Acronym CSW Headquarters Kansas City Founded July 1948 | Style American Wrestling Founder Orville Brown Defunct 1988 | |
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Parent National Wrestling Alliance Sister St. Louis Wrestling Club Formerly Central States Wrestling Owners Bob Geigel (1963–1986, 1987–1989), Jim Crockett Jr. (1986–1987), Orville Brown (1948–1963) | ||
Heart of America Sports Attractions, also known as the Midwest Wrestling Association, Central States Wrestling and the World Wrestling Alliance, was an American professional wrestling promotion that ran shows mainly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Due to the promotion’s main office and base of operations being in Kansas City, Missouri the territory was often referred to simply as “Kansas City”. The promotion existed from July 1948 until it closed in 1988. The territory was one of the original territories of the National Wrestling Alliance with two of the 6 “founding fathers” of the NWA (Paul "Pinkie" George and Orville Brown) promoting in it.
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Midwest Wrestling Association
Originally known as the Midwest Wrestling Association before the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance it controlled and booked shows territories in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa and was seen as a cornerstone of the NWA. It joined the NWA in October 1948. The territory was promoted by Pinky George and the first official NWA World Heavyweight Champion Orville Brown (Sonny Myers being the preceding unofficial one) from the creation of the NWA until 1958.
The MWA World Heavyweight Championship began in 1940, preceding the consolidation with CSW and WWA.
Heart of America Sports Attractions forms
In 1958, wrestler/promoter Bob Geigel took over and partnered up with Pat O'Conner and Harley Race to form "Heart of America Sports Attractions, Inc." The promotion continued to be a cornerstone of the NWA with Geigel sitting on the board of directors and even served as chairman of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1978 until 1987, the period that is considered the last "glory years" of the NWA. Central States Wrestling did not become a household name across the United States until 1973 where Harley Race brought attention to CSW (and its "sister promotion" the St. Louis Wrestling Club) when he won the NWA World Heavyweight Title for the first time.
Under Jim Crockett Promotions
In 1986, Geigel sold the promotion to Jim Crockett Promotions owner Jim Crockett, Jr., who ran the territory from September 1986 until February 1987, where Bob Geigel bought the promotion back and co partnered with George Petraski.
World Wrestling Alliance
After stepping down as chairman of the NWA, Geigel withdrew his promotion from the NWA in late 1987 and formed a new sanctioning body known as the World Wrestling Alliance in an attempt to compete with the national expansion of Jim Crockett and Vince McMahon. The move did not pay off and Geigel closed the WWA in 1988.
Central-States Championship Wrestling
The NWA Central States Heavyweight championship is currently controlled by the NWA affiliate Central-States Championship Wrestling (CCW). Evan "Money" Morri$ is the 191st NWA Central States Heavyweight Wrestling Champion after having defeated Deven Spade in an Eight Man tournament to win the vacant title.
Tape library
The promotion's classic tape library is currently controlled by WCW, Inc. (subsidiary of WWE) who obtained through their purchase of World Championship Wrestling, who owned the rights.