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Catch Wrestling Association

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withContinental Wrestling Association.
Catch Wrestling Association
AcronymCWA
Founded1973 (as IBV)
Defunct1999
HeadquartersAustria
Germany
Founder(s)Nico Selenkowitsch
Owner(s)Otto Wanz
SisterVerband Der Berufsringer

TheCatch Wrestling Association(CWA) was aprofessional wrestlingorganization based inAustriaandGermanythat was founded as theInternationalen Berufsringer Verbandes(IBV) in 1973. Since the late 1980s it has been known as the CWA in honour of the promotion'sWorld Heavyweight Championship- this has since become a common retronym for the entire history of the organisation. It was founded by Nico Selenkowitsch and run by him until the late 1980s when he was succeeded by long-term championOtto Wanzand Peter Wilhelm.

The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man” competitions. During the late 1970s the then IBV overtook the oldVerband der Berufsringerto become the dominant promotion in the German/Austrian wrestling territory, maintaining a high profile even after the invasion ofWWFcirca 1990. After its closure it was replaced in 2000 by the European Wrestling Promotion (EWP), which was renamed the Catch Wrestling Promotion (CWP) in 2023.

The company was engaged in talent-share agreements with other wrestling promotions, includingNew Japan Pro-Wrestlingand theAmerican Wrestling Association.These agreements expanded the opportunities given to many European wrestlers. CWA's biggest card was theEuro Catch Festival,which was held twice a year (it was held inGraz,Austriain the summer, while in the winter, it was held inBremen,Germany).

Matches were fought usingEuropean rules,including dividing matches into three-minute rounds and having the possibility of a victory byknockout.One distinct feature of the CWA, later bequeathed to EWP, was the playing of pop music records during the breaks between rounds. Rings were noticeably larger than in other European territories and often were covered in advertising/sponsorship messages. The CWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized as the legitimate European World Championship as counterpart to theAWA,NWAandWWFtitles in North America, theUniversal Wrestling Associationtitle in Mexico,NJPW'sIWGP Heavyweight Championshipin Japan and the Mountevans "WWA" World Heavyweight title in the UK. A championship claimed to be the CWA version was contested betweenKendo NagasakiandGiant HaystacksatFairfield HallsCroydonin 1991 beforeBBCcameras for the documentary "Masters of the Canvas" screened the following year.[1](although at the time the actual holder wasRambo).[2]

Until the launch ofEurosport'sNew Catchprogramme which it shared with the French EWF, the promotion did not have its own TV show but nonetheless from 1980 taped many of its matches for the home video market using highly professional multi camera arrangements. Inspired by this, rival VDB also released home videos in rougher setups using single handheld cameras. Some of the CWA matches were aired in Wales, United Kingdom, onOrig WilliamsWelsh language wrestling showResloonS4C.Many have since been uploaded to YouTube.[3]

Championships

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Championship Date of entry First champion(s)
(Tag team name) 		Date retired Last champion(s)
(Tag team name) 		Years active
CWA World Heavyweight Championship August 14, 1973 Otto Wanz December 4, 1999 Rambo 1973–1999[4]
CWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship December 21, 1991 Bull Power December 4, 1999 Tony St. Clair 1991–1999[5]
CWA World Tag Team Championship November 23, 1988 Mile ZrnoandTony St. Clair December 4, 1999 Black Navy SealandRicky Santana 1988–1999[6]
CWA British Commonwealth Championship October 11, 1992 Tony St. Clair December 4, 1999 Tony St. Clair 1992–1999
CWA German Championship October 10, 1998 Christian Eckstein December 4, 1999 Christian Eckstein 1998–1999
CWA Submission Shootfighting Championship September 21, 1997 Osamu Nishimura December 4, 1999 Tony St. Clair 1997–1999
CWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship July 3, 1993 Hiroyoshi Yamamoto September 1, 2000 Eric Schwarz 1993–2000[7]
CWA World Middleweight Championship December 22, 1984 Tony St. Clair December 4, 1999 Franz Schumann 1984–1999[8]

Alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^Arena - Masters of the Canvas BBC 1992
  2. ^CWA World Heavyweight Championship - Wrestling Titles - Retrieved 25 May 2023
  3. ^CWA matches 1979-1999 Retrieved May 25 2003
  4. ^"Catch Wrestling Association Heavyweight Title".Wrestling-Titles.com.Retrieved2009-09-26.
  5. ^"Catch Wrestling Association Intercontinental Heavyweight Title".Wrestling-Titles.com.Retrieved2009-09-26.
  6. ^"Catch Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title".Wrestling-Titles.com.Retrieved2009-09-26.
  7. ^"Catch Wrestling Association World Junior Heavyweight Title".Wrestling-Titles.com.Retrieved2009-09-26.
  8. ^"Catch Wrestling Association World Middleweight Title".Wrestling-Titles.com.Retrieved2009-09-26.
  9. ^abcde"Catch Wrestling Association".Online World Of Wrestling.Retrieved2008-02-12.
  10. ^"Larry Cameron".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-22.Retrieved2011-03-29.
  11. ^"Mile Zrno".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-22.Retrieved2011-03-29.
  12. ^"Randy Culley".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-16.Retrieved2011-03-29.
  13. ^"Dan Collins".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-03.Retrieved2011-03-29.
  14. ^"Mike Anthony".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-11-14.Retrieved2011-03-29.
  15. ^Kreikenbohm, Philip."Matches « Mark Mercedes « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database".www.cagematch.net.
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