Acronym PWA Style Professional wrestling | Founded 1985 Founder(s) Eddie Sharkey | |
Headquarters Minneapolis, Minnesota (1985-1993; 1996-present) Owner(s) Eddie Sharkey (1985-1993; 1996-present)
Terry Fox (1996-present) | ||
Pro Wrestling America is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the 1980s and early 1990s. Founded and promoted by retired wrestler Eddie Sharkey, a longtime veteran of the American Wrestling Association and owner of the Pro Wrestling America Training Center, Pro Wrestling America featured many established wrestlers while in between the then "Big Three" (American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation) as well as providing many lightheavyweight and cruiserweight wrestlers with their first national exposure, most notably, Sabu, Jerry Lynn and The Lightning Kid.
Although the promotion stopped running regular events in 1993, it has held sporadic events in the Minneapolis-area with Sharkey's wrestling school since 1996. Among the former students who have appeared for several of these events include Lacey and Austin Aries, both being top stars in Ring of Honor.
History
In 1982, after leaving the AWA as a result of a pay dispute with promoter Greg Gagne, Sharkey was approached by fifteen other wrestlers including The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal), Rick Rude and Barry Darsow similarly upset with Gagne over withholding payment and convinced Sharkey to start his own promotion. With Rude, Darsow and the Road Warriors as his main stars, Sharkey was soon able to sign other wrestlers including Paul Ellering, Tom Zenk, Nikita Koloff, The Destruction Crew (Mike Enos & Wayne Bloom) and the Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner) as well as Mad Dog Vachon, Bruiser Brody, Larry Cameron often making appearances. Ray Whebbe, Jr. and Dale Gagne, the current owner of AWA Superstars, was also involved with the promotion. Although a chief rival of the American Wrestling Alliance during the late 1980s, Sharkey and Gagne eventually agreed to a talent exchange deal between the two promotions. A number of PWA veterans were brought into the AWA during its last years including Derrick Dukes and Ricky Rice.
In 1986, Eddie Sharkey and promoter Don Condello worked out an agreement for PWA wrestlers to appear in televised wrestling events in central Canada. Chris Markoff, Buck Zumhofe, Ricky Rice & Derrick Dukes and The Terminators (Riggs & Wolff) were among those who appeared in the territory. Pro Wrestling America, among other regional promotions such as Georgia All-Star Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association, also had a working relationship with the Global Wrestling Federation during its last years and allowed its own wrestlers compete in GWF tournaments and other events. Jerry Lynn and The Lightning Kid, two of the promotion's top light heavyweight wrestlers, faced each other in a match to crown the first GWF Light Heavyweight Championship. A number of PWA wrestlers often appeared on The Prima-Donns, a long-running Public-access television cable TV show in the Minneapolis-area, including Eddie Sharkey, Baron von Raschke, Nick Bockwinkel and Jerry Lynn.
Although Pro Wrestling America was very successful during its early years, despite no access to television or advertising according to Eddie Sharkey, the promotion was the first and, as of 1991, the only independent promotion never to lose money. The promotion would eventually cease running shows after 1993, however Sharkey once again began promoting in the area with Terry Fox after a three-year absence, under either Wrestle America 2000 or Pro Wrestling America, with students from their wrestling camp. The promotion has since occasionally toured Japan and the Middle East.