The National Wrestling Alliance still livesand not just in memory.
This may come as a surprise to many.
I, for one, assumed the once powerful wrestling organization died out long ago.
It was only after seeing a recent reference on a wrestling blog that I discovered otherwise.
This era of wrestling developed whats commonly referred to as the territory system.
The NWA featured a board of promoters from local organizations who would vote to choose the world champion.
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Cracks developed somewhat early within the territory model.
Even still, Gagne and McMahon occasionally put on cross-promotional events with the NWA for a time.
At least, it competed for a time.
Ted Turner eventually delivered the biggest blow to the NWA.
The winner, Shane Douglas, threw the NWA belt down and declared it a dead promotion.
The soon-rebranded Extreme Championship Wrestling then withdrew from the NWA.
From there, the NWA reemerged occasionally.
Tharpe has worked at getting the NWA back into the spotlight since taking control in 2012.
I was born in the wrestling profession and have connections to the original NWA, Tharpe said.
NWA title changes have occurred at NJPW, and Tharpe himself even portrays a villainous manager there.
The current NWA heavyweight champion is named Jax Godzilla Dane.
Really, Arn Anderson wouldnt even look out of place in one of todays NWA rings.
But this isnt a company stuck in the past.
He also told me national television is the next logical step for the NWA.
Basically, Tharpes vision is for the NWA to once again be a major promotion.
So, perhaps its the NWAs time to rise again, after all.
