World Wrestling All-Stars
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| World Wrestling All-Stars | |
|---|---|
| Type | N/A |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Dissolved | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Brisbane, Australia [1] |
| Key people | Andrew McManus, World Manager and Director [2] Jeremy Borash, Director of Talent [2] |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Sports entertainment |
| Parent | International Touring Company [2] McGhee International [2] |
The World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company.[1] WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Contents |
[edit] History
WWA focused on signing the wrestlers that did not get signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after the WWF-WCW merger, and many popular former WWF and WCW wrestlers signed, including Jeff Jarrett, Road Dogg, Lenny Lane, Lodi, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, Scott Steiner, Stevie Ray and Disco Inferno. They also brought in relatively unknown wrestlers such as Shark Boy, Nathan Jones, and Trinity.[2] Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Randy Savage were each scheduled to appear for WWA at some point, but none appeared. Bret Hart made an in-ring appearance shortly after his stroke.[3]
After a few shows in Australia, the company began airing occasional live pay-per-view events. Most of its shows were held in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. WWA's second PPV was its only event in North America, and production was relatively low quality as the company was financially unable (or unwilling) to promote an event at a standard venue, and had to rely on gathering a free crowd at the Aladdin Casino and Hotel instead. [3]
Although they drew strong crowds globally in areas which were starved for live pro wrestling, WWA shows were almost universally criticized. With its lack of star power on the roster, the company's bookers relied heavily on gimmick matches such as 'Hardcore Table Matches', 'Black Wedding' (intergender) matches, and 'Hardcore Midget' matches to generate interest.
Even after signing Sting, a few months went by with little success. Eventually, Scott Steiner and Nathan Jones were signed by the WWE (although both would have short stints there). In 2003, WWA folded. Many of the other wrestlers, such as Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Shark Boy and Road Dogg are now employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Sting was the last WWA champion. He lost the title in a unification match with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Champion Jeff Jarrett on May 25, 2003 in Auckland, New Zealand.
[edit] Championships
- WWA World Heavyweight Championship – last held by Jeff Jarrett; unified with Jarrett's NWA World Heavyweight Championship
- WWA International Cruiserweight Championship – last held by Chris Sabin; unified with Sabin's TNA X Division Championship
- WWA Hardcore Championship – Crowbar defeated Danny Dominion in a tables match to win the title on October 25, 2001 in Wollongong, Australia. Title was then abandoned.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Andrew McManus Presents. AMPresents.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
- ^ a b c d e Borash, Jeremy (2001). WWA World Wrestling All-Stars Official Souvenir Programme. England: Quadracolor.
- ^ a b Eck, Kevin (June 2002). Going global: the WWA is looking to find its niche by spanning the world, but will American audiences buy into the "Ice Capades" concept?. Wrestling Digest. FindArticles.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
[edit] External links
| Roster World Wrestling All-Stars roster |
| Events List of WWA pay-per-view events |
| Championships International Cruiserweight • World Heavyweight |
