Windy City Pro Wrestling

Pwcompanybox
name=Windy City Pro Wrestling


acronym=WCPW
established=January 30 1988
style=American Wrestling
location=Chicago, Illinois (1988-current)
Hammond, Indiana (1996-current)
founder=Sam DeCero
owner=Sam DeCero (1988-current)
parent=Windy City Promotions, Inc.
sister=Urban American Professional Wrestling
formerly=Windy City Wrestling
website= [http://www.windycityprowrestling.com/ WindyCityProWrestling.com] |

Windy City Pro Wrestling is an American regional professional wrestling promotion based in Chicago, Illinois. Established by retired wrestler Sam DeCero in 1988, the promotion was one of several major regional territories in the Midwest during the late 1980s along with Dick the Bruiser's World Wrestling Association and is one of the oldest independent organizations in operation.

History

After retiring from professional wrestling due to a back injury, Sam DeCero purchased a 95th street garage in Chicago's South Side and began training local wrestlers advertising as far as Hammond, Indiana. With Mike Gratchner, a former promoter and wrestling photographer, DeCero decided to establish his own promotion. Within a year, he had managed to secure investors including relatives, friends and co-workers and held the promotions first event at a South Side nightspot featuring Steve Regal against Paul Christy in the main event on January 30 1988. The event, which was attended by 160 people, was successful, and soon the promotion began holding events in similar venues offering to hold cards ranging from $3,500 to $9,500.

DeCero soon began running televised wrestling events with then-twenty-two year old Paul Heyman, [ "Paul E. is managing to live Dangerously". Chicago Sun-Times. 08 Apr 1988 ] who was also working for Southeastern promotions Southern Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Federation. [ Loverro, Thom. "The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling". New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. (pg. 17-18) ISBN 1-4165-1058-3 ] Their events were held at DaVinci Manor and the International Amphitheater, [ "Live bouts return to Amphitheater". Chicago Sun-Times. 29 Apr 1988 ] which later aired on WMBD-TV. During the summer, the promotion saw serious losses due to poor attendance, including losing $10,000 at a show in Rockford, Illinois and between $12,000-13,000 at the International Amphitheater. In September, despite drawing a large crowd at a card featuring Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy and Bam Bam Bigalow in the main event, the promotion still lost money. [ "Still Learning The Ropes: Wrestling Promoter Pins Hope on School, Local TV pact". Crains Chicago Business. 11 Dec 1989 ]

Eventually recovering after additional funding by his investors, within four years, the promotion operated two training facilities and had a weekly half hour television show airing on SportsChannel. They also participated in several fundraisers for charity organizations including Toys for Tots, Muscular Dystrophy, Maryville City for Youth and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. [ "Amphitheater bouts to aid homeless". Chicago Sun-Times. 17 May 1991 ] [ cite web |url=http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/Benaka/decero.html |title=The Lee Banaka Interviews: Sam DeCero|author=Benaka, Lee|date=2005-07-25|publisher=DeathValleyDriver.com]

During the late 1980s, the promotion featured many popular wrestlers of the era including Dick Murdoch, Shigeri Akabane, Dennis Condrey, [ "`Lover Boy' Condrey revs up for slugfest at Amphitheatre". Chicago Sun-Times. 12 Aug 1988 ] Steve Regal, [ "Windy City champion Regal is ready to `electrify' Cicero". Chicago Sun-Times. 10 Feb 1989 ] and George Ringo, who acted as honorary commissioner. Prior to his death in Puerto Rico, Bruiser Brody had been scheduled to face Nord the Barbarian at the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Illinois on August 12 1988. [cite web |url=http://members.shaw.ca/Bruiser_Brody/brody_article_8_txt.html |title=Frank "King Kong" Brody dies, outlaw wrestler|author=Grahnke, Lon|year=1988 |month=July|publisher=The Unofficial Bruiser Brody Memorial Page] Other mainstays included "Mean" Mike Anthony, [cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=17676 |title=Wrestling Observer Headlines, 10/19/06|author=Meltzer, Dave |authorlink=Dave Meltzer|date=2006-10-19|publisher=Wrestling Observer] Trevor Blanchard, [cite web |url=http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/Benaka/blanchard.html |title=The Lee Benaka Interviews: Trevor Blanchard|author=Banaka, Lee|date=2005-07-25|publisher=DeathValleyDriver.com] Rockin' Randy, [cite web |url=http://wrestlerevue.tripod.com/Dec01/interview.htm |title=Rockin' Randy: "From Ethiopia to Edgerton, I'll beat any wrestler out there!"|year=2001 |month=December|publisher=WrestleRevue.com] , Tony Montana, [cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20041121/ai_n12569614 |title=Former pro wrestler prefers Hollywood ring|author=Pearlman, Cindy|date=2004-11-21|publisher=Chicago Sun-Times] and The Power Twins (Larry & David Sontag).

Although going into a slump during the early 1990s, its annual "Battle of the Belts" supercard was aired on SportsChannel on May 22 1993, [ "Raquel Copies Liz in Krantz's 'Torch' Affair". Chicago Sun-Times. 22 May 1993 ] and two years later, it presented Sailor Art Thomas a "Lifetime Service to Sport Award" on May 16 1995. [ "'The Sailor' To Be Honored". Wisconsin State Journal. 20 Apr 1995 ] The promotion also began holding events in smaller venues outside the Chicago-area such the Hammond Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana and Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa in February 1996. [ "Razzle dazzle". Telegraph Herald. 25 Feb 1996 ] In September, the promotion became involved in a nine-month legal dispute with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling regarding trademark infringement over use of the WCW acronym. The matter was settled out of court, and in late 1997, the promotion was renamed Windy City Pro Wrestling. [cite web |url=http://www.sfifer.com/images/2185859_9.doc |title=Media/Intellectual Property Case Summeries|author=Fifer, Samuel|format=.doc|publisher=Sfifer.com]

The promotion managed to survive during the decade, and due in part to its wrestling school and televised events in the Chicago-area, several light heavyweight wrestlers such as Ace Steel, [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news2006/1170537166.shtml |title=Ace Steel & Kevin Kleinrock Interviews: Steel on Trump, Kleinrock/WSX|author=Young, Doc |coauthors=Les Thatcher |date=2007-01-30|publisher=WrestleView.com] Sosay, [cite web |url=http://www.officialsosay.com/sosay/evolution.html |title=Sosay: Character Evolution|year=2007 |month=June|publisher=OfficialSosay.com] Kevin Quinn, [cite web |url=http://www.puroresufan.com/interviews/quinn.php |title=Interview with Kevin Quinn|year=2004 |month=June|publisher=PuroresuFan.com] and Christopher Daniels [cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/daniels.html |title=SLAM! Wrestling Bios: Christopher Daniels|author=Milner, John M.|coauthors=Tim Baines and Corey David Lacroix |date=2005-09-05|publisher=SLAM! Sports] emerged from the promotion during the late 1990s and early 2000s. During the last several years, independent wrestlers such as Colt Cabana, Abyss and Austin Aries among others have made appearances in the promotion as have WWF veterans King Kong Bundy, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, [cite web |url=http://www.thezephyr.com/archives/rasslin.htm |title=Wrestling at the Knox County Fair|author=Gallagher, Jon|date=2006-03-23|publisher=The Zephyr] and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

In August 1999, the promotion began broadcasting live events via the internet through the website LiveOnTheNet.com as part of its Sunday afternoon sports lineup featuring Mike Anthony, Sgt. Storm, The Outfit, Lips Manson and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. [ Windy City Pro Wrestling Events Hit The Web: LiveOnTheNet Provides Video Streaming of Today's Top Independent Wrestling". Business Wire. 17 Aug 1999 ]

The promotion remained popular with Chicago wrestling fans favoring its "old school" wrestling approach unlike "sports entertainment" based promotions such as the World Wrestling Federation, [cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/nappaehare/ChicagoTribune.doc |title=Small local shows operate in the shadow of WWE but the low-rent version grips fans with a gritty, hold over style|author=Keilman, John|date=2004-09-28|format=.doc|publisher=Chicago Tribune] and it began competing with rival promotions such as All American Wrestling, Independent Wrestling Association Midsouth and AWA Slam. [cite web |url=http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/4749.html |title=Lords of the Ring: The fellowship of foes on the indy wrestling circuit|author=Seay, Jenny|coauthors=|date=2005-10-11|publisher=NewCityChicago.com] Working with its affiliate organization Urban American Professional Wrestling in Chicago's inner-city areas in recent years, [cite web |url=http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2005/05/urban_league_le.html |title=Urban league lets wrestlers live dream, increase income |author=Douglass, Ian C.|date=2005-05-25|publisher=Medill School of Journalism] [cite web |url=http://www.extranews.net/news.php?nid=1588 |title=So You Want To Be A Pro Wrestler?|author=Lou, Melissa|date=2006-03-23|publisher=Extra News] its South Side wrestling school was featured on "Insomniac with Dave Attell" in 2002. [ "Dave Attell's 'Insomniac' won't keep anyone awake". Chicago Daily Herald. 05 Dec 2002 ]

In 2004, with over 1,000 in attendance at Morton College in Cicero for their supercard "Battle of the Belts 16" grossing over $15,000, the following year "Battle of the Belts 17" was held at the Hammond Civic Center on May 17 2005; shortly before signing with World Wrestling Entertainment, Rob Van Dam had previously headlined a WCPW event at the building on May 26 2001 attended by 2,000 fans. [ cite web |url=http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/6-1-2001-3478.asp |title=Wrestling: An interview with Rob Van Dam (Part Two)|author=Williams, Scott|date=2001-06-01|publisher=Buzzle.com] [cite web |url=http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2005/05/windyshw_windy.html |title=Windy City Pro Wrestling books its biggest show|author=Douglass, Ian C.|date=2005-05-10|publisher=Medill School of Journalism]

Championships

*WCPW Heavyweight Championshipcite book|author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will|title=Wrestling Title Histories|publisher=Archeus Communications|year=4th Edition 2000|isbn=0969816154]
*WCPW League Championship
*WCPW Middleweight Championship
*WCPW Lightweight Championship
*WCPW Tag Team Championship

References

External links

* [http://www.windycityprowrestling.com/ Windy City Pro Wrestling] official web site
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/promotions/windycity.html World Championship Pro Wrestling] at Online World of Wrestling
* [http://www.thecubsfan.com/misc/windycityindex.htm Windy City Pro Wrestling Archive]