A Timeline Of Pro Wrestling In The United States
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- 1925, Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) is formed. It later becomes a major NWA territory in 1948.
- 1929 The National Wrestling Association, recognized as the oldest major promotion of professional wrestling, was founded as an off-shoot of the National Boxing Association.
- 1931, Jim Crockett, Sr began promoting wrestling from his homebase Charlotte, NC under the banner of Jim Crockett Promotions (with the company being officially incorporated as Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1950s).
- 1944, Georgia Championship Wrestling was founded in Atlanta by promoter Paul Jones as ABC Booking. It was would later become affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
- 1948, Paul "Pinkie" George, a promoter from the Midwest, founded the original version of the National Wrestling Alliance with the backing of five other promoters (Al Haft, Tony Strecher, Harry Light, Orville Brown, and Sam Muchnick).
- The concept of the NWA was to consolidate the championships of the regional companies into one true world championship of pro wrestling, whose holder would be recognized worldwide. This newly-formed NWA Board of Directors choose Orville Brown to be the first-ever NWA World champion. The NWA remains active to this day.
- 1948, Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance is formed as an original NWA territory.
- 1949, The National Wrestling Association's World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the National Wrestling Alliance's World Heavyweight Championship.
- 1952, Boxing promoter Roderick McMahon and professional wrestler Raymond Mondt created the Capitol Wrestling Corporation Ltd (CWC).
- 1952, NWA Ohio founded
- 1952, Jim Crockett Promotions joins the NWA
- 1953, CWC joins the NWA
- 1954, Ray Fabiani, one of Mondt's CWC associates brought in Vincent J. McMahon to replace his father Jess after he had died
- 195? NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) Tri-State was founded by Leroy McGuirk
- 1959, The St. Louis Wrestling Club is founded as a NWA territory
- 1960, Minneapolis Boxing And Wrestling Club owners Wally Karbo and Verne Gagne led certain territories out of the NWA, forming the American Wrestling Association (AWA).
- 1963, Mondt, McMahon, and the CWC left the NWA, creating the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the process
- 1964, The World Wrestling Association (WWA) was established by Dick Afflis and Wilbur Snyder as a NWA territory
- 1966, World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) founded as a NWA territory.
- 1971, The WWWF silently became affiliated with the NWA again
- 1973, Jim Crockett, Jr took over Jim Crockett Promotions and the name "Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling" became the company's primary brand name in print, radio, and other forms of advertising
- 1974, Continental Championship Wrestling founded. (later on "Continental Wrestling Federation"). The NWA territory had also promoted under the previous name of Southeastern Championship Wrestling
- 1977, The Continental Wrestling Association (later on “Championship Wrestling Association”) is founded. It is managed by Jerry Jarrett. A chief NWA territory until 1986.
- 1978, Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) founded as a NWA territory
- 1979, Bill Watts bought out the Tri-State Wrestling circuit from Leroy McGuirk, renamed the circuit Mid-South Wrestling and withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
- 1979, the WWWF changed the name of their promotion to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)
- 1980, the son of Vincent J. McMahon, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, founded Titan Sports, Inc
- 1982, Vince K. McMahon purchased Capitol Wrestling Corporation from his father and established the WWF as a national promotion, virtually ending pro-wrestling's regional era.
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- 1983, Vince K. McMahon broke away from the NWA and begun an intensive expansion project, syndicating WWF television shows across the United States, in areas outside of the WWF's traditional northeastern stronghold, effectively breaking the unwritten law of regionalism around which the entire industry had been based and put himself in direct competition with wrestling promoters nationwide.
- 1984, In disregard to the NWA and it's territory system, Vince McMahon purchased the stock holdings of Jack and Jerry Brisco, the primary owners of the GCW acquiring the promotion and its TBS timeslot. Soon, the GCW ceased to exist. This purchase is considered the tipping point in U.S. professional wrestling's evolution from local or regional sideshow to national phenomenon and is known as Black Saturday.
- 1984, In response to Vince McMahon's expansion, the AWA forged an alliance with several NWA promoters, like Jim Crockett Promotions, Mid-South Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association. This new promotion was known as Pro Wrestling USA.
- 1985, Jim Crockett, Jr bought out Ole Anderson's CWG and was re-elected NWA president. Then he purchased both Saturday evening TBS time slots from Ted Turner.
- 1985, Southwest Championship Wrestling (SCW) is purchased by WCCW and absorbed into that company.
- 1985, The St. Louis Wrestling Club is purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions and was absorbed into what soon became the WCW.
- 1986, Mid-South Wrestling went national and was re-named the Universal Wrestling Federation
- 1986, Pro Wrestling USA began to fall apart as Jim Crockett, Jr left the group
- 1987, Owner Bill Watts sold the UWF to Jim Crockett Promotions.
- 1988, Jim Crockett Promotions was sold to Ted Turner and re-named World Championship Wrestling.
- 1988, Continental Championship Wrestling is sold and renamed the Continental Wrestling Federation.
- 1989, The WWA folded
- 1989, Continental Wrestling Federation folded
- 1989, Tri-State Wrestling Alliance founded by Joel Goodhart
- 1989, Jerry Jarret founded the United States Wrestling Association out of what was left of Pro Wrestling USA, namely the WCCW and the CWA.
- 1990, WCCW withdrew from the USWA. and soon goes out of business.
- 1991, Gagne and his now inactive Pro Wrestling USA promotion filed for bankruptcy.
- 1991, Global Wrestling Federation was formed.
- 1991, Upon leaving the WCW, Jim Cornette forms the Smoky Mountain Wrestling promotion.
- 1992, Joel Goodhart sold his share of Tri-State wrestling Alliance to his partner, Tod Gordon, who in return renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling as a member of the NWA.
- 1992, Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) folds
- 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance and became Extreme Championship Wrestling.
- 1994, GWF folded.
- 1995, Jim Cornette shut down the SMW promotion to work full-time with the WWF.
- 1997, Known as the last full-time wrestling territory in the United States after the national expansion of the WWF, the USWA was bought and then resold to XL Sports and soon went out of business.
- 1999, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is founded
- 2001, WWF Entertainment, Inc. acquired WCW from AOL Time Warner, becoming the largest wrestling promotion in the world, and the only one in North America with mainstream exposure.
- 2001, ECW files for bankruptcy.
- 2002, The WWF announced the official name change from World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., or WWE.
- 2002, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) was founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father, Jerry Jarrett. At the time of its formation it belonged to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and was known as "NWA Total Nonstop Action". TNA was granted exclusive rights to both the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
- 2002, Ring of Honor (ROH) an American strong style professional wrestling promotion is founded
- 2003, The assets of ECW were purchased by the WWE
- 2004, TNA withdrew from the NWA but was permitted to continue to use the championships until the NWA abrogated the agreement in 2007.
- 2005, NWA Ohio bought by promoter Dave Nelson earlier in 2004 is renamed the World Wide Wrestling Alliance
- 2006, World Wide Wrestling Alliance officially folds
- 2006, Wrestling Society X (WSX) a short-lived professional wrestling based television series airing solely on MTV networks is produced only to be removed the following year.
- 2011, Ring of Honor announced the ending of Ring of Honor Wrestling