Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) was a

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 o ...

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

that held events in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

, especially in eastern and central

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, from November 1994 to November 2004, when it was run by

Greg Mosorjak Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name * Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canad ...

. The promotion was based in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, with offices in Fuquay Varina and

Lenoir, North Carolina Lenoir is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, North Carolina, Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,263 at the 2020 census. Lenoir is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the north ...

History and overview

Formation

Greg Mosorjak formed Southern Championship Wrestling in November 1994 upon leaving the Carolina Championship Wrestling Alliance. He was refereeing for the promotion at the time, after a near 10-year absence from the sport, and was interested in getting back into managing. Mosorjak "turned heel" while in the promotion, and was involved in a brief feud with CCWA television announcer Henry Dean, before becoming the manager for The Invader. There were few opportunities as a manager, however, and seeing a number of talent not being utilized by management Mosorjak decided to start his own promotion. "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero and Chris Stephenson were among the CCWA roster who joined Mosorjak. SCW held its first show at the Bethesda Athletic Association Gym in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

on November 5, 1994. The promotion crowned its first Southern Tag Team Champions on November 17, when The Rat Pack (Jimmy Cicero and Brian Perry) defeated Pat and C. W. Anderson in the finals of a one-night tournament in

. The first Southern Heavyweight Champion, Boris Dragoff, won the championship in a tournament held in Creedmoor on January 7, 1995, when he defeated Ricky Lee.

Territorial reach

Southern Championship Wrestling was not the first independent in North Carolina but it was one of the earliest and longest-lasting groups, despite competition from the numerous promotions in the Carolinas. For most of its 10-year run, its traditional "home turf" was primarily in eastern and central North Carolina. SCW initially promoted events in the Raleigh-Durham area during its first two years in operation, however, Mosorjak gradually worked to expand the promotion's territory. In 1997, he began holding monthly shows in

downtown Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southea ...

, establishing a home arena at the Kings Barcade, and was eventually promoting events throughout the Carolinas by the end of the decade. In early-2002, the promotion began holding shows at the historic

Dorton Arena J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952. Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architect ...

. SCW event tours also included, fire halls, high school gyms and fairs in cities such as Butner, NC, Creedmoor, NC,

Durham, NC Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 Census, Durham is the 4th-mos ...

Henderson, NC Henderson is a city and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census. History The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, ...

, Louisburg, NC, Southern Pines, NC,

Valdese, NC Valdese is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,689 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory-Lenoir- Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. One of the largest Waldensian congregations in the United S ...

, Wendell, NC; and in Clover, SC and

Greer, SC Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 35,308 as of the 2020 census Greer is part of the Greenville–Anderson– Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is additi ...

. Part of SCW's success lay with its long relationship with many charitable organizations. Mosorjak and SCW participated in countless fundraisers and benefit shows for local Jaycee groups,

fire departments A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

, and the

Optimist Club Optimist International is an international service club organization with almost 3,000 clubs and over 80,000 members in more than 20 countries. The international headquarters is located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Optimist Internationa ...

. It also raised money for individuals in need of

financial aid Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in the p ...

due to natural disaster or sickness. One of these shows involved an independent wrestler, Josh "Tears" Duke, who wrestled for the promotion until a car accident left him paralyzed. The benefit show was held at a local elementary school in Louisburg, North Carolina, and all proceeds went to help Duke's medical expenses. SCW also had a weekly 30-minute television show, produced by

Eno River Media Eno may refer to: Music * English National Opera, London * ''Eno'', an album by Japanese band Polysics * "Eno", a song by X-Wife from ''Rockin' Rio EP'' Organisations and businesses * Eno (company), a Chinese clothing and accessories business ...

, which aired Tuesdays on Channel 6 in

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

, and

Carrboro Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census. It later expanded to include

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

and as far away as

Manhattan, New York Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. The television commentary was originally performed by Mosorjak, with the addition of Walt Rabon later on, and most of SCW's live events would later be taped for television broadcast.

Notable talent

Even in its earliest years, SCW was able to feature some of the top independent wrestlers in the Mid-Atlantic and

from Jimmy Cicero, Chris Stephenson, and

Tom Brandi Thomas Brandi (born July 9, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation from 1996 to 1998 under the ring name Salvatore Sincere. Brandi is also known for his appearances with t ...

in the early 1990s, with later mainstays including C. W. Anderson,

Caprice Coleman Caprice Coleman (born March 20, 1977) is an American professional wrestler who competes or has competed in Mid-Atlantic and Southern independent promotions including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, NWA Wildside, Ring of Honor and, in recent year ...

Cham Pain Marty Garner (born May 2, 1967) is an American professional wrestler most noted for his appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment and his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Early career (1993–1995) Garner ...

, Scab, Juice/Gotti, Dewey Cheatum, Lazz,

Lexie Fyfe Mary Beth Bentley (born May 30, 1969), better known by her ring name Lexie Fyfe, is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled in various independent wrestling promotions, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She is a one-time NWA Wo ...

Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American professional wrestler and country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA ...

Matt Stryker Brian Woermann (born July 21, 1979) is a former American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Matt Stryker. Professional wrestling career Brian Woermann attended Milford High School, where he played basketball and Diving. Af ...

, Rob McBride, Shawn Alexander, Seymour Snott,

The Stro Robert Kellum (born January 26, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name The Maestro. He has also wrestled for other promotions, including the Uni ...

, Trailer Park Heat,

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

The Dupps The Dupps were a professional wrestling tag team in southern independents and ECW during the late 1990s composed of four wrestlers and one valet. Each of their names is a play on different phrases: "Bowed up", "Jacked up", "Pucked up", "Stand up" ...

(Bo and Jack Dupp), Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson), Dangerous Minds (Toad and Lodi), and New Skool (

Joey Matthews Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worke ...

and

Christian York Jason Spence (born April 13, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Christian York. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. C ...

); Matthews, still in high school, had his debut match on an SCW show. Future

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

superstars

Shane Helms Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with WWE under a legends contract, as a wrestler and as a backstage producer. In WWE, Helms has wrestled as The Hurricane, Gregory Helms, and Hu ...

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...

Edge and Christian Edge & Christian (E&C) were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on ...

, Lita and

The Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

( Matt and

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

) also spent their early careers in SCW. Hardy, Matt and Jeff. ''The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire''. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. (pg. 69) The promotion presented a unique mix of traditional Southern-style 'Rasslin and modern

hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...

, what it described as " old time hardcore", attracting

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

's Chilly Willy,

Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championship ...

Julio Dinero Brian Wohl (born April 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known for his ring name Julio Dinero. His real name is sometimes mistakenly given as Brian Wall. Professional wrestling career Wohl debuted in 1994 after tra ...

, and

New Jack Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingnes ...

as well as older

NWA Mid-Atlantic Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett (wrestling), ...

legends

Buddy Landell William Fritz Ensor (August 14, 1961 – June 22, 2015) was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Landel. He was best known for his work in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories. Early lif ...

Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff. He was the third wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship. Early life Perras was b ...

, Manny Fernandez,

Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Wi ...

, The Barbarian,

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championships ...

Jimmy Valiant James Harold Fanning (born August 6, 1942) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Jimmy Valiant. Early life Fanning was born in Tullahoma as the youngest of five children of James and Effie Fanning. He later incorpo ...

Wahoo McDaniel Edward Hugh McDaniel (June 19, 1938 – April 18, 2002) was an American Choctaw-Chickasaw professional American football player and professional wrestler better known by his ring name Wahoo McDaniel. He is notable for having held the NWA United S ...

. Mosorjak was present with many of these stars at the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends Convention and Fanfest in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

years later. SCW had a longterm association with Anderson Academy, a

wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

run by C. W. Anderson, as well as Cueball Carmichael's KYDA Pro Wrestling facility. Its students were invited to several shows before SCW's close. Bill Camp of KayfabeMemories.com wrote an article on the promotion for WormwoodChronicles.com, under the alias "Lawrence Alegdrop", and later made a guest appearance for the promotion as the "manager, cousin, and chess partner" of Seymore Snott, Ulysses S. Snott.

The Brotherhood

Mosorjak continued managing in SCW under his "Count Grog" persona forming a "heel" stable, "The Brotherhood", which dominated SCW throughout its 10-year history. Initially consisting of Major DeBeers and Boris Dragoff, it would come to include many of the region's top "rulebreakers" such as "Beastmaster" Rick Link, "Ragin' Bull" Manny Fernandez,

K. C. Thunder Kasey Geyer (born August 31, 1965), also known by the ring name K. C. Thunder, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, promoter and trainer. He was one of the top "heel" performers in the Southern United States during the 1990s. Geyer ...

and Frank "The Tank" Parker. Dragoff, under the management of Count Grog, won a one-night championship tournament in January 1995 to become the inaugural SCW Heavyweight Champion. The next two years saw Mosorjak manage Brotherhood members

Gorgeous George III Robert Kellum (born January 26, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and actor, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name The Maestro. He has also wrestled for other promotions, including the Unit ...

to the SCW Heavyweight title (November 1996) and K. C. Thunder to the North Carolina Heavyweight title (February 1997), defeating Big Slam in a tournament final to become the promotion's first-ever champion. On June 27, 1998, he again led Dragoff to recapture SCW title, and persuaded Boris Dragoff to rejoin the Brotherhood, who had left the previous year. Five months later, on November 21, 1998, he helped

Cueball Carmichael Chris Jackson (born June 10, 1960) is an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter, known by his ringname Cueball Carmichael, who competes in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit. He has wrestled and won titles in the ...

win the vacant SCW Heavyweight Championship from Big Slam, then substituting for an injured James "Poison" Ivey, in

Louisburg, North Carolina Louisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,064. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The town is located approximately 29 miles northeast of the state capital, Ral ...

. Club Security (Rumble and Rukkus) captured the SCW Tag Team titles from Pat & C. W. Anderson and

Otto Schwanz William Murray Happer (born October 4, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ring name Otto Schwanz. He competed primarily in the Carolinas since the mid-2000s, and has wrestled for many promotions including CW ...

the North Carolina title, with assistance from Mosorjak, making it one of The Brotherhood's most successful years. Mosorjak and The Brotherhood also toured the Southern independent circuit with many in the group, especially Major DeBeers, winning titles in most of the promotions they visited. In the summer of 1996, he and Major DeBeers were suspended from the Great American Wrestling Federation after Grog threw a fireball at DeBeers' opponent "Iceman" Mike Murphy. Mosorjak's antics saw him being voted by fans as "Manager of the Year" in both SCW and

Southern States Wrestling Southern States Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Kingsport, Tennessee. Founded by wrestler Beau James in early 1991, SSW (along with NWA Bluegrass) succeeded Smoky Mountain Wrestling as the top promo ...

in 1997. The Brotherhood was also involved in a long-running feud revolving around Mosorjak and "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant which set attendance records in towns from

Fall Branch, Tennessee Fall Branch is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington and Greene counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 1,291 at the 2010 census. Some areas in Sullivan also use the Fall Branch ZIP code. Fall Branch is part of the ...

Butner, North Carolina Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,397 as of the 2020 census. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. History A bill passed by the North Carolina General ...

. Many times, Valiant would manage to get his hands on Count Grog after defeating one of his goons. In 1999, ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' called Count Grog the "least employee friendly boss around", due to his tendency of double-crossing his own wrestlers. Since forming the group, Mosorjak twice turned on Major DeBeers, Boris Dragoff, Otto Schwanz, Jimmy Cicero, and Venom, though many eventually rejoined the group.

Style and controversy

Mosorjak, who had been brought up in an era dominated by the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

, attempted to find a balance between his traditionalist roots and the newer style of wrestling popularized by

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and later adopted by mainstream

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (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 Nation ...

and

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. The result was a combination of familiar "family friendly" Southern-style 'Rasslin with modern

, which Mosorjak described as " old time hardcore", though it also used a variety of other styles. The promotion became well known for its wild brawls in the mid-to late 1990s, most especially at the Berkeley Café in Raleigh, described by Matt and Jeff Hardy as a popular bar "full of drunk college kids". At one of these shows, during a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

between Steve Corino and Joey Matthews, the

ceiling light The ceiling projector or cloud searchlight is used to measure the height of the base of clouds (called the ceiling) above the ground. It is used in conjunction with an alidade, usually positioned 1000 ft (300 m) away and wherever poss ...

s were knocked out causing sparks and fire which, according to Mosorjak, resembled an exploding ring match. Mosorjak, as Count Grog, was DDTed on the ladder by Corino near the end of the match though few people saw this because the lights were still out. In addition, Corino was arrested for assault at SCW's 3rd Anniversary show in Louisburg, NC, on November 22, 1997, when police were called after Corino threw a chair at manager Dexter Holley. The attack was legitimate, as Holley was in attendance visiting friends and was not on the show. The manager was standing behind the ring announce table talking with someone when Corino threw the steel chair at him. The blatant attack was a result of Corino and Holley having personal issues stemming from Holley's role as an NWA executive at the time. Holley was the NWA's representative in the Mid Atlantic region, and Corino had recently begun promoting shows in the region under the NWA banner.

Association with OMEGA

Southern Championship Wrestling enjoyed a longtime working relationship with Matt and Jeff Hardy's

OMEGA Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...

promotion, which ran in

Cameron, North Carolina Cameron is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. History Cameron grew up around a plank road that was followed in later years by a railroad. The town was planned in 1875 and incorporated ...

, until the Hardys signed with the

in 1999. Mosorjak was also an active manager in OMEGA leading

to the OMEGA Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1998. He also managed many of these younger stars in his own promotion, most notably, when

defeated Otto Schwanz for the SCW title on November 29, 1999, in Raleigh. Mosorjak also managed Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson)"The PWI 500." ''

''. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1997): pg. 50-51."The PWI 500." ''

''. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Company. (Holiday 1998): pg. 64, 67. in their feuds with Serial Thrillaz (

& Mike Maverick) and Thug Life (

Christian Cage William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Christian Cage. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Christ ...

and

Sexton Hardcastle Adam Joseph Copeland (born October 30, 1973), is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Edge. He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wr ...

). SCW-OMEGA cross-promotional activities extended to include championship titles being both recognized and defended in both promotions. Prior to making their WWF debut,

Surge Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to: Science * Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system * Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 t ...

, Venom and Pain wrestled Toad, Mike Maverick, and Otto Schwanz in a 6-man tag team "WWF vs. SCW" elimination match which ended with Maverick turning on Otto Schwanz.

Demise

The promotion fell on hard times as talent losses, poor booking, and other factors led to a drop in ticket sales. In an effort to explain the hardship, the promoters attempted to blame a rumored bill in the NC State Assembly to regulate professional wrestling. The bill never even came to the floor of the Assembly, but SCW continued to blame it for its troubles. Mosorjak managed to keep the promotion running for another year or two. He was able to expand its visibility with SCW's television show being seen

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

as well a regular

internet television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air a ...

series via ProWrestlingTV.com in October 2002. By late-2004, however, with several key shows being cancelled or postponed, Mosorjak eventually decided to close the promotion. The decision was finally made due to declining attendance and Mosorjak working extra hours his regular job in educational research. SCW, like many independent promotions, tended to run above cost requiring Mosorjak to use his personal finances to keep the promotion going and put a strain on his budget as a result. SCW held its final show, "Blowout Bash", and featured Count Grog helping Otto Schwanz defeat C. W. Anderson to become the last SCW Heavyweight Champion. A number of former SCW alumni appeared for the event.

, in particular, specifically requested a match against Brandi Wine for the

SCW Diva Championship The SCW Diva Championship (also known as the SCW Women's Championship) was a women's professional wrestling championship in the Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) promotion. The title remained active until August 2003 when Alexis Laree signed ...

, a match which she won.

G.O.U.G.E. Wrestling

After spending several years in semi-retirement, Mosorjak resumed running wrestling shows out of King's Barcade in Raleigh under the GOUGE (Gimmicks Only Underground Grappling Entertainment) banner. Unlike Southern Championship Wrestling, Mosorjak's new promotion was geared more towards comedy-based "family friendly" satire of

and spoofs of popular

gimmicks A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

portrayed by independent wrestlers. GOUGE Wrestling has been compared to the American version of HUSTLE. Since running its first event on April 21, 2006, it has held shows thought the state of North Carolina including Stem, NC, Apex, NC, Allensville, NC, Butner, NC, Fuquay Varina, NC, Youngsville, NC,

Seagrove, NC Seagrove is a town in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 285 at the 2019 census. It was named after a railroad official when the area was connected by rail. The center of population of North Carolina is located a fe ...

, and

Wake Forest, NC Wake Forest is a town in Franklin, Granville and Wake counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina; located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601. That is ...

Roster

Alumni

*Aldo De Gama *Ali Steele * The Barbarian *Beau James *Big Slam *Boris Dragoff *Brad Attitude *Brent Rage *Brian Logan *

*Caesar Augustus *

*Camel Toe *

Chilly Willy Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive penguin. He was created by director Paul Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953, and developed further by Tex Avery in the two subsequent films following Smith's debut entry. The character ...

*Chris Stephenson *

* C. W. Anderson *Dan Rage *David Lee Gilbert *David Wolfs *Dewey Cheatum *Duke Richards *Dorian Deville * Frank "The Tank" Parker *Genocide *Gotti *

*The Intruder *

*Jacey North *Jesse Drive *

Jimmy Cicero Matthew Bowman (born January 2, 1969) is an American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Wiseguy" Jimmy Cicero, who has worked for the United States Wrestling Association, Extreme Championship Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federa ...

*John Thundercloud *

*Kross *Lazz *Legend * Lodi *Major DeBeers *Malaki * Manny Fernandez *

*Marc Ash *Mervin Snead *Mikael Yamaha *Mike Justice *Natrone Steele *

*James "Poison" Ivey *Preston Quinn *Puck Willis *Q-sic *Ravishing Rico Rage *

Ric Converse Richard "Ric" Converse (born December 26, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is one of the top "heels" on the Southeastern independent circuit, especially in the Carolinas, and currently competes for CWF Mid-Atlantic where he is a reco ...

Rick Link Richard Link (born February 28, 1959) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. He wrestled throughout Canada and the United States for the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1970s and 80s under a number of ring ...

*Rob McBride *Saltwater Redneck *SCAB *Scotty Matthews *Scotty McKeever *Seymour Snott *

*Spank *Stratus *Trailer Park Heat *Toad *

*Too Damn Badd *Uncle Tom Kettle *Van Cheeseman *

* The War Machine *William Wealth * Willow The Wisp *Wort

Female wrestlers

Alexis Laree Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American professional wrestler and country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance (NW ...

Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...

*Brandi Wine *

*Persephone *Special K *Valentina

Tag Teams

*The Andersons (Pat and C. W. Anderson) *Anti-Social Society (Scab and Natrone) *Army of Won (Frank Parker and Kross) *California Swat Team (Zack Lee and Ben Black) *Club Security (Rumble and Rukkus) *Cowboys From Hell (Guido Falcone and Jimmie Torture) *Dangerous Minds (Toad and Lodi) *Dave Greco and Billy Reil * Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson) *The Dream Team (Billy Simmons and Sean Powers) *The Drive Brothers (Jesse and Justin Drive) *

(Bo and Jack Dupp) *The Gargoyles (Wort and Duke Richards) *

( Matt and

) *The Nerds (Seymour Snott and Dexter Poindexter) * New Skool (

, and Alexis Laree) *Northern Exposure (C. W. Anderson and

) *Perry and Sean Powers *Psychos For Hire (Bam Bam and Crazyman) *The Rat Pack (

and Brian Perry) *The Serial Thrillaz (

and Mike Maverick) *Total Quality Management (Jimmy Cicero, Christopher Carmichael, and Brent Rage) *Sex, Love & Money (Brad Hunter and Shawn Alexander) *The Southside Playas (LA Ca$h and J-Money)

Managers

*Alexis Laree *Azn Pursu-Azn *B.C. *Brandi Richardson *Cheyenne *

Count Grog Greg Mosorjak (born June 21, 1961), better known as Count Grog, is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, ring announcer, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Cueball Carmichael's Independent Professio ...

*Dexter Holley *Dustin Pruitt *John Henry *Lilly *Mr. Jolly *Persephone *Special K *Wicked Walt *Wesley E. Smith

Championships

SCW Hall of Fame

The SCW Hall of Fame is an American

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

maintained by the Raleigh-based

Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW). It was established in 1997SCW Hall of Fame
SCWprowrestling.com to honor wrestlers who have wrestled for the promotion.

Inductees

References

External links

*{{official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20050319092612/http://www.scwprowrestling.com/updates.html

official website for SCW's weekly TV show
SCW at Cagematch.de
Independent professional wrestling promotions based in North Carolina Entertainment companies established in 1994 Companies disestablished in 2004 Sports in Raleigh, North Carolina