World Wrestling Network
| Acronym | WWN |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Founder(s) | Jim Crockett, Jr. |
| Owner(s) |
Jim Crockett, Jr. (1993–1994) Paul Heyman (1993–1994) |
The World Wrestling Network was a short-lived National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated professional wrestling promotion which was owned by promoter Jim Crockett, Jr., his last attempt to rebuild a national wrestling promotion after selling Jim Crockett Promotions to Ted Turner in 1988. As part of a no-compete clause agreement he signed with Turner, Crockett was unable to promote professional wrestling events for three years.
History
In 1993, he began contacting former World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation veterans such as Road Warrior Hawk, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Paul Heyman. Heyman, who had recently left on bad terms with WCW, eventually became head booker for the promotion although he and Crockett would eventually part ways due to his commitments to then Eastern Championship Wrestling[1] and ECW's eventual breakaway from the National Wrestling Alliance.[2]
Holding its first event in Killeen, Texas in August 1993, the show proved moderately successful with 2,156 in attendance.[3] The following year, the promotion held its first televised event at the Manhattan Center in New York City on February 27, 1994 which featured Road Warrior Hawk and Jake Roberts as well as Public Enemy, Sabu, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas and Missy Hyatt[4] in her first appearance since being fired by WCW.[5]
Both Crockett and Heyman had hoped to provide a unique concept of producing televised matches in high definition television[6] via internet broadcast, using much of ECW's television production and other resources to do so (this is one of the reasons that Eddie Gilbert resigned his position as head booker and left the promotion in September 1993),[7] however, the event was the only HDTV-television taping broadcast and eventually Crockett closed the promotion by the end of the year.
World Wrestling Network in New York
This was a high profile televised event, featuring a number of former NWA/WCW and WWF wrestlers as well as from Heyman's Eastern Championship Wrestling promotion, which took place at the Manhattan Center in New York City on February 28, 1994.[8]
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated "Cowboy" Bob Orton
- The Bruise Brothers defeated Keith Scherer and The Kodiak Bear
- The Convict (with manager Sherri Martel) defeated Jason Knight
- 911 defeated Mike Watson and Paul Warrior in a handicap match
- Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated Badd Company (Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond)
- Tommy Dreamer defeated Gino Caruso
- Terry Funk defeated The Kodiak Bear by submission
- J.T. Smith and Tommy Cairo defeated Mike B and The Captain
- Road Warrior Hawk defeated Keith Scherer
- Mikey Watson defeated Jason Knight by disqualification
- Knight was disqualified when he refused to take off his jacket to wrestle Watson.
- The Convict defeated Mikey Watson by submission
- The Tasmaniac defeated "Surfer" Ray Odyssey
- Public Enemy defeated Paul Warrior & Mikey Watson
- "Cowboy" Bob Orton defeated Tommy Dreamer
- Keith Scherer defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts
- Scherer pinned Roberts after outside interference by Sherri Martel and Shane Douglas.
- Terry Funk and Sabu (with Paul E. Dangerously) fought to a double-disqualification
References
- ↑ Loverro, Thom. The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (pg. 55) ISBN 1-4165-1058-3
- ↑ Williams, Scott E. Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2006. (pg. 18–19) ISBN 1-59670-021-1
- ↑ "Writer wants WCW Exec In Match". Miami Herald. Aug 8, 1993
- ↑ Pro Wrestling Illustrated (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated: Wrestling History". PWI-Online.com.
- ↑ "New Role For Flair?". Miami Herald. Mar 6, 1994
- ↑ "Television redefined by clarity of HDTV". The Daily News. Feb 4, 2007
- ↑ McGee, (August 30, 2004). "As I See It (8/30): The tenth anniversary of "Extreme" Championship Wrestling". Pwbts.com.
- ↑ Downey, Colleen. "Arena Reports: New York – World Wrestling Network TV taping at the Manhattan Center." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. July 1994: 45+.