| Acronym | WWN |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Founder(s) | Jim Crockett Jr. |
| Owner(s) | Jim Crockett Jr. (1993–1994) Paul Heyman (1993–1994) |
TheWorld Wrestling Network was aNational Wrestling Alliance-affiliated professional wrestling promotion which was owned by promoterJim Crockett, Jr., his last attempt to rebuild a national wrestling promotion after sellingJim Crockett Promotions toTed Turner in 1988. As part of anon-compete clause in the agreement he signed with Turner, Crockett was unable to promote professional wrestling events for three years.
In 1993, Crockett began contacting formerWorld Championship Wrestling andWorld Wrestling Federation veterans such asRoad Warrior Hawk,Jake "The Snake" Roberts andPaul Heyman. Heyman, who had recently left on bad terms with WCW, eventually became head booker for the promotion although he and Crockett would eventually part ways due to his commitments to thenEastern Championship Wrestling[1] and ECW's eventualbreakaway from the National Wrestling Alliance.[2]
Holding its first event inKilleen, Texas in August 1993, the show proved moderately successful with 2,156 in attendance.[3] The following year, the promotion held its first televised event at theManhattan Center in New York City on February 28, 1994 which featured Road Warrior Hawk and Jake Roberts as well asPublic Enemy,Sabu,Terry Funk,Shane Douglas andMissy Hyatt[4] in her first appearance since being fired by WCW.[5]
Both Crockett and Heyman had hoped to provide a unique concept of producing televised matches inhigh-definition television[6] viainternet broadcast, using much of ECW's television production and other resources to do so (this is one of the reasons thatEddie Gilbert resigned his position as head booker and left the promotion in September 1993),[7] however, the event was the only HDTV-television taping broadcast and eventually Crockett closed the promotion by the end of the year.
| World Wrestling Network in New York | |
|---|---|
 TheManhattan Center. | |
| Promotion | World Wrestling Network |
| Date | February 28, 1994 |
| City | New York City, New York, US |
| Venue | Manhattan Center |
On February 28, 1994, the World Wrestling Network carried out a television taping in theManhattan Center inNew York City, New York in the United States. The event featured multipleWorld Championship Wrestling andWorld Wrestling Federation alumni as well as wrestlers from Paul Heyman'sEastern Championship Wrestling promotion.[8][9]
During the event,Shane Douglas (accompanied byMissy Hyatt and multiple cheerleaders) gave apromo in which he declared he would be the inaugural World Wrestling Network Heavyweight Champion.[9]
The main event was a single match between Sabu and Terry Funk which ended in a double disqualification. The bout saw multiple spectacles, including Funk throwing Sabu into adumpster and pushing it around the Manhattan Center; Sabu dismantling aconcession stand and thenmoonsaulting through the table; Funk breaking a glass bottle; and the two men brawling into the audience.[9]
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jake "The Snake" Roberts defeated"Cowboy" Bob Orton by pinfall | Singles match |
| 2 | The Bruise Brothers (Don Bruise andRon Bruise) defeated Keith Scherer and The Kodiak Bear by pinfall | Tag team match |
| 3 | The Convict (withSherri Martel) defeatedJason Knight by pinfall | Singles match |
| 4 | 911 defeatedMikey Watson and Paul Lauria by pinfall | Handicap match |
| 5 | The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock andJohnny Grunge) defeatedBadd Company (Pat Tanaka andPaul Diamond) by pinfall | Tag team match |
| 6 | Tommy Dreamer defeatedGino Caruso by pinfall | Singles match |
| 7 | Terry Funk defeated The Kodiak Bear bysubmission | Singles match |
| 8 | J.T. Smith andTommy Cairo defeated The Captain and Mike B by pinfall | Tag team match |
| 9 | Road Warrior Hawk defeated Keith Scherer by pinfall | Singles match |
| 10 | Mikey Watson defeated Jason Knight bydisqualification | Singles match |
| 11 | The Convict defeated Mikey Watson by submission | Singles match |
| 12 | The Tasmaniac defeated"Surfer" Ray Odyssey by pinfall | Singles match |
| 13 | The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) defeated Mikey Watson and Paul Lauria by pinfall | Tag team match |
| 14 | "Cowboy" Bob Orton defeated Tommy Dreamer by pinfall | Singles match |
| 15 | Keith Scherer defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts by pinfall | Singles match |
| 16 | Sabu (withPaul E. Dangerously) vs. Terry Funk ended in a double-disqualification | Singles match |
