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 ...

had held a variety of

professional wrestling tournament On various occasions in professional wrestling, a single-elimination tournament of varying match types are held, often to determine a championship or number-one contendership therein. It has been known for promotions to use title tournament that a ...

s competed for by wrestlers that were a part of their roster.

Sporadic tournaments

Pin-Pinfall; Sub-Submission; CO-Countout; DCO-Double countout; DQ-Disqualification; DDQ-Double Disqualification Ref-Referee's decision; NC-No Contest

Bunkhouse Stampede Tournament

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1975)

The NWA United States Championship Tournament was a tournament that took place on November 9, 1975, and was created to crown a new United States Champion after

Johnny Valentine John Theodore Wisniski (September 22, 1928 – April 24, 2001), better known by his ring name Johnny Valentine, was an American professional wrestler with a career spanning almost three decades. He has been inducted into four halls of fame fo ...

suffered a career ending back injury.

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1979)

The NWA United States Championship Tournament was a tournament that took place on September 1, 1979, to crown a new United States Champion after

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

vacated the championship due to winning the

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...

four days earlier.

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1981)

The NWA United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Champion after

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 ...

vacated the title due to injury.

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1984)

The NWA United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Champion after

was forced to vacate the title due to his controversial title win over

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

, which took place due to outside interference by

Tully Blanchard Tully Arthur Blanchard (born January 22, 1954) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-to-late 1980s as a member of ...

NWA World Television Championship Tournament (1986)

The NWA World Television Championship Tournament was a tournament held on January 4, 1986, to crown a new World Television Champion after Dusty Rhodes was stripped of the title due to injury at the hands of Ric Flair and The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1986)

The Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a tournament held on April 19, 1986, at

The Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the New Orleans Central Business District, Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and had an afternoon & night show.

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1987)

The Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a tournament that ran from April 9 to April 10, 1987, with both shows at The Baltimore Arena in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1988)

The Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a tournament.

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1988)

The NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Tag Team Champions after the titles were vacated when The Midnight Express won the

on September 10, 1988. Notes:
¹

NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1989)

The NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new World Tag Team Champions after

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 ...

and Steve Williams were forced to vacate the titles due to their

Varsity Club The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989. The stable was briefly resurrected in 1999–2000. History ...

teammates attacking

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where ...

during their title defense against

Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Warriors" in t ...

at WrestleWar.http://prowrestlinghistory.com/ Notes:
¹

Iron Man Tournaments (1989)

The Iron Man and Iron Team tournaments were

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...

s featuring four competing individuals and

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 establish ...

s respectively. The point system: 20 points for a

pinfall In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

victory, 15 for a

countout 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 ...

victory, 10 for a disqualification victory, 5 for a time-limit draw and 0 for a loss. ;Iron Man tournament ;Iron Team tournament

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1990)

The NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Tag Team Champions after Eddie Gilbert and

Rick Steiner Robert Rechsteiner (born March 9, 1961) is an American real estate broker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Rick Steiner. Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was ...

vacated the titles due to Steiner splitting from Gilbert to form a

with his brother Scott.

Running the Gauntlet Tournament (1990)

The Running the Gauntlet Tournament was a tournament. *September 14–16, 1990

Brian Pillman Brian William Pillman (May 22, 1962 – October 5, 1997) was an American professional wrestler and professional football player best known for his appearances in Stampede Wrestling in the 1980s and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Ch ...

defeated

Tim Horner Timothy Horner (born August 19, 1959) is a retired professional wrestler, best known as Tim "White Lightning" Horner, one half of The Lightning Express with Brad Armstrong. Professional wrestling career Early career (1978–1988) Tim Horner ...

and

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 ...

, before losing to

Dan Spivey Daniel Eugene Spivey (born October 14, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler best known under the ring names "Dangerous" Dan Spivey, Dangerous Dan The Left Hand Man, Danny Spivey, Mr. America, and Waylon Mercy, and initially worked ...

. *September 21–23, 1990

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championshi ...

defeated

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 ...

, and

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 ...

to run the gauntlet. *September 28–30, 1990 Bobby Eaton defeated

Tracey Smothers Tracy Stanton Smothers (September 2, 1962 – October 28, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Champ ...

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 ...

, before losing to

Sid Eudy Sidney Raymond Eudy (born December 16, 1960) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his various Sid gimmicks, each distinguished by the ring names Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sycho Sid in World Championship Wrestlin ...

. *November 11–13, 1990

Steve Armstrong Steven James (born March 16, 1965), better known by his ring name Steve Armstrong, is an American professional wrestler. He is the son of fellow wrestler "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, and has three brothers who also wrestled: Scott, Brad, and Brian. ...

defeated

Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...

, but lost to his second opponent Buddy Landel. Had Armstrong defeated Landel, he would've wrestled Bobby Eaton. *November 17–19, 1990

defeated

Moondog Rex Randy Colley (May 2, 1950 – December 14, 2019) was an American professional wrestler better known as Moondog Rex. He was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation as a part of The Moondogs, and as the original Smash of D ...

, Sid Vicious and Ric Flair to run the gauntlet. *November 23–25, 1990

defeated Buddy Landel, but lost to his second opponent

Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...

. Had Flair defeated Simmons, he would've wrestled The Nightstalker.

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament (1990)

The Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament was a tournament at

Starrcade Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event, originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1 ...

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1991)

The WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new World Tag Team Champions after

Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team mad ...

vacated the titles due to

suffering an injury. * The Executioner replaced Black Blood

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1991)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Champion after

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 ...

vacated the title upon winning the

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 Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...

WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament

The WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a tournament held in 1991 to crown the first-ever Light Heavyweight Champion. The finals took place at

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand, NXT. As the name implies, it is a Halloween-themed show held in October. It was originally produced as an annual pay-per-view ...

, where

defeated Richard Morton to become the inaugural champion.

NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1992)

The NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever NWA World Tag Team Champions. The tournament took place at

on July 12, 1992.

Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament (1992)

The Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament was a tournament.

King of Cable Tournament

The King of Cable Tournament was a

single-elimination tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

in 1992. The finals were held at

Jesse Ventura Invitational Strongest Arm arm wrestling tournament (1992)

The Jesse Ventura Invitational Strongest Arm Tournament was a 1992

arm wrestling Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The s ...

tournament held on ''WCW WorldWide'' to determine which wrestler on the roster was the best. The competitors were (kayfabe) selected by WCW color analyst

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

WCW World Television Championship Tournament (1993)

The WCW World Television Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new World Television Champion after

was stripped of the title due to leaving WCW.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1993)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament that ran from December 14, 1992, to January 11, 1993. This was initially a #1 contenders tournament for Rick Rude's United States Heavyweight Championship, but when Rude became injured, he was stripped of the title, thus the final between Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes was for the championship.

European Cup Tournament (1994)

The European Cup Tournament was a tournament that took place from March 3 to March 20, 1994.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1995)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Heavyweight Champion after Vader was stripped of the title due to injuring Dave Sullivan.

Slim Jim Challenge (1995)

The Slim Jim Challenge was a tournament.

Lord Of The Ring Tournament (1996)

The Lord Of The Ring Tournament was a tournament from Slamboree 1996, where teams were randomly selected through lottery, which every team that won their respective matches, would win a spot at the Lord Of The Ring Battle Royal later on that night.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1996)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Heavyweight Champion after

vacated the title due to shoulder injury.

WCW Women's Championship Tournament (1996)

The WCW Women's Championship Tournament was a tournament to determine the first-ever Women's Champion, with the finals taking place at

WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (1997)

The WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever Women's Cruiserweight Champion.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1999)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Heavyweight Champion after

Scott Hall Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...

was stripped of the title by

. * After Jericho was eliminated by Steiner, he was able to negotiate his way back in.

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1999)

The WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

after

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

was stripped of the title due to attacking a

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

. The tournament finals took place at

Mayhem Mayhem most commonly refers to: * Mayhem (crime), a type of crime Mayhem may also refer to: People * Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress * Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter * Mayhem Miller (dra ...

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (January 2000)

The WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new World Tag Team Champions after The Outsiders vacated the title due to

suffering an injury. Scott Steiner became Kevin Nash's partner in the second round. Vampiro replaced Kanyon in the third round.

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (2000)

The WCW Cruiserweight Championship Tournament was a tournament for the vacated Cruiserweight Championship, which took place after

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

was forced to vacate the title due to exceeding the weight limit of a cruiserweight.

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2000)

The WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new

after

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...

and

Vince Russo Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...

vacated all the titles.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (April 2000)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new United States Heavyweight Champion after

and

vacated all the titles. The tournament took place at Spring Stampede.

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (April 2000)

The WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new World Tag Team Champions after

and

vacated all the titles. The tournament took place at Spring Stampede.

WCW United States Championship Tournament (July 2000)

The WCW United States Championship Tournament was a tournament that took place on July 18, 2000, for the vacated United States Championship after

was stripped of the title due to using his banned '' Steiner Recliner'' on

Mike Awesome Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...

during a match at

Bash at the Beach Bash at the Beach was a yearly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was the company's PPV for the month of July, held from 1994–2000. As the title implied, the show centered on a b ...

London Lethal Lottery Tag Team Tournament (2000)

The London Lethal Lottery Tag Team Tournament was a tournament.

WCW Hardcore Championship Tournament (2000)

The WCW Hardcore Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the new Hardcore Champion after Mike Sanders stripped

Norman Smiley Norman Anthony Smiley (born February 28, 1965) is an English-American retired professional wrestler and vocalist specializing in Gregorian Chants. He is best known for his appearances with the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre fro ...

of the title. * Sgt. AWOL originally defeated Reno in the finals but WCW Commissioner Mike Sanders reversed the decision and awarded the win to Reno.

European Cup Tournament (2000)

The European Cup Tournament was a tournament.

WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament (2001)

The WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the inaugural Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World Championship Wrestling tournaments

Tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

Professional wrestling tournaments Professional wrestling-related lists

Sporadic tournaments

Bunkhouse Stampede Tournament

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1975)

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1979)

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1981)

NWA United States Championship Tournament (1984)

NWA World Television Championship Tournament (1986)

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1986)

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1987)

Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1988)

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1988)

NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1989)

Iron Man Tournaments (1989)

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Tournament (1990)

Running the Gauntlet Tournament (1990)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament (1990)

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1991)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1991)

WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament

NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (1992)

Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament (1992)

King of Cable Tournament

Jesse Ventura Invitational Strongest Arm arm wrestling tournament (1992)

WCW World Television Championship Tournament (1993)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1993)

European Cup Tournament (1994)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1995)

Slim Jim Challenge (1995)

Lord Of The Ring Tournament (1996)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1996)

WCW Women's Championship Tournament (1996)

WCW Women's Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (1997)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (1999)

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1999)

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (January 2000)

WCW Cruiserweight Championship Tournament (2000)

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2000)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (April 2000)

WCW World Tag Team Championship Tournament (April 2000)

WCW United States Championship Tournament (July 2000)

London Lethal Lottery Tag Team Tournament (2000)

WCW Hardcore Championship Tournament (2000)

European Cup Tournament (2000)

WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament (2001)

See also

References