WCCW: Where Legends are Born (NWA Domination Mod) Dynasty

[Chuck]

*The following Dynasty is based off of the wonderful NWA Domination 2010 Mod. Roster will soon follow. No real crazy backstory needed*

 

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NWA: Texas/World Class Championship Wrestling: Where Legends Are Born

 

NWA: Calgary/Canadian Stampede is often regarded as the gold standard by which all NWA Worldwide branches should be measured due to its consistent excellence, the high quality talent they produced, and the number of great matches that NWA: CS wrestlers put on over the years, but the fact is that no one manufactured bigger name stars at a greater clip than World Class Championship Wrestling which was known as NWA: Texas until 1991. WCCW has seen more than its fair share of upheavel over the years as it was a traditional Southern Style promotion in the '60s, '70s and '80s, changing direction slightly in 1982 when Richard (Flair) Fleihr became its head booker. Fleihr was widely perceived to be one of the most talented men in pro wrestling from his 1972 debut until he broke his back in three places in a 1981 plane crash. At the time of the accident, the first 'Nature Boy' of the modern era had already been a 7-time NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion and was well on his way to becoming the greatest wrestler of all time, but his career was cut short after a failed attempt at rehabbing his back post surgery.

 

A 6'7 inch tall, 302 pound mountain of muscle from Venice Beach ended up inheriting Flair's spot as 'Terrible' Terry (Bollea) Hogan adopted some of Fleihr's gimmick before becoming Hollywood Hogan, one of the most hated men to ever step into the squared circle. Hogan's initial run at the top of NWA: Texas ended after just a year when he jumped to Vince McMahon's WWF. However, McMahon made the tragic mistake of attempting to market Hogan as an American hero by the name of Hulk Hogan. Not only did the gimmick draw immediate ire from fans who thought the Hollywood character was better, but Marvel Comics won a lawsuit claiming copyright infringements over using the name "Hulk". The royalty included $100 per wrestling match featuring Hulk Hogan, 0.9% of the gross on Hulk Hogan projects, and 10% of any money the WWF received from Hulk Hogan appearances (or 10% of Bollea's money if the WWF didn't collect a fee). Naturally when WrestleMania bombed, Hogan ended up losing his shirt as his WWF contract was largely based on the success of major events. Hogan promptly jumped back to NWA: Texas in '86, but Fleihr and others no longer trusted him to be the face of the promotion and instead went in another direction as 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden became the man that was chosen to carry the company into the NWA Worldwide era.

 

While Borden was not the technical wrestler that Flair had been, he had an unmatched charisma and the new 'Nature Boy' ended up becoming the most popular wrestler in the world for more than a decade as he always showed respect to the fans, his opponents and most importantly the business that had made him a star. Although Bret 'The Hitman' Hart was the inaugural NWA World Champion, it was Borden that brought a legitimacy to the title as he went on to hold it a staggering 6 times, far more than anyone else. Ironically, Borden's dominance of the World Title from the mid '80s to mid '90s ended up creating the only other recognized World Title in NWA Worldwide's illustrious history as Borden was elected the first WCCW World Champion in July 1991 (while in the midst of his 3rd reign as NWA World Champion) when the company was purchased and renamed by multi-billionaire Ted Turner. The main reasoning behind this decision to allow a "rival" World Title was that Turner's superstation TBS was able to give the NWA its major entrance into the national television market.

 

It didn't take long for other TV and PPV deals to follow, with StarrCade '93 (headlined by Borden dropping the NWA World Title back to Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage a year after taking it from him) being the first PPV offered in the comfort of one's own home. After 1994's monumental Hart/Borden feud, 'The Nature Boy' spent some time trying to break into Hollywood, but ultimately failed at becoming an action star before making one last run as NWA World Champion in '96. After dropping the title to 'The Canadian Crippler' Chris Benoit on 6/28/97, Borden finished out the last few months of his contract by trying to make a star out of Paul Levesque, a man who struggled with the lofty expectations he carried with him for nearly five years before fully realizing his potential. A lesser man would likely have ended up becoming a footnote in wrestling history, but Levesque is determined to be seen as being on Borden's level before his career is over.

 

With Borden gone to NWA: CS and Levesque taking a break in early 1998, WCCW lost a bit of steam as the majority of the top stars in NWA Worldwide were working elsewhere with Eddie Guerrero making his name in NWA: MC, Steve Austin carrying NWA: HC to unseen heights and Chris Benoit opting to tour Japan rather than settle down with WCCW. At this point in time Flair was stripped of the book, meaning that someone else would decide WCCW's direction for the first time in over 15 years as a man named Eric Bischoff took over. Bischoff truly proved to be someone willing to go the extra mile as he courted stars from all over, eventually bankrupting upstart NWA: NY which had been WCCW's main rival in terms of national exposure for the last five years. He then lured the bulk of their stars over and turned WCCW into the epitome of "Sports Entertainment". With the arrivals of superstars the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Hugh Morrus, The Undertaker, The Diamond Stud, Lex Luger & Prince Anoa'i on the scene, the years between 1999 and 2001 in WCCW revolutionized the business as a whole as Bischoff was able to succeed where McMahon had failed 13 years earlier as he claimed the expired copyright to WrestleMania and created a rival to Starrcade's importance with a blockbuster card on June 25, 2000.

 

Levesque eventually went to NWA: CS to hone his skills against the greatest wrestlers in the world, and when he returned (midway through 2003), shortly after Bischoff pulled off a major coup by signing Kurt Angle he held the majority of the biggest stars in the world all on his roster. While many thought this would lead to the end of many NWA branches, it turned out to backfire on Bischoff as he now had more big names than he knew what to do with. It was this dilemna which led Bischoff to the realization that he needed more TV time and the ability to spread his talent around. It isn't really known whether Bischoff contacted NWA: Hardcore City's Paul Heyman or if it was Heyman that started the talks, but when they struck an agreement to co-promote events it was perhaps the most significant behind the scenes deal in NWA Worldwide history. Less than a month later, the head of NWA: Memphis Jerry Jarrett joined in creating the NWA Americas brand. While WCCW was the cornerstone of the Americas brand, everyone involved benefitted from the deal as there was a more balanced spread of the best talent, and each branch still held its own unique style while moving forward. The "super branch" also carried with it the added bonus of drawing in some of the best workers from the other NWA Worldwide affiliates who wanted the chance to capture the NWA World Titles which were all firmly in the possession of NWA Americas.

 

However, the NWA Americas experiment did not work as NWA: Mexico City's Konnan waged a vicious war on Eric Bischoff's WCCW during the last half of 2006, eventually forcing NWA: Hardcore City & NWA: Memphis to go back to running shows on their own. While NWA: HC did better than WCCW right after the split, they lost a lot of momentum when they were splitting their TV taping schedule with NWA: Memphis who gained the most from the brief Americas ordeal. Things started to spiral downward for Bischoff on the day that WrestleMania VII was set to take place with a Main Event of Chris Jericho vs The Rock for Jericho's NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In the months leading up to WrestleMania, Bischoff taunted Konnan's promotion and tried to get his headline superstar Eddie Guerrero to leave Mexico City on that night, as his handshake contract was set to expire as soon as NWA: MC's summer blockbuster Triplemania was over. Knowing that Guerrero coveted the NWA World Title Bischoff offered Guerrero a title shot as soon as he showed up, but this attempt failed as it was Jericho who no showed Bischoff's event and appeared at Triplemania instead!

 

Guerrero ultimately won the title by pinning Jericho and was declared the NEW Heavyweight Champion of the World . . . but this unexpected title change sparked a major controversy the next morning when Bischoff threatened to pull WCCW out of NWA Worldwide if The Rock was not declared the new champion since he was scheduled to meet Jericho that night. In Bischoff's mind Jericho forfeited the title by not showing up and therefore his match with the Guerrero was irrelevant as far as the title was concerned. The NWA Executive Board was split on this issue and while they tried to come to a resolution, BOTH Konnan and Bischoff decided to go with their guy being the "undisputed" NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Ultimately the Board decided that each promotion would have their man (or anyone who beat them) recognized as champ until Starrcade '06where the two would unify the belt(s). As expected, both owners threatened to have their man no show at Starrcade because they were wary of being double crossed which led to the inclusion of 'The Canadian Crippler' Chris Benoit into the match as he was the rightful # 1 contender to the title. Benoit won the title by pinning both men and once again became the hottest free agent in the world.

 

WCCW then managed to do what it did best, and slaughtered its main rival with a devastating 1-2 punch within two weeks of the conclusion of Starrcade. Sources indicate that Bischoff GAVE NWA: Los Angeles the money and incentives it needed to lure Guerrero away from Mexico City as he had no use for Eddie, but just wanted to spite Konnan for all the trouble he had caused. He then threw a boatload of money at Benoit to guarantee that the Canadian would sign with WCCW, and let The Giant and his hefty contract go to Mexico City, just in time to execute the killshot. With Guerrero gone and Benoit spurning his offer, Konnan was building Mr. Benjamin up as the heir to his Heavyweight title and once he was on the verge of capturing it, Bischoff swallowed his pride and offered Benjamin "the biggest contract in the history of NWA Worldwide" in June of 2007. Benjamin signed it and left behind both his girlfriend and tag team partner (Melina & Ron Killings) as he felt he had no other choice. With the top of his cards decimated by Bischoff's scheming, Konnan eventually took his foot off of the gas pedal and stopped warring with the much larger and more powerful WCCW.

 

Bischoff was on top of the world again . . . for about 2 months. With Mexico City finally behind him, Bischoff now faced an old, familiar rival as the reborn NWA: NY started to make moves in the ratings and most importantly in developing "A" level talent. In a bit of a shocker, 'The Fallen Angel' Christian Daniels career took off and he ended up beating Benoit for the NWA World Heavyweight Title on August 19th giving NY control of the top title for the first time in its existence. Bischoff was livid and lashed out at anyone who crossed his path, and rumor has it that WCCW was teetering on the edge of internal collapse when they were dealt a heavier blow later that month when Brock Lesnar & Randall Orton opted not to re-sign with WCCW and instead went to New York where they assumed they would be able to finally emerge from the lengthy shadows of superstars like Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Paul Levesque, Steve Austin & The Rock.

 

Bischoff's mental state was said to be "the worst anyone had ever seen" from him in his 10 years as the driving force behind WCCW and he made another political power play when he again threatened to pull WCCW from Worldwide unless one of his men took the title from Daniels. The Executive Board seemed to cave in as Mr. Benjamin won the belt and became the first NWA Triple Crown winner in April '08. Bischoff calmed down and seemed to be making amends with some of his employees, but another titanic outburst was set to take place later that year. At Starrcade '08, one of Bischoff's few failures came back to bite him as Brock Lesnar defeated Benjamin, reclaimed the title for NWA: NY and tore into Bischoff saying that he never would have had the chance to be "THE MAN" in WCCW because he wasn't in his 40's yet like the rest of those "broken down has beens!". That shoot video brought an incredible amount of attention to NWA: NY who now possessed both the NWA Heavyweight & Cruiserweight World titles, leaving Bischoff with nothing as Heyman and Hardcore City had the Tag Team Titles.

 

Although WCCW had the legacy and resources to get back on top, many in the industry wondered if Bischoff was suffering from burn out as he was so personally invested in everything WCCW did. Others believed it was time for the company to make a change at the top because Bischoff had "lost it", and needed to be removed for the betterment of the promotion. But WCCW management stuck with him until WCCW WrestleMania X (headlined by yet another Austin/Rock match where Austin ended up retiring because he couldn't win the title) did the lowest buyrate of all 10 WrestleManias and NWA: LA's Eddie Guerrero recaptured the NWA World Heavyweight Title. At that point, Bischoff couldn't sweet talk his way out of trouble and he was replaced by Austin as the on screen owner of the company. While that move temporarily spiked the ratings, it's now been 5 long years since WCCW was named the NWA International Promotion of the Year, NWA: NY is on top of the world and WCCW finds itself with a roster that is top heavy with men 35+ years of age who have suffered from overexposure during the Bischoff years.

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The history of NWA: Texas/WCCW's Championships and major feuds

 

1985

 

NWA: Texas was the second official member of NWA Worldwide, and always promoted itself as such although executives technically signed on later in the same day that the now defunct NWA: Southern States (Florida & Georgia) branch did. In any event, the early days of NwA: Texas were largely shaped by the tag team divison which may have been the richest in NWA history boasting such names as The Road Warriors, The Original Midnight Express, The Rock n' Roll Express, & The Minnesota Stretching Crew at the top of their cards. They also had the benefit of being able to slowly groom 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden to be a national star as he handled the NWA: Texas Heavyweight Title for the 3rd time, while Theodore Maximillion DiBiase III split his time between his NWA: SS home, and NWA: Texas which gave him the exposure necessary to contend for, and eventually become just the 2nd ever NWA World Champion.

 

1986 & 1987

 

Dibiase's 1st NWA World Title run lasted throughout all of '86 (when he won NWA International Wrestler of the Year honors), as he, Hogan, Borden and NWA:SS stars Harley Race & 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes largely shared top billing in singles action throughout the entire South, though the rivalries between those men were often upstaged by one of the best feuds of the era as Rick Rude & Ricky Steamboat brought a completely different sense of style and flair to events. Another Rick, Martel, and Chico Santana joined the tag team ranks as did the hard hitting duo of Stan 'The Man' Hansen & Bruiser Brody, and a very undersized pair of high flyers, Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty aka The Midnight Rockers. No one would have ever guessed that the lesser talented, 6 foot tall, 180 pound Michaels would ever go on to become NWA World Champion some 13 years later, but then again history has shown that just about anything could happen in the early days of NWA Worldwide, especially in Texas. Fleihr's brilliance as a booker was evident as he was somehow able to successfully juggle the on and off nature of a shared World Champ in DiBiase, Borden's ascent to the top, 'Hollywood' Hogan's return, and the impressive tag team roster with a skill that some say hasn't been matched at any time since.

 

1988 & 1989

 

Borden finally rose to the pinnacle of pro wrestling when he defeated DiBiase for the NWA World Title at StarrCade '87, and held it for over a year before losing it to the psychotic Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, a man who inspired fear in those who opposed him, as well as many fans. It wasn't until years later that drugs were revealed to largely be responsible for Roberts' deranged character as he was in and out of rehab in the early '90s. However, this two year stretch saw him as the most hated man in the business, and ultimately led to one of the nicest stories of the time as Arn Anderson left behind his tag team career after Roberts "broke" Borden's neck with a DDT on the concrete in their title match. Anderson's mission to stop Roberts was thought of by most fans of the era as an inspirational story of friendship that only intensified when Anderson suddenly turned on Borden after dropping the title to him at StarrCade '89.

 

Anderson and Borden wrestled many a match after this time, but Anderson preferred his role as a secondary character and never was in the World Title picture again, though his career as a tag team specialist took off again shortly thereafter with another Anderson, Ole. Jannetty's run as NWA World Cruiserweight Champ came to an end with the arrival of perhaps the most innovative wrestler of the era, 'Super Fine' Scotty Stein(er), a powerhouse who could fly with the best of them. Stein was so talented that he ended up dropping the Cruiserweight Title because Fleihr knew he could easily join the ranks of NWA: Texas Heavyweight Champs, and he did just that.

 

1990 & 1991

 

After making him prove his loyalty over the last few years, Fleihr finally had confidence in 'Hollywood' Hogan again and pushed him heavily as the # 2 man behind Borden. Hogan eventually claimed his first NWA: Texas Heavyweight Title and went on to feud with NWA: SS star Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage, a man who was like a brother to him behind the scenes. The two went on to make a lot of money for both territories and ended up launching themselves into the NWA World Heavyweight Title scene as a result. The tag ranks were growing a bit stale as many of the top tag teams didn't stay in any specific region for long with almost all of them spending time in Texas, NWA: SS and even NWA: Tokyo which has largely been relying on gaijin tag teams ever since The Titans of Terror (Bam Bam Bigelow & Super Vader) had made their stamp on the wrestling world in the mid to late '80s. The loss of the crown jewel squad, the Road Warriors hurt the most, leading to Fleihr coming up with a tandem that essentially ripped off the Road Warriors' character and style, as Demolition came into being shortly after the name change to WCCW. While the initial response to Ax & Smash was weak, the duo ended up becoming the hottest act in American tag team wrestling within 8 months after their arrival.

 

1992 & 1993

 

With Hogan and Savage's elevation, Borden took a bit of a demotion from the national spotlight, but again saved the territory with his 5th run as NWA: Texas Heavyweight Champion selling out shows throughout '92. 'The Nature Boy' went on to unify the NWA: Texas, NWA World & WCCW World Titles at StarrCade '92 and that feat still remains historic as he is the only man to hold the United States version of the 'Triple Crown' of pro wrestling. Borden ended up losing the Triple Crown piece by piece and things were not looking good as the singles ranks had not created any new stars in years. Some argued that the branch had too many singles titles, which eventually led to WCCW Owner Ted Turner officially abandoning the NWA: Texas Heavyweight Title, shortly after it was won by relative newcomer to the region, Sid Vicious in a move that did not endear him to diehards who had followed that particular belt for nearly 30 years! Borden ended up going to Canada shortly after this, and many were unsure how much longer the Texas territory would be significant when its top name, and top title disappeared within 6 months of each other.

 

1994

 

This was the year that WCCW nearly went under as Borden was gone, Hogan went to Tokyo, DiBiase retired and the tag ranks were in shambles. Fleihr basically was forced into shifting gears as he did his best to try and create stars on the fly, by trying to make names out of perennial midcarders and tag team wrestlers like Shawn Michaels who became a ****y punk by the name of 'The Heart Break Kid', and Rick Martel dubbing himself 'The Model'. While both were elevated, neither set the world ablaze, and Sid Vicious ended up becoming the top name in the promotion despite his relative lack of overall skills. With NWA: NY catching fire with crazy gimmicked wrestlers like The Undertaker, The Diamond Stud, I.R.S., 'The Total Package' Lex Luger & Prince Anoa'i on their roster WCCW was dying a slow death until they were saved by a 7'2 400 pound Giant! This 23 year old rookie burst onto the scene by winning his first 173 matches, ultimately taking the WCCW World Title in the process. The threat of his streak being ended was enough of a draw to pull WCCW back ahead of NWA: NY, although the two branches did battle until WCCW's inevitable win five years later.

 

1995 & 1996

 

'The Nature Boy' returned after his Canadian and Hollywood excursions, and was the man to end The Giant's undefeated reign of terror, but eventually dropped the WCCW World Title back to the monster as Fleihr realized Borden was aging and that he could make anyone who beat The Giant a star. Borden put over The Giant, and then didn't appear much on WCCW TV until he ended up losing the NWA World Title for the 6th and final time. Michaels, Martel and Vicious climbed back up the ranks after their first pushes stalled. The unlikely tandem of Diamond Dallas Page (formerly the manager of NWA: NY's Diamond Stud) & Rigor Mortis added a spark to the tag division despite Mortis' similarities to NWA: NY's Undertaker. Demolition's 5 year run in the promotion came to an end as they decided to end their careers in Tokyo where the touring schedule was easier to handle. Fleihr received his second blue chip prospect in WCCW's renaissance when Michaels convinced him to sign 'The Protoype' Paul Levesque, who started his 1996 run as a former bodybuilder that claimed he was the prototype for the modern wrestler.

 

1997 & 1998

 

With Levesque's massive musculature, and surprising agility he quickly became a factor in WCCW as well as the national scene, but the youngster couldn't handle the pressure and nearly suffered a nervous breakdown after claiming his 1st WCCW World Title late in '97, defeating The Giant, who had now only lost two matches in his career. The 28 year old Levesque was widely regarded as a good guy behind the scenes, and caused a dip in morale in the lockerroom when he had to take some time away from the business after dropping the title to his buddy Michaels. Levesque's departure left a huge hole in the top of the card, and that's when Ted Turner's longtime assistant Eric Bischoff devised a plan that saw him oust Fleihr from his position and irrevocably shift the balance of power when he was able to lure Dwayne Johnson & Hugh Morrus away from NWA: NY when their contracts expired in March of 1998.

 

The incredibly charismatic Johnson was then repackaged as The Rock, a brash character who referred to himself exclusively in the 3rd person. His feud with The Giant provided many comedic moments, and a few standout matches as well. Bischoff then had the presence of mind to soften The Giant's character a bit and used him primarily as a fun loving big man instead of an unstoppable juggernaut. He gave that role to the 6'2 280 pound bruiser who now called himself The Laughing Man, and the two former pro football players took to their new characters perfectly. With a revitalized top of the card and increasingly improving ratings, WCCW continued to pilfer talent from NWA: NY as The Diamond Stud, Lex Luger & Prince Anoa'i (Yokozuna) made their way to WCCW by the end of the year with their characters and names intact thanks to all three working under those identities prior to signing on with the New York based promotion.

 

The Undertaker was no more, but the man who played the character ironically dealt the deathblow to NWA: NY when he left with the NWA: NY Heavyweight Title in his possession as Kevin Nash appeared sans make-up on a 1998 episode of WCCW Nitro making a mockery of Vince McMahon's foolish effort of keeping him by allowing him to win the title despite the fact that Nash's contract ended the day after he won it. Bischoff really stuck it to McMahon by mocking The Undertaker gimmick by hiring a masked man to follow Nash around, calling himself The Pallbearer. Surprisingly, the fans took to them and they became a dominant tag team which had originally started off as an inside joke.

 

1999 & 2000

 

Levesque's return in early '99 gave WCCW yet another monster star on the roster as they continued to roll with the former NWA: NYers, Michaels, The Giant and their tag division on fire. So when the year was coming to an end and vignettes of "The Millenium Clock" suddenly began to appear, no one knew exactly what to expect, though common thought at the time was that Kurt Angle would be the man to appear at the end of the countdown. Needless to say when 'Superstar' Steve Austin showed up instead of Angle at 11:07 PM at the conclusion of a special WCCW Friday Nitro on December 31st, 1999 the wrestling world was in a frenzy! With Nitro back on its regular Monday schedule, the January 3rd, 2000 edition set a record with a mindblowing 10.3 rating as everyone was salivating at the chance to see the biggest star in the industry on the top rated wrestling program in the US. Austin's arrival was nothing short of a windfall for WCCW which was shattering previous marks for PPV buys and revenues as well as TV ratings by wide margins.

 

June 25th 2000, saw Bischoff present WCCW WrestleMania I, and The Rock/Austin Main Event broke every possible PPV mark as the buyrate was nearly 1 full point higher than the record set at StarrCade '94 when 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden & Bret 'The Hitman' Hart waged their epic battle which saw Hart became NWA World Champion for the 2nd time. However, it was not all good news for the promotion though, as Angle did end up spurning Bischoff's advances citing that more TALENT was in Canada and that was where he wanted to be.

 

2001 & 2002

 

Levesque left to join NWA: CS with Bischoff's blessing at the end of the year because Austin was still white hot, and he knew that would buy him some time. WCCW TV saw the formation of the mammoth team of The Giant & Prince Anoa'i, who were possibly the first ever comedic duo of men who could legitimately break any wrestler in half as they were billed as weighing "nearly half a ton!". Austin, Rock, Michaels and The Laughing Man carried the promotion for a while before fans began to hunger for some new stars just to shake things up. Their requests were answered when WCCW bore witness to a new generation of the Minnesota Stretching Crew as Shelton Benjamin & Brock Lesnar entered the promotion in early '01, ultimately defeating the colossal duo of The Giant & Anoa'i and establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the world. Their pairing didn't last very long though as seeds were planted from early on that Benjamin was the more talented member, but Lesnar was more marketable. It was during their initial feud that Benjamin adopted some of the traits of the militant black soldier gimmick that has made him a star to this day.

 

Also coming into the fold at this time was Randall 'The Vandal' Orton, a 3rd generation star who got over thanks to his "Vandal TV" segments which saw Orton pull pranks on other wrestlers, and expose certain things to the public in a pseudo shoot style. "Vandal TV's" most memorable segment was one where the very chaste Nora Greenwald was seen slipping into a shower where she then engaged with Matt Hardy in a passionate kiss. Internet fans had known that the two were a couple since their meeting in NWA: NY in 1998, but WCCW's less savvy fans were stunned to see Greenwald in this different light. Almost instantly, the two became huge fan favorites and ended up teaming up for quite some time, even capturing the WCCW Tag Titles for a two week run as their romance was a huge story. Nora pinning the nearly 500 pound Giant because he didn't want to hurt her despite catching her in the midst of her front flip cannonball finisher from the top was one of the most memorable images of 2002, at least until 2 weeks later when Greenwald showed her tremendous heart and desire to be perceived as an equal to the men by taking a Bansai legdrop from the 600 pound Prince as they reclaimed the titles!

 

2003 & 2004

 

Levesque eventually returned towards the middle of '03, and set his sights on the WCCW World Title, but this time he came with back up, an imposing bald headed genetic freak known simply as 'The Animal'. Levesque used 'The Animal' to get back on top of WCCW, but his time there came to an end when a "Vandal TV" segment saw Levesque bragging to an off camera friend on a cell phone that 'The Animal' was just "another moron with a million dollar body, and a five cent brain!". Levesque tried to deny it, even going so far as to claim that he was set up, but 'The Animal' didn't buy it and put Levesque through the announce table in a segment that turned the big man into a monster babyface overnight. Bischoff wisely held off on 'The Animal's' push to the top though and paired him with Orton as both casually changed their characters over time citing an Evolution that was happening in the business.

 

Orton, the newly renamed Dave Batista, and soon to be ally Lesnar then went on to become one of the top drawing stables in the history of WCCW as Orton won his first WCCW World Title, and the Batista/Lesnar team won the Tag Titles. They later went on to feud with former rivals Levesque and Benjamin. The Rock later joined the mix citing that it was HE who was the most important 3rd generation star in the industry. While The Triple Threat/Evolution feud singlehandedly powered WCCW through this two year stretch, it also caused some frustrations in the locker room as other stars like Austin, Michaels, The Laughing Man, The Giant and mid '03 acquisition Kurt Angle began to grow upset with their relative lack of TV time and PPV exposure.

 

2005

 

To this day, no one knows whether it was Bischoff or Paul Heyman that initiated talks which began NWA Americas, but we do know that Bischoff's motivation arrived in the form of a near exodus, the likes of the one he had orchestrated about 5 to 6 years earlier from his bitter rivals in NWA: NY. With most of his top stars coming to the ends of their huge deals the NWA Americas alliance saved WCCW from falling into disarray, though Bischoff didn't really do much to spread his talent around in its brief existence. That is primarily the reason that Americas failed, although most will tell you that Bischoff's focus on eliminating NWA: Mexico City was more significant. Rumor has it that Heyman & Jarrett repeatedly went to Bischoff in hopes of procuring some of his talent for their shows and they were routinely denied. Bischoff's inability to "play well with others" and the stigma of being nothing more than a talent hoarder with a huge checkbook was what ultimately ended NWA Americas as no one ever got the chance to see if it was Bischoff's mind or Turner's money that made WCCW the cornerstone in NWA Worldwide.

 

2006 & 2007

 

Eric Bischoff finally ran into forces greater than himself as he very nearly had a nervous breakdown thanks to his war against Konnan leading to NWA Americas falling apart, the infamous "Chris Jericho Doublecross" AND NWA: NY returning all within the span of 6 whirlwind months between December 2005 and the conclusion of WrestleMania VII in June of 2006. While Bischoff was able to rebound and ultimately slap Mexico City's advances away, his focus on "killing the competition" left him wide open to internal revolts. The television product became increasingly stagnant as the WCCW World Title went from Levesque to Austin to The Rock, three men who had largely been carrying the promotion since 2000. The petty nature of Bischoff's reaction to getting double crossed by Jericho, when he was trying to get Eddie Guerrero to do the same thing to Konnan also saw fans become hostile to Bischoff's product.

 

In an effort to freshen things up, Adam Copeland was finally given his big push to the top, though he was only able to win the title AFTER The Rock had defended it against Chris Benoit moments earlier. The fans didn't love the execution of this "Money in the Bank" idea, but it was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for both Orton and Lesnar who had grown tired of never getting the chance to be put on the same level as guys like Austin, Levesque & The Rock. When WCCW finally lost control of the NWA World Heavyweight Title to NWA: NY, Bischoff really started to become difficult to work with as he absolutely refused to go in a new direction and was adamant that one of his "megastars" (or one of his world famous tantrums) would bring the title back to his promotion. Seeing the writing on the wall, Brock Lesnar & Randall Orton left for NY, and Bischoff was on the verge of trying to stop a mutiny.

 

2008

 

If there was any hope that Bischoff was going to change directions, it was quickly erased as Benoit and Jericho became first time WCCW World Champs though neither had much of a reign to speak of as "The Big Three" were still all over the TV product. When The Rock tore his right bicep that was when Bischoff finally had to think on the fly and bit the bullet. He put his ego aside and gave Mr. Benjamin a legitimate chance to carry the promotion. And that's exactly what he did. Benjamin had an 8 month reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champ to complete The NWA Triple Crown, and in the midst of that he was also the WCCW World Champ for 5 months. With ratings stabilizing, Benjamin dropped the WCCW World Title back to Jericho who had been cutting one amazing promo after another for the majority of the year and it seemed as though Bischoff finally realized that he needed to get away from the stars of the '99-'01 peak period if he wanted to handle the emerging threat from New York.

 

Everything was going great until Starrcade '08 when Brock Lesnar defeated Benjamin for the most prestigious prize in Worldwide and it became evident that the NWA Executive Board saw NWA: NY and not WCCW as the way to go forward in 2009. Bischoff has not been seen since the day after StarrCade and many believe that he's no longer able to use the threat of pulling WCCW out of Worldwide to his advantage as the leadership have finally grown tired of being held hostage by Bischoff and his demands. WCCW still has the most star power in NWA Worldwide, but it is aging and unless Bischoff (or someone else) does something soon, we may just see NWA: NY put WCCW out of business this time.

 

2009

 

As you know by now 2009 was not a good year for WCCW. They are no longer the # 1 promotion in NWA Worldwide, Mr. Benjamin had knee surgery and missed the majority of the year, Eric Bischoff was forced out after a decade plus in charge, and perhaps most significantly Steve Austin retired and was then pressed into on screen duty as Bischoff's replacement about 6 weeks later. The locker room, which was never ideal, has descended into chaos as a bunch of aging superstars have done everything they could to keep themselves in the spotlight and there's no room for anyone to truly advance to the next level. As such it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the WCCW World Title was basically a year long prop in the Austin/Rock & Jericho/Rock feuds while two stars were paired up to dominate the tag team ranks as Adam Copeland & 'The Canadian Crippler' Chris Benoit formed Team Canada and won the belts at WrestleMania.

 

Heading into 2010 Mr. Benjamin is the only guy at the top of the card under 35 years of age, and none of the 40+ crowd seem all that eager to step aside. The youngest people on the roster are former Diva Search contestants who don't have a lot to offer and the DSW development system has pumped more stars into NWA: NY than it has into WCCW. While the future isn't bleak, there are many in the business who think WCCW is heading toward the same fate as its Canadian neighbor, NWA: CS. That comparison doesn't seem that outrageous when you consider that NWA: CS once was the top promotion in NWA Worldwide, that it routinely put out great matches, but at some point it simply stopped producing new talent and saw its biggest names go on to compete elsewhere.

 

WCCW World Title History

 

7/4/91 - 3/21/92 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden (awarded due to his status as the current NWA World Heavyweight Champion)

3/21/92 - 8/22/92 Rick Rude

8/22/92 - 12/19/92 Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage

12/19/92 - 7/24/93 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden [2]

7/24/93 - 11/20/93 Hollywood Hogan

11/20/93 - 2/19/94 'The Heart Break Kid' Shawn Michaels

2/19/94 - 6/25/94 Sid Vicious

6/25/94 - 10/30/95 The Giant

10/30/95 - 12/21/96 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden [3]

12/21/96 - 11/15/97 The Giant [2]

11/15/97 - 4/25/98 'The Prototype' Paul Levesque

4/25/98 - 9/26/98 'The Heart Break Kid' Shawn Michaels [2]

9/26/98 - 5/24/99 Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)

5/24/99 - 2/26/00 The Laughing Man

2/26/00 - 6/25/00 The Rock [2]

6/25/00 - 6/24/01 'Superstar' Steve Austin (this was the record setting WCCW WrestleMania I Main Event)

6/24/01 - 10/28/01 Paul Levesque [2]

10/28/01 - 12/22/02 'Superstar' Steve Austin [2]

12/22/02 - 6/23/03 The Rock [3]

6/23/03 - 3/28/04 Randall Orton

3/28/04 - 8/12/04 Shelton Benjamin (vacated due to injury)

9/26/04 - 6/26/05 Kurt Angle (def. Orton in the finals of a 16 man tournament)

6/26/05 - 12/17/05 The Rock [4]

12/17/05 - 6/25/06 Paul Levesque [3]

6/25/06 - 12/31/06 'Superstar' Steve Austin [3]

12/31/06 - 6/24/07 The Rock [5]

6/24/07 - 10/28/07 Adam Copeland (won a title shot earlier in WrestleMania VIII and cashed it in to defeat The Rock after an epic match with Chris Benoit)

10/28/07 - 1/27/08 'The Canadian Crippler' Chris Benoit

1/27/08 - 6/28/08 Chris Jericho

6/28/08 - 11/22/08 Mr. Benjamin [2] (Benjamin retained the NWA World Heavyweight title and won Jericho's WCCW World Title at WrestleMania IX)

11/22/08 - 3/22/09 Chris Jericho [2]

3/22/09 - 9/27/09 The Rock [6] (He ended up retiring Austin in a title vs career match at WCCW WrestleMania X)

9/27/09 - Chris Jericho [3]

 

NWA: Texas Heavyweight Title History

 

1984 - 4/27/85 'Mean' Gene Anderson [3]

4/27/85 - 11/30/85 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden [3]

11/30/85 - 12/14/85 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes [2]

12/14/85 - 3/23/87 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden [4]

3/23/87 - 7/25/87 Harley Race

7/25/87 - 12/19/87 Rick Rude

12/19/87 - 12/17/88 Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat

12/17/88 - 6/17/89 Rick Rude [2]

6/17/89 - 2/17/90 'Super Fine' Scotty Stein

2/17/90 - 1/26/91 Hollywood Hogan

1/26/91 - 9/21/91 Rick Rude [3]

9/21/91 - 2/20/93 'The Nature Boy' Steve Borden [5]

2/20/93 - 5/22/93 'Super Fine' Scotty Stein [2]

5/22/93 - 6/15/93 Sid Vicious (title abandoned)

 

NWA: Texas/WCCW Tag Team Title History

 

1984 - 10/19/85 The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) [3]

10/19/85 - 3/22/86 The Original Midnight Express ('Loverboy' Dennis Condrey & 'Ravishing' Randy Rose) [2]

3/22/86 - 9/20/86 The Midnight Express ('Sweet' Stan Lane & 'Beautiful' Bobby Eaton) [2]

9/20/86 - 6/27/87 The Road Warriors [4]

6/27/87 - 9/26/87 The Rock n' Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton)

9/26/87 - 12/19/87 The Original Midnight Express [3]

12/19/87 - 9/24/88 The Minnesota Stretching Crew (Arn & 'Mean' Gene Anderson) [2]

9/24/88 - 12/17/88 The Road Warriors [5]

12/17/88 - 6/24/89 The Titans of Terror (Bam Bam Bigelow & Super Vader)

 

Note: Bigelow & Vader won both the NWA World Tag & NWA: Texas Tag Titles, while retaining the NWA: Tokyo Tag Titles at StarrCade '88

 

6/24/89 - 10/21/89 Stan 'The Man' Hansen & Bruiser Brody

10/21/89 - 4/28/90 Rick Martel & Chico Santana

4/28/90 - 12/15/90 The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)

12/15/90 - 9/28/91 The Andersons (Arn & Ole Anderson)

9/28/91 - 2/27/93 Demolition (Ax & Smash, lost the titles when they were DQ'ed in a match that would allow the title to change hands on a DQ)

2/27/93 - 6/27/93 The Andersons [2]

6/27/93 - 3/21/94 Demoliton [2]

3/21/94 - 7/4/94 Rick Martel & Chico Santana [2]

7/4/94 - 9/25/94 The Andersons [3]

9/25/94 - 2/26/95 Harlem Heatwave (Booker & Stevie Ray Jenkins)

2/26/95 - 8/27/95 Demolition [3]

8/27/95 - 3/24/96 Diamond Dallas Page & Rigor Mortis

3/24/96 - 7/28/96 Demolition [4]

7/28/96 - 12/30/96 Harlem Heatwave [2]

12/30/96 - 5/25/97 Diamond Dallas Page & Rigor Mortis [2]

5/25/97 - 10/26/97 The Diamond Stud & 'The Total Package' Lex Luger

10/26/97 - 2/22/98 Harlem Heatwave [3]

2/22/98 - 12/7/98 Diamond Dallas Page & Rigor Mortis [3]

12/7/98 - 12/6/99 Kevin Nash & The Pallbearer

12/6/99 - 6/25/00 The Diamond Stud & 'The Total Package' Lex Luger [2]

6/25/00 - 1/28/01 Kevin Nash & The Pallbearer [2]

1/28/01 - 3/26/01 Diamond Dallas Page & Rigor Mortis [4]

3/26/01 - 10/29/01 The Giant & Prince Anoa'i

10/29/01 - 3/4/02 The Minnesota Stretching Crew (Brock Lesnar & Shelton Benjamin)

3/4/02 - 11/11/02 The Giant & Prince Anoa'i [2]

11/11/02 - 11/25/02 Matt Hardy & Nora Greenwald

11/25/02 - 7/27/03 The Giant & Prince Anoa'i [3]

7/27/03 - 3/21/04 Evolution (Dave Batista & Brock Lesnar)

3/21/04 - 11/1/04 The World's Greatest Tag Team (Kurt Angle & Shelton Benjamin)

11/1/04 - 3/27/05 Evolution [2]

3/27/05 - 3/28/05 (Rob) Conway & (Lance) Cade

 

Note: Conway & Cade won the titles on a Sunday PPV, and were then challenged by Angle & Benjamin at the start of Nitro the next night. WGTT ended up winning the titles, making Conway & Cade the shortest reigning NWA: Texas/WCCW Tag Team Champions to date!

 

3/28/05 - 9/29/05 The World's Greatest Tag Team [2]

 

Note: WGTT were stripped of the titles when Benjamin turned on Angle on an episode of WCCW Nitro the day after they lost the NWA World Tag Titles to The Dudley Boys. Although they won the match that night on Nitro and defended their titles, Benjamin injured Angle with an assist from NWA: Memphis star 'The Suntanned Superman' Ron Killings. By NWA Worldwide rule, failure to defend a title within 30 days leaves the titles vacant and this was the first day outside of the 30 day window.

 

10/23/05 - 1/22/06 The Black Panthers (Mr. Benjamin & 'The Suntanned Superman' Ron Killings, won an 8 team title tournament)

1/22/06 - 10/16/06 Kevin Nash & The Pallbearer [3] (Nash was injured during the match with Doring & Haas leading to an unexpected title change)

10/16/06 - 10/29/06 Doring & Haas

10/29/06 - 6/24/07 Evolution [3]

6/24/07 - 11/23/07 Conway & Cade [2]

11/23/07 - 1/27/08 The Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark)

1/27/08 - 9/28/08 The Royal Alliance ('King' Booker Jenkins & 'Lord' Steven Regal)

9/28/08 - 2/22/09 The Quebecers (Franky & Rene Dupree)

2/22/09 - 6/28/09 The Briscoe Brothers [2]

6/28/09 - current Team Canada (Adam Copeland & 'The Canadian Crippler Chris Benoit)

[Timber]

Nice, i've heard of this mod before, seems like it's a good one. Where can i get it to try it out myself?

[Chuck]

bobinc.net.

 

I strongly believe it, The Fall Mod and Genadi's History Rewritten are massively underused for Dynastys.

[Timber]

Thanks. I don't normally like real world mods, they are just all over the place in stats and such. I get enough real world watching on TV. Reading all that first post was pretty good. I like that it reads different with a great deal of familiarity.

 

I'm gonna have to get that mod and play it. As well as bookmark this and read it. Great work.

[Chuck]

Roster:

 

WCCW Roster:

 

Main Eventers:

Chris Jericho

Dave Bautista

Paul Levesque

Shawn Micheals

The Rock

Adam Copeland

Chris Benoit

Mr. Benjamin

Uppermidcard:

Price Anoa'i

The Pallbearer

'King' Booker Jenkins

Kurt Angle

Rene Dupree

Rigor Mortis

Sheamus O'Shaunessy

The Laughing Man

Midcard:

Cody Rhodes

Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe

Cade

Conway

Demolition Crush

Doring

Franky Dupree

Kenzo Suzuki

'Lord' Steven Regal

'Pretty' Paul London

Skip Sheffield

Lower Midcard:

Cody Rhodes

David Otunga

Openers:

Harry Smith

Jake Hager

O.G.

Onyx

Enhancement Talent:

Nick Dinsmore

Haas

Michael Tarver

Nick Dinsmore

 

Womens Division:

Brooke Adams

Eva Torres

Gina Carano

Jemma Palmer

Kyra Gracie

Lacey Von Erich

Michelle McCool

Alison Wonderland

Barbie Blank

Melina Roucka

Rain

 

Managers:

Hiroki Suzuki (Manages Kenzo Suzuki)

Karen Angle (Manages Kurt Angle)

Foxxy Dreams (Manges Cade and Conway)

 

Announce Team Members:

Jim Ross (Lead Announcer)

Bas Rutten (Lead Colour)

General Manager:

Steve Austin

Tag Teams:

The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe)

The Rockers (Occasional) (Shawn Michaels and The Rock)

 

Cade and Conway

Doring and Haas

Team Canada (Benoit and Adam Copeland)

The Beautiful People (Barbie Blank and Alison Wonderland)

The Black Panthers (Onyx and OG)

The Quebecers (Rene and Franky Dupree)

The Royal Alliance ('King' Booker Jenkins)

 

Roster Synopsis:

The top of the roster is overrun by people over the age of 35 (With Mr. Benjamin being the youngest Main Eventer being Mr.Benjamin (At the age of 34). The Roster has also become incredibly way overheel heavy with only one regular tag team being faces. Expect a roster shift to even out the face/heel ratio over the first few months with minimal number of heels being brought into the company and some attempts at getting Uppermidcarders up the ranks and attempting to skyrocket a worthy talent to the Main Event scene.

[Chuck]

WCCW: Nitro January Week 1 Preview

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/-Laz-/WCCW.jpg

(Sanctioned through the National Wrestling Alliance)

 

Presents

 

WCCW Nitro!

(Live from the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, TX)

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/macjap/WCCW/SteveAustin.jpg

GM "Superstar" Steve Austin Announcement?:

World Class General Manager has informed WCCW.com of what he is calling the biggest announcement in World Class history to take place live TONIGHT on WCCW Nitro. Many people within the company are wondering if a possible NWA World Heavyweight Title Defense is coming up in World Class so that a top WCCW Contender can take the belt from Randall Orton. Regardless Austin has promised this announcement to shake WCCW at its very foundation and to be looking forward to it tonight LIVE right at the start of the program! In fact no actual matches are being announced as Austin promises a very groundbreaking addition of WCCW Nitro!