National Wrestling Alliance

The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the body controlling of a group of federations of professional wrestling independent with the the United States and which approve various titles of the NWA. The organization is in function since 1948. Before the Eighties, it was the single organization for the majority of the federations of professional wrestling, as a “reference” with its system of “territories”.

History

Territories

Before the National Wrestling Alliance is founded in 1948, it y' had many federations (each one having its own champion of the “World”); but little went elsewhere than in their geographical base. The concept of the NWA was to link all these championships to make a true champion of wrestling, a champion who was recognized by all the federations. In 1948, Pinkie George a promoter, founded the original version of the National Wrestling Alliance with the support of six other promoters (Al Haft, Tony Strecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, Paul George, Sam Muchnick). This new direction of the NWA recognized Brown as a world champion of the members of the organization. During the reign of the second NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Lou Thesz (1949-1956), the title was unified with other “world” titles. This legitimated the NWA which affirmed that this title was a " Unifié" world title; , with a line which continues today.

Script writer of Lou Thesz in 1950, Muchnick, which was with the head of the St Louis Wrestling Club , became the new President of the NWA, and remained at this station until 1960, when Verne Gagne separated from the NWA, and formed AWA. Fred Kohler became the President of the NWA after having been the mentor of then the champion " Boy" nature; Buddy Rogers, succeeding the substitute of Muchnick Frank Tunney, before Doc. Karl Sarpolis, (promoter NWA with Amarillo, Texas) became the President after having organized a match in which the recognized champion with Amarillo (Killer Kowalski) lost vis-a-vis Rogers in October 1962. Buddy Rogers became now the most popular all-in wrestler at that time, and thus dominated the shows of wrestling in America of the North-East. After Rogers lost officially the title vis-a-vis Lou Thesz in 1963, whereas federation NWA of the North-East, Capitol Sports Wrestling (more known from now on under name WWE), could from now on separate from the NWA. Capitol Sports Wrestling recognized Rogers as a its champion of the “world”, which led Muchnick to become president of the NWA once more. Although Gains and Vince McMahon, Sr. had each one their world champion, both had representatives with the direction of the NWA and frequently exchanged talents with the members of the NWA.

This arrangement was very simple, but also very effective, in the days from before federations receive a national televised exposure. The members of the NWA were divided into North America, in Japan, in territories “belonging” to each promoter which directed. To have a territory wanted to say that no other member of the NWA could organize a show of wrestling in the area. If the promoters who are not with the NWA tried to enter a territory NWA, this would oblige the members of the other groups to send their stars to counter. Threats of violences or reprisals physical were even used against any promoter (and/or talent) who was not agreement with the system of the territories. If any member of a territory broke the rules of the NWA, it risked an expulsion and the fact of not profiting all-in wrestlers nationally known in their local shows. For the majority of the promoters under protection NWA, the benefit because of being member of the organization were worth really the blow. Usually, the territory of the president of the NWA was the principal territory.

The champion did not have a territory suitable for him, but in the place travelled of territory in territory, defending the title against the princiaples stars of each territory. Many promoters made the great publicity of the arrival of the " NWA World Heavyweight Champion" weeks or month in advance, making local matches for the world title special, and returning the posters of the more lucrative shows. In these days, each federation produced its show TV which was diffused only in their territory, which wanted to say that only the local fans could see the world champion in their territory. It y' did not have only the champion who travelled through the territories: often all-in wrestlers of a different area came in a territory (often the heels/“bad lots”), and thus fought the faces (" good gars") most popular. If the local fans became tired of an all-in wrestler, this one could also change territory to be turned vis-a-vis a new public.

Decline of the system of the territories

Television showed the way of died of the model of interregional business of the NWA, as the fans could not see themselves different the storylines from each area; also, the presence of stars as Ric Flair with the TV each week reduced their appearance special in each area. The World Wrestling Federation (WWF) of Vince McMahon, Jr. (which bought the federation Capitol Sports / World Wide Wrestling Federation of his/her father) used this tendency to meeting to make of its territory of the North-East the first true national federation. To answer this threat, the various leaders of the NWA, at the sides of the AWA, tried to make joint shows under the banner Pro Wrestling the USA. However, of the intestinal quarrels about the capacity and the money caused the loss of this agreement. The AWA ended up holding a schedule on ESPN, which it used to diffuse a weekly show.
During this time, to put an end to the threat WWF, the Jim Crockett Promotions decided to unify certain territories of the NWA “to nationalize” itself. Jim Crockett, Jr. repurchased the shares of certain members, or then in certain cases let them die in small fire to absorb their rosters. After having failed vis-a-vis the WWF in all the fields, like the values of the TV production, and other derivative products, Crockett faced the bankruptcy. Results of the races, he saw himself obliged into 1988 to sell his federation with the Turner Broadcasting System of Ted Turner, which re-elected it World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1991, the WCW which was then carries it flag of the NWA, realized that the NWA needed more it than it does not need the NWA -- and a term put thus at their alliance. The WCW continued however, to affirm certain aspects of the NWA for the majority of its titles. Louse to make the things even more confused, the WCW passed most of the year 1992 and 1993 to recognize the world champions of the WCW and the NWA. In September 1993, the WCW put a final term at its relations with the NWA, following a legal proceeding on the fact of knowing or not the WCW so yes had the right to select the champions of the NWA without the assent of the NWA itself.
After the disappearance of the semi-1990 AWA, and the creation of the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1994, the NWA was nothing any more but the shade of itself. In the Nineties, the organization became even forgotten with the profit of the independent federations for the period of the Monday Night Wars between the WCW and the WWF.

The NWA today

Today, it y' always has a group of promoters who are members of the NWA and continue to use name NWA, although (with the exception of the promotion of Steve Rickard in New Zealand) no member holds the direction of the federation as in the " glorieux" days; organization in the years 1940-1980.

To join the NWA, a promoter must have operated before during one year in a territory which is not contecté by any member of the NWA, and their application must be approved by the majority of the votes of the direction -- although it y' has many possible exceptions. In August 2005, the presidency of the NWA was dissolved and the capacities assumed by the members of the direction, following the resignation of Ernie Todd (leader of NWA: Canadian Wrestling Federation). On the site of its federation, it does not have FIAT to announce its departure of the NWA and of the direction, Todd as affirmed as it joined off AWA Superstars Wrestling. Other members of the direction of the NWA gave their feelings on the departure of Todd, and its decision to join the AWA. He was announced on the site of the NWA Monday October 10th 2005, that the current adviser of the NWA Bob Trobich became the new Executive director. As an Executive director of the NWA, Trobich became the person highest placed in the direction of the NWA.

Federation major current

Name NWA was more spent these last years in conjunction with the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), a federation launched by a former member of the NWA Jeff Jarrett and its father the promoter Jerry Jarrett in 2002, who joined the NWA in 2004. In 2004, the TNA negotiated a new agreement to have the rights on name NWA and the use of NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Tag TEAM Championship for ten years. The May 13rd 2007, the NWA announced that it put an end to the agreement, revoking the statutes of the current champions World Heavyweight and World Tag TEAM, and announcing the behavior of tournaments for the two vacant titles from now on. Actually, the two parts wanted to put an end to their agreement, as the TNA wanted to create its own titles, and than the direction of the NWA wanted to control its own champions.

The largest member federation recently of the NWA in the United States was without doubts NWA Wildside . It will have diffused a show 300 weeks consecutive before its closing in April 2005, when the leader Bill Behrens, signed an agreement with the WWE.

The largest member federation of the NWA was the New Japan Pro Wrestling, which is classified like the second larger federation of wrestling in the world (after the WWE). The NJPW was directed by the member of the NWA, and legendary all-in wrestler, Antonio Inoki. The NJPW organizes events through Japan, and in also organized in Europe and in the United States. In 2007, Inoki left on different NJPW which it had founded to create the Inoki Genome Federation which became blow the recognized federation of the NWA in Japan in the place of the NJPW.

Bonds

the official site of the NWA
complete Site on wrestling with history and photographs

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