World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
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| style="text-align: left;" |'''Type''' | | style="text-align: left;" |'''Type''' | ||
| - | | bgcolor="#ffffff" |1988–1996 [[Privately Held|Private]]<br>{{small|(subsidiary of [[Turner Broadcasting System]])}}<br>1996–2017 [[Privately Held|Private]]<br>{{small|(subsidiary of [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] division [[Turner Broadcasting System|Turner]])}} | + | | bgcolor="#ffffff" |1988–1996 [[Privately Held|Private]]<br>{{small|(subsidiary of [[Turner Broadcasting System]])}}<br>1996–2017 [[Privately Held|Private]]<br>{{small|(subsidiary of [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] division [[Turner Broadcasting System|Turner]])}}<br>2001–2017 [[Subsidiary]]}} |
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| style="text-align: left;" |'''Industry''' | | style="text-align: left;" |'''Industry''' | ||
Revision as of 16:30, 5 July 2022
| World Championship Wrestling, Inc | |
| (Top) The original WCW logo, (Bottom) The logo used from 1999 to 2001 | |
| Trade name | World Championship Wrestling |
| Formerly | Universal Wrestling Corporation (1988, 2001–2017) World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (1988–2001) |
| Type | 1988–1996 Private (subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System) 1996–2017 Private (subsidiary of Time Warner division Turner) 2001–2017 Subsidiary}} |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Sports entertainment |
| Predecessor | Georgia Championship Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions |
| Founded | October 11, 1988 |
| Founder(s) | Ted Turner |
| Defunct | March 26, 2001 (de facto) December 16, 2017 (de jure) |
| Fate | Deactivated and renamed by AOL Time Warner, later merged with Turner Broadcasting System; selected assets purchased by the IWF |
| Successor | WCW Inc. Turner Broadcasting System |
| Headquarters | Williams Street Atlanta, Georgia 30303 United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Television, Internet, merchandise |
| Number of employees | c. 150 (March 1998) |
| Parent | Turner Broadcasting System (1988–1996) Time Warner (1996–2001) Time Warner (2001–2017) as Universal Wrestling Corporation IWE (2001–present) as WCW, Inc.}} |
| Website | |
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (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 much of its existence, WCW was one of the top professional wrestling promotions in the United States alongside the International Wrestling Federation (IWF; now known as International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE)), at one point surpassing the latter in terms of popularity. 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 IWF talent. WCW also gained attention for developing a popular cruiserweight division, which showcased an acrobatic, fast-paced, lucha libre-inspired style of wrestling. In 1995, WCW debuted their live flagship television program Monday Nitro, and subsequently developed a ratings competition against the flagship program of the IWF, Monday Night Raw, in a period now known as the Monday Night Wars. From 1996 to 1998, WCW surpassed their rival program in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks.
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 Turner Broadcasting parent Time Warner and America Online (AOL). Soon thereafter, WCW went out of business, and the IWF purchased select WCW assets in 2001, including its video library, intellectual property (including the WCW name and championships), and some wrestler contracts. The corporate subsidiary, which was retained to deal with legal obligations and reverted to the Universal Wrestling Corporation name, officially became defunct in 2017. Its headquarters were located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Contents |
History
- Main article: History of World Championship Wrestling
Origins
Leadership and booking
Monday Night Wars
- Main article: Monday Night Wars
Sale to International Wrestling Federation
Legacy
Championships
| Championship | Notes |
|---|---|
| NWA Western States Heritage Championship | A National Wrestling Alliance championship intended for mid-card wrestlers. It was used in WCW from 1988 to 1989. |
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship | The world title of the National Wrestling Alliance. It was defended within WCW from 1988 until 1993. |
| NWA World Tag Team Championship | The world tag team title of the National Wrestling Alliance. 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 IWF until March 2008, when it was retired as the IWE Cruiserweight Championship. |
| WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship | The title was established under WCW on March 18, 2001, but was retired eight days later after the WCW's purchase by the IWF. |
| WCW Light Heavyweight Championship | The title was established under WCW in 1991 and was defended until September 1992, when the title was retired. |
| WCW Hardcore Championship | The title was established under WCW in 1999 and was defended until January 2001, when the title was retired later that year due to WCW being bought by the IWF. |
| WCW International World Heavyweight Championship | The second world title of WCW. It was established in 1993 under 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 NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the IWF until November 2001, when it was unified with the IWF Intercontinental Championship. Under International Wrestling Entertainment, the title was revived as the IWE United States Championship in 2003. |
| WCW United States Tag Team Championship | The title was established in 1986 under NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling 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 until 1997 when the title was retired. |
| WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship | The title was established under WCW 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 IWF until December 2001, when it was unified with the IWF Championship. |
| WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship | The title was derived from the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship of NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and was defended within WCW until 1991 when the title was retired. |
| WCW World Tag Team Championship | The world tag team title of the WCW. It was established in 1975 under NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and would continue to be used after WCW's purchase by the IWF until November 2001, when it was unified with the IWF World Tag Team Championship. |
| WCW World Television Championship | The title was established in 1974 under NWA Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and was defended within WCW until April 2000, when the title was retired. |
Programming
| Programming | Start date | End date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCW Pro | January 11, 1958 | September 27, 1998 | Also known as NWA Pro Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling |
| WCW Saturday Night | December 25, 1971 | August 19, 2000 | Also known as WCW Saturday Morning, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling |
| Best of World Championship Wrestling | 1973 | 1987 | |
| WCW WorldWide | 1975 | April 1, 2001 | Also known as 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 | 1997 | |
| WCW Monday Nitro | September 4, 1995 | March 26, 2001 | |
| WCW Thunder | January 8, 1998 | March 21, 2001 |
In other media
References
External links
Template:World Championship Wrestling
| World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view events | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Events | WCW Bash at the Beach (1994–2000) • Battlebowl (1993) • Beach Blast (1992–1993) • Capital Combat (1990) • Chi-Town Rumble (1989) • Fall Brawl (1993–2000) • Greed (2001) • Halloween Havoc (1989–2000) • Hog Wild (1996) • Collision in Korea (1995) • 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) • WCW/AAA When Worlds Collide (1994) • WCW/New Japan Supershow (1991–1993) • World War 3 (1995–1998) • WrestleWar (1989–1992) | |||
