Casual fans of Vince McMahon‘s WWE may have wondered how he crafted such an amazing stable of competitors from across the country. In truth, he recruited successful wrestlers from smaller promotions throughout the U.S.. Today’s younger fans may not recognize organizations like the AWA or WCCW, but those organizations gave rise to some of WWE’s biggest stars.
Although it continues to compete with McMahon’s organization, the mighty NWA also shares some star power with the WWE and the former WWF. How did so many organizations become interwoven? To answer that question, we hearken back to the first days of professional wrestling in the USA.
Regional Territories
Initially, wrestling promotions took a regional approach, dividing the country into territories. Each association handled matches in its regional area, such as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Mid-South Wrestling, and Smoky Mountains Wrestling. The National Wrestling Association housed national titles and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) originated as a competing organization.
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)
The NWA, established in 1948, handled promotions nationally via a cartel formed by six promoters, led by Pinkie George of Iowa. In its earliest years, wrestlers Orville Brown and Bobby Bruns topped cards and held titles. Eventually, the legendary Lou Thesz joined the organization, although a car accident involving Brown stopped the title unification bout between the two men’s organizations.
By the 1970s, the NWA became an East Coast juggernaut, especially in the mid-southern states of South Carolina and North Carolina. Georgia and Florida housed independent promotions that sometimes crossed over into the NWA. In the 1970s and 80s, Jim Crockett Promotions, a Charlotte, NC, company handled most NWA events, and boasted a stable including Ric Flair, Harley Race, The Iron Sheik, Nikita Koloff, The Rock’n’Roll Express(Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson). Hardcore wrestling fans recognize those names as either WWF and/or WWE competitors, as well.
American Wrestling Association (AWA)
Out of the NWA came the founder of the American Wrestling Association (AWA), pro wrestling champion Verne Gange. A multi-sport star, Gange held the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title during 1950 and 1951. After beefing up, he contended for the heavyweight title, held by Lou Thesz, then Pat O’Connor. When promoters refused to provide him a fair title shot, he founded the AWA in 1960. Gange named O’Connor AWA champion, but said he would have to defend the title within 90 days – against Gange. The fight never happened and by default win, Gange became the first AWA champion to defend the title.
More than a master of bout gimmicks and promotional notions, Gange recruited top stars and trained them, including his son, Greg Gange, Flair, Baron Von Raschke, Larry Hennig, and Ricky Steamboat. Wrestlers like Flair and Steamboat began their careers with Gange, later moving to the NWA, then the WWE or WWF. His discovery, Hulk Hogan, left the AWA out of a similar frustration Gange had experienced. Consistently pitted against AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel, Hogan was prohibited from besting him. He moved to the McMahon’s WWF and later, WWE, becoming a worldwide superstar and launching Hulkamania.
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW)
In 1952, Texan Fritz Von Erich entered pro wrestling, working for Ed McLemore in his independent Texas wrestling group. In 1966, he formed a partnership with McLemore called Southwest Sports, which promoted World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). The originator of the Iron Claw maneuver, Von Erich built an NWA-affiliated regional group that spawned numerous stars, including his late sons, David Von Erich, Mike Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, and Chris Von Erich, and his surviving son, Kevin Von Erich. The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, and Buddy Roberrts) came out of the WCCW, as did The Great Kabuki, and his manager, Gary Hart.
WWE wrestling fans likely recognize all of those names because McMahon enticed many wrestlers from regional organizations. His offers provided many pro wrestlers with the opportunity to earn good salaries and residuals from syndicated shows, plus branded merchandise.
