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PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The magazine is the longest published English language wrestling magazine still in production. ''PWI'' publishes bi-monthly issues and annual special issues such as their "Almanac and Book of Facts". The magazine recognizes various world championships as legitimate, similar to '' The Ring'' in boxing. ''PWI'' is often referred to as an "Apter Mag", named after its long-time photographer Bill Apter, a term used for wrestling magazines that keep kayfabe. In recent years, the ''PWI'' has moved away from reporting on storylines as actual news and mixed in editorial comments on the behind-the-scenes workings of wrestling. Since 1991, ''PWI'' has been publishing its annual "Top 500 Wrestlers" listing the top male wrestlers in the world. In 2008, they a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kappa Publishing Group
Kappa Publishing Group, Inc. is a Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based publishing company concentrating on adult puzzle books and magazines as well as children's magazines and maps. It is a private company founded in 1955 with $11.5 million in annual sales. History In January 2012, Kappa announced that they had acquired Modern Publishing. Subsidiaries It has a number of subsidiary companies, such as London Publishing or GAMES Publications. Its original owner, H.L. Herbert ("Larry") founded his puzzle business, Official Publications in Manhattan with titles including Teen Word-Finds, Superb Word-Finds, Variety Word-Finds and countless crossword puzzle, crosspatch and fill-it-in titles. Sons Anthony Herbert (Editorial Director) and Paul Herbert (Sales) helped the business grow to the success it became. Edward Tobias was the Editor. Prior to Mr. Herbert, Sr.'s passing in the 1980s, he sold the business to Nick Karabots, who owned the printer where the titles were being printed. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two men's world titles on WWE's main roster, along with the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw. The current champion is John Cena, who is in his record-setting 14th reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Cody Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 on April 20, 2025. The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then- World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on April 25, 1963, as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, after the promotion seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) following a dispute over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sting (wrestler)
Steve Borden (born March 20, 1959), better known by the ring name Sting, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he continues to make sporadic appearances since his retirement. Borden is best known for his time spent as the face of two American professional wrestling promotions: World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1988 to 2001 and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2006 to 2014, as well as his retirement run in AEW from 2020 to 2024. Although the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; renamed WWE in 2002) purchased WCW in 2001, Borden did not sign with them at the time; he would later sign with WWE from 2014 to 2020. Prior to WCW, he wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)—which became WCW in 1988—the Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF), and the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). Borden wore Body pai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and gridiron football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). Luger is a List of WCW World Heavyweight Champions, two-time WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time WWA World Heavyweight Championship, WWA World Heavyweight Champion. He is also a List of WWE United States Champions, five-time WWE United States Championship, NWA/WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who holds the records for consecutive days and total days as champion. He is the second Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#List of WCW Triple Crown winners, WCW Triple Crown Champion. Although he never won a Professional wrestling championship, championship in the WWF, he challenged for every t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is noted for his tenures with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Much of his career was spent in JCP and WCW, in which he won numerous titles. Since the mid-1970s, he has used the moniker "the Nature Boy". A major pay-per-view Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Draw, attraction throughout his career, Flair headlined the premier annual NWA/WCW event, Starrcade, on ten occasions, while also co-headlining its WWF counterpart, WrestleMania, WrestleMania VIII, in 1992, after winning that year's Royal Rumble. ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awarded him their PWI Wrestler of the Year award a record six times, while ''Wrestlin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. Although formally established in 1948, its lineage has been traditionally traced back to the first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version), World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, which traces its lineage to the title first awarded to George Hackenschmidt in 1905. This effectively makes it the oldest surviving wrestling championship in the world. The title began as a governing body's world championship and has been competed for in multiple major promotions around the world, including the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (which seceded from the NWA and became WWE, World Wide Wrestling Federation, now WWE), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original Version)
In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalries; these narratives create feuds between the various competitors, which usually cast them as either faces (heroes), heels (villains), or more rarely tweeners (morally ambiguous). The bookers in a company, who decide the winners and where the storyline goes, will place the title on the most accomplished performer or the one they believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership. History Professional wrestling portrays the structure of title match combat sports. Participants compete for a championship, and must defend it after winning it. These titles are represented physically by a championship belt that is worn or carried by the champion(s). In the case of team wrestling, there is a belt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Hackenschmidt
Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt (1 August 1877 – 19 February 1968) was an Estonian Strongman (strength athlete), strongman, wrestling, amateur and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, writer, and Philosophy of sport, sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (original version), world heavyweight champion. Hackenschmidt began his professional career in Tallinn (Reval), Estonia (then part of the Russian Empire), and after an 1899 tournament in Paris was often referred in the media by the moniker "The Russian Lion". He lived most of his middle age and later life in London, England. He is believed to be the creator of the professional wrestling version of the bear hug as well as the person who popularised the Squat (exercise)#Variants, hack squat; additionally, Hackenschmidt is also attributed as the creator of the bench press. He was known for his impressive strength, fitness, and flexibility. Later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The WCW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the original world title of the World Championship Wrestling promotion, spun off from the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. It existed in WCW from 1991 to 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by the WWF in March 2001, it became one of two world titles in the WWF, with its name being immediately abbreviated to the WCW Championship and finally, the World Championship in November. It continued to complement the then-WWF Championship until the following month, when both titles were unified to create the Undisputed WWF Championship. Ric Flair was the first holder of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, with Chris Jericho being the last. The title was the second to be represented by the historic Big Gold Belt, first introduced in 1986. History Formation I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) List of National Wrestling Alliance territories, territory Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) (which had aired its programming on TBS (American TV channel), TBS). For all of its existence, WCW was one of the two top professional wrestling promotions in the United States alongside the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), at one point surpassing the latter in terms of popularity. After initial success through utilization of established wrestling stars of the 1980s, the company appointed Eric Bischoff to executive producer of television in 1993. Under Bischoff's leadership, the company enjoyed a period of mainstream success characterized by a shift to reality-based angle (professional wrestling), storylines, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, originally founded in 1933, which served as the Minnesota-based territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1948 onward, before breaking away from the NWA and becoming an independent territory in 1960. History Pre-AWA years (1933–1960) Anton Stecher, brother and manager of former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Stecher, was a founding member of the NWA in 1948 and had promoted wrestling in Minneapolis since 1933 through his Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club. In 1952, he sold a one-third interest in the promotion to his son Dennis and Wally Karbo. Stecher died on October 9, 1954, and control of the promotion passed to Karbo and Dennis. Verne Gagne, an amateur wrestling champion, had become a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AWA World Heavyweight Championship
The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE. The championship was contested in professional wrestling matches. History The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was established in May 1960, after the AWA was formed by the departure of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-area territory from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Pat O'Connor was conditionally recognized as the first champion upon the AWA's secession from the NWA as O'Connor held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which he had won on January 9, 1959, though he was ordered to defend against Verne Gagne within 90 days or he would forfeit the AWA title to Gagne. The creation of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship along with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship would pave the way for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
