Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling was a
Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
independent
professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
based in
Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
. It was founded by retired wrestler and former
NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...
in 2000 and, during its three years in operation, held events throughout the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
; it was especially popular in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and
Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...
where the promotion regularly held events. TCW also cooperated with rival independent promotions by holding interpromotional shows with
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
. The promotion, at its height, had a successful weekly television series in the Atlanta-
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
area and had planned to air one live
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
event before its close in 2003. TCW later became home to many high-profile wrestlers after the close of
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 later Extreme Championship Wrestling, in 2001. Among the former WCW roster included Sean Evans,
Disco Inferno "Disco Inferno" is a song by American disco band the Trammps from their 1976 fourth studio album of the same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the US '' Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had li ...
,
David Flair David Richard Fliehr (born March 6, 1979), better known by the ring name David Flair, is an American retired rofessional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he held the WCW United States ...
, Lodi,
Daffney Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney. Daffney began her professional wrestling career in World Championship Wres ...
Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
,
Ron Reis Ronald Allen Reis (born April 26, 1970) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1998 under the ring names The Yeti and Reese. Early life ...
,
Sonny Siaki Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion. Early life When Siaki was thr ...
, Scotty Riggs,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, and
The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...
(
Rocco Rock Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championsh ...
&
Johnny Grunge Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
), all of whom would win championship titles. Dusty's son
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 ...
, who at the time was also wrestling for the
World Wrestling Entertainment 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 ...
as
Goldust 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 ...
, also had a central role in the promotion and briefly held the TCW Heavyweight Championship in early 2002.McNeill, Pat. ''The Tables All Were Broken: McNeill's Take On The End Of Professional Wrestling As We Know It''. Lincoln: iUniverse, 2002. (pg. 136, 161) From ECW,
Yoshihiro Tajiri is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the ...
and
Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...
continued their long-running feud. The " heel stable"
The Extreme Horsemen The Four Horsemen was a professional wrestling List of professional wrestling terms#S, stable in Jim Crockett Promotions as part of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling and later World Championship Wrestling. The original group consisted of Ric Fla ...
was formed by ex-ECW stars
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 ...
,
Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...
and C. W. Anderson. Windham's brother, Kendall, also made occasional appearances for the promotion. Older stars such as father and son "Bullet" Bob and Scott Armstrong, Manny Fernandez,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, female wrestlers
Leilani Kai Patty Seymour (born January 23, 1960) is a semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school. In the 1980s, as part of the World Wrestling F ...
,
Malia Hosaka Malia Hosaka (born October 7, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. She is a former NWA World Women's Champion. Professional wrestling career Malia Hosaka was trained by Killer Kowalski at the wrestling training camp run by Misty Blue Simmes ...
and Kim Nielsen, and independent wrestlers
Jorge Estrada Jorge Moraza is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jorge Estrada. He is a former National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight champion and participated in the first televised match of NWA Total Nonstop A ...
, Jason Sugarman and Steve "The Brawler" Lawler were part of the roster as well.
Damian Steele Damien Dothard (1975 – July 22, 2009) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Damian Steele. Steele competed mainly in North American independent promotions, including Georgia Championship Wrestling. He later sig ...
, one-half of Ebony & Ivory with
Ray Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Jr. (born March 23, 1979) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) between 2005 and 2010, where he performed on its ''SmackDown'' brand under the ri ...
in
Deep South Wrestling Deep South Wrestling (DSW) is a professional wrestling promotion in the state of Georgia. Deep South worked in tandem with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a developmental territory from September 1, 2005, until April 18, 2007. Deep South w ...
, got his start in Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling.
Erik Watts Erik Watts (born December 19, 1967) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. He is the son of wrestler Bill Watts. ...
and
Chad Fortune Chad A. Fortune (born August 13, 1967) is a former monster truck driver, former American football tight end and former professional wrestler in both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Football career Fo ...
, who previously teamed together in 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 ...
as
Tekno Team 2000 Tekno Team 2000 was a professional wrestling tag team who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1995 to 1996, composed of Travis and Troy (son of WWF writer Bill Watts). They started off with strong hype, but did not deliver on i ...
, also competed in the promotion.


History

Dusty Rhodes began plans for organizing a new promotion based in the state of Georgia in 1999, later establishing offices in East Cobb County, Georgia. It would be, said Rhodes, a southern promotion that was "old school but with modern ideas". Early the next year, he started promoting local wrestling events in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee as part of "The American Dream Tour 2000". The first official event held by TCW took place in
Ashburn, Georgia The city of Ashburn is the county seat of Turner County, Georgia, United States. As of 2010, the city had a population of 4,152. Ashburn's government is classified as a council/manager form of municipal government. Ashburn is noted for its peanuts ...
on July 6, 2000, and crowned its first heavyweight champion,
Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
, defeating Jorge Estrada in tournament final. Rhodes, who had previous experience as a booker and
television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...
for
Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a 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. Founded in 1931, the promot ...
and
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 ...
, was able to get a television show aired in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...
and soon began negotiating with the
Sunshine Network Bally Sports Sun is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, a joint venture between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts local coverage ...
hoping to build on the traditional wrestling fanbase in the Southern, Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic region. In early 2001, the closings of
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
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 ...
resulted in the appearance of many of its former stars in TCW. Sean "Shocker" Evans, a trainer at the
WCW Power Plant The WCW Power Plant was a professional wrestling school in Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The school was founded by wrestler Jody Hamilton, who opened the training center in 1989 in Lovejoy, Georgia ...
, joined the promotion early on and helped bring in several former WCW stars. One of these was former manager/valet
Daffney Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney. Daffney began her professional wrestling career in World Championship Wres ...
whose ex-husband,
Rich Ward Richard Park Ward (born January 16, 1969), also known by his stage name The Duke, is an American guitarist best known as a founding member of Stuck Mojo and as lead guitarist of heavy metal band Fozzy. Early life Ward grew up listening to man ...
, was a friend of Evans. She was one of four female wrestlers who competed for the promotion, the others being Kim Nielsen,
Leilani Kai Patty Seymour (born January 23, 1960) is a semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school. In the 1980s, as part of the World Wrestling F ...
and
Malia Hosaka Malia Hosaka (born October 7, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. She is a former NWA World Women's Champion. Professional wrestling career Malia Hosaka was trained by Killer Kowalski at the wrestling training camp run by Misty Blue Simmes ...
. A house show in
Winchester, Tennessee Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Tullahoma micropolitan area, Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Winchester as ...
on February 17, later released on VHS, featured former ECW stars
Yoshihiro Tajiri is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the ...
and
Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...
, WCW veterans
Ron Reis Ronald Allen Reis (born April 26, 1970) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1998 under the ring names The Yeti and Reese. Early life ...
,
Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
,
Scott Anton Scott Antol (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Riggs. Antol is also known for his app ...
and, in the main event, a tag team match between Dusty Rhodes and
Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...
against
Erik Watts Erik Watts (born December 19, 1967) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. He is the son of wrestler Bill Watts. ...
and
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 ...
. Female wrestlers
Leilani Kai Patty Seymour (born January 23, 1960) is a semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Leilani Kai. She began training with The Fabulous Moolah right after finishing high school. In the 1980s, as part of the World Wrestling F ...
and
Malia Hosaka Malia Hosaka (born October 7, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. She is a former NWA World Women's Champion. Professional wrestling career Malia Hosaka was trained by Killer Kowalski at the wrestling training camp run by Misty Blue Simmes ...
also participated in an exhibition match. The next night in
Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Georgia is a city in the northwest region of Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, ...
featured a "Rookies" Battle Royal, showcasing the younger up-and-coming wrestlers in the promotion, and Dusty Rhodes with a mystery partner in a tag team match against Erik Watts and Steve "The Brawler" Lawler. On March 3, Scott "The Clap" Anton and "The Extreme Dream" Erik Watts became the first TCW Tag Team Champions defeating Glacier and Jorge Estrada in Dothan, Alabama. In April, Rhodes announced that the promotion would be airing its first PPV event that fall, originally on
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
night 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 ...
, and that TCW would also be airing on television. The series, Rhodes claimed, would feature regular TV appearances by some of the more recognizable wrestlers in professional wrestling, most notably, his son
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 ...
.
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 ...
also joined the promotion and made his official in-ring debut at a special house show in Dothan on May 12. On June 16 in
Calhoun, Georgia Calhoun is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,949. Calhoun is the county seat of Gordon County. History In December 1827, Georgia had already claimed the Cherokee lands that be ...
,
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 ...
made an appearance to take on Dusty Rhodes in the main event. Though starting off as a singles match, it was turned into a tag team match following outside interference by
Luther Biggs Luther Biggs is an American professional wrestler, who has competed in North American independent promotions including the United States Wrestling Association (USWA), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and had a short stint in World Championship ...
and "Cowboy" Bobby Hayes. The match was eventually won by Rhodes and Hayes. The promotion also continued to hold regular monthly shows at the Houston County Farm Center in
Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...
between July and December 2001. The next month, Rhodes teamed with his son Dustin, then making his TCW debut less than three days after his WCW contract expired, at a Dothan house show on August 4. Together they faced C. W. Anderson and the masked wrestler American Nightmare in the main event. Dustin Rhodes was highly supportive of TCW as he explained in an August 2001 interview with Greg Oliver, ''"TCW is the alternative to the World Wrestling Federation. To me in my mind, my opinion, and my dad's opinion, we are the World Wrestling Federation's competition. We are not an independent, we are a company. We want to be treated as one. So we're going to do everything we can to make it a respectable, family entertainment business."'' Having begun holding events in Florida that year, Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling began branching out to rival promotions. Among these was
NWA Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...
, a promotion Rhodes' himself competed earlier in his career, and two of their stars, Jason Sugarman and Jorge Estrada, appeared at the August 21st NWA Florida show at the
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory Fort Homer W. Hesterly is a historic building at 522 North Howard Avenue in the West Tampa section of Tampa, Florida. The building and adjacent support structures were originally constructed as a U.S. military facility to house units of both t ...
in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. Their match was to fill in for Cyborg and
Horace Hogan Michael Allan Bollea (born October 21, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. The nephew of fellow wrestler Hulk Hogan, he is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s under the ring name Hora ...
, both men having been injured. Steve Corino, then
NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
, defended the title in the main event against "Iceman" Buck Quartermaine. NWA Florida stars Buck Quartermain and
The New Heavenly Bodies The Heavenly Bodies is a professional wrestling tag team famous for having worked in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and various independent promotions. Over the years, there have been multiple variations of the team, ...
(Vito DeNucci and Chris Nelson) would appear at TCW house shows in late August. A secondary title, the TCW Hardcore Championship, was established when Lodi defeated "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez in Carrollton, Georgia on September 15. The promotion held its first television taping, ''TCW Halloween Horror Slam I'', which was later released on VHS. It featured the tag team of
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
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 two men having experienced a fierce rivalry during the 1980s as members of The Midnight Express and
The 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 ...
respectively, in the semi-main event against Erik Watts and
Chad Fortune Chad A. Fortune (born August 13, 1967) is a former monster truck driver, former American football tight end and former professional wrestler in both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Football career Fo ...
. Watts and Fortune had previously teamed together in 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 ...
during the 1990s as
Tekno Team 2000 Tekno Team 2000 was a professional wrestling tag team who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1995 to 1996, composed of Travis and Troy (son of WWF writer Bill Watts). They started off with strong hype, but did not deliver on i ...
. In the main event, Glacier defended the TCW Heavyweight Championship against Barry Windham. On December 28, 2001, TCW and NWA Florida held an interpromotional event at the Volusia County Fairgrounds in
DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...
. In singles matches, Lex Lovett defeated
Steve Madison Stephen Philip Favata (born April 9, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname "Modern Miracle" Steve Madison, who competes in Southeastern independent promotions including AWA World-1 South, Full Impact Pro, Future of Wr ...
, Jorge Estrada defeated Luther Biggs and Buck Quartermaine defeated Spanky Malone. In a match lasting over 30 minutes, TCW's Glacier and Jason Sugarman won 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 ...
from The New Heavenly Bodies. In the semi-main event, TCW Heavyweight Champion Scotty Riggs kept his title via disqualification against Barry Windham. The sixth and final match was an "ECW vs. TCW" match in which Steve Corino and
Jack Victory Kenneth Rinehurst (born July 3, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, Jack Victory. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the Universal Wrestling Federation and the World Class Wrestli ...
took on father and son Dusty and Dustin Rhodes. On January 26, 2002, Dustin Rhodes defeated Scotty Riggs to win TCW Heavyweight Championship but surrendered the title the following day with the announcement that he would be returning to WWE as a full-time competitor. Dustin wrestled a few last matches before leaving TCW. The first, on February 2, was a 6-man tag team TLC match with his father Dusty and Ron Studd against Scotty Riggs, Jason Sugarman and an impostor Goldust. A second match took place days later in Carrollton and resulted in a victory over Steve Corino. His third and last match was against Scotty Riggs who defeated him for the TCW Heavyweight Championship in Carrollton on March 1. With this victory, Riggs became a record 3-time heavyweight champion. In July 2003, Rhodes appeared alongside
sports director The title of sports director can refer to the director of a live sports broadcast. It can also refer to an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. Director {{Job-stub ...
Mike Raita on the
Paul Finebaum Paul Finebaum is an American sports author, former columnist, and television-radio personality. His primary focus is sports, particularly those in the Southeast. After many years as a reporter, columnist, and sports-talk radio host in the Birmin ...
Radio Network and discussed both his wrestling career and Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. However, partially due to declining business as well as increased competition from WWE, Rhodes was forced to close the promotion shortly after ''The Dusty 35th Anniversary Tour'' that same year. The announcement followed after Rhodes signed a contract with
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
.


Alumni

;Male wrestlers ;Female wrestlers ;Stables and tag teams


Championships


TCW Heavyweight Championship

The TCW Heavyweight Championship was the primary
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 ...
singles title of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. It was originally won by
Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
who defeated
Jorge Estrada Jorge Moraza is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jorge Estrada. He is a former National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight champion and participated in the first televised match of NWA Total Nonstop A ...
in tournament final held in
Ashburn, Georgia The city of Ashburn is the county seat of Turner County, Georgia, United States. As of 2010, the city had a population of 4,152. Ashburn's government is classified as a council/manager form of municipal government. Ashburn is noted for its peanuts ...
on July 6, 2000. It was defended primarily in the state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
but throughout the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
, most often in
Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...
, until the promotion's close in 2003.


TCW Hardcore Championship

The TCW Hardcore Championship was the secondary
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 ...
singles title of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. It was first won by Lodi after defeating "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez in
Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Georgia is a city in the northwest region of Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, ...
on September 18, 2001. The Hardcore title, like the Heavyweight title, was mostly defended in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
but also in other parts of the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
such as
Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...
.


TCW Tag Team Championship

The
TCW Tag Team Championship The TCW Tag Team Championship was the primary professional wrestling tag team title of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. It was originally won by Scott Anton and Erik Watts who defeated Glacier and Jorge Estrada, coincidentally opponents for th ...
was the primary
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 ...
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 ...
title of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. It was originally won by
Scott Anton Scott Antol (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Riggs. Antol is also known for his app ...
&
Erik Watts Erik Watts (born December 19, 1967) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in the 1990s. He is the son of wrestler Bill Watts. ...
who defeated
Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
&
Jorge Estrada Jorge Moraza is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jorge Estrada. He is a former National Wrestling Alliance North American Heavyweight champion and participated in the first televised match of NWA Total Nonstop A ...
, coincidentally opponents for the
TCW Heavyweight Championship The TCW Heavyweight Championship was the primary professional wrestling singles title of Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. It was originally won by Glacier who defeated Jorge Estrada in tournament final held in Ashburn, Georgia on July 6, 2000 ...
, in
Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...
on March 3, 2001. Unlike the singles titles, the tag team titles changed hands very often when the promotion toured outside the state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, as far away as
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.


References


Further reading

* Rhodes, Dusty and Howard Brody. ''Dusty: Reflections of an American Dream''. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC, 2005.


External links


OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com - Turnbuckle Championship WrestlingGenickBruch.com - Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling

CageMatch.de - Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
{{Professional wrestling in the United States Independent professional wrestling promotions based in Georgia (U.S. state) Entertainment companies established in 2000 2000 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)