The following is a list of World Championship Wrestling attendance records. Founded as Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in 1931, it was one of the first professional wrestling promotions in the United States. Upon joining the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1951, the Crockett family controlled the NWA's "Mid-Atlantic wrestling territory" which included the Carolinas and Virginia, and was long regarded as one of the organization's most powerful members. Jim Crockett Jr. became the face of the NWA as he battled Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1980s wrestling boom but was ultimately forced into bankruptcy.
After the sale of JCP to Ted Turner in 1988, the company was rebranded as World Championship Wrestling (WCW). For the next six years, WCW saw record-low attendances under the management of Turner executive Jim Herd. In 1995, WCW experienced a resurgence under Eric Bischoff following the creation of WCW Monday Nitro , debut of The Outsiders and "heel turn" of Hulk Hogan, and subsequent formation of the New World Order. A new rivalry with the WWF, known as the "Monday Night War", was a major force driving the 1990s wrestling boom. WCW's pay-per-view events and Nitro's live television episodes during this period would surpass almost all of the previous records set by JCP during the 1970s and 80s. Outside the U.S., WCW partnered with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) to promote the Japan Supershows (also known as Starrcade in Tokyo Dome) between 1991 and 1994, which set a number of attendance records in Japan. In 1995, both companies co-hosted the two-day Collision in Korea pay-per-view (PPV) event at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. With a combined crowd of 355,000, it is the highest attended wrestling event of all-time. [2] [3] [4]
The list is dominated by WCW's flagship Monday Nitro television program, which aired from various arenas and locations across the world during its 5-year run. Only seven of the attendances listed are exclusively WCW/JCP events, with JCP's Great American Bash '85, Great American Bash '86 and Great American Bash '87 being the only house show events on the list. All but four of the events included have been held in the United States where WCW was based, while three have been held in Japan and one in the North Korea.
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | JCP | Ed Lewis vs. Mayes McLain February 11, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 5,000 | Ed "Strangler" Lewis vs. Mayes McLain in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [15] [16] |
2. | JCP | Dick Shikat vs. Jim Henry October 26, 1934 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 4,500 | Dick Shikat vs. Jim Henry in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [17] [18] |
3. | JCP | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Jim Henry January 14, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 4,000 | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Jim Henry in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [15] [19] |
JCP | Tiny Roebuck vs. Tor Johnson April 15, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Tiny Roebuck vs. Tor Johnson in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [15] [20] | ||
JCP | Jim Browning vs. John Katan January 17, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | City Auditorium | Jim Browning vs. John Katan in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [21] | ||
JCP | Dr. Len Hall vs. John Katan January 31, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | City Auditorium | Dr. Len Hall vs. John Katan in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [22] | ||
JCP | Dr. Len Hall vs. Ernie Dusek February 14, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | City Auditorium | Dr. Len Hall vs. Ernie Dusek in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [23] | ||
JCP | Dr. Len Hall vs. Gus Sonnenberg May 29, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | City Auditorium | Dr. Len Hall vs. Gus Sonnenberg in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [24] | ||
4. | JCP | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Eli Fischer March 4, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 3,500 | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Eli Fischer in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [15] |
JCP | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Tiny Roebuck March 18, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Tiny Roebuck in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [25] | ||
5. | JCP | Jim Henry vs. Ivan Vakturoff September 24, 1934 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 3,000 | Jim Henry vs. Ivan Vakturoff in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [17] [26] |
JCP | Jim Henry vs. Marshall Blackstock November 23, 1934 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Jim Henry vs. Marshall Blackstock in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [27] | ||
JCP | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Little Beaver July 19, 1935 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Little Beaver in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [28] | ||
JCP | Scotty Dawkins vs. Cy Williams June 25, 1936 | Bristol, Tennessee | Cumberland Arena | Scotty Dawkins vs. Cy Williams in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [29] | ||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. George Koverly July 10, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Ernie Dusek vs. George Koverly | [30] | ||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Jim Coffield March 11, 1938 | Richmond, Virginia | City Auditorium | Ernie Dusek vs. Jim Coffield in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [31] | ||
JCP | Jim Londos vs. Chief Little Beaver December 6, 1939 | Norfolk, Virginia | City Auditorium | Jim Londos (c) vs. Chief Little Beaver for the World Heavyweight Championship | |||
6. | JCP | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Gus Sonnenberg September 2, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 2,800 | Cowboy Luttrall vs. Gus Sonnenberg in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [32] |
7. | JCP | Jim Henry vs Willie Middlekauff September 10, 1934 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 2,500 | Jim Henry vs Bill Middlekauff in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match with special referee Jess Willard | [17] [33] |
JCP | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Bull Martin August 30, 1935 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Bull Martin | [34] | ||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Len Hall March 20, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Ernie Dusek vs. Len Hall | [35] | ||
8. | JCP | George Widchecki vs. Andy Mantell November 1, 1934 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 2,000 | George Widchecki vs. Andy Mantell | [17] |
JCP | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Herbie Freeman September 4, 1935 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Sportrena | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Herbie Freeman in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |||
JCP | Cliff Olsen vs. Ernie Dusek December 3, 1937 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Cliff Olsen vs. Ernie Dusek | [36] | ||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Cliff Olson April 1, 1938 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Ernie Dusek vs. Cliff Olson in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [37] | ||
JCP | Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Pat McClary January 26, 1938 | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Auditorium | Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Pat McClary in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Cliff Olson February 4, 1938 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Ernie Dusek vs. Cliff Olson in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [38] | ||
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Jim Clintstock July 8, 1938 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Ernie Dusek vs. Jim Clintstock in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [39] | ||
JCP | Dick Shikat vs. Roy Graham October 20, 1938 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Memorial Auditorium | Dick Shikat vs. Roy Graham | [40] | ||
JCP | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Cowboy Luttrall December 13, 1939 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Cowboy Luttrall in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |||
JCP | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Jack Hader December 15, 1939 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Gus Sonnenberg vs. Jack Hader | [41] | ||
9. | JCP | Jim Browning vs. Henry Graber January 15, 1936 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Sportrena | 1,800 | Jim Browning vs. Henry Graber in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |
JCP | Ernie Dusek vs. Mike Mazurki March 13, 1936 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | Ernie Dusek vs. Mike Mazurki | [42] | ||
JCP | Ghafoor Khan vs. Dick Lever March 29, 1938 | Columbia, South Carolina | Township Auditorium | Ghafoor Khan vs. Dick Lever in a Mud match | [43] | ||
10. | JCP | Everett Marshall vs. Emil Dusek September 7, 1934 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Auditorium | 1,500 | Everett Marshall vs. Emil Dusek in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [44] |
JCP | Dick Shikat vs. Tiny Roebuck June 3, 1935 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Dick Shikat vs. Tiny Roebuck in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [45] | ||
JCP | Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Legs Langevin February 2, 1938 | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Auditorium | Roland Kirchmeyer vs. Legs Langevin in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |||
JCP | Leo Savage vs. Dobie Osborne July 28, 1938 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Memorial Auditorium | Leo "Daniel Boone" Savage vs. Dobie Osborne in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [46] | ||
JCP | Casey Berger vs. Pete Peterson August 18, 1938 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Memorial Auditorium | Casey Berger vs. Pete Peterson in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [47] |
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | JCP | The French Angel vs. Jack O'Brian September 5, 1946 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | 3,800 | The French Angel vs. Jack O'Brian | [48] |
2. | JCP | The French Angel vs. Bob McCoy October 4, 1940 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | 3,500 | The French Angel vs. Bob McCoy | [49] |
JCP | The French Angel vs. Ben Morgan September 23, 1940 | Charlotte, North Carolina | American Legion Memorial Stadium | The French Angel vs. Ben Morgan | [50] | ||
JCP | Johnny Long vs. Marvin Hutchins June 3, 1946 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Johnny Long vs. Marvin Hutchins in a Boxing match | [51] | ||
JCP | Frank Sexton vs. Kola Kwariani July 18, 1946 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Frank Sexton (c) vs. Kola Kwariani in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship | [52] | ||
3. | JCP | The French Angel vs. Gus Sonnenberg October 2, 1940 | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Auditorium | 3,000 | The French Angel vs. Gus Sonnenberg in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |
JCP | Jim Londos vs. Joe Savoldi March 27, 1940 | Norfolk, Virginia | Norfolk Auditorium | Jim Londos (c) vs. Joe Savoldi in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |||
JCP | Jim Coffield & Johnny Long vs. Earl Wampler & Jack O'Brien April 29, 1946 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Jim Coffield and Johnny Long vs. Earl Wampler and Jack O'Brien with special referee Tony Galento | [53] | ||
JCP | Primo Carnera vs. Wladyslaw Talun August 7, 1947 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Primo Carnera vs. Wladyslaw Talun in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | [54] | ||
JCP | Ray Villmer vs. LaVerne Baxter June 28, 1948 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | Ray Villmer vs. LaVerne Baxter | |||
4. | JCP | The French Angel Tournament June 16, 1940 | Charlotte, North Carolina | American Legion Memorial Stadium | 2,500 | 11-man round robin tournament | [55] |
JCP | The French Angel vs. Sam Menacker September 25, 1940 | Charleston, South Carolina | College of Charleston Gym | The French Angel vs. Sam Menacker in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match | |||
JCP | Frank Sexton vs. Joe Savoldi August 29, 1946 | Richmond, Virginia | Richmond Stadium | Frank Sexton (c) vs. Joe Savoldi in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship | [56] | ||
5. | JCP | 6-Man Battle Royal June 17, 1946 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Armory Auditorium | 2,000 | 6-man Battle Royal | [57] |
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | JCP | Great American Bash July 6, 1985 | Charlotte, North Carolina | American Legion Memorial Stadium | 27,000 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Nikita Koloff for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with David Crockett as special referee | [11] |
2. | JCP | Great American Bash (Day 20) July 18, 1987 | Charlotte, North Carolina | American Legion Memorial Stadium | 25,000 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Road Warrior Hawk for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [12] |
3. | JCP | Great American Bash (Day 4) July 5, 1986 | Charlotte, North Carolina | American Legion Memorial Stadium | 23,000 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Ricky Morton in a steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [12] |
4. | JCP | Bunkhouse Stampede February 27, 1987 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 16,600+ | Dusty Rhodes defeated Big Bubba in a Steel Cage match | [74] |
5. | JCP | Ric Flair vs. Sting January 31, 1988 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Omni | 16,002 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [75] |
6. | MACW | Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge November 22, 1984 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum | 16,000 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with special guest referee Joe Frazier | [76] |
JCP | Starrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers November 27, 1986 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum | Ric Flair (c-WC) vs. Nikita Koloff (c-US) in a Champion vs. Champion match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and NWA United States Championship | [77] | ||
JCP | Great American Bash (Day 31) July 31, 1987 | Miami, Florida | Orange Bowl | Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors (Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal) and Paul Ellering vs. The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and Tully Blanchard) and The War Machine in a WarGames match | [12] | ||
7. | WCW | Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk September 3, 1989 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Omni | 15,500 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Terry Funk in a Texas Death match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [78] |
8. | MACW | Starrcade '83: A Flare for the Gold November 24, 1983 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum | 15,447 | Harley Race (c) vs. Ric Flair in a Steel Cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with special guest referee Gene Kiniski | [70] |
9. | JCP | Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes October 24, 1986 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 15,000 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [77] |
JCP | Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham March 14, 1987 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum | Ric Flair (c) vs. Barry Windham for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [74] | ||
JCP | Great American Bash (Day 1) July 2, 1987 | Landover, Maryland | Capital Centre | Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) vs. The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) in a Steel Cage match | [12] | ||
10. | JCP | Ric Flair vs. Ron Garvin August 9, 1987 | Atlanta, Georgia | The Omni | 14,100 | Ric Flair (c) vs. Ron Garvin for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | [74] |
No. | Promotion | Event | Location | Venue | Attendance | Main Event(s) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | WCW | WCW Nitro U.K. Tour 2000! (Day 3) March 12, 2000 | Manchester, England | Manchester Evening News Arena | 16,318 | The Mamalukes (Johnny the Bull and Big Vito) (c) vs. The Harris Brothers (Ron Harris and Don Harris) for the WCW World Tag Team Championship | [79] [80] |
2. | WCW | Souled Out January 16, 2000 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Firstar Center | 14,132 | Sid Vicious (c) vs. Chris Benoit for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship with special guest referee Arn Anderson | [80] |
3. | WCW | Spring Stampede April 16, 2000 | Chicago, Illinois | United Center | 12,556 | Diamond Dallas Page vs. Jeff Jarrett for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship | [80] |
4. | WCW | WCW Monday Nitro (Ep. 227) January 24, 2000 | Los Angeles, California | Staples Center | 12,106 | Kevin Nash vs. Sid Vicious for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship | [80] |
5. | WCW | WCW Nitro U.K. Tour 2000! (Day 1) March 10, 2000 | Birmingham, England | National Exhibition Centre | 11,812 | Ric Flair vs. Curt Hennig | [80] |
6. | WCW | WCW Millennium Tour February 12, 2000 | Oberhausen, Germany | Oberhausen Arena | 11,000 | Sid Vicious (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship | [80] |
7. | WCW | WCW Monday Nitro (Ep. 226) January 17, 2000 | Columbus, Ohio | Value City Arena | 10,646 | Diamond Dallas Page vs. Buff Bagwell with special referee Kimberly | [80] |
8. | WCW | WCW Nitro U.K. Tour 2000! (Day 2) March 11, 2000 | London, England | London Docklands Arena | 10,450 | Ric Flair and Lex Luger vs. Booker T, Buff Bagwell and Curt Hennig in a Handicap match | [80] |
9. | WCW | WCW Millennium Final November 16, 2000 | Oberhausen, Germany | Oberhausen Arena | 9,800 | Sting (c) vs. Kevin Nash for the European Cup with special referee Axel Schulz | |
10. | WCW | WCW Monday Nitro (Ep. 231) February 21, 2000 | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | 9,408 | Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger | [80] |
Jim Crockett Promotions is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1931, the promotion emerged as a cornerstone of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). By the 1980s, Jim Crockett Promotions was, along with the World Wrestling Federation, one of the two largest promotions in the United States. The Crockett family sold a majority interest in the promotion to Turner Broadcasting System, which was acquired by Time Warner in 1996, resulting in the creation of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1988. In 2022, Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. was restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett.
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions.
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.
Clash of the Champions is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The specials were supercards comprising pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event series. The Clash of the Champions shows were famous for typically not airing commercials during matches even though many of these matches lasted 20 minutes or more.
WCW Saturday Night is an American weekly Saturday night television show on TBS that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992. Although initially the anchor show of the Turner Broadcasting-backed wrestling company, the September 1995 premiere of WCW Monday Nitro airing on sister station TNT usurped the show's once preeminent position in the company, as the primary source of storyline development and pay-per-view buildup.
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.
Starrcade '94: Triple Threat was the 12th annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It took place on December 27, 1994, from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The main event of the show was WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defending the title against his former friend-turned-rival The Butcher. The show also included Jim Duggan defending the WCW United States Championship against Vader and Johnny B. Badd defending the WCW World Television Championship against Arn Anderson.
Starrcade '95: World Cup of Wrestling was the 13th annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It took place on December 27, 1995, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The event included a seven match tournament between wrestlers representing WCW and their Japanese partner New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) billed as the "World Cup of Wrestling", in which Sting (WCW) defeated Kensuke Sasaki (NJPW) in the finals; WCW won the tournament four points to three. Ric Flair defeated Randy Savage in the main event for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
South Atlantic Pro Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion founded by George Scott, John Ringley and Mike Lamberth in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1990, and later taken over by Paul Jones and Frank Dusek. It was the last effort to revive the NWA's Mid-Atlantic wrestling territory.
Jerry Linden, or Jerry Atkins, better known by the ring name Jerry London, was a Canadian professional wrestler and former world champion, most notably holding the NWA World Middleweight Championship in 1966.
The World Heavyweight Championship was an American professional wrestling championship created and sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). While the Commission sanctioned the title, it did not promote the events in which the Championship was defended. From 1929 until 1931, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) controlled the Championship. The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was recognized by the CSAC as the world championship until May 4, 1931, when the Commission refused to recognize Henri Deglane's victory over Ed "Strangler" Lewis in Montreal, Quebec, as the title had changed hands via disqualification rather than the traditional pinfall or submission. Lewis remained champion in California, and a separate lineage was created.
General
Specific
The all-time pro wrestling attendance record would be for shows on April 28 and April 29, 1995 at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The announced crowds for those shows were 165,000 and 190,000, although the real numbers were about 150,000 and 165,000. The first show was headlined by Scott Norton vs. Shinya Hashimoto and the second by Antonio Inoki vs. Ric Flair. While there were tickets sold, most of the people attending got in free, and were pretty much ordered to attend, so it's not really a fair comparison.
[WCW/New Japan Supershow II], which will air as an edited pay-per-view in mid-March in the United States, was said to be nowhere near the level of the initial combined show last March. The show drew a turnaway crowd of 60,000 fans. A few thousand seats that were used at the March show (which drew 64,500)
[T]he announced crowd of 53,500 fans paying an estimated $3 million. [...] Complete results of the 13-match show, which drew what will almost assuredly be the second largest crowd to attend pro wrestling in 1994 and 15th largest recorded crowd of all-time
The top notch exhibition was witnessed by the largest crowd that ever saw a wrestling match here. The gathering was estimated at more than 5,000.
One of the largest crowds ever to see a wrestling match here witnessed the exhibition with enthusiasm that provoked the widest smiles of promoters, who estimated the crowd to number around 4,500.
While some 4,000 fans, the second largest crowd to witness a rassling program here, cheered and jeered to the limit of human voice and lungs, the leering, rowdy Texan took the first and third falls to capture the toughest wrestler title of this section.
The largest crowd since Jim Crockett brought wrestling to this town estimated at 4,000, packed the Armory to see their favorite punch his way to victory over the Ugly Duckling after losing the first fall in 18 minutes and 53 seconds.
{{cite news}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help)A crowd of nearly 4,000 fans saw the first wrestling match of 1936 and cheered the announcement that Jumping Joe Savoldi, drop-kicking star of the mat, and famous as a football star at Notre Dame, would appear on next card.
Close to 4,000 fans saw the show.
Dr. Len Hall defeated Ernie Dusek two out of three falls at the City Auditorium last night before a crowd of 4,000 fans, but he owes the decision to Referee Benny Bortnick, who disqualified Dusek for unnecessary roughness after 11 minutes of grappling in the third fall.
Sonnenberg came back after dropping a fast first fall to Doc Len Hall to take the next two and win the feature match of the wrestling card at the City Auditorium last night before a crowd of some 4,000 fans.
March 19, 1935
The Goon was in rare form as referee Jim Belliveau gave the more than 3,000 fans an added attraction as he rassled with Henry several times.
In the same auditorium where on Thursday night Soprano Grace Morre captivated 1,500 persons, another Tennessean last night won the acclaim of twice that many when Rassler Marshall Blackstock of near Chattanooga won one fall from Jim (the Goon) Henry.
Gus Sonnenberg brought his flying tackle to Richmond for the first time last night and used it to throw Little Beaver in straight falls in the feature boat [sic] at the Stadium before a crowd of 3,000 fans.
Jack Dempsey, the most colorful figure in the history of fistiana, proved last night that he is still the greatest attraction in professional sports when he was greeted by a roaring crowd of 3,000 at Cumberland arena.
It was "Dusek's Wild" at the City Stadium last night as 3,000 wildly shouting fans watched Ernie Dusek, of the four wrestling Dusek brothers, throw George Koverly after 22 minutes of exciting grappling.
A crowd of close to 3,000 saw the "riot squad" in action and in the closing match, which saw Ernie beat Jimmy Coffield in straight falls, switched their allegiance from the Nebraskan to give the Kansan many cheers.
COWBOY LUTTRALL, Texas' gift to the rasslin' game, last night went out by the foul route in his feature brawl with Dynamite Gus Sonnenberg, former heavyweight world's champion, as approximately 2,800 fans encored for more.
SOME 2,500 or 3,000 fans, the biggest wrestling party since the days when Irish Horan used to broadcast the free ducats, last night came out to see Cowboy Jess Willard referee and were treated to the best performance the burpers have ever staged.
Gus Sonnenberg butted Bull Martin out of the ring to win the feature wrestling bout at the Auditorium last night before a crowd estimated at 2,500.
Twenty-five hundred fans saw the matches last night.
Cliff Olsen and Ernie Dusek, two of the better known figures in the wrestling industry, grappled 90 minutes to a draw at the City Auditorium last night before a crowd of around 2,000, largest attendance Promoter Bill Lewis has enjoyed since his sojourn to California last summer.
Proving his ability in a thoroughly business-like manner, Bob Gregory downed Lou Farino in 16 minutes of one of the featured matches on last night's wrestling card at the City Auditorium before an estimated crowd of 2,000 fans.
A crowd of more than 2,000 turned out to see Ernie and Cliff renew a rivalry which included two draw verdicts in their previous clashes.
Ernie Dusek eked out a victory over Jim Clintstock in the main event of the first outdoor wrestling card of the season when he won the first and third falls of the two out of three fall bout before a crowd estimated at 2,000 last night at the stadium.
Over 2,000 fans turned out for the fights.
Gus Sonnenberg won the feature match on the weekly wrestling card at the City Auditorium last night, taking two straight falls from Jack Hader before a crowd of 2,000 spectators.
Dusek's victory was very unpopular with the 1,800 fans that witnessed the matches.
This match, fought in a ring filled with almost 5,000 pounds of soggy mud, featured the weekly wrestling card and drew a house estimated at around 1,800 fans.
Emil Dusek played his familiar "villain" role last night in the feature wrestling bout at the city auditorium and a crowd of some 1,500 rabid fans cheered wildly as he succumbed to Everett Marshall, title contender from Colorado, in the last two of three falls.
A small-sized gallery of some 1,500 customers braved angry weather to see the three-match program.
Over 1,500 fans, largest crowd to attend the series, turned out for the program.
Over 1,500 fans turned out for the program.
The wrestling world's ugly duckling, the French Angel, took only 39 minutes to defeat Roughhouse Jack O'Brian last night at City Stadium, taking the initial fall in 18 minutes and the last in a little over 20 before some 3,800 fans.
Maurice (The Angel) Tillet won over Bob (Bibber) McCoy in the feature bout of the first wrestling card of the winter season last night before 3,500 fans at the City Auditorium.
A crowd of 3,500 fans saw the Angel with both tumbles in the same manner - bear hugs followed by body presses.
BEFORE a crowd estimated more than 3,500, Westler Johnny Long of Baltimore knocked out Marvin Hutchins of Charlotte, boxer-referee, in the featured mat card last night at the Armory.
It took World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Frank Sexton just 40 minutes to dispose of Kola Kwariana's unbeaten Richmond record and thus defend his title last night at the City Stadium before some 3,500 fans, including Governor Tuck.
A crowd estimated at 3,000 shelled out a little more than $3,000 to visit the Armory last night and watch Tony Galento referee the headliner of one of the zaniest, wildest and most entertaining wrestling bills seen here in a long time.
Despite threatening weather, a crowd of nearly 3,000 spectators (2,700 of them paid admissions) turned out last night to watch Primo Carnera, former world's heavyweight boxing champion, pin "Ironman" Talun in straight falls in the feature bout of Bill Lewis' weekly wrestling card.
Jumping Joe Savoldi was disposed of last night in short order at the City Stadium before a crowd of around 2,500.
The big attraction of the bill, which drew nearly 2,000 spectators, was the wrestling royal, six grapplers in the ring at the same time.
A crowd of 9,812 saw the hooded Bolo remain unbeaten.
The Great Bolo won two straight falls over Danny (The Claw) McShane at the Coliseum Monday night before 9,700 wrestling fans.
A crowd of 9,421 attended.
Flowers, blood and an Oriental mystery potion. All these helped make an eventful night for 7,722 wrestling fans at Memorial Stadium last night.
George Becker and Enrique Torres defeated the Great Bolo and Larry Crusher Hamilton in the featured Texas death match before 6,919 wrestling fans at the Coliseum Monday night.
According to Promoter Bill Lewis, the crowd was the largest in Richmond's wrestling history going well over 5,000.
Sailor Art Thomas, George Becker and Johnny Weaver took the first and third falls to whip Homer O'Dell, Hiro Matsuda and the Missouri Mauler in the featured six-man tag wrestling match Monday night at the Coliseum before 11,397 fans.
The Bolos took the first and third falls over the Kentuckians, Big Boy Brown and Tiny Anderson, before 11,000 wrestling fans Monday night at the Coliseum.
The Great Bolo and Bolo used their heads to pound the Kentuckians into submission in two of three falls last night and win the feature of a coliseum wrestling card that attracted 11,000 fans.
Buddy Rogers treated a Coliseum crowd of 10,644 to a spectacular wrestling show Monday night and retained his heavyweight title by beating the Brute in two out of three falls.
A turnout just under 10,000 fans watched Paul Anderson and Haystack Calhoun share falls in the roughhouse brawl with the two reigning rowdies - then wind up the affair with a swinging chain.