Pro Wrestling USA was a Professional wrestling promotion in the United States of America in the mid 1980s. It was an attempt to unify various federations, including Jim Crockett Promotions, the AWA, and other members of the NWA. Jerry W. Jarrett (born September 4, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American promoter and professional wrestler, and the father of wrestler Jeff Jarrett. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Verne Gagne (born February 26, 1926) is a former professional wrestler, trainer and wrestling promoter. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jim Crockett, Jr. ... For the video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ... Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ...

Background

By 1984, Vince McMahon had begun moves to take the World Wrestling Federation national, and bought out Georgia Championship Wrestling. This was in total disregard to the NWA and its territory system; Vince now had the national TBS timeslot. Despite this move being very unsuccessful, McMahon was also able to air the historic "War to Settle the Score" and "Brawl to End It All" wrestling cards on MTV; in addition, McMahon also still had the most recognized wrestler in the industry, Hulk Hogan. In a bid to counter the new threat, various promoters across America decided to co-promote wrestling shows. Vincent Kennedy McMahon (born August 25, 1945) is an American wrestling promoter, occasional professional wrestler, on-screen personality, former play-by-play announcer, and film producer. ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on U.S. cable channel TBS (Turner Broadcasting System). ... The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ...

First attempt

Jerry Lawler, Jerry Jarrett (later one of the promoters behind NWA:TNA), Verne Gagne of the AWA, the CWA, Ole Anderson of GCW, Jim Crockett Promotions, and other NWA promoters got together to co-promote wrestling shows nationally. This joint venture became known as Pro Wrestling USA. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jerry W. Jarrett (born September 4, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American promoter and professional wrestler, and the father of wrestler Jeff Jarrett. ... Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. ... Verne Gagne (born February 26, 1926) is a former professional wrestler, trainer and wrestling promoter. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: Non notable wrestling promotion, no third party sources, fails WP:CORP If you can address this concern by improving, copyediting, sourcing, renaming or merging the page, please edit this page and do so. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ...

This loose alliance of promoters from across America was to serve to act as a national federation. Pro Wrestling USA shows could boast, for example, an AWA and NWA World Title fight on the same card.

While, at the behest of Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett, the first show took place in Memphis, Pro Wrestling USA shows were promoted across the member's territories. Further, many Pro Wrestling USA shows were taped in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the heart of the former WWF territory. This was a serious attempt to undermine the WWF, in its home turf, at a moment of financial weakness. For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ... Map highlighting East Rutherfords location within Bergen County. ...

The peak of Pro Wrestling USA came at SuperClash, in Chicago. Over 21,000 people crammed into Comiskey Park on September 28, 1985. The card for the show was headlined by Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A. for the NWA title, and Rick Martel vs. Stan Hansen for the AWA title. Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City 234. ... This article is about the original Comiskey Park. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Richard Morgan Fliehr[2] (born on February 25, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota[2]) better known by his ring name Ric Flair , is a legendary American professional wrestler of iconic staus signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its SmackDown! brand. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Rick Martel (born Richard Vigneault on March 18, 1956 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a former Québécois professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) between 1980 and 1995. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The arrangement, however, would only remain in existence for a few more months. Arguments between promoters, primarily Gagne and Crockett, severed the ties. Crockett opted to leave the group, and within months, the Pro Wrestling USA shows were simply repackaged AWA programs.

Aftermath

Jim Crockett Promotions would expand nationally by itself, and eventually (after a sale to Ted Turner) become World Championship Wrestling. Nearly a decade after Pro Wrestling USA, WCW would eventually overtake the WWF in the ratings. Similarly, the Universal Wrestling Federation would also become a national federation for a short while. Superclash II—an all AWA affair—on May 2, 1987 at San Francisco's Cow Palace would draw 2,800. Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ... For other persons named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation). ... For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ... The Universal Wrestling Federation was a regional professional wrestling federation founded by Leroy McGuirk, and later owned by Bill Watts. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Cow Palace (originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena in Daly City, California that borders neighboring San Francisco. ...

Second attempt

In 1988, three of the Pro Wrestling USA federations made a second attempt to unify their federations. This second attempt would be made between Fritz Von Erich's WCCW (a Texas based territory), Jerry Jarrett's CWA (based out of Memphis), CWF and the AWA. Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson was a professional wrestler under the name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the tragically famous Von Erich wrestling family. ... Not to be confused with World Championship Wrestling. ... Jerry W. Jarrett (born September 4, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American promoter and professional wrestler, and the father of wrestler Jeff Jarrett. ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: Non notable wrestling promotion, no third party sources, fails WP:CORP If you can address this concern by improving, copyediting, sourcing, renaming or merging the page, please edit this page and do so. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Under the arrangement, Jerry Lawler, a wrestler for the CWA, won the AWA World Title. Lawler would defend the title against WCCW's Terry Taylor. Lawler then began a feud with WCCW's World Champion, Kerry Von Erich. The payoff match happened at a joint pay-per-view, in Chicago, named AWA SuperClash III, on December 13, 1988. It would be the AWA's only pay per view, as SuperClash 1, 2, and 4 weren't pay-per-views. Also on the card was David McLane's POWW Lingerie Street Fight Battle Royal. Kerry Gene Adkisson (February 3, 1960 – February 18, 1993) was an American professional wrestler under the ring names Kerry Von Erich, The Modern Day Warrior, and The Texas Tornado and was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers. ... Pay-per-view is the name given to a system by which television viewers can call and order events to be seen on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes later. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... AWA SuperClash III was the only PPV that the American Wrestling Association put on. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... David B. McLane is a promoter who, through his David McLane Enterprises, Inc. ...

By this time, the WWF had firmly been established as a national federation, and Jim Crockett Promotions had bought out many NWA territories and also gone national, and was being sold to Ted Turner as World Championship Wrestling. Superclash III did a fraction of the buy-rate an equivalent WWF or Crockett / WCW Pay Per View would have done (Where NWA's Starrcade '88 did a 1.8, Superclash III did a .5). While AWA placed the official attendance at 1,672, many suspect that only a fraction of this number (1,000 or less) attended the Chicago Pavilion. Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ... For other persons named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation). ... For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ... UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 South Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. ...

The show saw a Unified World Champion crowned after Jerry Lawler defeated Von Erich, though this title seemed to be purely symbolic, a lesser unified version of the All Japan Triple Crown.

The numbers Gagne gave the other promoters were drastically different to those he told the general public. This led the WCCW, CWA and CWF to feel short changed, accusing Gagne of lying to them about the show's revenues. As a result of Gagne's apparent deception, Jerry Lawler refused to defend Gagne's AWA title for the AWA promotion. The merged promotions quickly disbanded. Interestingly, Lawler kept the AWA Championship belt for himself, and a new belt was introduced in the AWA to symbolise the AWA title.

WCCW, which was depending on a strong buy-rate for Superclash III to survive at this point, ended up insolvent. Briefly, there was an official union of some of the promotion who co-promoted Superclash III. WCCW merged with Jerry Jarrett's CWA, to form the USWA, again an attempt to create a third national promotion behind Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW and the WWF. However once again the union was short lived, and WCCW withdrew from the USWA and soon went out of business. Jerry Jarrett's USWA remained a major independent promotion for the next decade, but never achieved the national proclaim intended by the CWA/WCCW merger. The United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotional organization based in Memphis, Tennessee. ...

For the record, the 1988 union of the AWA, CWA, CWF, and WCCW was not known as Pro Wrestling USA, and their shows were just advertised as cross-promotional events.