 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2022) |
 | |
| Acronym | UWN |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Style | Professional wrestling |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Founder(s) | David Marquez |
| Owner(s) | David Marquez |
The United Wrestling Network (UWN) is a governing body for professional wrestling promotions in the United States that was formed in 2013 by David Marquez. [1]
On October 21, 2013, David Marquez, promoter of Championship Wrestling from Hollywood (CWFH), announced the creation of a new governing body called the United Wrestling Network (UWN). Similar to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), of which CWFH was formerly a member promotion, the UWN sees its affiliated promotions "pool their resources" and work together to secure national television advertising. For a wrestling company to join the group, they must have a television broadcast agreement or agree to produce their own broadcasts. [1] Soon after its formation, an offshoot called Championship Wrestling from Arizona was launched. [2]
In the Summer of 2014, CWFH announced a tournament to crown the first UWN World Heavyweight Champion, who would be recognized across the UWN's affiliates. [3] However, the tournament wouldn't begin until six years later.
On May 22, 2017, Pro Wrestling Zero1 became the first Japanese affiliate of the UWN. [4]
In 2019, independent wrestling personalities Dustin and Maria Starr, along with Marquez, launched the Championship Wrestling from Memphis program for WLMT-TV CW30 Memphis.[ citation needed ]
On August 10, 2020, UWN announced a partnership with the NWA to produce Primetime Live , a series of events aired weekly from Long Beach, California at the Thunder Studios. [5] Debuting on September 15, Primetime Live's first event saw NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis defend the title against Mike Bennett in the main event. [6]
On the October 13 Primetime Live event, David Marquez revealed the UWN World Championship for the first time and re-announced the eight-man tournament to crown the inaugural champion. [7] [8] One year later, after the finals were postponed due to an injury, [9] the tournament and inaugural championship was ultimately won by Chris Dickinson on October 2, 2021.
During the Summer of 2021, UWN announced the launch of Championship Wrestling from Atlanta, which will air on Peachtree TV, and be taped from Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. [10] On July 15, Marquez announced on Twitter that Championship Wrestling from Atlanta would premiere on Saturday September 2 at 10 p.m [11] [12]
On February 17, 2022, UWN announced in a press release that they will be merging Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, Championship Wrestling from Arizona and Championship Wrestling from Atlanta into a singular entity under the Championship Wrestling presented by CarShield branding. The first taping for the new show took place at the Irvine Improv in Irvine, California on March 22. [13] [14] The new series would premiere on the weekend of April 24, 2022.
During the same year, Championship Wrestling from Memphis changed its name to Memphis Wrestling, becoming more of a stand-alone promotion.[ citation needed ] The name change was publicly endorsed by Jerry Jarrett on November 22, 2022.[ citation needed ] Despite the shared name, UWN's Memphis Wrestling promotion has no connections to Corey Maclin's promotion of the same name or any of the previous Memphis territories.
In February 2023, ASM Global announced the launch of Derby City Wrestling in Louisville, Kentucky, with first TV tapings to be held on March 18. The show would premiere on the weekend of April 9, airing Saturdays at noon on WMYO. [15]
On January 25, 2024, Reality of Wrestling (ROW), Memphis Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling announced a talent exchange program. [16] [17]
On May 1, 2024, Championship Television launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking $1.5 million to produce live television programming. [18]
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Previous champion(s) | Date won | Days held | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UWN World Championship | Danny Limelight | Jordan Clearwater | December 11, 2022 | 525+ | Irvine, CA |
| UWN Heritage Heavyweight Championship | Kevin Martenson | Zicky Dice | November 15, 2022 | 551+ | Irvine, CA |
| UWN Television Championship | Zicky Dice | Jack Banning | February 25, 2024 | 84+ | Long Beach, CA |
| UWN Tag Team Championship | TMZ (Shane Haste, Bad Dude Tito, and Che Cabrera) | The Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl and Ricky Gibson) | March 7, 2023 | 439+ | Irvine, CA |
| Promotion | Representative(s) | Location | Years affiliated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship Wrestling | Nikko Marquez | California | 2013–present Previously known as Championship Wrestling from Hollywood |
| Memphis Wrestling | Dustin Starr | Tennessee | 2019–present Previously known as Championship Wrestling from Memphis |
| Derby City Wrestling | Unknown | Kentucky | 2023–present [19] |
| Promotion | Representative(s) | Location | Years affiliated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Championship Wrestling from Arizona | Peter Avalon and Mick Greenwood | Arizona | 2013–2022 Merged with Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and Championship Wrestling from Atlanta to form Championship Wrestling |
| Pro Wrestling Zero1 | Shinjiro Otani | Japan | 2017–2022 [20] [2] |
| Championship Wrestling from Atlanta | Unknown | Georgia | 2021–2022 Merged with Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and Championship Wrestling from Arizona to form Championship Wrestling |
| Main Event Pro Wrestling | Mark Vaughn | Texas | 2015–2020 [21] |
| Combat Zone Wrestling | David John Markland | New Jersey | 2016–2020 [22] |
| Women Superstars United |
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American governing body for professional wrestling promotions owned by Billy Corgan, and operated by parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; when the promotion was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Pro Wrestling Zero1 is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded in 2001.
The NWA National Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
House of Hardcore (HOH) is an American wrestling promotion founded by professional wrestler Tommy Dreamer. Its slogan is "No Politics, No BS, Just Wrestling." In its history, HOH has run events in twelve states and three countries. As of April 2024, the promotion has remained inactive since December 2019.
Willie McClinton Jr. is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Willie Mack, currently appearing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Ring of Honor (ROH). He is best known for his tenure with Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact X Division Champion.
Ray Rosas is an American professional wrestler, who is currently working for several independent wrestling promotions but is best known for his work with Championship Wrestling from Hollywood. He was trained at Santinos Bros Academy and was the final EWF Cruiserweight Champion.
Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion and television program created by David Marquez, who serves as the promotion's president and on-camera interviewer. The television series originally premiered on September 17, 2010, and aired on KDOC-TV Los Angeles as well as first-run syndication in the United States.
The United Wrestling Network (UWN) Television Championship is a title controlled by, and defended in Championship Wrestling, sanctioned by the United Wrestling Network.
Allysin Kay is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where she was a former NWA World Women's Tag Team champion. She is also a one-time NWA World Women's Champion. She has also worked for Impact Wrestling under the ring name Sienna, being a two-time TNA/Impact Knockouts Champion and one-time GFW Women's Champion. She also wrestles on the independent circuit in the United States and Canada.
Progress Wrestling is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson. The company is now co-owned by Lee McAteer and Martyn Best.
The UWN Heritage Heavyweight Championship is a title controlled by the United Wrestling Network, and defended in Championship Wrestling. The title was established on October 21, 2006 as the NWA Heritage Championship.
The UWN Tag Team Championship is a tag team championship sanctioned and governed by the United Wrestling Network and established in Championship Wrestling.
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.
UWN Primetime Live was a weekly professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) produced by the United Wrestling Network (UWN) and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
The UWN World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship owned by the United Wrestling Network promotion. Similar to the "Traveling Champion" concept made famous by the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship, the UWN champion is recognized across the Network's affiliates.
Victoria Tran, known by her ring name Viva Van is an American professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her work on the Independent circuit, wrestling for promotions such as on All Elite Wrestling, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, Impact Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and PCW Ultra.
Nick Zoppo best known as Zicky Dice, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling. In 2019 he worked with the National Wrestling Alliance, where he became NWA World Television Champion.
Jordan Leonard is an American professional wrestler, and bodybuilder, known under his ring name, Jordan Clearwater. He is currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) where he is a former NWA World Television Champion.
Isaac Hull is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Royce Isaacs. He is currently appearing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and a former member of Team Filthy. From 2019 until 2020, Hull worked with the National Wrestling Alliance where he was a former NWA World Tag Team Champion. He also is known for his work in GCW Bloodsport, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood.
| Championships | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members |
| ||||
| Programming |
| ||||
| Partnerships |
| ||||
| Notable active promotions | |
|---|---|
| Defunct promotions |
|
| Governing bodies and interpromotional alliances |
|
| Television and streaming channels | |
| Other | |
| Promotions |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's promotions | |||||||||
| Defunct promotions |
| ||||||||
| Defunct governing bodies |
| ||||||||
| Promoters | |||||||||
| Systems of rules | |||||||||
| Other | |||||||||
