World Championship Wrestling

American professional wrestling company

This article is about the American professional wrestling promotion. For other uses, see World Championship Wrestling (disambiguation).

"WCW" redirects here. For WikiProject, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Check Wikipedia. For other uses, see WCW (disambiguation).

World Championship Wrestling, Inc.

Logo used between 1988 and 1999

Trade name

| World Championship Wrestling
Formerly|

* Universal Wrestling Corporation (1988, 2001–2017)
* World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (1988–2001)

Company type| Private
Industry| Professional wrestling
Predecessor|

* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions

Founded| October 11, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-10-11)[1]
Founder| Ted Turner
Defunct|

* March 31, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-03-31) (de facto)
* December 16, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-12-16) (de jure)

Fate| Shut down and renamed by AOL Time Warner, later merged with Turner Broadcasting System; select assets purchased by the WWF
Successor| WWE brands

* Raw
* SmackDown

Headquarters| Williams Street
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Area served

| Worldwide
Products| Television programming
Internet programming
Merchandise
Revenue| ~$500 million (1999)[2]

Number of employees

| c. 150 (March 1998)[3]
Parent|

* Turner Broadcasting System
(1988–1996)
* Time Warner
(1996–2001)
* Time Warner
(2001–2017, as Universal Wrestling Corporation)
* WWE
(2001–present, as WCW, Inc.)

Website| WCW Wrestling (archived)
WCW on WWE.com

World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) (which had aired its programming on TBS).

For all of its existence, WCW was one of the two top professional wrestling promotions in the United States alongside the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), at one point surpassing the latter in terms of popularity.[4] After initial success through utilization of established wrestling stars of the 1980s, the company appointed Eric Bischoff to executive producer of television in 1993. Under Bischoff's leadership, the company enjoyed a period of mainstream success characterized by a shift to reality-based storylines, and notable hirings of former WWF talent.[5] WCW also gained attention for developing a popular cruiserweight division, which showcased an acrobatic, fast-paced, lucha libre-inspired style of wrestling.[6] In 1995, WCW debuted their live flagship television program Monday Nitro, and subsequently developed a ratings competition against the flagship program of the WWF, Monday Night Raw, in a period now known as the Monday Night War. From 1996 to 1998, WCW surpassed their rival program in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks.[7]

Beginning in 1999, WCW endured significant losses in ratings and revenue due to creative missteps and suffered from the fallout from the 2001 merger of America Online (AOL) and Turner Broadcasting parent Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery). Soon thereafter, WCW was shut down, and the WWF purchased select WCW assets in 2001, including its video library, intellectual property (including the WCW name and championships), and some wrestler contracts.[8][9] The corporate subsidiary, which was retained to deal with legal obligations and reverted to the Universal Wrestling Corporation name, officially became defunct in 2017.

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of World Championship Wrestling

### 1982 to 1993: Origins, creation, and NWA membership

[edit]

"World Championship Wrestling" was a television show produced by Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) since 1982. Jim Barnett (who had briefly owned the Australian promotion of that name) came to Atlanta in the 1970s during an internal struggle for control of GCW.[10] Barnett ultimately became majority owner of the promotion, and began using his previous promotion's name for GCW's weekly Saturday television program in 1982. Following the events that became known as Black Saturday, in which GCW and its television program briefly came under the ownership of the WWF, the promotion was eventually purchased by Charlotte, North Carolina–based Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), the promoter of the Mid-Atlantic territory immediately north of Georgia.

Influential wrestling magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its sister publications thereafter habitually referred to JCP as "World Championship Wrestling", "WCW" and most commonly "the World Championship area" and continued to do so until early 1988 when it began referring to the company solely as the NWA, reasoning that "it has become apparent that the NWA and the World Championship area are one and the same."[11][12]

By late 1988, JCP was financially struggling after further territory acquisitions. Ted Turner, the namesake principal owner of Turner Broadcasting System, formed a new subsidiary in October 1988 to acquire most of the assets of JCP. The acquisition was completed on November 2, 1988. While initially the subsidiary was incorporated as the "Universal Wrestling Corporation", following the purchase the decision was made to utilize the familiar "World Championship Wrestling" as the name for the promotion.[13]

In late Summer/early Autumn 1993, a behind-the-scenes dispute between WCW and the NWA Board of Directors over who had the right to authorize NWA World Heavyweight Championship title changes ultimately resulted in WCW formally withdrawing from the NWA and becoming a standalone wrestling promotion.[13][14]

### 1993 to 1996: Eric Bischoff takes charge; launch of WCW Monday Nitro

[edit]

In February 1993 former commentator Eric Bischoff was appointed as Executive Producer of WCW,[15][16] and by 1994 he had been promoted once again to Senior Vice President,[17] a position which gave Bischoff both creative and financial control of WCW. At this point, the promotion was struggling financially[note 1] and was widely perceived within the wrestling industry to be at a low ebb. To counter this, Bischoff felt that WCW was in need of radical reform; to this end, Bischoff sought to modernise WCW and move its image away from that of a Southern-based "rasslin" company. To achieve this, Bischoff increased WCW's production values, avoided unprofitable house shows, increased the number of WCW pay-per-views (PPVs, which were profitable), decreased the number of Southern accents on commentary, and began recruiting top stars away from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).[19] This led to marquee names such as Hulk Hogan and "The Macho Man" Randy Savage joining WCW's ranks and helping to supplement its business.[20][21]

In 1995, during a face-to-face meeting with Ted Turner, Bischoff was able to convince Turner that in order for WCW to become competitive with the WWF, WCW would require an equivalent to WWF's new flagship cable show WWF Raw, which aired on the USA Network.[22] The meeting led to Turner greenlighting the creation of WCW Monday Nitro, which would air on TNT on the same day and in the same time slot as Raw.[22] Nitro would debut on September 4, 1995, and directly lead into the Monday Night War era of professional wrestling, in which WCW Nitro and WWF Raw would fiercely compete to beat each other in the Nielson ratings each and every week. The struggle between the two promotions, each one attempting to produce the best television show possible each week, led to an explosion in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and in hindsight is widely considered a golden era.

### 1996 to 1998: WCW's exponential growth; Nitro defeats Raw for 83 weeks

[edit]

Main articles: Monday Night War and New World Order (professional wrestling)

Kevin Nash

"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan

Scott Hall

The creation of the New World Order stable was a pivotal movement in WCW History and coincided with WCW Nitro overtaking WWF Raw in the Nielsen ratings

* "Surfer" Sting
* pre-1996

* "Crow" Sting
* 1996 onwards

As part of the tonal shifts that occurred in WCW under Eric Bischoff, performers such as Sting dramatically altered their personas

WCW Monday Nitro proved a success for the company, which was immediately able to create a television audience of an equivalent size to WWF Raw. Between September 1995 and May 1996, Nitro and Raw regularly traded victories in the battle for the largest television audience. However, in June 1996, Nitro would begin a streak of 83 consecutive victories over Raw, initially sparked by the start of the New World Order (nWo) storyline.[23][24] The start of the nWo angle saw former WWF talent Scott Hall and Kevin Nash unexpectedly leave the WWF to come to Monday Nitro on consecutive episodes, and each time insinuate that they were there on behalf of the WWF to fight a proxy war.[13][23] They also alleged that they would soon be joined by a third major figure; this "third man" was eventually revealed to be Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1996. A major advantage WCW Nitro initially had over WWF Raw was that Nitro was live-to-air every week, while Raw alternated between live episodes and ones taped in advance and aired the following week. Nitro's live atmosphere enhanced segments such as the Hall and Nash debuts as it gave the show an unscripted, "anything can happen at any time" feeling to the television audience.

The start of the nWo angle, which immediately proved immensely popular and intriguing to wrestling fans,[25] was part of a wider shift in the WCW presentation still being pursued by Eric Bischoff. As part of his overhaul of WCW, Bischoff wanted to grow WCW's audience amongst 18 to 35-year-olds.[26] To that end, he alongside WCW's booker Kevin Sullivan[27] began grounding WCW characters and storylines more in reality, utilising real names and darker themes in contrast to the more cartoon-like presentation which had dominated wrestling in the 1980s and early 1990s. An example of this shift in tone was seen in the transformation of top WCW star Sting over the course of 1996 following the start of the nWo angle, whose persona shifted from a colorful and cheerful clean-cut face to a dark, depressed and brooding antihero inspired by the 1994 film The Crow.[13][28][note 2] Another major innovation occurring concurrently in WCW was the introduction of the Cruiserweight division, which saw the introduction of smaller, more agile and more athletic wrestlers performing fast-paced, high-flying dangerous matches on WCW shows.[29] This added another unique element to WCW shows that helped propel their surging popularity.

The combination of a more adult-orientated presentation, live and unedited television, more reality-based storylines, new top-level talent, new and intriguing characters, and more varied in-ring action saw WCW's fortunes dramatically shift; the company went from struggling financially as late as 1995 to generating $55 million in profit in 1998.[30] December 1997's Starrcade pay-per-view (PPV) event became the highest-grossing PPV of all time for the company, thanks in large part to the show being billed as the culmination of a year-and-a-half feud between Sting and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.[13][31][32]

### 1998 to 2001: Leadership changes; collapse and eventual demise

[edit]

1996 and 1997 had been banner years for WCW, with profits and popularity soaring. 1998 saw profits continue to rise. However, maintaining the quality of the shows became difficult, particularly after WCW's owners Time Warner Entertainment (who bought Turner Broadcasting System in 1996) ordered the creation of a second live cable WCW program WCW Thunder, to air on Thursdays on TBS starting on January 8, 1998,[13][33] as well as ordering a third hour to be added to Nitro's runtime.[33] Nonetheless, the creation of new major headline babyface stars such as Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg were causes for optimism, making the company initially less dependent on the nWo storyline for ratings. However, beginning in Spring 1998, WCW began an angle which saw the nWo split into a heel faction, nWo Hollywood (centered around "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan), and the rival face nWo Wolfpac (consisting of stars such as Kevin Nash, Randy Savage, Sting, Lex Luger and Konnan). Speaking in hindsight in 2023, Eric Bischoff has said the angle was rushed, ill-conceived and had no long-term direction.[34] By this point, many critics began to argue that WCW was now completely overreliant on the nWo storyline and unable to pivot to a new grand concept. Additionally, beginning in the summer of 1998, Bischoff has claimed that Time Warner Entertainment management began to increasingly micromanage WCW and meddle in its presentation. Executives at Time Warner Entertainment began to increasingly advocate that WCW should pivot to more a "family-friendly" orientation, and drop the reforms that turned around the company's fortunes.[25]

Concurrently to WCW beginning to struggle under the weight of its own momentum, the WWF began to turn the corner on its own reforms. Having been caught flatfooted by the total reconfiguration of WCW and the success of Nitro in 1996 and 1997, by 1998 the WWF was building its own momentum. Taking most of the innovations WCW had implemented and reapplying them to their own presentation, WWF began its "Attitude Era". Building around newly emerging stars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, as well as WWF promoter Vince McMahon becoming a major on-screen character himself, the WWF finally ended Nitro's 83 weeks of ratings victories on April 13, 1998. For the next four months, Nitro and Raw would trade wins until October 26, 1998, when Nitro scored its last-ever ratings victory over Raw. The combined pressure of the WWF seizing back the ratings lead as well as WCW's own internal problem caused tension amongst both the on-screen talent and management.

By November 1998 Kevin Nash had become head booker of WCW, overseeing the creative direction of both Nitro and Thunder.[35][36] Nash's tenure was fraught with unpopular decisions, such as the move that saw the popular undefeated streak of WCW Champion Goldberg ended by Nash himself, who then became champion,[37] only for Nash to then lay down for Hollywood Hogan and reform a reunited nWo in the widely panned "Fingerpoke of Doom" angle.[13][38][39][40]

#### Bischoff removed from power; Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera arrive

[edit]

Main article: Vince Russo in World Championship Wrestling

By September 1999, the rapidly declining ratings of Nitro (now half that of Raw), drastic dropoff in revenue,[30][note 3] and the increasing antagonism between Eric Bischoff and Time Warner executives prompted the head of Turner Sports, Harvey Schiller, to relieve Bischoff of his position.[13][30][41] Almost immediately Schiller found a duo to replace Bischoff: former head writers for Raw Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera.[13][42] Russo had just weeks prior walked off the job at the WWF after a dispute with Vince McMahon over work hours, and Ed Ferrera soon followed.[42][43] Russo and Ferrera were heralded at the time as the main drivers in the turnaround at WWF over the previous two years with their writing philosophy of "Crash TV",[42] a presentation style that emphasized Soap opera style storylines, lengthier non-wrestling segments, frequent heel/face turns, an increased amount of female representation on the show, expanded storyline depth, frequent title changes, and a greater focus on developing mid-card talent.[44]

The tenure of Russo and Ferrera at the creative helm of WCW was short-lived; by March 2000 the pair had been suspended from their positions as their provocative and edgy angles caused constant protest from AOL Time Warner executives. AOL and Time Warner had merged in January 2000 and, according to Bischoff and Russo, headquarters′ eagerness to tone down WCW had only grown more intense because of this.[45]

Mounting frustrations amongst the talent resulted in many leaving WCW for the WWF; The Giant and Chris Jericho were the first major talent to "jump" to the WWF in 1999, but they were soon followed by many others. Chris Benoit (WCW World Heavyweight Champion at the time), Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Perry Saturn, who performed together on WCW television as "The Revolution", all collectively walked out of WCW and over to the WWF in January 2000,[46] an incident which resulted in a number of firings amongst WCW management. With shakeups to WCW management becoming more and more frequent, the WCW talent began to lose any sense of leadership or direction, which in turn caused them to form bickering political cliques amongst themselves.

#### Bischoff and Russo collaboration

[edit]

Main articles: David Arquette in World Championship Wrestling and Bash at the Beach (2000) § Controversy

In April 2000, WCW attempted to resolve its creative issues by asking Eric Bischoff to return but work alongside Vince Russo as a duo.[13] The pairing was not cohesive and frequently chafed over the direction of the company. Creatively, the year 2000 saw WCW attempt numerous publicity stunts to gain traction, such as making actor David Arquette (who then had no professional wrestling experience) the WCW World Heavyweight Champion.[47] These moves only served to push traditional wrestling fans away from WCW.[47] Events such as Goldberg forcing WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart into retirement following a botched move at Starrcade 1999,[48] followed just days later by Goldberg very seriously injuring himself during an angle on Thunder,[49][note 4] and Hollywood Hogan seemingly quitting the company live on PPV at Bash at the Beach 2000 only seemed to further a sense that the company was spiralling out of control.[13] By July 2000 Bischoff had walked off the job.[50]

### 2001: Sale to the World Wrestling Federation

[edit]

In 2000, several potential buyers for WCW were rumored to show interest in the company. Ted Turner, however, did not hold influence over Time Warner before the final merger of America Online (AOL) and Time Warner in 2001, and most offers were rejected. Eric Bischoff, working with Fusient Media Ventures, made a bid to acquire the company in January 2001.[51] One of the primary backers in the WCW deal backed out after AOL Time Warner refused to allow WCW to continue airing on its networks, leaving Fusient to take that offer off the table while it attempted to bring a new deal around.

In the meantime, Jamie Kellner was handed control over the Turner Broadcasting division in 2000, eventually succeeding Ted Turner on March 7, 2001.[52][53][54] Along with AOL Time Warner, Kellner deemed WCW, along with Turner Sports as a whole, to be out of line with its image and saying that it "would not be favorable enough to get the 'right' advertisers to buy airtime" (even though Thunder was the highest-rated show on TBS at the time). As a result, WCW programming was cancelled on TBS and TNT.[55][56] Another factor in Kellner's decision to cancel all WCW programming was the terms of the company's purchase deal with Fusient, which included giving Fusient control over time slots on TNT and TBS even if those slots did not air WCW programming. WCW's losses were then written off via purchase accounting.[57]

The cancellation of WCW programming left the WWF free to acquire the key assets of WCW through its new subsidiary W. Acquisition Company, which was renamed WCW Inc. afterwards.[8][9] AOL Time Warner sold the rights to the World Championship Wrestling name, branding, championships, and all other remaining assets aside from the talent roster and video library to WWF for $2.5 million in March 2001.[58] Shortly afterwards WWF paid an additional $1.8 million to cover costs to AOL Time Warner in the negotiations, bringing the final tally of WCW's sale to $4.3 million.[59] AOL Time Warner maintained its subsidiary, which reverted to its original legal name of the Universal Wrestling Corporation (UWC), to deal with legal obligations and liabilities not acquired by the WWF. The UWC was listed as a subsidiary of Time Warner until 2017, when it was merged into Turner Broadcasting System.[60][61]

Some of the WCW roster joined the WWF immediately and participated in The Invasion storyline as part of The Alliance which lasted until the end of 2001. However, many of WCW's top stars still had guaranteed contracts with UWC, and WWF chose not to buy out these contracts; most of these wrestlers chose to sit out the length of their contracts rather than breaking them in order to work for the WWF.[62] Most would eventually find their way to WWE, although Sting remained a notable exception for almost a decade and a half.[62] After the Invasion storyline concluded, the WWF divided their roster into two brands. Reports indicate that the WWF considered using the WCW name for one of the brands, but instead introduced Raw and SmackDown!, named after WWF's two top programs. The decision was reportedly influenced by the poor reception of a July 2001 WCW-themed match broadcast on Raw Is War where Booker T defended his WCW Championship against challenger Buff Bagwell.[63][better source needed]

Many other WCW wrestlers moved to the World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), XWF, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Ring of Honor, which were all formed after the end of WCW.

## Features

[edit]

### Cruiserweight division

[edit]

5 time WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio

4 time WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho

The WCW Cruiserweight division is widely credited with highlighting and benefiting a generation of smaller-sized, high-flying agile wrestlers in an era when "big men" were the norm. It produced long-lasting stars such as Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho

Further information: Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)

In the spring of 1996, WCW introduced its "Cruiserweight division", a segmented portion of the roster featuring smaller, faster and more agile wrestlers that contrasted starkly, both visually and stylistically, with their heavyweight counterparts.[64] Although weight categories were not a new concept in wrestling or even WCW, the WCW Cruiserweight Division was quickly able to form a unique and popular identity by integrating and mixing wrestlers from all around the world and from vastly different wrestling styles, particularly Mexican luchadores such as Rey Misterio Jr., Psicosis, and Juventud Guerrera, but also Japanese "Super Juniors" such as Último Dragón. North American wrestlers, such as Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit, who had travelled abroad to Mexico and Japan earlier in their careers and learned the local styles were also able to thrive in the division.[64] The division as a whole became a showcase of a fast-paced, aerial and athletic style of wrestling which became highly influential in both the short and long term in the industry.[64] Eric Bischoff has credited with the division as becoming a defining feature of Monday Nitro that was as fundamental to the late 1990s popularity of WCW as the New World Order faction:

> I think the cruiserweight division and the talent represented therein probably had as much to do with the success of Nitro as the nWo storyline and Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash. I don’t think people recognize it. The talent in that division not only helped Nitro consistently defeat WWE...that talent forced WWE, as much as the nWo, to change the way they were presenting the product.[65]

— Eric Bischoff, speaking in 2020

The Cruiserweight division would continue to directly influence North American wrestling for many decades. Following the acquisition of WCW by WWF/WWE in 2001, WWE revived the Cruiserweight division in 2002 to be a feature of its Smackdown brand, with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship being deemed by the promotion to be the direct lineal successor to the WCW title. Simultaneously, the newly formed Total Nonstop Action wrestling promotion heavily featured their X Division, which did not limit participants by weight but rather by style. Nonetheless, the X-Division was considered a direct spiritual successor to the style developed in the WCW Cruiserweight division and became influential in its own right.[66] WWE and TNA/Impact have continued to experiment and use the Cruiserweight/X-Division concept on and off throughout the 2000s and 2010s and into the 2020s.[64]

## Legacy

[edit]

Part of a series on

Professional wrestling

History

* History of professional wrestling
* By year
* Early wrestling championships
* Gold Dust Trio
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* 1994 NWA World Title Tournament
* Monday Night War
* Attitude Era
* 2000 All Japan Pro Wrestling mass exodus
* The Invasion
* Wednesday Night Wars

Notable promotions

* All Elite Wrestling
* All Japan Pro Wrestling
* All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
* All Star Wrestling
* American Wrestling Association
* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
* Extreme Championship Wrestling
* DDT Pro-Wrestling
* Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
* Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* Joint Promotions
* Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
* Major League Wrestling
* Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling
* National Wrestling Alliance
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling
* Pro Wrestling Noah
* Ring of Honor
* Soft Ground Wrestling
* Stampede Wrestling
* Titanes en el ring
* Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling
* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
* UWF International
* Women of Wrestling
* World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
* World Championship Wrestling (United States)
* World Wonder Ring Stardom
* WWE
* Raw
* SmackDown
* NXT
* Evolve
* Others

Notable men

Early 20th century (Before 1949)

* Bert Assirati
* Billy Riley
* Billy Sandow
* Ed "Strangler" Lewis
* Frank Gotch
* George Hackenschmidt
* The Great Gama
* Jack Pfefer
* Joe Stecher
* Jim Londos
* Lou Thesz
* Martin "Farmer" Burns
* Orville Brown
* Salvador Lutteroth
* Toots Mondt

Mid 20th century (1950−1969)

* Blue Demon
* Bruno Sammartino
* Buddy Rogers
* Danny Hodge
* Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer
* Édouard Carpentier
* El Santo
* Freddie Blassie
* Gene Kiniski
* Gorgeous George
* Karl Gotch
* Killer Kowalski
* Rikidōzan
* Sam Muchnick
* Stu Hart
* Verne Gagne

1970s

* Abdullah The Butcher
* Akira Maeda
* André the Giant
* Antonio Inoki
* Baron von Raschke
* Big Daddy
* Billy Robinson
* Carlos Colón
* Dory Funk Jr.
* Dusty Rhodes
* Ernie Ladd
* Giant Baba
* Gordon Solie
* Harley Race
* Jack Brisco
* Mil Máscaras
* Negro Navarro
* Nick Bockwinkel
* Terry Funk

1980s

* Bobby Heenan
* Dynamite Kid
* Genichiro Tenryu
* Hulk Hogan
* Jim Crockett Jr.
* Kerry Von Erich
* Randy Savage
* Ric Flair
* Ricky Steamboat
* Roddy Piper
* Satoru Sayama
* Stan Hansen
* Ted DiBiase
* Vince McMahon

1990s

* Akira Taue
* Antonio Peña
* Atsushi Onita
* Bret Hart
* Eric Bischoff
* Jim Ross
* Jushin Liger
* Keiji Muto
* Kenta Kobashi
* Kevin Nash
* Mick Foley
* Mitsuharu Misawa
* Owen Hart
* Paul Heyman
* Rob Van Dam
* Ron Simmons
* Scott Hall
* Shawn Michaels
* Sting
* Steve Austin
* The Rock
* The Undertaker
* Toshiaki Kawada
* Triple H
* Vince Russo

2000s

* AJ Styles
* Batista
* Brock Lesnar
* Chris Jericho
* Eddie Guerrero
* Edge
* Hiroshi Tanahashi
* Jeff Hardy
* Jeff Jarrett
* John Cena
* Kurt Angle
* Místico
* Naomichi Marufuji
* Randy Orton
* Rey Mysterio
* Samoa Joe

2010s−2020s

* Bryan Danielson
* CM Punk
* Cody Rhodes
* Jon Moxley
* Kazuchika Okada
* Kenny Omega
* Nick Khan
* Roman Reigns
* Rossy Ogawa
* Seth Rollins
* Tetsuya Naito
* Tony Khan
* Will Ospreay
* Zack Sabre Jr.

Notable women

Early and Mid 20th century (1900−1974)

* Chabela Romero
* Cora Livingston
* Donna Christanello
* Ethel Johnson
* Irma González
* June Byers
* La Dama Enmascarada
* Mae Young
* Mildred Burke
* The Fabulous Moolah

Late 20th century (1975−1999)

* Aja Kong
* Akira Hokuto
* Bull Nakano
* Chigusa Nagayo
* Chyna
* Dump Matsumoto
* Jackie Sato
* Lady Apache
* Lioness Asuka
* Madusa Miceli
* Manami Toyota
* Megumi Kudo
* Miss Elizabeth
* Sherri Martel
* Wendi Richter

2000s

* Awesome Kong
* Ayako Hamada
* Beth Phoenix
* Faby Apache
* Gail Kim
* Kaori Yoneyama
* Lita
* Madison Eagles
* Marcela
* Nanae Takahashi
* Sara Del Rey
* Stephanie McMahon
* Trish Stratus

2010s

* Alexa Bliss
* Asuka
* Bayley
* Becky Lynch
* Charlotte Flair
* Iyo Sky
* Kairi Sane
* Mayu Iwatani
* Meiko Satomura
* Mercedes Moné
* Princesa Sugehit
* Ronda Rousey

2020s

* Bianca Belair
* Giulia
* Liv Morgan
* Rhea Ripley
* Sareee
* Syuri
* Toni Storm
* Utami Hayashishita

Notable tag teams and stables

Mid 20th century − 1970s

* Assassins
* Blackjacks
* Blond Bombers
* The Duseks
* Fabulous Kangaroos
* First Family
* Kalmikoffs
* Los Misioneros de la Muerte
* Sharpe Brothers
* Valiant Brothers
* Wild Samoans

1980s

* Brain Busters
* British Bulldogs
* Bushwackers
* Crush Gals
* Demolition
* Fabulous Freebirds
* Four Horsemen
* Hart Foundation
* Heenan Family
* Los Infernales
* Mega Powers
* Nasty Boys
* Midnight Express
* Revolution
* Road Warriors
* Rock 'n' Roll Express
* Steiner Brothers

1990s

* Cho-Ten
* Dangerous Alliance
* D-Generation X (New Age Outlaws)
* Doom
* Dudley Brothers and the Dudley Boyz
* Dungeon of Doom
* Harlem Heat
* Heisei Ishingun
* Holy Demon Army
* Jado & Gedo
* Kai En Tai
* Las Cachorras Orientales
* Los Gringos Locos
* Ministry of Darkness
* Miracle Violence Connection
* New World Order (Outsiders)
* Public Enemy

2000s

* Age of the Fall
* Apollo 55
* Beer Money, Inc.
* The Briscoes
* Brothers of Destruction
* Burning
* Colony
* Edge & Christian
* Evolution
* Hardy Boyz
* Kings of Wrestling
* Latin American Xchange
* Los Guerreros
* Main Event Mafia
* Motor City Machine Guns
* Tencozy
* Voodoo Murders

2010s and 2020s

* The Addiction / SCU
* American Wolves
* Blackpool Combat Club / Death Riders
* Bloodline (Usos)
* Bullet Club
* Chaos
* Elite
* FTR
* Golden Lovers
* Judgment Day
* Los Ingobernables (de Japón)
* Los Perros del Mal
* New Day
* Oedo Tai
* Queen's Quest
* Shield
* Undisputed Era (reDRagon)
* Wyatt Family
* Young Bucks

By region

* Australia
* Bolivia
* Canada
* China
* France
* India
* Iran
* Israel
* Japan
* Mexico
* New Zealand
* Puerto Rico
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* United Kingdom
* United States

Styles

* British wrestling
* All-in style
* Mountevans rules
* Cruiserweight
* X Division
* French catch
* Hardcore
* Intergender
* Lucha libre
* Midget
* Mini-Estrella
* Puroresu
* Shoot style
* U-Kei
* Women's

Concepts

* Attire
* Masks
* Wrestling singlet
* Wrestling shoe
* Blading
* Championship
* World Heavyweight
* Dirt sheet
* Glossary of terms
* Kayfabe
* Gimmick
* Face
* Heel
* Shoot
* Heat
* Job
* Push
* House show
* Match types
* Music
* Ring name
* Sports entertainment
* Tag team
* Weight classes
* Wrestling ring

Culture

* Backyard wrestling
* Cauliflower Alley Club
* Cauliflower ear
* Comic books
* Fantasy wrestling
* Films
* Luchador films
* Magazines
* Paintings
* Gustave Courbet
* Thomas Eakins
* William Etty
* George Luks
* Rib
* Ribera Steakhouse
* Ten-bell salute
* Video games
* Wrestling personalities in politics
* Zubaz

Media outlets

* Botchamania
* Box y Lucha
* Dark Side of the Ring
* Fighting Spirit Magazine
* Live Audio Wrestling
* OSW Review
* Power Slam
* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
* Solowrestling
* Súper Luchas
* WrestleCrap
* Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Controversies

* Animals in professional wrestling
* Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide
* David Arquette in WCW
* Death of Owen Hart
* Fingerpoke of Doom
* Killing of Bruiser Brody
* Killing of Rikidōzan
* Mass Transit incident
* Montreal Screwjob
* Premature deaths
* Ring boy scandal
* Speaking Out
* United States v. McMahon
* Vince McMahon sex trafficking scandal
* WWE–Saudi Arabia relationship

Lists

* Attendance records
* Championships
* Families
* Halls of fame
* Matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer
* Moves
* Promotions
* Rivalries
* Rosters
* TV shows
* Wrestling families

Related topics

* Combat sport
* Comparison of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts
* Martial arts
* Mock combat
* Pankration
* Shootfighting
* Sport wrestling
* Amateur
* Catch
* Shoot
* Submission
* Lancashire
* Luta Livre
* Pehlwani
* Stage combat
* Theatre
* Theatresports

* v
* t
* e

WCW was extremely influential within professional wrestling in the 1990s and several elements innovated and introduced by WCW would continue to be used in professional wrestling even decades after its closure.

### Short-term legacy

[edit]

Main articles: The Invasion (professional wrestling) and The Alliance (professional wrestling)

In the immediate aftermath of WWF's purchase of WCW, a significant portion of WCW's active roster was integrated into the WWF. These former WCW talents would be used as part of a "WCW vs WWF" storyline that ran in the WWF throughout 2001. The storyline began proper at the WWF Invasion pay-per-view, which received 775,000 buys and became one of the highest-grossing wrestling pay-per-views of all time.[67] Although WWF was able to recruit many of those on the WCW roster at the time of the purchase, it was unable to secure the use of most of its top-level stars, as they were signed to long-term contracts with AOL-Time Warner rather than WCW.[62] As such, these stars could remain inactive but still continue to be paid, and were not incentivized to join WWF until those contracts expired. It would not be until 2002 onwards that headline WCW stars such as Goldberg or Scott Steiner would join the company.[62] At the No Way Out pay-per-view in February 2002, WWE began their own version of the new World order centered around Hogan, Nash and Hall, but later incorporating former WCW stars the Giant (now known as the Big Show) and Booker T as well as WWE talent such as Shawn Michaels.

Throughout the early 2000s, many former WCW headliners found it difficult to integrate into WWE, as there continued to be legitimate tensions between the two groups. Former WCW performers such as Diamond Dallas Page (who had accepted a WWF contract in 2001) were perceived to be intentionally poorly used as part of a "victory lap" by WWF.[62] In turn, this dissuaded some WCW stars from trusting WWE; for example, Sting chose to remain out of WWE until 2014,[62] and even when he did join, WWE was criticised for using Sting to perform yet another victory lap at WrestleMania 31.[68]

After the closure of WCW, several new professional wrestling promotions would launch featuring former talent associated with WCW. The most prominent of these, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), was founded by Jeff Jarrett in 2002 and would attempt to take over WCW's market position in the mid-to-late 2000s using some former WCW stars such as Sting.[62] TNA would also adopt their own version of the Cruiserweight division, branded as the X Division.[69]

### Long-term legacy

[edit]

Throughout the 2000s, WWE would incorporate elements into their shows formerly associated with WCW. Former WCW Championships such as the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW United States Championship and the WCW Cruiserweight Championship would be reactivated in WWE, with their WCW lineages acknowledged. The Cruiserweight division concept was introduced to WWE in 2002 and since then has been used intermittently throughout the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s from 2002 onwards. Some WCW mainstays such as Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho were able to achieve long-term top positions within WWE by the mid to late 2000s. Similarly, promotions such as Total Nonstop Action would also make use of former WCW talent when possible and also continued the legacy of the Cruiserweight with their X-Division.

WWE has since released various WCW documentaries, anthologies, and compilations, including The Rise and Fall of WCW,[70] and a three volume series hosted by Diamond Dallas Page called The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro.[71] WCW's library content would be made available with the launch of WWE Network in 2014. WWE launched a YouTube channel devoted entirely to WCW content on March 6, 2025.[72]

WWE would revive several of WCW's events, including Great American Bash in 2004, Starrcade in 2017 and Halloween Havoc in 2020. WWE also utilized the Night of Champions name and theme used on the last episode of Nitro beginning in 2001, which was later known as Clash of Champions, similarly named from WCW's Clash of the Champions. In 2017, WWE held its first annual NXT WarGames event for its NXT brand, with that's year's event featuring the first WarGames match since the September 4, 2000, episode of Nitro.

In 2019, new promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) formed a partnership with WarnerMedia to air their flagship show, AEW Dynamite, on TNT, returning professional wrestling to the network for the first time since WCW's closure. On January 5, 2022, Dynamite moved to TNT's sibling network, TBS, marking the first time TBS has aired wrestling programming since the March 21, 2001, episode of WCW Thunder.[73] TNT has also broadcast AEW's second show, AEW Rampage, that ran from August 13, 2021, until December 27, 2024, and added another AEW show with the June 17, 2023, debut of AEW Collision.

In 2020, AEW revived WCW's Bash at the Beach series of shows with AEW Bash at the Beach on January 15, 2020. However, a lawsuit by WWE prevented further reuse of that branding.[74][75][76][77] Beginning in 2021, AEW began presenting their own version of WCW's WarGames match, held at the AEW Blood & Guts event.

Who Killed WCW?, a four-part documentary series based on the downfall of WCW premiered June 6, 2024 on Vice TV. The series was presented by Dwayne Johnson and featured former WCW personalities including Bill Goldberg, Eric Bischoff, Bret Hart, Booker T, Kevin Nash, amongst others.[78]

## Championships

[edit]

Championship  | Notes

|

NWA Western States Heritage Championship | A National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) championship intended for mid-card wrestlers. It was created under Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in 1987 and used in WCW until it was retired in 1989.
NWA World Heavyweight Championship | The world title of the NWA. It was defended within WCW from 1988 until 1993.
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | The title was established under the Chicago territory of the NWA in 1955 and defended within WCW from 1988 to 1989.
NWA World Tag Team Championship | The world tag team title of the NWA. It was defended within WCW from 1992 through 1993.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship | The title was established under WCW in 1996 and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) until March 2008, when it was retired as the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship | The title was established on March 18, 2001, but was retired eight days later after WCW's purchase by the WWF.
WCW Light Heavyweight Championship | The title was established in 1991 and was defended until September 1992, when the title was retired.
WCW Hardcore Championship | The title was established in 1999 and was defended until January 2001, when Meng jumped to the WWF as champion. The title was retired later that year due to WCW being bought by the WWF.
WCW International World Heavyweight Championship | The secondary world title of WCW. It was established in 1993 under WCW International, a fictitious subsidiary of WCW, and was defended until 1994 when it was unified with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship | The second highest ranked title used in WCW. It was established in 1975 under JCP and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the WWF until November 2001, when it was unified with the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Under WWE, the title was revived as the WWE United States Championship in 2003.
WCW United States Tag Team Championship | The title was established in 1986 under JCP and was defended within WCW until July 1992, when the title was retired.
WCW Women's Championship | The title was established under WCW in 1996 and was defended in Gaea Japan until 1998 when the title was retired.
WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship | The title was established in 1997 but was retired the following year.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship | The primary world title of WCW. It was established in 1991 under WCW and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the WWF until December 2001, when it was unified with the WWF Championship at Vengeance. The Big Gold Belt, which represented the championship, continued to appear until April 2002 when the new Undisputed WWF Championship belt was introduced.
WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | The title was established in February 1991 and defended until December 1991, when it was retired.
WCW World Tag Team Championship | The world tag team title of WCW. It was established in 1975 under JCP and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the WWF until November 2001, when it was unified with the WWF Tag Team Championship.
WCW World Television Championship | The title was established in 1974 under JCP and was defended within WCW until April 2000, when the title was retired.

## Programming

[edit]

Program | Start date | End date | Notes

|
|
|

WCW Pro | January 11, 1958 | September 27, 1998 | Also known as WCW Pro Wrestling, NWA Pro Wrestling, and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
WCW Saturday Night | December 25, 1971 | August 19, 2000 | Also known as WCW Saturday Morning, World Championship Wrestling, and Georgia Championship Wrestling
Best of World Championship Wrestling | 1973 | 1987 | Also known as Best of Championship Wrestling
WCW WorldWide | 1975 | April 1, 2001 | Also known as WCW World Wide Wrestling, NWA World Wide Wrestling, and World Wide Wrestling
WCW Clash of the Champions | March 27, 1988 | August 21, 1997 | Also known as NWA Clash of the Champions
WCW Main Event | January 21, 1988 | January 3, 1998 | Also known as NWA Main Event
WCW Power Hour | June 23, 1989 | March 5, 1994 | Also known as NWA Power Hour
WCW All Nighter | March 6, 1994 | January 10, 1995 |
WCW Prime | February 6, 1995 | October 14, 1996 | Final episode presented as WCW Wrestling
WCW Monday Nitro | September 4, 1995 | March 26, 2001 |
WCW Thunder | January 8, 1998 | March 21, 2001 |

## In other media

[edit]

WCW had a presence in NASCAR from the mid-1990s to 2000, sponsoring the #29 team in the Busch Grand National Series full-time and the #9 Melling Racing team in the Winston Cup Series part-time. In 1996, Kyle Petty's #49 car in the Busch Grand National series was sponsored by the nWo, and Wally Dallenbach Jr. briefly drove a WCW-sponsored car for Galaxy Motorsports.[79] Ready to Rumble (2000),a film based on WCW was released by Warner Bros.,Directed By Brian Robbins and it stars David Arquette,Scott Caan & Oliver Platt.

Several WCW video games were made in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, including WCW Wrestling, WCW SuperBrawl Wrestling, WCW vs. the World, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour, WCW Nitro, WCW/nWo Thunder, WCW/nWo Revenge, WCW Mayhem, and WCW Backstage Assault.[80]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ In Controversy Creates Cash (2006), Bischoff claims that WCW lost approximately $10,000,000 in 1993[18]
2. ^ Although Sting's shift to the "Crow" inspired character was part of the overall direction by Eric Bischoff, the specific idea that Sting should adopt the dark avenging character was generated by Scott Hall after seeing the film.[28]
3. ^ Having made $55,000,000 in profits in 1998, by the final quarter of 1999 it was apparent to both Bischoff and Time Warner management that WCW would lose at least $5,000,000 that year.[30]
4. ^ On the December 23, 1999, live episode of Thunder, WCW shot an angle in which Goldberg chased after members of the nWo backstage, who attempted to escape in a limousine. Goldberg proceeded to punch through the glass window of the limousine as an improvised part of the segment. The glass was real and as it shattered it cut Goldberg's arm deeply, severing an artery. After the segment, Goldberg was rushed to a local hospital and at one point his arm might have to be amputated. Eventually, the wound was closed with 40 stitches but it took 5 months for Goldberg to recover from the injury.[49]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Universal Wrestling Corporation". georgiacompanieslist.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
2. ^ Atlanta Business Journal June 28, 1999 Archived May 29, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ "Eric Bischoff". Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. March 18, 1998. TSN. "Monday night is that one time during the week when I can forget that I'm the president of WCW, that I've got 150 employees to worry about."
4. ^ Jericho, Chris; Fornatale, Peter Thomas (2007). A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex. Grand Central. ISBN 978-0-446-40890-5. "[Bischoff] constantly trumpeted to anybody who would listen that Hogan and the nWo were the sole reason why WCW had pulled ahead of WWF in the ratings war. He never stopped to think that another reason may have been the hard work of the leprosy-afflicted cruiserweights."
5. ^ "Sting". WWE.com. WWE. 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
6. ^ Mudge, Jacqueline (2013). Billy Kidman. Infobase. ISBN 978-1-4381-4646-1. "The cruiserweight division had become the most exciting aspect of WCW."
7. ^ Bryan, Daniel; Tello, Craig (2015). Yes!: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania. St. Martin's. p. 70\. ISBN 978-1-4668-7662-0. "WWE was looking to start a new cruiserweight division like the one that was popular in WCW."
8. ^ a b Green, Jordan (December 14, 2005). "I was famous for getting beat up': The glorious and tragic story of Carolina wrasslin". YES! Weekly.
9. ^ a b Assael, Shaun; Mooneyham, Mike (July 16, 2002). Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. Crown Publishers. p. 252. ISBN 0-609-60690-5.
10. ^ "1980's TV Wrestling / 1970's – 1980's Mid-Atlantic Wrestling". tvparty.com.
11. ^ Ratings Analysis, Pro Wrestling Illustrated May 1988
12. ^ "NWA and WWF gain momentum – Is Wrestling Headed Towards A Two Party System?" Pro Wrestling Illustrated October 1987. Article contains copious examples of references to Jim Crockett Promotions as "World Championship Wrestling"/"WCW"/"the World Championship area".
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The History of WCW". WWE.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
14. ^ Eric Bischoff (December 9, 2021). Eric Bischoff shoots on the drama between WCW and NWA in 1993. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
15. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 83. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
16. ^ Foley, Mick (October 16, 2000). Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. p. 317\. ISBN 0-00-710738-2.
17. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 103. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
18. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 90. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
19. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 91. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
20. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 124. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
21. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 142. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
22. ^ a b Bischoff 2006, p. 151. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
23. ^ a b Raimondi, Marc (December 9, 2019). "WWE to honor nWo with Hall of Fame induction". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
24. ^ Raimondi, Marc (March 14, 2022). "Wrestling legend, WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall dies at 63". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2023. "Bolstered by the buzz created by the nWo, WCW beat WWF in the head-to-head cable television ratings for 83 weeks straight, something that would have been unheard of just a year earlier."
25. ^ a b Mooneyham, Mike (November 12, 2022). "Eric Bischoff 'plane crash' pitch was WCW storyline that Harvey Schiller shot down". Post and Courier. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
26. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 166. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
27. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 203. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
28. ^ a b Bischoff 2006, p. 237. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
29. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 200. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
30. ^ a b c d Mooneyham, Mike (November 19, 2022). "Bischoff loses power, Schiller looks for answers in WCW decline". Post and Courier. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
31. ^ Wonsover, Michael (November 24, 2017). "The legacy of Starrcade and the disaster of Sting vs. Hulk Hogan in 1997". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
32. ^ Hoops, Brian (January 7, 2008). "SPECIALIST – Nostalgia: Starrcade '97: Eddie vs. Dean, Sting vs. Hogan, Mongo vs. Goldberg". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
33. ^ a b Bischoff 2006, p. 271. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
34. ^ Eric Bischoff. "nWo Wolfpace". 83 weeks (Podcast). Retrieved October 20, 2023.
35. ^ Keller, Wade (December 22, 2018). "VIP 1998 BACK ISSUE – Pro Wrestling Torch #526 (December 26, 1998): Cover Story on WCW signing what turned out to be a short-lived deal for series of specials on NBC, reader letters and Keller's reaction to Kevin Nash being promoted to booker of WCW". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
36. ^ Dave Meltzer (January 12, 2016). "November 30, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 3 top stars potentially done with wrestling, WCW World War III recap". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
37. ^ Pollock, John (December 27, 2021). "Bill Goldberg's streak ends at WCW Starrcade 1998". POST Wrestling. Retrieved October 20, 2023. "WCW ended 1998 by ending the undefeated streak of Bill Goldberg. It was on this date that Goldberg was pinned by Kevin Nash in the main event of Starrcade at the MCI Center in Washington, ending Goldberg's streak and reign as company champion. The decision was heavily criticized, both the decision to end it and the tactic of having Goldberg hit with a cattle prod by Scott Hall to set up the jackknife powerbomb by Nash for the victory."
38. ^ "Hulk Hogan's fifth WCW Championship reign". WWE. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
39. ^ Alvarez, Bryan; R.D. Reynolds (2004). The Death of WCW. ECW Press. p. 171\. ISBN 1-55022-661-4.
40. ^ Bischoff 2006, p. 305. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBischoff2006 (help)
41. ^ Pursell, Chris (September 13, 1999). "Exec exits the ring". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
42. ^ a b c Pollock, John (October 18, 2021). "Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara's first episode of WCW Nitro". POST Wrestling. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
43. ^ Dave Meltzer (October 11, 1999). "Oct 11, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Vince Russo leaves WWF for WCW, WWF Rebellion". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
44. ^ "Vince Russo On Biggest Misconceptions About Him, Origin of The Attitude Era, Who WWE Writers Write For Today". January 7, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
45. ^ Carapola, Stuart (May 4, 2011). "A detailed look at the WWE Monday night war DVD, part 3". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
46. ^ Thompson, AD (April 24, 2023). "POST NEWS UPDATE: Chavo Guerrero Jr. recalls Eddie asking if he wanted to make jump to WWF/E with The Radicalz". POST Wrestling. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
47. ^ a b Wonsover, Michael (November 9, 2018). "David Arquette enjoys unlikely return to the world of pro wrestling". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
48. ^ Martinez, Ryan (December 19, 2008). "This Day In History: Hitman's Career Ended At Starrcade, British Bulldog In ECW, Edge And Christian Tie A Record And More". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
49. ^ a b Dave Meltzer (January 3, 2000). "January 3, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Goldberg injured after car window stunt goes wrong, tons of news". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
50. ^ Eric Bischoff (March 14, 2020). "Eric Bischoff shoots on why WCW was so bad in 2000". 83 Weeks (Podcast). Retrieved October 28, 2023.
51. ^ "Time Warner Sells Ailing WCW". Classic Wrestling Articles. December 29, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
52. ^ Flint, Joe; Beatty, Sally (March 7, 2001). "WB Network Chief Kellner Takes Over Turner Operations at AOL Time Warner". Wall Street Journalism. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
53. ^ Schneider, Michael (June 22, 2024). "Jamie Kellner, TV Maverick Who Launched Both Fox and The WB, Dies at 77". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
54. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (June 22, 2024). "Former Head of Turner Broadcasting Jamie Kellner Passes Away". Fightful. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
55. ^ John M. Higgins (March 19, 2001). "WCW on the ropes" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Cahners Business Information. p. 8\. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2018 - via World Radio History.
56. ^ Jim Rutenberg (January 11, 2001). "Turner to Drop Wrestling, Shed Jobs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
57. ^ Evans, Guy (July 6, 2018). NITRO: The Incredible Rise and Inevitable Collapse of Ted Turner's WCW. WCWNitroBook.com. ISBN 978-0-692-13917-2.
58. ^ Mooneyham, Mike (November 26, 2022). "Dr. Harvey Schiller, Ted Turner and the end of WCW". Post and Courier. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
59. ^ Dave Meltzer (August 6, 2001). "August 6, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WCW purchase price revealed". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
60. ^ "Worldwide Subsidiaries and Affiliated Companies List" (PDF). Time Warner. June 19, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
61. ^ "Certificate of Merger". State of Georgia. December 17, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
62. ^ a b c d e f g Shoemaker, David (November 25, 2014). "WWE 'Survivor Series': Sting! WTF?". Grantland. Retrieved October 20, 2023. "Sting was a mainstay of WCW when the rival company tangled with the WWF in a 1990s blood feud for ratings. Most of the biggest WCW stars didn't come to WWF when McMahon bought out his rivals in 2001. That's because the biggest stars were under contract with WCW's parent company, AOL/Time-Warner, and McMahon had no interest in paying their exorbitant salaries. Likewise, the wrestlers weren't inclined to quit and lose the remaining money on their contracts so they could join the WWF. Eventually, as their contracts ended, most of WCW's big names turned up for a run in WWE. By then, McMahon owned a functional monopoly on big-time professional wrestling, and performers like Kevin Nash and Ric Flair and Goldberg were happy to make nice with WWE and put their legacies in Vince's powerful hands."
63. ^ Ali, Hamza (November 6, 2022). "Why WWE Started Their Brand Split in 2002, Explained". thesportster.com. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
64. ^ a b c d Willis, Matt (September 29, 2016). "Legacy of the WCW cruiserweights". ESPN. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
65. ^ Lovell, Blake (November 24, 2020). "Eric Bischoff On Why Cruiserweight Division Was As Important To WCW Nitro's Success Than nWo, Impact On Current Stars". 411mania. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
66. ^ Boutwell, Josh (December 25, 2014). "Chapter 4: No Limits (The X-Division)". WrestleView. Retrieved October 19, 2023. "The point of the X-Division was to showcase the high flying, fast-paced style of wrestling which had become very popular due to WCW's cruiserweights in the 1990s which is why I immediately fell in love with the division."
67. ^ Dave Meltzer (August 13, 2001). "August 13, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF Invasion PPV does big business, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
68. ^ Caldwell, James (January 14, 2016). "Report – Why Sting lost WWE debut match, as told by Scott Hall". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
69. ^ Boutwell, Josh (December 25, 2014). "Chapter 4: No Limits (The X-Division)". Retrieved November 7, 2023. "The point of the X-Division was to showcase the high flying, fast-paced style of wrestling which had become very popular due to WCW's cruiserweights in the 1990s"
70. ^ Ross, Jim (May 3, 2009). "J.R.'s Place". J.R.'s Barbq. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
71. ^ "WWE: The Very Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 3". August 11, 2015 - via Amazon.
72. ^ D'Alessandro, Julien (March 6, 2025). "WWE Launches WCW YouTube Channel For Fans To Watch Classic Matches". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
73. ^ "End of an era on TBS: Solie, Georgia and 'Black Saturday'". Slam Wrestling. April 3, 2001. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
74. ^ "Cody's Request For 'Bash At The Beach' Trademark Reconsideration Denied | Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
75. ^ @AEWrestling (November 18, 2019). "The #AEWDynamite scheduled for Wednesday, January 15th in Miami, Florida has gotten just a little bit bigger now as the event will be Officially Titled: BASH AT THE BEACH Tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY, November 22nd at Noon ET for AEW's #BashAtTheBeach. (Note: Although listed as Miami, the venue is officially in Coral Gables, Florida)" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
76. ^ "AEW Dynamite Is Reviving WCW's Bash At The Beach". UPROXX. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
77. ^ "AEW Revives WCW's Bash at the Beach For Nine-Day Event". November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
78. ^ "Who Killed Wcw? - VICE TV". Viceland. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
79. ^ Sedor, Sean (February 16, 2024). "In The Ring & On The Track: A History of NASCAR and Wrestling Crossovers - Part 1: WCW". Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
80. ^ Schlabaugh, Ethan; Djeljosevic, Danny (December 10, 2020). "Every WCW Video Game Ever, Ranked From Worst To Best". TheSportster. Retrieved March 14, 2025.

### Works cited

[edit]

* Eric Bischoff (2006). Controversy Creates Cash. Pocket Books. ISBN 1-4165-2729-X.

## External links

[edit]

* WCW official website (archived)
* WCW on WWE.com
* WWE.com's WCW World Heavyweight Championship History
* DDT Digest – World Championship Wrestling Results and Commentary

* v
* t
* e

World Championship Wrestling

History|

* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* 1980s boom
* Black Saturday
* Monday Night War
* New World Order
* Goldberg win streak
* Fingerpoke of Doom

Talent|

* Former personnel
* Teams and stables
* Hall of Fame

Championships|

| World|

* World Heavyweight (reigns) (1991–2001)
* International World Heavyweight (reigns) (1993–1994)
* NWA World Heavyweight (reigns) (1988–1993)

|

Secondary|

* United States Heavyweight (reigns) (1991–2001)
* World Television (reigns) (1991–2000)
* NWA Western States Heritage (reigns) (1988–1989)

Tag Team|

* World Tag Team (reigns) (1991–2001)
* World Six-Man Tag Team (reigns) (1991)
* United States Tag Team (reigns) (1991–1992)
* Cruiserweight Tag Team (reigns) (2001)
* NWA World Tag Team (reigns) (1992–1993)
* NWA World Six-Man Tag Team (reigns) (1988–1989)

Divisional|

* Light Heavyweight (reigns) (1991–1992)
* Cruiserweight (reigns) (1996–2001)
* Hardcore (reigns) (1999–2001)
* Women's (reigns) (1996–1998)
* Women's Cruiserweight (reigns) (1997–1998)

Other accomplishments|

* Triple Crown
* WarGames
* World War 3
* Tournaments

Programming|

* Pro (1958–1998)
* Saturday Night (1971–2000)
* Best of World Championship Wrestling (1973–1987)
* WorldWide (1975–2001)
* Closed-circuit and pay-per-view events (1983–2001)
* Clash of the Champions (1988–1997)
* Main Event (1988–1998)
* Power Hour (1989–1994)
* All Nighter (1994–1995)
* Prime (1995–1996)
* Monday Nitro (1995–2001)
* Thunder (1998–2001)

Video games|

* UWC (unreleased)
* WCW Wrestling
* The Main Event
* SuperBrawl Wrestling
* WCW vs. the World
* WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
* Nitro
* WCW/nWo Revenge
* WCW/nWo Thunder
* Mayhem
* Backstage Assault

Developmental territories|

* Heartland Wrestling Association
* NWA Wildside

WWF revival|

* The Invasion
* The Alliance

Miscellaneous|

* Attendance records
* WCW Nitro Grill
* WCW Power Plant
* WCW Magazine
* WCW Mayhem: The Music
* David Arquette in World Championship Wrestling
* Disney tapings
* Ready to Rumble
* Rising (Stuck Mojo album)
* Universal Studios Soundstage 21
* WCW Monday Nitro debut episode
* WCW Thunder debut episode
* World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
* Who Killed WCW?

* v
* t
* e

World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view events

All Events|

* Bash at the Beach (1994-2000)
* Battlebowl (1993)
* Beach Blast (1992-1993)
* Capital Combat (1990)
* Chi-Town Rumble (1989)
* Collision in Korea (1995)
* Fall Brawl (1993-2000)
* Greed (2001)
* Halloween Havoc (1989-2000)
* Hog Wild (1996)
* Japan Supershow (1991-1993)
* Mayhem (1999-2000)
* Millennium Final (2000)
* New Blood Rising (2000)
* Road Wild (1997-1999)
* Sin (2001)
* Slamboree (1993-2000)
* Souled Out (1997-2000)
* Spring Stampede (1994, 1997-2000)
* Starrcade (1983-2000)
* SuperBrawl (1991-2001)
* The Great American Bash (1985-1992, 1995-2000)
* Uncensored (1995-2000)
* When Worlds Collide (1994)
* World War 3 (1995-1998)
* WrestleWar (1989-1992)

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

New World Order

Members|

| WCW stable|

* Hollywood Hogan
* Kevin Nash
* Scott Hall
* Ted DiBiase
* The Giant
* nWo Sting
* Syxx
* Vincent
* Nick Patrick
* Miss Elizabeth
* Eric Bischoff
* Buff Bagwell
* Michael Wallstreet
* Big Bubba Rogers
* Scott Norton
* Randy Savage
* Dennis Rodman
* Konnan
* Curt Hennig
* Rick Rude
* Dusty Rhodes
* Scott Steiner
* Brian Adams
* The Disciple
* Bret Hart
* Stevie Ray
* Horace Hogan
* Mark "Slick" Johnson
* Lex Luger
* Sting
* Disco Inferno
* David Flair
* Torrie Wilson
* Jeff Jarrett
* Ron and Don Harris >

|

WWE stable|

* Hollywood Hogan
* Kevin Nash
* Scott Hall
* X-Pac
* Big Show
* Booker T
* Shawn Michaels

nWo Japan|

* Masahiro Chono
* The Great Muta
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan
* Hiro Saito
* Big Titan
* Satoshi Kojima
* Tatsutoshi Goto
* Michiyoshi Ohara
* Akira

History|

* World Championship Wrestling (history)
* Bash at the Beach (1996)
* nWo Souled Out
* Fingerpoke of Doom

Video games|

* WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
* WCW/nWo Revenge
* WCW/nWo Thunder

Related groups|

* The Outsiders
* The Band
* The Kliq
* Blue World Order
* Latino World Order
* Juggalo World Order
* Team 2000
* ZEN

* 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
* WWF trademark dispute
* 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
* WWE Unreal

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 Podcast Network
* WWE Studios
* Tapout

Defunct businesses|

* World Bodybuilding Federation
* WWF New York
* WWE Classics on Demand
* WWE Home Video
* WWE Network
* Canada
* WWE Niagara Falls
* WWE Magazine
* 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
* Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
* Zuffa Boxing

Partnerships|

| Current|

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

|

Former|

* 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
* Types of championships
* 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

* 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 Signature Live Events|

* Anniversary Show
* Crockett Cup
* Hard Times
* Samhain

|

Pop-Up Events|

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

Historical events|

* 312
* Alwayz Ready
* Back for the Attack
* Back to the Territories
* Break the Barrier
* EmPowerrr
* Into the Fire
* Looks That Kill
* Nuff Said
* Paranoia
* Shockwave
* 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 Chicago
* NWA Exodus Pro Midwest
* NWA JCP Southeast
* NWA Kross Fire
* NWA New Mexico
* 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

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
* Lucha Underground
* 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

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

TNT Sports

Current sports and
sports entertainment programs|

* MLB on TBS (commentators)
* NHL on TNT
* College Basketball on TNT Sports
* March Madness (commentators)
* NBA HBCU Classic
* Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic
* Hall of Fame Series
* Big East Conference
* Big 12 Conference
* French Open
* The Match
* All Elite Wrestling
* Dynamite
* Collision
* Rampage
* Battle of the Belts
* All Access
* Overdrive
* NASCAR on TNT
* Soccer on TNT Sports
* United States men's national soccer team
* United States women's national soccer team
* SheBelieves Cup
* 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Former sports programs|

* TNT Sunday Night Football
* College Football on TBS
* Alliance of American Football
* Braves on Peachtree TV
* Braves TBS Baseball
* NBA on TBS
* NBA on TNT (commentators)
* College Beach Volleyball
* Friday Night Knockout
* ONE on TNT
* Power Slap: Road to the Title
* ELeague
* 1991 Pan American Games
* Tennis on TNT
* Wimbledon
* Golf on TNT
* The Open Championship
* PGA Championship
* PGA Grand Slam of Golf
* Soccer on Turner Sports
* UEFA Champions League
* UEFA Europa League
* UEFA Super Cup
* Women's United Soccer Association
* 1990 FIFA World Cup
* Atlanta Chiefs
* TNT Olympic Broadcasts
* 1992 Winter Olympics
* 1994
* 1998

Former sports entertainment
(professional wrestling) programs|

* Georgia Championship Wrestling
* World Wrestling Federation
* Championship Wrestling from Georgia
* Mid-South Wrestling
* Jim Crockett Promotions
* World Championship Wrestling
* Nitro
* Thunder
* Clash of the Champions
* Saturday Night
* WorldWide
* Power Hour
* Main Event
* Pro
* Prime
* All Nighter
* Best of
* Classics

Television channels|

* TNT
* TBS
* TruTV
* Turner South
* Peachtree TV

Streaming affiliations|

* HBO Max
* Discovery+

U.S. properties|

* Bleacher Report
* House of Highlights
* NBA TV
* MLB Network (16.67%)
* Golf Digest

International properties|

* EMEA
* TNT Sports (United Kingdom)
* TNT Sports 1
* TNT Sports 2
* TNT Sports 3
* TNT Sports 4
* Eurosport
* Americas
* TNT Sports (Argentina)
* TNT Sports (Brazil)
* TNT Sports (Chile)
* TNT Sports Premium
* TNT Sports (Mexico)

Defunct or sold properties|

* Venu Sports (33.33%)

Executives|

* Luis Silberwasser (U.S. chairman and CEO)
* Andrew Georgiou (International president)

See also|

* United States sports broadcasting lists
* Turner Broadcasting System (Warner Bros. Discovery)

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