AWA Superstars of Wrestling

Pwcompanybox
name =AWA (American Wrestling Association)
Superstars of Wrestling


acronym =AWA
established =1996
style =American Wrestling
location =Rochester, Minnesota
Chicago, Illinois (1996 - current)
founder =Dale Gagner
Jonnie Stewart
owner =Dale Gagner
Jonnie Stewart (1996 - present)
parent =
sister =
formerly =
website = [http://www.awastars.com/ AWAStars.com] |

AWA (American Wrestling Association) Superstars of Wrestling is a governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various AWA championships.

Company history

Dale Gagner and Jonnie Stewart, two former American Wrestling Association employees relicensed the American Wrestling Association name in the state of Minnesota in 1996 and began an attempt to revive the AWA as the AWA Superstars of Wrestling. However the relation to the original AWA is merely in name only.

In 2005, Gagner began to franchise the AWA name, selling memberships to existing independent promotions around the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. Several members of the new AWA are former members of the National Wrestling Alliance. In 2007, most of the memberships were terminated, and Gagner and Stewart switched to co-promoting shows with a small number of regional promoters.

On April 26, 2007 it was revealed that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) had sought legal action against Dale Gagner for the use of the AWA name, citing trademark infringement, as WWE owns the AWA tape library, trademarks, and logos. [cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1146399.html|title=World Wrestling sues promoter|author=Browning, Dan|date=2007-04-28|publisher=Star Tribune|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070428030922/http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1146399.html|archivedate=2007-04-28] [cite web|url=http://www.georgiawrestlinghistory.com/news-notes/2007/05/04.html|title=News and Notes, May 4, 2007|date=2007-05-04|publisher=GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com] [cite web|url=http://www.1wrestling.com/news/newsline.asp?news=28334|title=WWE Files Lawsuit Against "Gagne" For Trademark Violations Associated With AWA|author=Ryder, Bob|date=2007-04-26|publisher=1wrestling.com]

In a move to sidestep WWE, Stewart attempted to trademark the name "AWA American Wrestling Alliance". The United States Patent and Trademark Office indicates that the request was abandoned in February 2008.

AWA Superstars of Wrestling championships

Beginning in 1996, AWA Superstars of Wrestling supposedly revived several classic AWA titles, claiming not just the title lineages and names, but control over title histories. However, as noted, World Wrestling Entertainment sued Gagner for the use of the AWA name, citing trademark infringement, as WWE owns the AWA tape library, trademarks, and logos. Because there is no connection to the original organizations or individuals involved therein, no continuity in title reigns or even physical belts, and questionable legal use of the AWA name, the claims made by AWA Superstars of Wrestling over the use of AWA title names and histories are in historical dispute and in legal jeopardy.

* AWA Superstars World Heavyweight Championship
* AWA Superstars World Light Heavyweight Championship
* AWA Superstars World Tag Team Championship
* AWA International Heavyweight Championship
* AWA Superstars Fighting World Championship

The list does not include titles promoted by the various AWA Territories.

Territories

Unlike the original AWA, which was wholly owned and operated by Verne Gagne, the new AWA Superstars of Wrestling has adopted a territory system similar to the National Wrestling Alliance. However, unlike the NWA, most AWA Superstars of Wrestling "territories" keep their original names as well as their AWA territory name. These territories are neither as large nor as strong as the pre-1990 territories, which dominated pro wrestling under the NWA banner. The legal action brought by WWE has questioned Gagner's ability to license the AWA name, and thus puts the many AWA territories at risk of losing their supposed affiliation.

In a press release sent out October 30, 2007, the promotion announced that it will no longer sanction independent territories. According to Gagner and Stewart, each of the promotions' territories will be individually assessed.cite web |url=http://www.gerweck.net/news/1193763516.shtml |title=AWA Discontinues Sanctioning |accessdate=2007-10-30 |author=Gerweck, Steve |publisher=Gerweck.net |quote=For Immediate Release.] By June 2008, only nine promotions (including Gagner's "Wrestling Superstars LIVE!" group) remained in the AWA.

In December 2007, Pro Wrestling ZERO1 left the AWA. Because Masato Tanaka was contracted to ZERO1, he was stripped of the AWA Superstars World Championship. But is still considered the AWA Champion in Japan.

In February 2008, Larry Zbyszko, the last official AWA World Heavyweight Champion in the original AWA, was appointed the AWA Superstars World Heavyweight Champion.cite web |url=http://www.awastars.com/columns.html#zbyszko |title=Larryland Revisited!:AWA World Title Returned to Zbyszko |accessdate=2008-02-06 |publisher=AWA's website] In April 2008, it appeared that Zybszko lost the title to Brian Logan in West Virginia. The title change was invalidated when Logan's home promotion, the Mountaineer Wrestling Association, broke away from Gagne's AWA to form a new AWA, The American Wrestling Affiliates. Logan is recognized as the first American Wrestling Affiliates World Champion. However, the title lineage prior to Gagne's AWA's formation is identical: Larry Zbyszko is recognized as being the champion from his final AWA World Heavyweight Championship reign to his unsuccessful AWA Superstars World Heavyweight Championship defense in Fayetteville, West Virginia in April 2008.cite web |url="http://www.therealawa.com/champions.html" |title=American Wrestling Affiliates - Champions |accessdate=2008-05-24 |publisher=American Wrestling Affiliates official website] Consequently, the AWA Superstars of Wrestling does not recognize that Larry Zbyszko lost the title to Brian Logan.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.awastars.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/awastars/ Wrestling-Titles.com]