Acronym IWA Defunct 2012 Founder(s) Victor Quiñones | Founded 1994 Headquarters Carolina, Puerto Rico | |
Owner(s) Miguel Pérez, Jr. and Savio Vega | ||
The International Wrestling Association (IWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Puerto Rico, started in Japan in 1994 by promoter Victor Quiñones. The Hispanic division was created in 1999. The company was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 2001, but again became a member in 2007. IWA was also a WWE Developmental territory from 1999-2001.
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The IWA is probably the fastest growing promotion in Puerto Rico of the past few years. In recent years, it has given the island's long-standing promotion World Wrestling Council a tough competition, featuring younger local and international stars.
This promotion should not be confused with another IWA, which was started up by Eddie Einhorn and operated in the mid-1970s. Einhorn's IWA was arguably the first concentrated effort to create a single, nationally-touring wrestling promotion, competing directly against the members of the National Wrestling Alliance.
2008
After what many have said to be the worst year of IWA's history, they have started 2008 with a big bang. This happened in the event "Histeria Boricua", when surprisingly, part of the rival World Wrestling Council (WWC) roster showed up at the event on January 6, 2008. Universal Heavyweight Champion Biggie Size, Television Champion Ash Rubinsky, later renamed Damian, and heel group "Los Templarios", all appeared at the promotion's Three King's Day event. The main spot of the show had WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion Biggie Size, with title on hand, challenged IWA's Heavyweight Champion Blitz, for a unification bout. During the show WWC officials came out to retrieve the belt, under the criticism of IWA officials.
Two days after, the WWC and Carlos Colón threatened to pursue legal action so IWA surrendered the belt.
In a big turn of events, IWA has lost part of its roster includinG Ray González and Los Aéreos (Carlitos & Hiram Tua) while several others are nowhere to be found. It was reported that they were running an angle in which they said former promoter Mario Savoldi stole property from the promotion and that several wrestlers had deserted them in their time of need. Oddly enough this could be seen as a reversal of roles as WWC had lost a very big part of their roster years ago when they jumped to IWA.
Recess, interpromotional events and bankruptcy
Late 2011 the company took a recess to restructure the company and return a few months later in 2012 and make inter-promotional shows with WWC and EWO, but the administration confronted economic problems and announce that it would enter another recess. IWA main figure Savio Vega then started working for WWC as wrestler and occasional booker.