 | |
| Acronym | NWF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 (first run) 1986 (second run) |
| Defunct | 1974 (first run) 1994 (second run) |
| Style | American Wrestling |
| Headquarters | Buffalo, New York (1970–1974) Cleveland, Ohio (1970–1974) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1986–1994) New York City, New York (1986–1994) |
| Founder(s) | Pedro Martínez (1970) Robert Raskin (1986) |
| Owner(s) | Pedro Martínez (1970–1974) Johnny Powers (1970–1974) Robert Raskin (1986–1994) |
| Sister | Lutte Internationale |
TheNational Wrestling Federation (NWF) was aprofessional wrestling promotion based[1] inBuffalo, New York and owned by promoter Pedro Martinez. It ran from 1970 to 1974. The promotion was then revived in 1986 by Robert Raskin. The revived promotion closed in 1994.
Pedro Martínez (no relation to thebaseball player) owned the original National Wrestling Federation, which operated from 1970 to 1974. The NWF Heavyweight Championship and NWF North American Heavyweight Championship were later used byNew Japan Pro-Wrestling as its main titles until 1981.
During the original version of the NWF, popular performers includedJohnny Powers,Ernie Ladd,Waldo Von Erich,Chief White Owl,Hans Schmidt, theMighty Igor, Luis Martinez, Ron Sanders,Dusty Rhodes,Tony Parisi,Tony Marino, theStomper, Ben Justice, the Love Brothers,Dick the Bruiser,Blackjack Lanza,Dr. Moto,Mitsu Arakawa, andBulldog Brower. Championship Wrestling aired on Channel 43 in Cleveland on Saturday nights. Briefly a second show, All-Star Wrestling, aired on Sunday Mornings. That show was filmed in the studios ofWUAB-TV inParma, Ohio. The television hosts were Johnny Powers, Jack Reynolds, and Ron Martinez (son of Pedro Martinez). The film from each show was erased and reused to save money, hence few of the shows are available now on video orYouTube.
In 1986, Robert Raskin (President of Raskin Sports Productions and a former professional basketball coach for the ABA) purchased theAllentown, Pennsylvania-basedContinental Wrestling Alliance fromD. C. Drake and renamed it theNational Wrestling Federation. The organization created a version of the NWF World Heavyweight Championship and created an NWF Women's Championship. Under the direction of Raskin, the National Wrestling Federation grew rapidly. Using wrestlers who were formerly under contract with theWorld Wrestling Federation and theNational Wrestling Alliance, Raskin spared no expense in making the product a watchable alternative to the wrestling shows which were currently on television. Drake, who was the champion, also headed up the booking and television production ends of the business. Raskin felt that the NWF should move the television tapings from the Easton, PA VFW Hall to various locations around the east coast. Matches were taped at arenas inPennsylvania,New Jersey,New York, and other locations. Raskin also hired a youngPaul Heyman (who later became Paul E. Dangerously) to handle color commentary on the TV show.
Drake and Raskin also decided to put more emphasis on the NWF Women's Division. As the women's division became established,Wendi Richter (who along withCyndi Lauper helped the WWF bring attention to ladies wrestling once again) was defeated in a questionable fashion inMadison Square Garden byThe Fabulous Moolah and left the organization. She entered the NWF and quickly captured the title fromHeidi Lee Morgan. The revived NWF also placed a major emphasis onhardcore wrestling, including many specialty matches such asIndian strap matches,dog collar matches, andsteel cage matches (including one of the first women's steel cage matches in the United States, featuring Richter and Morgan).
On February 28, 1991, Raskin promoted asupercard at thePeace and Friendship Stadium, as part of a one-night NWF tour ofAthens, Greece. The event featured a co-main event withAbdullah the Butcher vs. ChiefJules Strongbow and Greek Heavyweight Champion Sugloukis defending his title againstThe Russian Assassin. Seen by 5,500 fans, it was the most attended show by an independent promotion for that year.[2][3] It was also the first time in ten years that American wrestlers had visited Greece.[4]
Raskin, seeing the organization expand, merged with Creative Entertainment, a sports and entertainment promotional organization from Philadelphia. This move proved to be a smart one as Creative Entertainment was able to book matches for the NWF across the country. The television show expanded to Sports Channels and broadcast stations across the country and appeared in foreign markets inEurope,South andCentral America andAsia. As the company grew, creative differences began to split the organization and several in the front office left to pursue other ventures. As the capital investment stopped, the television product was halted. The promotion closed in 1994.[5]
1970–1974:[6]
1986–1994:[7]
2/28 in Athens, Greece saw the NWF do a show headlined by Abdullah the Butcher DDQ Jules Strongbow before 5,500 fans in a 17,000 seat building for a one-night tour.
