The York Foundation 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 ...

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

stable in

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 ...

between 1990 and 1992. It was led by tech-savvy businesswoman Alexandra York, and comprised former babyfaces who adopted

informal wear Informal wear or undress, also called business wear, corporate/office wear, tenue de ville or dress clothes, is a Western dress codes, Western dress code for clothing defined by a business suit for men, and cocktail dress or pant suit for wome ...

and formalized their

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

s upon joining.

History

Miss Alexandra York entered WCW near the end of 1990 as the manager and financial analyst of

Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mik ...

. According to the storyline Rotunda had inherited a lot of money, turned heel and then adopted the name “Michael Wallstreet” (a gimmick patterned after

Gordon Gekko Gordon Gekko is a composite character in the 1987 film '' Wall Street'' and its 2010 sequel '' Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'', both directed by Oliver Stone. Gekko was portrayed by actor Michael Douglas, whose performance in the first fil ...

from the film ''

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

''). Miss York would use her laptop to analyze Wallstreet's opponents and help him win matches. Wallstreet started off strong by defeating The Starblazer at

Clash of the Champions XIII ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...

before engaging in a feud with

Terry Taylor Paul Worden Taylor III (born August 12, 1955) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Terry Taylor and for his time as an in-ring performer in National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and Wo ...

. Miss York claimed that her computer program predicted that Wallstreet could beat Taylor in less than nine minutes, so during their Starrcade 1990 match a nine-minute countdown clock was used. Wallstreet won the match within the time limit. In early 1991, Rotunda left WCW and signed with the

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 ...

where he became a “ruthless tax collector” known as Irwin R. Schyster. With no one to manage, Miss York started to scout WCW, looking for her next “project”. At Clash of the Champions XIV Miss York found her man. During a match between Terry Taylor and

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 ...

Miss York appeared at ringside, distracted Morton and allowed Taylor to win the match. Taylor's turn did not come as any surprise as he was mistakenly introduced as “the Computerized Man of the 90s” before the match. Taylor joined the York Foundation and insisted on being known as Terrence Taylor from now on and started wearing a

business suit A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of tr ...

. Miss York also added Mr. Hughes as a bodyguard. Next Miss York set her sights on

Dustin Rhodes Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE f ...

(later her real-life husband) wanting him to join her foundation. When Dustin Rhodes turned her down, Taylor attacked him, kicking off a long-running feud between Rhodes and the York Foundation. In April and May, she had Taylor team with

Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by the ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a m ...

and

Larry Zbyszko Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his ...

as potential recruits but they decided to form a tag team called the Enforcers instead of joining the York Foundation. She also gave "Nature Boy"

Buddy Landel 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 ...

a few tryouts but did not sign him as he lost these matches. At Clash of the Champions XV on June 12, 1991, the York Foundation Ricky Morton - now renamed Richard Morton - joined in an attack on Dustin Rhodes and also beat up his longtime

Rock 'N Roll Express The Rock 'n' Roll Express is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of professional wrestlers Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by Mid-South Wrestling (later to be known a ...

partner Robert Gibson just as he announced he was ready to return from a serious knee injury. In July, Richard Morton defeated Gibson at the Great American Bash 1991. Gibson left WCW shortly after allowing Morton to focus on the York Foundation's feud with Dustin Rhodes & friends. At the Great American Bash, the Foundation lost the services of Mr. Hughes as he joined forces with

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federatio ...

and

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...

, instead Miss York brought in Thomas Rich to be the third member of her foundation. Over the summer, the Foundation continued its feud with Dustin Rhodes,

Tom Zenk Thomas Erwin Zenk (November 30, 1958 – December 9, 2017) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He was best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation from 1986 to 1987, American Wrestling Association (AWA) 198 ...

and

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managemen ...

all of whom had turned down Miss York's offer of membership. The Foundation beat Dustin Rhodes, Tom Zenk and

Big Josh Matthew Wade Osborne (July 27, 1957 – June 28, 2013), known professionally as Matt Borne, was an American professional wrestler. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first wrestler to ...

for the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Titles on October 8, 1991 and held the titles until they were abandoned in late November 1991. As fall turned to winter the members of the York Foundation were used more as “Enhancement Talent” to make wrestlers such as

Van Hammer A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

. The sole highlight was Richard Morton's participation in the tournament to crown the first ever

WCW Light Heavyweight Championship The WCW Light Heavyweight Championship was a Professional wrestling championship#Weight class championships, professional wrestling championship that was contested in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1991 and 1992. Conceived in 1991, th ...

where he reached the finals before losing to Flyin’ Brian. The York Foundation's final feud was with

The Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

and was cut short when it disbanded in January 1992.

Championships and accomplishments

WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship The WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship was a championship contested in World Championship Wrestling throughout 1991. It was considered a revived version of the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship that was used in Jim Crockett Promotions; ...

(1 time) – Terrance Taylor, Richard Morton and Thomas Rich

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:York Foundation, The World Championship Wrestling teams and stables

History

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References