TRADITION MEETS EXTREME
In 1994, there was two powers in wrestling promotions, the WWF owned by Vince McMahon and WCW owned by Ted Turner. Many of the regional promotions that have helped the world of wrestling since the beginning had been going out of business for the last few years. Such legendary promotions as AWA, World Class and NWA had been forced to stop promoting. Other promotions like USWA and SMW were soon going to be joining them. But up in the Eastern part of the United States a tiny promotion called Eastern Championship Wrestling was on the upswing. Much of the reason was the vision of owner Todd Gordon and Head Booker, Paul Heyman, who made a deal with the NWA Board of Directors to let them use the NWA titles giving the promotion instant crediblity. But a disagreement between the two groups will change wrestling forever.
The NWA decided to hold a tournament that will end with ECW wrestler, Shane Douglas taking home the title but ECW owner Todd Gordon will have different ideas after their squabble. After winning the title, Shane Douglas threw down the NWA title in disgust and unveiled the new ECW World Title. The NWA was outraged and in turn turned to another struggling promotion for their revenge attempt.
The NWA approached USWA owner, Jerry Lawler with the thoughts of Lawler winning a new NWA World Title Tournament and to have it take over as the main title in the USWA. Lawler agreed and defeated good friend, Eddie Gilbert in the finals. Lawler fulfilled the wishes of the NWA Board of Directors and began berating ECW and their new violent style on most USWA broadcasts.
Ratings went up for the USWA and ECW in the time period as their regional broadcasts were getting talked about nationwide. Soon NWA officials had dreams of making a large scale comeback and began discussions with AWA owner,Verne Gagne. They agreed to have to an AWA World Title Tournament and to have Jerry Lawler win it also. Lawler went into Minnesota and defeated Curt Hennig in the finals. This led to the NWA dreams of the NWA, AWA and USWA World Titles being transformed into one title, The Triple Crown, an idea stolen from All-Japan Wrestling. Qucikly the title went up in significance and became the third biggest title in the wrestling world.
But unknown to the NWA Board of Directors secret meetings was taking place all along between Jerry Lawler and ECW owner Todd Gordon. When in part of the agreement, Jerry Lawler, Jerry Jarrett and Verne Gagne taking over seats on the NWA Board of Directors and a shift in power in their favor, the master plan was put in effect.
Soon to the disgust of the ousted NWA Board Members, Lawler and the now renamed World Class Championshiop Wrestling promotion started a cross-promotional feud with the renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling promtion. This led to the first ever pay per view card for the promotions as Triple Crown Champion , Jerry Lawler battled ECW World Champion, Shane Douglas to a 30-minute time limit draw. The match ended up winning the "PWI" match of the year as well as a new fan base for both promotions.
Armed now with nationwide television deals, both promotions was able to compete for free agents with the bigger promotions, WCW and WWE. Soon wrestling legends, Ricky Steamboat, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, "Ravishing" Rick Rude,Jake Roberts, Curt Hennig and "Macho Man" Randy Savage started calling WCCW home as ECW centered on raising homegrown talent like Taz, Sabu, Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. The signings of the bigger name talent was a problem for ECW Todd Gordon as he thought that they were risking it all with them and soon sold out to his Head Booker, Paul Heyman, who thought the bigger names was a necessity if they wanted to take the next step. But the signings that will change the wrestling world was soon to come.
In 1995, Eric Bischoff got rid of two "problematic" stars, "Stunning" Steve Austin and Brian Pillman, who was a successful tag team as the "Hollywood Blondes" but wanted something totally different for themselves. When the WWE ignored their request for the characters, Heyman and Lawler listened to their ideas and signed them to contracts. "Stone Cold" and "The Loose Cannon" was born.
Instantly the two became big stars as they showed on both shows, sitting with the crowd and supposedly in the midst of a bidding war between the two rivals. But things soon changed as Austin and Pillman soon attacking both promotions, staying on their own. The pay per view "Super Clash '96'" became the biggest pay per view in promotion history, as Stone Cold challenged "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Pillman challenged ECW World Champion, Shane Douglas. Both men came out victorious and celebrated at the end only to have Pillman attack his friend and the ECW and WCCW battle lines being drawn once again.
The two promotions would never be the same as they rode the popularity of the two stars to power. They soon moved to prime time television on the TNN Network and displaced WCW as the number two promotion to the WWE. When WCW folded after AOL's takeover of Time Warner, the two became the last ones standing.
Fifteen years later the war between the two powers are still going as the WWE have stolen the idea of two promotional battle setting up their two shows as seperate brands. This hasn't cheapen the uniques storyline of the WCCW/ECW on-going battle as the two hold two cross-promotional pay per views a year. WCCW/ECW has been able to keep many of their wrestlers while adding more as free agents and their own homegrown talent, that has resulted in an unbelievably well-balanced roster for the two.
The wrestling world was changed forever when TRADITION MET EXTREME
(I know some people will complain about me starting a BTB before 30 days but others have done it so some am I. I have waited the old time period from the pre-BKB days. Also I would like to say contrary to my other BTBS, this will be a IWF "exclusive", I think me focusing on this site and it's development will help me finally stick with one. Also to the people that nominated my last BTB thanks but please delete my nominations but I hope this one will just take their places)
(Further, I don't want to a double post off the bat but I'm having serious format problems (my first time doing a roster page with a form of GFX (they're shitty but I don't care). If a mod can form them into one without the problems, feel more then ready to do so)
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