| NWA World Title Tournament | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Video: Shane Douglas' speech and his subsequent throwing down of the NWA World title before proclaiming himself ECW World Heavyweight Champion | |||
| Promotion | NWAEastern Championship Wrestling | ||
| Date | August 27, 1994[1] | ||
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1] | ||
| Venue | ECW Arena[1] | ||
| Attendance | 1,000[1] | ||
| Event chronology | |||
| |||
TheNWA World Title Tournament was alivesupercard held by thePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States–basedprofessional wrestling promotionNWAEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on August 27, 1994. The event featured a tournament for the vacantNWA World Heavyweight Championship. The commentator for the event wasJoey Styles. Highlights from the event aired on the August 29, 1994, episode ofECW Hardcore TV, while the tournament final and the bout betweenShane Douglas and2 Cold Scorpio appeared on the 2012WWEDVD andBlu-ray releaseECW Unreleased: Vol 1; the bout between911 andDoink the Clown appeared on the 2013WWEBlu-ray releaseECW Unreleased: Vol 2; and the bout betweenCactus Jack andMikey Whipwreck andthe Public Enemy was included in the 2005 compilation DVDBloodSport – The Most Violent Matches of ECW.[2]
The event is known for the speech given by the tournament winner,ECW Heavyweight ChampionShane Douglas, who dropped the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt[3] and proclaimed the ECW Heavyweight Championship to be a world championship. Douglas' speech presaged the emergence of ECW – renamedExtreme Championship Wrestling shortly after the event – as a nationally recognized promotion and the continued decline in the power and profile of the NWA.[4] The event has been described byWWE as "one of the most controversial incidents to ever occur at anysports entertainment event".[1] Douglas described his throwing down of the title strap as "the defining moment for [his] career".[5]
TheNWA World Heavyweight Championship was the principal championship recognized byprofessional wrestling promotions affiliated with theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA). By the early 1990s, the largest NWA affiliate wasWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1993, the relationship between WCW and the NWA board of directors began to deteriorate. In September 1993, WCW withdrew from the NWA and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship – held by WCW employeeRic Flair – was vacated.
After the title had been vacant for several months, NWA board memberDennis Coralluzzo proposed holding a tournament to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.Tod Gordon andPaul Heyman – the owner andbooker of the NWA affiliateEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) – wrote to the board of directors proposing that ECW host the tournament given that it had more television exposure than any other NWA affiliate. The board of directors accepted the proposal. Ostensibly unbeknownst to the board of directors, Gordon and Heyman – who had previously had disagreements with Coralluzzo – planned to use the tournament to publicly break away from the NWA and springboard ECW to prominence. Gordon and Heyman approachedShane Douglas, the planned winner of the tournament, who agreed to their plan.[6][1][5]
The event featured an eight-man tournament for the vacant championship. The tournament began withDean Malenko defeating the Japanese wrestlerOsamu Nishimura by submission using astanding figure-four leglock, followed by911squashing the surprisewild card entrant,Doink the Clown, with a series ofchokeslams.Shane Douglas, the-thenECW Heavyweight Champion, pinnedthe Tazmaniac with aroll-up, followed by2 Cold Scorpio defeatingChris Benoit in an "aerial showcase" by reversing Benoit'ssuperplex into asmall package. In the semi-finals, 2 Cold Scorpio defeated 911 by count-out after 911 was distracted by Douglas (disguised as Doink the Clown), while Douglas pinned Dean Malenko following twopiledrivers.
In between the semi finals and the finals, there was a scheduledtag team bout for theECW Tag Team Championship between championsthe Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge andRocco Rock) and challengersCactus Jack andTerry Funk. After Funk was forced to withdraw from the event due to missing a flight,Tommy Dreamer was teased as Funk's replacement but was attacked by the Public Enemy, with Rocco Rock putting him through a table using adiving senton.Mikey Whipwreck was then announced as Funk's surprise replacement. Cactus Jack and Whipwreck went on to score anupset victory over the Public Enemy, with Whipwreck pinning Rock after Cactus Jack jostled him while he was on the top rope, causing him to fall and hit his groin on the ring rope.[6][7][8]
In the final bout of the tournament, Douglas pinned 2 Cold Scorpio following abelly-to-belly suplex.[9][6][10]
After being presented with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt, Douglas began to deliver an acceptance speech before abruptly throwing down the title belt and instead picking up the ECW Heavyweight Championship belt, proclaiming himself to be the "ECW Heavyweight Champion of the world".[6]
In the tradition ofLou Thesz, in the tradition ofJack Brisco of the Brisco Brothers, ofDory Funk, Jr., ofTerry Funk: the man who will never die. As the real"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers,upstairs tonight. From theHarley Races, to theBarry Windhams, to the...Ric Flairs, I acceptthis heavyweight title.
Wait a second, wait a second. OfKerry Von Erich. Of the fat man himself,Dusty Rhodes. This is it tonight, dad. God, that's beautiful. AndRick Steamboat...and they can all kiss my ass!
Because I am not the man who accepts a torch to be handed down to me froman organization that died -RIP -seven years ago. The Franchise, Shane Douglas, is the man who ignitesthe new flame of the sport ofprofessional wrestling.
Tonight, before God and my father as witness, I declare myself, the Franchise, as the newECW Heavyweight Champion of the world.[11]
We have set out to change the face of professional wrestling. So tonight, let the new era begin: the era of the sport of professional wrestling; the era of the Franchise; the era of the ECW.[6][12]
— Shane Douglas, August 27, 1994
Dennis Coralluzzo was interviewed immediately after the event, referring to Douglas' actions as "a disgrace" and stating that he would move to have Douglas stripped of both championships.[1] There are conflicting accounts as to whether Coralluzzo was aware in advance that Douglas intended to throw down the belt.[9]
On the August 29, 1994, episode ofECW Hardcore TV, Tod Gordon delivered apromo stating that Eastern Championship Wrestling had withdrawn from the NWA, and had renamed the companyExtreme Championship Wrestling, and would recognise Shane Douglas as its world heavyweight champion.[6]
I listened with great interest as the representative of the NWA board of directors took it upon himself to inform you that they have the power to force NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling not to recognize the Franchise, Shane Douglas, as a world heavyweight champion. Well, as of noon today, I have folded NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling. In its place will be ECW –Extreme Championship Wrestling – and we recognize the Franchise, Shane Douglas, as ourWorld Heavyweight Champion. And we encourage any wrestler in the world today to come to the ECW to challenge for that belt. This is the ECW, Extreme Championship Wrestling, changing the face of professional wrestling.
— Tod Gordon, August 29, 1994
TheECW Tag Team Championship andECW Television Championship were also renamed theECW World Tag Team Championship andECW World Television Championship.
The NWA World Heavyweight Championship remained vacant until November 19, 1994, whenChris Candido won a tournament inCherry Hill, New Jersey hosted bySmoky Mountain Wrestling, defeatingTracy Smothers[13] in the finals.[14] Douglas' actions have been described as "killing the title's credibility forever".[15]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dean Malenko defeatedOsamu Nishimura (withMr. Toyota) by submission | Tournament quarter-final | — | ||
| 2 | 911 (withPaul E. Dangerously) defeatedDoink the Clown by pinfall | Tournament quarter-final | 1:57 | ||
| 3 | Shane Douglas defeatedThe Tazmaniac by pinfall | Tournament quarter-final | 8:19 | ||
| 4 | 2 Cold Scorpio defeatedChris Benoit by pinfall | Tournament quarter-final | 11:20 | ||
| 5 | 2 Cold Scorpio defeated 911 (with Paul E. Dangerously) by count-out | Tournament semi-final | 10:01 | ||
| 6 | Shane Douglas defeated Dean Malenko by pinfall | Tournament semi-final | 13:25 | ||
| 7 | Cactus Jack andMikey Whipwreck defeatedthe Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge andRocco Rock) (c) by pinfall | Tag team match for theECW Tag Team Championship | 14:04 | ||
| 8 | Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio by pinfall | Tournament final for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship | 12:52 | ||
| |||||
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| 2 Cold Scorpio | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Chris Benoit | 11:20 | |||||||||||||
| 2 Cold Scorpio | Count-out | |||||||||||||
| 911 | 10:01 | |||||||||||||
| 911 | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Doink the Clown | 1:57 | |||||||||||||
| 2 Cold Scorpio | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Shane Douglas | 12:52 | |||||||||||||
| Dean Malenko | Submission | |||||||||||||
| Osamu Nishimura | ||||||||||||||
| Shane Douglas | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Dean Malenko | 13:25 | |||||||||||||
| Shane Douglas | Pin | |||||||||||||
| The Tazmaniac | 8:19 | |||||||||||||
