^ Steven H. Bazerman; Jason M. Drangel (November 1, 1998). Guide to Registering Trademarks. Aspen Publishers Online. p. 9\. ISBN 978-1-56706-683-8.
5. ^ Brian Solomon (April 1, 2015). Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Most Entertaining Spectacle. Backbeat Books. p. 105\. ISBN 978-1-61713-627-6.
6. ^ a b Eric Bischoff; Jeremy Roberts (2006). Controversy Creates Cash. Simon and Schuster. p. 60\. ISBN 978-1-4165-2729-9.
7. ^ "WrestlingTerritories.png". Freakin' Awesome Network Forums :: Freakin' Awesome Wrestling Forum :: (w)Rest of Wrestling. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
8. ^ "Roddy Piper and Gordon Solie host Georgia Championship Wrestling (08-21-1982)". youtube.com. August 22, 2015. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
9. ^ a b Kevin Sullivan (March 31, 2014). WWE 50. DK Publishing. pp. 64–65\. ISBN 978-0-241-00675-7.64-65&rft.pub=DK+Publishing&rft.date=2014-03-31&rft.isbn=978-0-241-00675-7&rft.au=Kevin+Sullivan&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=Acs0AwAAQBAJ&pg;=PA64&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Jim+Crockett+Promotions" class="Z3988">
10. ^ "World Championship Wrestling on SuperStation TBS". The Glory Days.net. Archived from the original on June 6, 2004.
11. ^ NWA & WWF Gain Momentum - Is wrestling Headed Towards a Two Party System? Pro Wrestling Illustrated October 1987, article makes copious use of WCW and "the World Championship area" names in reference to JCP.
12. ^ "Ratings Analysis" subsection "Goodbye WCW" Pro Wrestling Illustrated May 1988, article states that since the closure of other NWA territories "it is clear that the NWA and WCW are one and the same."
13. ^ Wrestling Information Archive - WCW COTC and Other Ratings Archived January 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
14. ^ Wrestling Information Archive - WWF Other Ratings Archived January 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
15. ^ Assael, Shaun; Mooneyham, Mike (July 16, 2002). Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Crown Publishers. pp. 77–78. ISBN 0-609-60690-5.
16. ^ So, on September 25, 1987 in Detroit, Ron Garvin defeated Ric Flair to become the NWA Heavyweight champion. As some had predicted, this did not go down well with NWA fans, as Ric Flair states in his book, they were happy to see Garvin chase for the gold and give Ric a beating, but they didn't see him as someone who would actually be able to beat him. I guess a similar comparison at this point is if Charlie Haas had beaten JBL for the WWE World Title.
17. ^ Highspots (March 9, 2013). "Jim Crockett Promotions Kickstarter Project - Teaser". Archived from the original on December 12, 2021 - via YouTube.
18. ^ "411MANIA - Shining a Spotlight 4.19.07: The Four Horsemen (PART 1)".
19. ^ Williams, Steve and Tom Caiazzo. Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life. Sports Publishing, 2007. (pg. 116) ISBN 1-59670-180-3
20. ^ Bourne, Dick. "The Birth of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling On Television". Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
21. ^ Pro Wrestling Clips (April 11, 2015). "Dusty Shoots on Jim Crockett Promotions". Archived from the original on March 8, 2016 - via YouTube.
22. ^ ellbowproduction (April 17, 2013). "KICKSTARTER DUSTY FINISH/JIM CROCKETT DOCUMENTARY". Archived from the original on December 12, 2021 - via YouTube.
23. ^ R.D. Reynolds; Bryan Alvarez (October 1, 2014). Death of WCW, The: 10th Anniversary Edition of the Bestselling Classic - Revised and Expanded. ECW Press. p. 34\. ISBN 978-1-77090-642-6.
24. ^ Fernandes, Steven (May 19, 2022). "New Jim Crockett Promotions Trademark Filings, Four Horsemen Reunion". PWInsider.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
25. ^ Thomas, Jeremy (July 26, 2022). "Conrad Thompson Says He's Handing Over Jim Crockett Promotions Trademark After Ric Flair's Last Match". 411mania.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Wrestling-Titles.com: Jim Crockett Promotions
* Wrestling-Titles.com: N.W.A. Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
* The Mid-Atlantic Getaway
* The Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling

* v
* t
* e

Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament winners

* 1986: Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk)
* 1987: The Super Powers (Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes)
* 1988: Sting and Lex Luger
* 2019: Villain Enterprises (Brody King and PCO)
* 2022: Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe)
* 2023: Mike Knox and Trevor Murdoch
* 2024: Kerry Morton and Alex Taylor

* v
* t
* e

National Wrestling Alliance

Championships|

| World|

* World's Heavyweight (reigns)
* World Television (reigns)
* World Tag Team (reigns)
* World Junior Heavyweight (reigns)

|

National|

* National Heavyweight (reigns)
* Mid-America Heavyweight (reigns)
* United States Tag Team (reigns)

Women's|

* Women's (reigns)
* Women's Television (reigns)
* Women's Tag Team (reigns)

Programming|

| Current|

* Powerrr

|

Former|

* Primetime Live
* Shockwave
* USA

Pay-per-view and major events|

| Current pay-per-view events|

* Anniversary Show
* Crockett Cup
* 312
* EmPowerrr
* Hard Times
* Nuff Said
* Samhain

|

Pop-Up Events|

* New Years Clash
* By Any Means Necessary
* PowerrrTrip
* 1
* 2
* The World is a Vampire: NWA vs. AAA

Historical events|

* Alwayz Ready
* Back for the Attack
* Break the Barrier
* Into the Fire
* Superbowl of Wrestling
* When Our Shadows Fall
* World Wrestling Peace Festival
* Wrestling Summit
* Pay-per-view and closed circuit events (1983–1990)
* Pay-per-view events (2002–2004)

Home bases|

* GPB Studios

Notable acquisitions|

* Houston Wrestling (video library)

Partnerships|

* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* WWE

Current territories|

* NWA Exodus Pro Midwest
* NWA JCP Southeast
* NWA Kross Fire
* NWA Texas
* NWA World League Wrestling

Former partners|

* All Elite Wrestling
* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
* Global Force Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling USA
* American Wrestling Association
* National Wrestling Federation
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Ring of Honor
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* United Wrestling Network
* Championship Wrestling from Hollywood
* Combat Zone Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling

Related|

* All In
* Attendance records
* Billy Corgan
* Current champions
* Former territories
* Hall of Fame
* Hall of Heroes
* NWA All Access
* NWA (stable)
* Pinkie George
* Sam Muchnick
* Wrestling at the Chase

* v
* t
* e

Jim Crockett Promotions (Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling)

Championships|

| World|

* NWA World Heavyweight Championship
* NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
* NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
* NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
* NWA World Television Championship

|

Regional|

* NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
* NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship
* NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship
* NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Championship
* NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
* NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
* NWA Western States Heritage Championship

Personnel|

* Jim Crockett
* Jim Crockett Jr.
* David Crockett
* Alumni

Programming|

| Syndicated|

* Learning the Ropes
* Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
* World Wide Wrestling

|

Cable|

* Best of World Championship Wrestling
* Clash of the Champions
* NWA Main Event
* Superstars on the Superstation
* World Championship Wrestling

Other|

* Attendance records
* Closed-circuit and pay-per-view events
* Bunkhouse Stampede
* The Great American Bash
* Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
* Starrcade
* Ric Flair's Last Match

Affiliated promotions|

| Partners|

* Maple Leaf Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* National Wrestling Alliance territories
* Pro Wrestling USA

|

Acquisitions|

* Championship Wrestling from Florida
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Heart of America Sports Attractions
* St. Louis Wrestling Club
* Universal Wrestling Federation

Successor|

* World Championship Wrestling

* v
* t
* e

Professional wrestling in the United States

Active promotions

National promotions|

* All Elite Wrestling
* Major League Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* Ring of Honor
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* WWE

Women's:|

* Women of Wrestling

Independent promotions|

* AAW Wrestling
* All Pro Wrestling
* Beyond Wrestling
* Championship Wrestling
* Chaotic Wrestling
* Combat Zone Wrestling
* Coastal Championship Wrestling
* Deadlock Pro-Wrestling
* DEFY Wrestling
* East Coast Wrestling Association
* Empire Wrestling Federation
* Exodus Pro Wrestling
* Full Impact Pro
* Game Changer Wrestling
* Hoodslam
* House of Glory
* Independent Wrestling Federation
* Innovate Pro Wrestling
* Juggalo Championship Wrestling
* Kaiju Big Battel
* Keystone State Wrestling Alliance
* Main Event Championship Wrestling
* MCW Pro Wrestling
* Northeast Wrestling
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* PCW Ultra
* Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
* Premiere Wrestling Xperience
* Reality of Wrestling
* Southern States Wrestling
* Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero
* Warrior Wrestling
* World League Wrestling
* World Xtreme Wrestling
* Xtreme Pro Wrestling

Women's:|

* Shine Wrestling
* Sukeban
* Women Superstars United
* Women's Wrestling Army

Puerto Rican promotions|

* IWA Puerto Rico
* La Liga Wrestling
* World Wrestling Council

Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances|

* United Wrestling Network
* WWNLive

Notable TV programs|

* AEW Collision
* AEW Dynamite
* TNA Impact!
* WWE NXT
* WWE Raw
* WWE SmackDown

Notable streaming programs|

* NWA Powerrr
* Ring of Honor Wrestling
* TNA Xplosion
* WWE Evolve
* WWE Main Event
* WWE Speed

Defunct promotions

National promotions|

* American Wrestling Association
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)
* Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)
* World Championship Wrestling
* World Class Championship Wrestling

Independent promotions and regional territories|

* 50th State Big Time Wrestling
* American Wrestling Federation
* Assault Championship Wrestling
* Big Time Wrestling (Boston)
* Big Time Wrestling (Detroit)
* Big Time Wrestling (San Francisco)
* Capitol Wrestling Corporation
* Century Wrestling Alliance
* Championship Wrestling from Florida
* Chikara
* Continental Championship Wrestling
* Continental Wrestling Association
* CWF Mid-Atlantic
* Deep South Wrestling
* Dragon Gate USA
* Extreme Rising
* Evolve
* Family Wrestling Entertainment
* Florida Championship Wrestling
* Fred Kohler Enterprises
* Front Row Wrestling
* Future of Wrestling
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Global Force Wrestling
* Global Wrestling Federation
* Hardcore Homecoming
* Heart of America Sports Attractions
* Heartland Wrestling Association
* House of Hardcore
* Houston Wrestling
* Incredibly Strange Wrestling
* Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance
* International Championship Wrestling
* International World Class Championship Wrestling
* IWA Mid-South
* IWF Promotions
* Jersey All Pro Wrestling
* Mason-Dixon Wrestling
* Memphis Wrestling
* Memphis Championship Wrestling
* Metro Pro Wrestling
* Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
* Millennium Wrestling Federation
* National Wrestling Conference
* National Wrestling Federation
* New England Championship Wrestling
* NOVA Pro Wrestling
* NWA Mid-America
* NWA San Francisco
* NWA Wildside
* OMEGA Championship Wrestling
* Pacific Northwest Wrestling
* Phoenix Championship Wrestling
* Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling America
* Resistance Pro Wrestling
* Ring Warriors
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
* Southern Championship Wrestling (Georgia)
* Southwest Championship Wrestling
* St. Louis Wrestling Club
* Steel City Wrestling
* Texas All-Star Wrestling
* Texas Wrestling Academy
* Top Rope Promotions
* Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
* Ultimate Pro Wrestling
* United States Wrestling Association
* Warriors 4 Christ Wrestling
* West Coast Wrestling Connection
* Western States Sports
* Windy City Pro Wrestling
* World Wide Wrestling Alliance
* World Wrestling Alliance
* World Wrestling Association
* Worldwide Wrestling Associates
* World Wrestling Network
* Xcitement Wrestling Federation

Women's:|

* ChickFight
* Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
* Ladies Major League Wrestling
* Ladies Professional Wrestling Association
* Naked Women's Wrestling League
* Professional Girl Wrestling Association
* Powerful Women of Wrestling
* Rise Wrestling
* Shimmer Women Athletes
* World Women's Wrestling
* Wrestlicious

Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances|

* American Wrestling Affiliates
* Global Professional Wrestling Alliance
* National Wrestling Association
* Pro Wrestling USA
* Wrestling Superstars Live

Notable programs|

* AEW Dark
* AEW Dark: Elevation
* AEW Rampage
* AWA All-Star Wrestling
* AWA Championship Wrestling
* Before the Impact
* ECW Hardcore TV
* ECW on TNN
* ECW on Syfy
* Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors
* Lucha Underground
* MLW Fusion
* MLW Underground Wrestling
* NWA USA
* Superstars of Wrestling
* UWF Fury Hour
* WCW Monday Nitro
* WCW Thunder
* WCW Saturday Night
* WCW WorldWide
* Wrestling at the Chase
* Wrestling Society X
* WWE 205 Live
* WWE Heat
* WWE NXT Level Up
* WWE NXT UK
* WWE Superstars
* WWE Velocity

* Attendance records
* Hall of Fame
* History

* v
* t
* e

WWE

History|

* McMahon family
* Capitol Wrestling Corporation
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* WrestleMania I
* Ring boy scandal
* Steroids trial
* The Kliq
* Bone Street Krew
* Monday Night Wars
* Montreal Screwjob
* Attitude Era
* The Invasion
* Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
* PG Era
* New Monday Night Wars
* Wednesday Night Wars
* ThunderDome
* Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal

Programming|

| Weekly in-ring shows|

* Monday Night Raw
* history
* special episodes
* Friday Night SmackDown
* history
* special episodes
* NXT
* Seasons 1–5
* special episodes
* Speed
* Main Event
* Evolve

|

Recap shows|

* Afterburn
* Bottom Line
* This Week in WWE
* Vintage
* Wal3ooha

Seasonal shows
and specials|

* Biography: WWE Legends
* LFG
* Most Wanted Treasures
* Rivals
* Saturday Night's Main Event

Pay-per-view and
WWE Network events|

* Royal Rumble
* Vengeance
* Elimination Chamber
* NXT Stand & Deliver
* WrestleMania
* Backlash
* King of the Ring
* Battleground
* Clash
* Money in the Bank
* Heatwave
* SummerSlam
* Bash in Berlin
* No Mercy
* Bad Blood
* Halloween Havoc
* Crown Jewel
* Survivor Series
* NXT Deadline

Other|

* Broadcasting rights

Home bases|

* UFC Apex
* WWE Performance Center

Former|

* Amway Center
* Full Sail University
* Tropicana Field
* Yuengling Center

Personnel|

* Hall of Fame
* Former personnel
* A–C
* D–H
* I–M
* N–R
* S–Z

Notable rivalries
and matches|

* André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry
* Bret Hart vs. Tom Magee
* Mankind vs. The Undertaker
* The Streak

Affiliated properties|

* WWE 2K
* WWE Books
* WWE Legacy Department
* WWE Music Group
* Discography
* WWE Studios
* Tapout

Defunct businesses|

* World Bodybuilding Federation
* The World
* WWE Classics on Demand
* WWE Home Video
* WWE Network
* Canada
* WWE Niagara Falls
* WWE Magazine
* WWE Podcast Network
* XFL
* 2001
* 2020

Notable acquisitions|

* American Wrestling Association
* Dragon Gate USA
* Evolve
* WWE revival
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* WWE revival
* Florida Championship Wrestling
* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Global Wrestling Federation
* Heartland Wrestling Association (video library)
* International Championship Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling
* history
* Who Killed WCW?
* World Class Championship Wrestling
* World Wrestling Council (video library)

Investments|

* Avid Technology
* Cloud9
* DraftKings
* Drone Racing League
* FloSports
* Marvel Experience
* Phunware
* Premier Lacrosse League
* Tout

Related companies|

| Owners|

* TKO Group Holdings
* Endeavor

|

Sister companies|

* IMG
* Professional Bull Riders
* Ultimate Fighting Championship

Partnerships|

| Current|

* Game Changer Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Dream Star Fighting Marigold
* Reality of Wrestling
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

|

Former|

* AAA
* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* Deep South Wrestling
* Insane Championship Wrestling
* International Wrestling Association
* Memphis Championship Wrestling
* Michinoku Pro Wrestling
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
* Power Pro Wrestling
* Progress Wrestling
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling
* Super World of Sports
* Ultimate Pro Wrestling
* United States Wrestling Association
* Universal Lucha Libre
* Universal Wrestling Association
* Universal Wrestling Federation
* WAR
* Westside Xtreme Wrestling
* World Wrestling Alliance

Championships|

* Current champions
* Former championships
* Foreign champions
* Types of championships
* Secondary
* Tag team
* Women's
* World

Accomplishments|

* Diva Search
* Money in the Bank
* Tough Enough
* Awards
* Slammys
* NXT Year-End
* WWE Year-End
* Grand Slam
* Triple Crown
* Battle royals
* André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
* Royal Rumble
* WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal

Tournaments|

* Brawl for All
* Cruiserweight Classic
* Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* King of the Ring
* Mae Young Classic
* Mixed Match Challenge
* NXT Breakout Tournament
* Queen of the Ring
* Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament

Brand extension|

* Raw
* SmackDown
* NXT
* Evolve
* NXT UK
* 205 Live
* ECW
* Draft
* 2002
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* April 2019
* October 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2023
* 2024

International|

* Australia
* Canada
* India
* Mexico
* New Zealand
* Saudi Arabia
* UK

Miscellaneous|

* Attendance records
* Titan Towers
* Women in WWE
* WrestleMania Axxess
* WWE action figures
* LJN Wrestling Superstars
* WWE ID and WWE NIL

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