Fred Ward Memorial Show
   HOME
*





Fred Ward Memorial Show
The Fred Ward Memorial Show was an annual professional wrestling memorial event produced by the Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) promotion, which was held from 2004 to 2009. The show was held in honor of Fred Ward, a pioneering wrestling promoter who controlled the central Georgia wrestling territory for over 30 years, who died on May 7, 1992. It was originally held in Columbus, Georgia by GCW until Jerry Oates' retirement in 2006, whereupon the new owners Bill and Diane Hewes relocated the promotion, renamed Great Championship Wrestling, to Phenix City, Alabama. Its third annual memorial show, the last show held at the GCW Arena, "drew the biggest crowd t the venuein over a year". Many of the featured wrestlers were former stars in World Championship Wrestling or were then competing in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as well as local stars such as Jason Cross, Damian Steele, Vordell Walker, and David Young. Older regional stars from the Georgia territory, many of whom ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Georgia Championship Wrestling
Georgia Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades before, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and ran live wrestling shows throughout its geographic "territory" of Georgia. The company was also known for its self-titled TV program, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s on Atlanta-based superstation TBS. History Georgia Championship Wrestling was formed in Atlanta in 1944 by promoter Paul Jones (retired wrestler Andrew Lutzi, not Paul Frederik who later was given the name) as ABC Booking. ABC held its matches at Atlanta's Municipal Auditorium on Friday evenings. Jones operated ABC for thirty years until his retirement in 1974, though from about 1970 until 1972 he was assisted by his booker Ray Gunkel. Jones was so infirmed by this time (he died in 1988) that Gunkel effectively ran the promotion. On Decemb ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Les Thatcher
Leslie Malady (born October 28, 1940), better known by the name Les Thatcher, is an American former professional wrestler. He helps run Elite Pro Wrestling Training, a professional wrestling school in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, with Ricky Steamboat and, up until his death on August 1, 2019, Harley Race. He is also on the board of directors of the Cauliflower Alley Club. He won several regional tag team championships with various partners, including Nelson Royal and Roger Kirby. He turned his hand to singles competition as a junior heavyweight. Early life Thatcher was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He first watched wrestling when he was eight years old while at a friend's house, stating, "The action on that little ten-inch black & white screen just reached out and grabbed me". In his youth, he played basketball, baseball, and football. He started wrestling at his local YMCA as a twelve-year-old. He attended Central High School in Cincinnati. Professional wrestling career Thatc ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Heath Slater
Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in WWE from 2006 to 2020, most notably performing under the ring name Heath Slater. After debuting in 2004, Miller signed to WWE in 2006 and competed in its developmental territories Deep South Wrestling (DSW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) before appearing on the first season of ''NXT'' in 2010. He debuted on WWE's main roster later that year as a member of The Nexus, becoming a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion with fellow Nexus member Justin Gabriel in the process. In 2016, he began a storyline which saw him form a tag team with Rhyno, leading the two to become the inaugural WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions. He is the first wrestler to have won both the SmackDown and Raw Tag Team Championships. Overall, he is a four-time tag t ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Disco Inferno (wrestler)
Glenn Gilbertti (born November 12, 1967) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Disco Inferno (briefly changed to Disqo) from 1995 to 2001. During his six-year tenure with WCW, Gilbertti became a one-time Cruiserweight Champion, a two-time Television Champion and a one-time Tag Team Champion with Alex Wright. He is considered one of the more novel mid-card WCW wrestlers of the late 1990s. After WCW, he worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling All-Stars. Professional wrestling career Early career (1991–1995) Gilbertti started wrestling in 1991 wrestling his first match on November 20, 1991. He wrestled on the Georgia independent circuit, where he was best known for his time with Great Championship Wrestling (GCW) where he won several titles. He also had a short stint with the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) in 1993. World Championship Wrestling (1995–2001) Mid-car ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Tag Team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name and identity. In most team matches, only one competitor per team is allowed in the ring at a time. This status as the active or legal wrestler may be transferred by physical contact, most commonly a palm-to-palm tag which resembles a high five. The team-based match has been a mainstay of professional wrestling since the mid-twentieth century, and most promotions have sanctioned a championship division for tag teams. History The first "World" tag team championship was promoted in San Francisco in the early 1950s. Tag matches with three-man teams were developed, and in some territories, a championship division was instituted for these teams, but the concept failed to become wi ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Damien Steele
Timothy Frank Fischer (born November 7, 1967) is an American musician, comedian, writer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, known by his ring name "The Real Deal" Damien Steele. Fisher competed in WWE, World Championship Wrestling, WCW, XPW, World Wrestling Council, WWC and Ultimate Pro Wrestling, UPW between 1995 and 2007. Fischer held the XPW World Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. Wrestling career Fisher debuted in August 1995 and spent much of his early career wrestling on the local independent circuit in southern California under the name Nick Beat. He became a regular for the United Independent Wrestling Alliance and Southern California Championship Wrestling as well as toured the Eastern United States with the World Wrestling Association and World Xtreme Wrestling during the late 1990s."The PWI 500." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Holiday 1999: 66. While wrestling for Verne Langdon's Slammer's Wrestling Gym as Buddy West, he became part of Dynamite D' ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Professional Wrestling Match Types
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. Throughout professional wrestling's decades long history, some gimmick matches have spawned many variations of the core concept. Singles match The singles match is the most common of all professional wrestling matches, which involves only two competitors competing for one fall. A victory is obtained by pinfall, submission, knockout, countout, or disqualification. Some of the most common variations on the singles match is to restrict the possible means for victory. Duchess of Queensbury Rules match A Duchess of Queensbury Rules match is a singles match contested under specific, often disclosed rules is replaced by a title usually meant to sound traditional for one combatant. A wrestler challenging another wrestler to a ma ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Erik Watts
Erik Watts (born December 19, 1967) is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the WWE, World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. He is the son of wrestler Bill Watts. Early life Watts attended the University of Louisville, where he was a quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals football, Louisville Cardinals. Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (1992–1994) Watts trained as a wrestler under his father, Bill Watts, and after wrestling for three months, he was hired by World Championship Wrestling. He debuted on August 27, 1992 in McMinnville, TN, and began a house show series against Buddy Lee Parker and Mark Canterbury. Still undefeated three months later, Watts would defeat Scotty Flamingo (later known as Raven (wrestler), Raven), Kevin Nash, Vinnie Vegas, and a rookie Diamond Dallas Page. On November 2 Watts defeated Michael Hayes (wrestler), Michae ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Johnny Swinger
Joseph Dorgan (born July 3, 1975) is an American professional wrestler currently under contract to Impact Wrestling, using the ring name Johnny Swinger. Dorgan is also known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the Johnny Swinger name (sometimes shortened to simply Swinger) and with World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny Parisi. Professional wrestling career Early career (1993–1995) After training in Toronto, Ontario, Dorgan started wrestling on the independent circuit in 1993 as "Johnny Paradise". After he discovered that another wrestler was already using that name, he renamed himself "Johnny Hollywood Swinger" and began to make a name for himself as a villain in Scott D'Amore's "Syndicate" faction in Border City Wrestling. World Championship Wrestling (1995) Dorgan received his first national exposure when he appeared on World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s show ''WCW Pro''. Shortening his name to "Johnny Swinger ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Sonny Siaki
Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion. Early life When Siaki was three, his family moved to Hawaii, then California in the United States of America before settling in Wilmington, North Carolina. Siaki graduated from New Hanover High, received a football scholarship to play at East Carolina University, and majored in Physical Education. He played inside linebacker until a serious stinger injury forced him to stop playing football, preventing him from pursuing a professional football career. Professional wrestling career Early career (1998–2002) After his school friend Brad Cain notified Siaki that the WCW Power Plant was holding tryouts in early 1999, Siaki attended the tryout and was awarded a WCW developmental contract. He graduated after seven months and wrestled his first televised match on ''WC ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion, and with NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a four-time NWA World Tag Team Champion. Early life Skipper was born on December 15, 1967, in Roosevelt, New York. Before becoming a wrestler, Skipper participated in kickboxing. Upon deciding to become a wrestler, he resigned from his job as a store manager of McDonald's in Long Island and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to audition at the WCW Power Plant, the professional wrestling school operated by World Championship Wrestling. Professional wrestling career World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001) Upon being accepted by the Power Plant, Skipper began his training, debuting in 1999 at an independent show. After training for eight months, Skipper made his televisio ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  




Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The ''Ledger-Enquirer'' is a newspaper headquartered in downtown Columbus, Georgia, in the United States. It was founded in 1828 as the ''Columbus Enquirer'' by Mirabeau B. Lamar who later played a pivotal role in the founding of the Republic of Texas and served as its third President. The newspaper is a two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.The Pulitzer Prizes for 1926
pulitzer.org; retrieved September 2008
The Pulitzer Prizes for 1955
pulitzer.org. retrieved September 2008


History

In 1874, the ''Columbus Enquirer'', until then a weekly publication, merged with Columbus's first daily newspaper, the ''Daily Sun'', to form t ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]