Continental Wrestling Association - History - NWA Affiliate

NWA Affiliate

After the split from Nick Gulas, the CWA became a National Wrestling Alliance affiliate, which entitled the CWA to NWA World Heavyweight Championship defenses. The champion would regularly tour through the territory defending the title against top contenders. With the World champion being a “traveling champion” the main title of the CWA was the Southern Heavyweight Title, which was nominally sanctioned by the NWA (into 1978) or the AWA (beginning in 1978).

The cornerstone of the CWA was the weekly Monday night shows from the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, where the cards regularly drew full houses. These shows were repeated in some form weekly in Louisville and Nashville (on Saturday nights). Having three major shows at all three cities, and additional shows through other towns in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, and Northern Alabama made the promotion loads of green into the early 1990s. These shows showcased a series of legendary wrestlers as they made their way through the Memphis territory; future superstars such as Hulk Hogan performed there before the birth of Hulkamania, as well as NWA headliners such as Harley Race, Terry Funk, Jack Brisco, and Ric Flair. A who's who of wrestling superstars made visits to the area, usually to face Lawler. While Lawler was oftentimes a "heel" or bad guy wrestler he was still the "home team." No matter what dirty tricks the "King" had played on the locals, when an out of town wrestler would surface, Lawler was cheered. For a while Lawler was managed by an old high school pal Jimmy Hart. That was until Lawler broke his leg in a backyard football game. During Lawler's absence, Hart proclaimed Paul Ellering as the "New King" of wrestling. When Lawler returned he engaged in one of the biggest feuds in the promotion's history.

The biggest run of the promotion was the Jerry Lawler-Jimmy Hart feud which would last throughout the 1980s. Jimmy Hart's "First Family" included dozens of wrestlers who Hart brought in to face Lawler. Included in this list were The Iron Sheik, The Dream Machine, The Nightmares, Eddie Gilbert, Ken Patera, Jesse Ventura, Hulk Hogan, Bugsy McGraw, Kevin Sullivan, Bobby Eaton, "Killer Tim Brooks", Paul Ellering, and countless others. The feud ended when Hart was signed by the WWE and Lawler won a match against Eddie Gilbert in which the stipulation was Hart leaving the territory.

The federation also aired live Saturday-morning wrestling cards from the studios of WMC-TV in Memphis, hosted by Lance Russell and Dave Brown. In the territorial era of wrestling, many local promotions had huge ratings with their wrestling shows, but none of them topped the ratings for the weekly CWA show which drew previously unheard of shares behind the strength of Lawler's local popularity.

Throughout the late 1970s, the 1980s and into the early 1990s, Jerry Lawler also engaged in bitter top of the card feuds with Dutch Mantell, Robert Fuller, The Mongolian Stomper, Bruiser Brody, Jimmy Valiant, Austin Idol, Rocky Johnson, Tommy Rich, Randy Savage, Rick Rude, and Bill Dundee among others. These men were on and off again partners to Lawler. One week they were allies the next week they were feuding. Of all the foes Lawler feuded with, Bill Dundee was probably his most bitter rival. The "Superstar" was easily the second biggest draw behind Lawler, despite his short frame, Dundee's charisma made him a draw. Fans were nearly split in the area as who they would cheer for no matter which wrestler was the "good guy."

The Mid-South Coliseum also played host to one of the most famous angles not only in the CWA but in all of wrestling, an angle that would get nationwide exposure on Late Night with David Letterman.