Crockett Cup

Last updated

Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
Sting, Lex Luger, and Magnum T. A., 1988.png
1988 winners Sting and Lex Luger (along with Magnum T. A.) pose with the tournament trophy.
Created by Jim Crockett Jr. [1]
Promotions
Other namesCrockett Cup
First event Crockett Cup (1986)
Signature matches Tag team tournament

The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (also known simply as the Crockett Cup) is a professional wrestling event produced annually by the professional wrestling promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event features a tag team professional wrestling tournament with the Crockett Cup awarded to the winning tag team.

Contents

Event history

The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was created by Jim Crockett Jr. of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in honor of Crockett's father, JCP founder Jim Crockett Sr. The tournament format was single-elimination with a promoted prize of $1 million (U.S.) awarded to the winning team. JCP held the event every April in 1986, 1987, and 1988 before selling the company to Ted Turner (via TBS) in November 1988.

In July 2017, the Crockett Foundation, with Classic Pro Wrestling, held a spin-off version called the Crockett Foundation Cup Tag Team Tournament in New Kent, Virginia. Bobby Fulton, The Barbarian, and The Rock 'n' Roll Express were previous tournament wrestlers that took part in the event. The Geordie Bulldogs (Mark Denny and Sean Denny) were the tournament champions. [4]

On October 1, 2017, William Patrick Corgan's purchase of the NWA (via his company Lightning One, Inc.) was finalized. In addition to ending its operation as a governing body, the NWA vacated all titles, except for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Women's Championship, and all licenses with previously-affiliated promotions expired. From that point on, NWA gradually became a singular wrestling promotion.

In October 2018, during the NWA 70th Anniversary Show, it was announced that the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, now simply called the Crockett Cup, would be returning in April 2019. [5] Thirty-one years after the previous event, the fourth annual Crockett Cup was held on April 27, 2019.

In June 2019, the inaugural event from 1986 was uploaded to the WWE Network. [6]

In January 2020, during NWA's Hard Times pay-per-view, it was announced the Crockett Cup would be returning again in April 2020, thus confirming the Crockett Cup as an annual event held by the NWA. [7] On February 18 the NWA announced the date of April 19 for when the Cup would be held and they announced the venue would be the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. [2] However, the 2020 event was canceled due to the global pandemic. It would return in 2022 as a two-night event on March 19 and 20.

Tournament winners

Events

#EventDateCityVenueMain EventRef.
1 Crockett Cup (1986) April 19, 1986 New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome Crockett Cup Tournament Final:
The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) vs. Magnum T. A. and Ronnie Garvin
[1] [8]
2 Crockett Cup (1987) April 10, 1987 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena Big Bubba vs. Ole Anderson in a Last man standing steel cage match [1] [9]
April 11, 1987Crockett Cup Tournament Final:
The Super Powers (Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff) vs. Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard
3 Crockett Cup (1988) April 22, 1988 Greenville, South Carolina Greenville Memorial Auditorium Crockett Cup Tournament Second Round:
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) (with Jim Cornette) vs. The Sheepherders (Butch Miller and Luke Williams) (with Rip Morgan)
[1] [10] [12]
April 23, 1988 Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro Coliseum Crockett Cup Tournament Final:
Lex Luger and Sting vs. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
4 Crockett Cup (2019) April 27, 2019 Concord, North Carolina Cabarrus Arena Crockett Cup Tournament Final:
Villain Enterprises (Brody King and PCO) vs. The Wild Cards (Royce Isaacs and Thom Latimer) (with Madusa)
[3]
Nick Aldis (c) vs. Marty Scurll for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
5 Crockett Cup (2022) March 19, 2022 Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena Crockett Cup Tournament Quarterfinal:
The Commonwealth Connection (Doug Williams and Harry Smith) vs. Gold Rushhh (Jordan Clearwater and Marshe Rockett)
[13]
March 20, 2022 Matt Cardona (c) vs. Nick Aldis for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, with Jeff Jarrett as the special guest referee
6 Crockett Cup (2023) June 3, 2023 Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex Crockett Cup Tournament Second Round:
La Rebelión (Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf) vs. Flippin' Psychos (Flip Gordon and Fodder) (with Angelina Love)
[14]
June 4, 2023Crockett Cup Tournament Final:
Knox and Murdoch (Mike Knox and Trevor Murdoch) vs. Blunt Force Trauma (Carnage and Damage) (with Aron Stevens)
7 Crockett Cup (2024) May 18, 2024 Forney, Texas The OC Theater [15]
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Wrestling Alliance</span> American professional wrestling promotion and governing body

The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Barbarian (wrestler)</span> Tongan professional wrestler

Sione Havea Vailahi is a Tongan professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Barbarian. He is best known for his various stints with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and for being a part of tag teams The Powers of Pain with The Warlord and Faces of Fear with Meng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock 'n' Roll Express</span> Professional wrestling tag team

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, followed by Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). They held the NWA World Tag Team Championship nine times, with the first four times in JCP. They also feuded with The Four Horsemen. In the late 1980s, they were contenders for the American Wrestling Association's AWA World Tag Team Championship. By 1991, the team was losing momentum, and Morton turned heel on his partner to join The York Foundation in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1992, the team reformed in both the United States Wrestling Association and Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where they held the SMW Tag Team Championship ten times. The duo also worked in the World Wrestling Federation. On March 31, 2017, the Rock 'n' Roll Express was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Jim Cornette. On April 15, 2023, the Rock n Roll Express was inducted into the ASW's Hall of Fame at the "Seventeenth Year Anniversary Rock N Roll Forever" show at the Madison Civic Center in Madison WV.

The Super Powers were a tag team in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s. The name was because an American and a "Russian" made up the team while the Cold War was still going strong.

Christopher Dennis Ashford-Smith, better known by his ring name Chris Champion, was an English professional wrestler. He primarily worked for various National Wrestling Alliance member territories, including Championship Wrestling from Florida and Jim Crockett Promotions. He is also known as Yoshi Kwan, initially from World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushwhacker Butch</span> New Zealand professional wrestler (1944–2023)

Robert Miller was a New Zealand professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Bushwhacker Butch, where he teamed with Bushwhacker Luke as The Bushwhackers. He was also known for his appearances under the ring name Butch Miller for promotions such as NWA New Zealand, Stampede Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Southwest Championship Wrestling, and the Universal Wrestling Federation, where he teamed with Luke as The Kiwis and The Sheepherders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George South</span> American professional wrestler (born 1962)

George South is an American professional wrestler. In the course of his career, South has wrestled for professional wrestling promotions such as Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Crockett Jr.</span> American wrestling promoter (1944–2021)

James Allen Crockett Jr. was an American professional wrestling promoter. From 1973 to 1989, he was part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). From 1976 to 1987, Jim Crockett Promotions also owned the Charlotte Orioles, a minor league baseball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as a short stint as the owner of the Winston-Salem Polar Twins in the Southern Hockey League from 1974 to 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great American Bash</span> Professional wrestling event series

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 Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). In 1988, it began broadcasting on pay-per-view (PPV), and later that same year, JCP was rebranded as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which seceded from the NWA in January 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great American Bash (1988)</span> Jim Crockett Promotions pay-per-view event

The 1988 Great American Bash was the fourth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). It was the first Great American Bash event to air on pay-per-view (PPV), as the previous events aired on closed-circuit television. The event took place on July 10, 1988, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This was the final NWA event produced by JCP and the third and final NWA event to be produced as a pay-per-view, as JCP was purchased by Turner Broadcasting System in November 1988 and was rebranded as World Championship Wrestling (WCW). This was also the first Pay Per View produced under the Turner Home Entertainment banner as the other two events were produced by The Wrestling Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (2019)</span> National Wrestling Alliance and Ring of Honor event

The Fourth Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, or more commonly the Crockett Cup (2019), was a professional wrestling tournament that took place on April 27, 2019, at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, North Carolina. The eight team single elimination tournament was co-produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Ring of Honor (ROH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (1986)</span> American professional wrestling tournament

The First Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, also referred to as Crockett Cup (1986), was held on April 19, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The first portion of the event was held in the afternoon and the second portion was held in the night. The event was co-promoted by Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) and Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). The tournament featured 24 tag teams. The concept of the Crockett Cup was a single elimination tag team tournament, with the storyline prize of $1,000,000.00 given to the winning team along with a large trophy. The tournament was won by The Road Warriors, as they defeated Ron Garvin and Magnum T. A. in the finals to win the tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (1987)</span> American professional wrestling tournament

The Second Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, also referred to as the Crocket Cup (1987), was an event held over two nights: April 10 and 11, 1987. The tournament included 24 tag teams. The tournament was won by "The Super Powers", who defeated Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard in the finals. Their victory was dedicated to Magnum T. A., who was forced to retire due to a near-fatal car accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (1988)</span> American professional wrestling tournament

The Third Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, also referred to as the Crocket Cup (1988), was an event held over two nights: April 22 and 23, 1988. Scheduled to feature 24 teams, the tournament included a few changes to the original lineup and ended up with only 22 teams. The team of Sting and Lex Luger was formed specifically for the 1988 Crockett Cup and ended up winning the tournament by defeating Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in the finals.

Villain Enterprises was a villainous professional wrestling stable consisting of Marty Scurll, Brody King, PCO, and Flip Gordon. The stable performed in Ring of Honor (ROH), where they are former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where King and PCO are former NWA World Tag Team Champions, and Australia's World Series Wrestling (WSW), where Scurll is a former WSW World Champion. King and PCO have also won both ROH's Tag Wars tournament and the NWA/ROH co-promoted Crockett Cup tournament in 2019, and previously held the ROH World Tag Team Championship, while Scurll and King are former WSW Tag Team Champions. They were joined by Flip Gordon at Best in the World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (2020)</span> National Wrestling Alliance professional wrestling show

The Fifth Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, also known as the Crockett Cup, was a scheduled professional wrestling tag team tournament that was to be produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event was scheduled to take place on April 19, 2020, at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (2022)</span> National Wrestling Alliance professional wrestling show

The Fifth Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was a professional wrestling tag team tournament produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event took place on March 19 and 20, 2022, at the Nashville Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the fifth iteration of the event, and the first to be held since 2019; the 2020 event had been planned, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and no event was scheduled in 2021 because of the lingering pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crockett Cup (2023)</span> National Wrestling Alliance professional wrestling show

The 2023 iteration of the Crockett Cup was a two-day professional wrestling tag team tournament produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event took place on June 3 and 4, 2023, at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Annex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the United States. It was the sixth iteration of the Crockett Cup.

The 2024 iteration of the Crockett Cup is an upcoming professional wrestling tag team tournament produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event is scheduled to take place on May 18, 2024, at the OC Theatre in Forney, Texas. It will be the seventh iteration of the Crockett Cup.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 3:Jim Crockett and the NWA World Title 1983-1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1494803476.
  2. 1 2 As first broken on #TheCircleSquared Twitter
  3. 1 2 "NWA partners with Ring of Honor to carry on the history of the Crockett Cup in North Carolina". Ring of Honor . Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  4. "Crockett Foundation Cup Tag Team Tournament is One Week Away". The Mid-Atlantic Gateway. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  5. "NWA's Crockett Cup tournament to return in 2019". October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  6. Coulson, Steve (June 20, 2019). "WWE Network Adds Latest 'Holy Grail' Hidden Gems Addition with Four Hour Long Crockett Cup 1986". WWE Network News. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  7. Defelice, Robert (January 24, 2020). "The 2020 NWA Crockett Cup Will Take Place In April". Fightful.com. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "1st Annual Crockett Cup". Pro Wrestling History. April 19, 1986. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "2nd Annual Crockett Cup". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "3rd Annual Crockett Cup". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  11. "NWA Crockett Cup 2019". Wrestling Inc. April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  12. NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup 1988 - Tag 1 » Card Cage Match
  13. Pratt, Paul (December 3, 2021). "Exclusive News On The NWA's Plans For The Crockett Cup" . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  14. Flanagan, Neal (April 8, 2023). "NWA announces dates and location for the 2023 Crockett Cup".
  15. Lambert, Jeremy (March 21, 2024). "NWA Crockett Cup 2024 To Take Place On May 18 In Texas". Fightful. Retrieved March 22, 2024.