Acronym | ACW |
---|---|
Founded | 2000 |
Style | American Wrestling |
Headquarters | Milford PA |
Owner(s) | Jason Knight (2001- Current) |
Sister | ALL ELITE WRESTLING |
Formerly | Acid Pro Wrestling |
Website | AssaultWrestling.com AcidWrestling.com (original website) http://www.assaultchampionshipwrestling.com (current website 2023) |
Assault Championship Wrestling is an American independent wrestling promotion originally based in Connecticut, more recently Milford, PA, and promoted by Jason Knight, a pro wrestler and manager, best known for his time in the ECW. The first major independent promotion to operate in Connecticut, Assault Championship Wrestling became important on the independent circuit particularly after the close of Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2002 and featured many former ECW veterans including Danny Doring, Kid Kash, Justin Credible, Little Guido, Tony DeVito, Balls Mahoney, John Kronus, Francine and Joel Gertner who acted as its commissioner. [1]
New England Championship Wrestling, a rival promotion, often held inter-promotional events as well as allowing its champions to defend their titles at ACW cards. They also had a working arraignment with Knight's wrestling dojo. A number of independent wrestlers also made frequent appearances including Matt Stryker, Julio Dinero, Wagner Brown, Matthew Kaye, Homicide, Jeff Rocker, [2] Scotty Charisma [3] [4] and The Backseat Boyz (Trent Acid and Johnny Kashmere). Popular female wrestlers included Mercedes Martinez, [5] Becky Bayless, [6] April Hunter, Nikki Roxx, Talia Madison, Ana Rocha and Angel Orsini. [7] [8]
ACW was re-launched by Knight on Aug 12, 2023 in Williamstown NJ and is currently running primary in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and returning to Connecticut in 2024.
| The New General Manger Of Assault Championship Wrestling ACW Is Now Tony Khan
|ACW Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley | ACW Hardcore Champion Jack Perry | ACW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks Matthew Jackson And Nicholas Jackson |ACW Television Champion Konosuke Takeshita
Originally established under Acid Pro Wrestling, the promotion began operating in central Connecticut in early 2000 and held its first supercard, The Best Things In Life Are Free!, in Waterbury, Connecticut on May 26, 2000. It also held its first televised event in Waterbury featuring Angel Orsini, Joel Gertner and Jason Knight on November 12, 2000.
The promotion would continue holding shows in Plainville, Southington, Naugatuck and Meriden, Connecticut during 2001 with appearances by Homicide, the F.B.I., Francine, Christian York, Chris Hamrick, Julio Dinero, New Jack, Chris Candido and Tammy Lynn Sytch. On April 8, 2001, an Evening Gown match between Foxxy Dreams and Missy Hyatt took place at an ACW show in East Hartford. Hyatt was originally scheduled to face another female wrestler, however Dreams took her place when Hyatt's opponent did not arrive. Although Foxxy Dreams technically defeated Hyatt after tearing off her gown, the match official Joel Gertner stopped the match and awarded the win to Hyatt deciding to change the stipulations for the winner to be the first to lose her dress. [9] [10]
Knight had originally been the booker for the promotion, however he left to start a rival promotion after a falling out with the owners. [11] After Knight took over the promotion in August 2001, the promotion was renamed Assault Championship Wrestling and followed up on the success of the previous supercard with Second Wave and Hell to Pay later that year.
In 2002, the promotion expanded holding events in New Britain and North Haven, Connecticut. The promotion also began The House of Pain Dojo in nearby Waterbury, Connecticut. On August 9, 2002, Knight and several ACW wrestlers were at New England Championship Wrestling's second annual Birthday Bash at the Goodtimes Emporium in Somerville, Massachusetts. Knight, who was a guest commentator for iMassRadio.com, was the first ever guest celebrity to attend the event along with Traci Brooks. Students from the House of Pain Pro Wrestling school were also at the event. [12]
The following year, its main heel stable La Familia, led by assistant ACW booker Mike E. Milano, appeared on several shows with Connecticut Championship Wrestling. Although speculated that their arrival might lead to an "invasion" storyline, ACW abruptly stopped future appearances due to Knight's refusal to work with certain people in charge at CCW. [11]
In early-May, an unexpected cancellation of an outdoor show as well as its website going offline prompted internet rumors that the promotion was shutting down. This was denied by officials, specifically wrestler and part-time road agent Bulldog Blanski, who explained the show had been originally canceled due to rain and that the venue had decided to cancel its next show the following week on Mother's Day. He further explained that the website had been changing servers and announced the promotion would continue holding shows with the next event being held at Riders Cafe in Waterbury on June 6, 2003. [11]
However, the company began suffering financial trouble during its last year and held its last event in New Britain on March 21, 2004. The card featured Chi Chi Cruz, Dances with Dudley, Tony DeVito, Scotty Charisma, Mercedes Martinez and Justin Credible vs Kid Kash in the main event.
Knight's wrestling school remained open however and, in late 2004, several former ACW mainstays including Bulldog Blanski and Mike E. Milano decided to start another promotion, Defiant Pro Wrestling. The promotion was initially successful, but ran into a bump in the road causing an 8-month hiatus. Jason Knight appeared at its return show Burning Bridges in Southington, Connecticut on November 19, 2005, as the new Commissioner of the company. Knight would remain with DPW through 2008 when he and Milano parted ways once again. [13]
In August 2008 after Knight purchased DPW's Proving Grounds Dojo from Milano, ACW tried to relaunch in Waterbury, CT and started training a few wrestlers. They managed to only have 2 shows with very little attendance. They went bankrupt for a second time in December 2008, also losing the building, which has since become a church.
On March 12, 2023 Jason Knight announced the re-launch of Assault Championship Wrestling, on his official Facebook page & website.[ citation needed ]
Championship: | Last Champion(s): | Active From: | Active Till: | Notes: |
---|---|---|---|---|
ACW Heavyweight Championship | Jon Moxley | October 15, 2004 | [14] [15] | |
ACW Hardcore Championship | Jack Perry | October 15, 2024 | [14] [16] | |
ACW Tag Team Championship | Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson | October 15,2024 | [14] [17] | |
|ACW Television Championship | Konosuke Takeshita |October 15,2024
Jason Knight is a professional wrestler and manager. He is best known for his stints in Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling, where he was a one time World Television Champion.
Ana Otero is a Portuguese-American professional wrestler and manager known by her ring name "The Portuguese Princess" Ariel, who has competed in Northeastern independent promotions including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South and the National Wrestling Alliance.
Steven Stewart, known by his ring name Bart Sawyer, was an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and occasional actor. He was best known for his time in Championship Wrestling USA and the United States Wrestling Association during the 1990s. In his career, Sawyer also wrestled for Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling, House of Pain Wrestling Federation, Memphis Wrestling, NWA Georgia, NWA Main Event, NWA Worldwide, World Xtreme Wrestling and W*ING. Additionally, he competed as a preliminary wrestler in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.
Scott Wright is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder, better known by his ring name, Mr. Scott Wright. He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Scotty Charisma.
Billy Reil was an American professional wrestler who worked primarily the Northeastern Independent circuit in the United States. A longtime veteran of the Tri-State area, he was a mainstay of Jersey All Pro Wrestling during the late 1990s.
Darren Wise is a retired American professional wrestler, manager, trainer and promoter, known by his ring name "Dirty Deeds" Darren Wyse, who competed in Northeastern independent promotions including International World Class Championship Wrestling, Hardway Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance, National Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling eXpress and the Memphis, Tenn. based United States Wrestling Association. Also the founder and current promoter for NCW, he and longtime tag team partner The Hungarian Barbarian, became the promotion's tag team champions in 2007. As well, they won numerous regional tag team titles on the independent circuit.
Daniel Michael Quirk was an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Spider, who competed in several Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions including Assault Championship Wrestling, Chikara, the Millennium Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Alliance and World Xtreme Wrestling.
The Christopher Street Connection were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Buff E and Mace Mendoza. They primarily compete in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions, most notably, World-1 South, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and Frank Goodman's United States Xtreme Wrestling. Frequent opponents of such tag teams as Da Hit Squad, The Carnage Crew and The Heartbreak Express, they fought both The Heartbreak Express and The Extreme Horsemen over the WSL World Tag Team Championship in early 2007.
The Century Wrestling Alliance, formerly known as NWA Cold Front and NWA New England, was a New England–based American independent wrestling promotion located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded by Tony Rumble in 1989, a retired wrestler and manager in International World Class Championship Wrestling, and included much of its roster prior to and following its close during the early 1990s. The promotion eventually replaced IWCCW as the dominant independent promotion in the Greater Boston area and, in 1997, became an affiliated territory of the National Wrestling Alliance.
Sidney F. Garrison is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Rip Sawyer. He competed in the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast independent circuit during the late 1980s and early 1990s. As one-half of The Cream Team with longtime tag team partner Dino Casanova, they won the MEWF Tag Team Championship in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation in 1991. Defending the title for over 10 months, they were the promotion's longest reigning champions.
NWA Shockwave was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded by Billy Firehawk in Staten Island, New York in 2001, and later relocated to Wayne, New Jersey. It was the earliest promotion to bring in major stars to Central New Jersey, many being seen in live events for the first time, and attracted a loyal following for its traditional "family friendly" style of wrestling. It was the single major promotion of this type to run New Jersey, other rival promotions favoring hardcore-style wrestling, and was at one time considered the top promotion in the region along with Jersey All Pro Wrestling.
The ACW Junior Heavyweight Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship title in the American independent promotion Assault Championship Wrestling. The first-ever champion was Tiger Mulligan who defeated Shockwav, and Frankie Starz in a Four Corners match in Meriden, Connecticut on August 24, 2001. The championship was regularly defended throughout the state of Connecticut, most often in Meriden, Connecticut, but also in New Britain and Waterbury, Connecticut until the promotion closed in early-2004.
The ACW Television Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship title in the American independent promotion Assault Championship Wrestling. The first and only champion was Scotty Charisma who won a battle royal in Waterbury, Connecticut on July 19, 2003. The championship was regularly defended throughout the state of Connecticut, and on its weekly television series Assault TV, until the promotion closed in early 2004.
The ACW Great American Championship was a secondary professional wrestling championship title in the American independent promotion Assault Championship Wrestling. The first champion was "The Machine" Jeff Rocker who won the title from Mercenary in Meriden, Connecticut on November 30, 2001. The championship was regularly defended throughout the state of Connecticut, most often in Meriden, Connecticut, until the promotion closed in early 2004.
The ACW Hardcore Championship was the top professional wrestling hardcore championship title in the American independent promotion Assault Championship Wrestling. Ron Zombie was declared the first-ever champion in Meriden, Connecticut on August 24, 2001. The championship was regularly defended throughout the state of Connecticut, most often in Meriden, Connecticut, until the promotion closed in early-2004.
The ACW Tag Team Championship was the top professional wrestling tag team championship title in the American independent promotion Assault Championship Wrestling. The first champions were Heavy Artillery who defeated Mind and Matter in the finals of a championship tournament held in Meriden, Connecticut on November 30, 2001. The championship was regularly defended throughout the state of Connecticut, most often in Meriden, Connecticut, until the promotion closed in early-2004.
Jeremy Barron, better known by the ring name Dr. Reginald Heresy, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, manager, promoter, and trainer. A mainstay of the New England independent circuit, Barron has wrestled in the East Coast, Midwestern, and Southeastern United States since his debut in 1996.
The SCW Junior Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in Steel City Wrestling (SCW). The title was the top junior heavyweight championship of the SCW promotion. It was the second singles championship established in SCW, having been introduced in 1994, in the finals of a four-man tournament.
James "Jim" McCarthy is an American professional wrestler and trainer, best known by his ring name Dukes Dalton. He competes on the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. He has wrestled for the Century Wrestling Alliance, the National Wrestling Alliance, and Chaotic Wrestling where he was inducted into its hall of fame in 2008. He also made brief appearances in the World Wrestling Federation in 1999 and 2001, both as a singles wrestler and with tag team partner Knuckles Nelson.