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
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
promotion that ran shows mainly in
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
and
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
.
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 six "founding fathers" of the NWA (
Paul "Pinkie" George
Paul "Pinkie" George (born Paul Lloyd Georgeacopoulos; January 22, 1905 – November 1, 1993) was an American professional wrestling promoter, boxer and businessman best known as the visionary behind, and first president of, the National Wrestlin ...
and
Orville Brown) promoting in it.
History
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
Pinkie 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 the CSW and WWA.
Heart of America Sports Attractions forms
In 1963, wrestler/promoter Bob Geigel took over and partnered up with
Pat O'Conner and promoters George Simpson and Gust Karras 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, when
Harley Race brought attention to CSW (and its "sister promotion" the
St. Louis Wrestling Club) by winning 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 1989.
Central-States Championship Wrestling
The NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship is currently controlled by the NWA affiliate Central-States Championship Wrestling (CCW).
Tape library
The promotion's classic tape library is currently owned by
WWE, who obtained through their purchase of World Championship Wrestling, the previous owners of the library.
Former personnel
Championships
See also
*
List of National Wrestling Alliance territories
Formed in 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was the largest governing body in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring ...
*
List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States
References
External links
CentralStates.netCentral States title histories at Wrestling-Titles.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heart Of America Sports Attractions
Independent professional wrestling promotions based in the Midwestern United States
Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area
1948 establishments in Missouri
1988 disestablishments in Missouri
Jim Crockett Promotions
National Wrestling Alliance members