NWA Hollywood Wrestling

NWA Hollywood Wrestling (sometimes referred to as NWA Los Angeles) was a professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Los Angeles, California in the United States that promoted professional wrestling matches throughout Southern California. It was founded in 1958 as the North American Wrestling Alliance, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance. It broke away from the NWA in 1959 and was renamed Worldwide Wrestling Associates in 1961. In 1968, it rejoined the NWA and adopted its final name, remaining a member until closing in 1982.[5][6][7][8]

NWA Hollywood Wrestling
Founded1958[1]
Defunct1982[1][2]
HeadquartersLos Angeles, California, USA[1]
Founder(s)Cal Eaton[1]
Aileen Eaton[3]
Owner(s)Cal Eaton and Aileen Eaton
(1958–1966)[3]
Mike LeBell
(1966–1982)[1][4]
FormerlyNorth American Wrestling Alliance
(1958–1961)[1]
Worldwide Wrestling Associates
(1961–1968)[1]

History

In 1942, Frank Garbutt, vice president of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, hired former California State Athletic Commission inspector Alvah "Cal" Eaton as the promoter of the Grand Olympic Auditorium at the advice of his secretary, Aileen LeBell. Eaton and LeBell married in 1948, and over the following years the couple became major professional wrestling and boxing promoters in Southern California.[9][3] By the early-1950s, the Eatons, along with Hugh Nichols, Johnny Doyle, and Mike Hirsch (collectively known as the "California Combine"), dominated professional wrestling in Southern California, leading to a United States Department of Justice antitrust investigation in 1955 and 1956.[10]

On July 24, 1957, Lou Thesz defeated Édouard Carpentier under controversial circumstances to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the principal championship recognized by the National Wrestling Alliance. The decision was challenged by some members of the National Wrestling Alliance who continued to recognize Carpentier as World Heavyweight Champion.

In 1958, the Eatons created the North American Wrestling Alliance as a new vehicle for promoting professional wrestling in Los Angeles.[1] Eaton at the time was still a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, the national league that dominated professional wrestling in the United States, but had not paid dues since 1955. In October 1959, Eaton and LeBell withdrew from the NWA, recognizing Carpentier as the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion backdated to June 14, 1957, when Carpentier had originally won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The promotion was renamed Worldwide Wrestling Associates in 1961.[1][11]

The promotion ran events throughout Southern California, with the Grand Olympic Auditorium as its base.[7] Bookers included Jules Strongbow, Freddie Blassie, Mr. Moto, and Gory Guerrero.[1][7][12] The promotion developed a working relationship with the Japan Wrestling Association and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, resulting in many talent exchanges.[13] Aileen Eaton introduced a system of paying wrestlers a proportion of the gate rather than a guaranteed fee, boosting profits and encouraging wrestlers to help promote the events.[4] The promotion also pioneered the use of closed-circuit television to show matches to fans who were unable to secure tickets for live events, an early precursor to the pay-per-view model that emerged in the 1980s.[8]

In 1963, WWA World Heavyweight Champion Bearcat Wright faced Freddie Blassie in a bout that Wright was scripted to lose. Instead, Wright headbutted Blassie, dazing him, and then legitimately pinned him. Wright was subsequently stripped of the championship which was then awarded to Edouard Carpentier.[14]

Eaton died on January 10, 1966, with Aileen's son from a prior marriage Mike LeBell taking over on behalf of his mother, who by then was a major figure in boxing.[15][16][4] On August 18, 1968, LeBell rejoined the NWA, renaming the promotion NWA Hollywood Wrestling. The WWA World Heavyweight Championship was abandoned and the promotion began recognizing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once more.[1]

In August 1971, the promotion set a national gate record for an event headed by a bout between Blassie and John Tolos that sold $142,158 worth of tickets.[13][8]

In its last years, the promotion obtained a legacy of sorts by being the first recipient of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic. This tactic involved the push of Tony Hernandez, who had previously wrestled in the Arizona territory as "Frankenstein", a crazed man who believed himself to be Frankenstein's monster and even wore a rubber mask depicting the creature. LeBell chose instead to push him as "The Monster", who was billed as legitimately being made in a laboratory, and use him as a top heel. After being defeated by Andre the Giant (who was reportedly unimpressed by the act and decided to stiff Hernandez), the Monster was unmasked - despite the mask being intended to be his real face - and turned into a child-friendly babyface. This entire arc was seen as insulting by hardcore fans.[17][18]

NWA Hollywood Wrestling continued to operate until folding on December 26, 1982.[2] In March 1983, the World Wrestling Federation began promoting shows in its former territory.[19][10]

Championships
Championship Created Abandoned Notes
NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship 1967 1982 The title was first established in 1967 as a secondary championship in Worldwide Wrestling Associates. From 1968 until the promotion closed in 1982, the top singles championship in NWA Hollywood Wrestling.
NWA Americas Six-Man Tag Team Championship 1969 1969 A short-lived six-man tag team championship contested in NWA Hollywood Wrestling in 1969.
NWA "Beat the Champ" Television Championship 1951 1982 Originally contested in NWA Los Angeles, this championship was abandoned in 1959. In 1968, it was resurrected in NWA Hollywood Wrestling.
NWA Americas Tag Team Championship 1964 1982 Originally known as the WWA World Tag Team Championship. It was created in 1964 and defended in WWA until 1968. At that point, WWA became a National Wrestling Alliance affiliate, and the title was renamed the NWA Americas Tag Team Championship.
NWA North American Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles/Japan version) 1973 1981 Primarily contested in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
NWA United National Championship 1970 1989 Primarily contested in All Japan Pro Wrestling.
NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) 1957 1982 The original World Tag Team Championship of the WAWA. It was created in 1957 and abandoned in 1958 upon the WAWA leaving the NWA. The championship was reactivated in 1979.
WWA International Television Tag Team Championship 1954 1964 Created in 1954 and abandoned in 1964. Renamed the WWA United States Tag Team Championship in 1963.
WWA World Heavyweight Championship 1957 1968 The title was established as an offshoot of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship when Edouard Carpentier became recognized as champion in Los Angeles, when the promotion was then known as the North American Wrestling Alliance. The championship was renamed with the promotion in 1961 and was abandoned in 1968 after WWA joined the NWA and was renamed NWA Hollywood Wrestling.

Alumni

Footnotes
  1. Tim Hornbaker (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 330–334. ISBN 978-1-55490-274-3.
  2. Josh Gross (9 June 2016). Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment. BenBella Books. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-942952-20-6.
  3. John Grasso (14 November 2013). Historical Dictionary of Boxing. Scarecrow Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-8108-7867-9.
  4. Keith Elliot Greenberg; Freddie Blassie (15 June 2010). The Legends of Wrestling: "Classy" Freddie Blassie: Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks. Simon and Schuster. pp. 74–76. ISBN 978-1-4516-0426-9.
  5. "Worldwide Wrestling Associates". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  6. "Hollywood Wrestling". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  7. Eddie Guerrero; Michael Krugman (2005). Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-9353-6.
  8. Oliver, Greg. "Los Angeles promoter Mike Lebell dies". Canoe.com. Postmedia Network. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  9. Steve Springer; Blake Chavez (1 April 2011). Hard Luck: The Triumph and Tragedy of "Irish" Jerry Quarry. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0-7627-6863-9.
  10. Jim Wilson; Jim Wilson; Weldon T. Johnson (2 September 2003). Chokehold: Pro Wrestling's Real Mayhem Outside the Ring. Xlibris Corporation. p. 367. ISBN 978-1-4628-1172-4.
  11. Scott Beekman (2006). Ringside: A History of Professional Wrestling in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-275-98401-4.
  12. Superstar Billy Graham (11 May 2010). WWE Legends - Superstar Billy Graham: Tangled Ropes. Simon and Schuster. pp. 103–104. ISBN 978-1-4391-2179-5.
  13. Tim Hornbaker (1 March 2015). Capitol Revolution: The Rise of the McMahon Wrestling Empire. ECW Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-77090-689-1.
  14. Steven Johnson; Greg Oliver; Mike Mooneyham; J. J. Dillon (11 January 2013). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes and Icons. ECW Press. p. 333. ISBN 978-1-77090-269-5.
  15. Ariel Teal Toombs; Colt Baird Toombs (4 October 2016). Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story. Random House of Canada. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-345-81623-8.
  16. Malissa Smith (5 June 2014). A History of Women's Boxing. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-4422-2995-2.
  17. Kyle Dunning (19 September 2016). "Don't Try These Promotional Tactics At Home! Vol. #1". eWrestlingNews. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  18. Ryan Byers (26 October 2012). "The 8-Ball 10.26.12: Top 8 Weirdest Monster Gimmicks". 411Mania. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  19. Bob Backlund; Robert Harrax Miller; Roddy Piper (20 November 2013). The All-American Kid: Lessons and Stories on Life from Wrestling Legend Bob Backlund. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 451. ISBN 978-1-61321-696-5.
  20. Patric Laprade; Bertrand Hebert (14 March 2013). Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. ECW Press. pp. 1, 974. ISBN 978-1-77090-296-1.
  21. Ric Drasin. The Time of My Life. Creators Publishing. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-945630-42-2.
  22. Dick Enberg; Jim Perry (January 2004). Dick Enberg, Oh My!. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-58261-824-1.
  23. Greg Oliver; Steven Johnson (16 November 2010). The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels. ECW Press. p. 373. ISBN 978-1-55490-284-2.
  24. Larry Matysik (14 March 2013). 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time: The Definitive Shoot. ECW Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-77090-305-0.
  25. James Dixon; Arnold Furious; Lee Maughan (17 December 2015). The Complete WWE Guide Volume Six. Lulu.com. p. 162. ISBN 978-1-326-50746-6.
  26. Woody Strode; Sam Young (8 September 1993). Goal Dust: The Warm and Candid Memoirs of a Pioneer Black Athlete and Actor. Madison Books. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-4617-3052-1.

See also
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