# World Championship Wrestling

> American professional wrestling company

**Wikidata**: [Q130171](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q130171)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Championship_Wrestling)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/world-championship-wrestling

## Summary
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling company that operated from October 11, 1988, until its dissolution on March 26, 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company was owned by media mogul Ted Turner through Turner Broadcasting System and produced notable television programs including WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder. WCW was eventually acquired by WWE, which now maintains its intellectual property and legacy content.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** October 11, 1988
- **Dissolution:** March 26, 2001 (also listed as December 16, 2017)
- **Country:** United States
- **Headquarters:** Atlanta, Georgia
- **Industry:** Professional wrestling and sports entertainment
- **Founded by:** Ted Turner
- **CEO:** Ted Turner
- **Director/Manager:** Ted Turner
- **Employees:** 150
- **Owned by:** Turner Broadcasting System, later WWE
- **Parent organizations:** Universal Wrestling Corporation, Turner Broadcasting System, WWE
- **Aliases:** WCW, Universal Wrestling Corporation
- **Instance of:** Business, privately held company, subsidiary company
- **Products:** Video games, television programs, merchandise
- **Website:** http://www.wwe.com/classics/wcw/
- **Sitelink count:** 31
- **Follows:** Georgia Championship Wrestling, Jim Crockett Promotions
- **Followed by:** WWE
- **Location of formation:** Atlanta, Georgia

## FAQs
**What was World Championship Wrestling and when did it operate?**
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling company that operated from October 11, 1988, until March 26, 2001. It was based in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a major competitor in the professional wrestling industry during its operational years.

**Who owned and founded WCW?**
WCW was founded by American media mogul Ted Turner, who also served as the company's CEO and director. The company was owned by Turner Broadcasting System and was later acquired by WWE after its dissolution.

**What television programs did WCW produce?**
WCW produced several television programs, most notably WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder. These shows were part of the company's strategy to reach audiences through television broadcasting.

**What happened to WCW after it dissolved?**
After WCW dissolved on March 26, 2001, its assets and intellectual property were acquired by WWE. WWE now maintains the WCW brand and legacy content through its website and classic programming.

**Who were some notable wrestlers associated with WCW?**
WCW featured numerous notable professional wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper, Lex Luger, The Ultimate Warrior, Mick Foley, and many others.

**Where was WCW based and what was its relationship to other wrestling promotions?**
WCW was based in Atlanta, Georgia, and followed Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions. It was a subsidiary company that operated within the Turner Broadcasting System media conglomerate.

## Why It Matters
World Championship Wrestling represented a significant force in the American professional wrestling landscape during the late 1980s and 1990s. As a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System, WCW had the financial backing and media resources to compete at the highest level of the industry. The company's ownership by Ted Turner, a prominent media mogul, provided it with unique advantages in television distribution and marketing. WCW's television programs, particularly WCW Monday Nitro, were instrumental in shaping professional wrestling programming and competition during its era. The company featured many of the most iconic wrestlers in history and helped establish the careers of numerous performers. WCW's eventual acquisition by WWE marked a consolidation moment in professional wrestling history, with WWE now controlling and monetizing the WCW legacy through its archives and classic content offerings.

## Notable For
- Being owned and founded by media mogul Ted Turner
- Producing flagship television programs WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder
- Featuring legendary wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, and Randy Savage
- Operating as a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting System
- Being acquired by WWE after dissolution, with WWE now controlling its intellectual property
- Producing video games including WCW: The Main Event
- Engaging in merchandising activities to sell products to retail consumers
- Following Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions in the wrestling promotion lineage
- Being based in Atlanta, Georgia, a major hub for professional wrestling
- Operating for over 12 years from 1988 to 2001

## Body

### History and Formation
World Championship Wrestling was founded on October 11, 1988, in Atlanta, Georgia. The company emerged as a successor to earlier wrestling promotions, specifically following Georgia Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions. WCW operated as a privately held company and subsidiary, initially under the ownership structure established by its founder. The company remained active until its dissolution on March 26, 2001, though some sources also list December 16, 2017, as a dissolution date, possibly referring to the formal winding down of remaining corporate entities.

### Ownership and Management
WCW was founded and owned by Ted Turner, the American media mogul who served as the company's CEO and director. Turner's ownership provided WCW with significant advantages through his media empire, Turner Broadcasting System. The company operated as a subsidiary within this larger media conglomerate structure. Parent organizations included Universal Wrestling Corporation, Turner Broadcasting System, and eventually WWE after the acquisition. The company had a relatively small workforce of 150 employees, suggesting a lean operational structure despite its prominent public profile.

### Television Programs and Media
WCW produced several notable television programs that formed the core of its media presence. The most significant of these was WCW Monday Nitro, an American professional wrestling television program produced by World Championship Wrestling. The company also produced WCW Thunder, another American television series. These programs were distributed through television broadcasting, leveraging the medium's reach to build audience engagement. The company's media strategy also extended to film, with the 2000 movie "Ready to Rumble" being associated with the WCW brand.

### Notable Personnel
WCW featured an extensive roster of notable professional wrestlers and personalities throughout its existence. Key figures included Hulk Hogan, who was described as an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality; Sting, an American professional wrestler; and Ric Flair, an American retired professional wrestler. Other significant performers included Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Roddy Piper, Lex Luger, The Ultimate Warrior, Mick Foley, and many others. The company also employed wrestling managers like Jimmy Hart, an American musician and professional wrestling manager. Behind the scenes, Eric Bischoff served as a producer for the company.

### Products and Merchandise
Beyond its core wrestling programming, WCW engaged in various product lines and merchandising activities. The company produced video games, including "WCW: The Main Event" released in 1994. Merchandising efforts focused on practices contributing to the sale of products to retail consumers, allowing the company to monetize its brand through various consumer goods. These product lines represented an important revenue stream and brand extension for the company.

### Relationships with Other Organizations
WCW existed within a complex network of relationships with other wrestling and media organizations. As a subsidiary company, it was owned and controlled by Turner Broadcasting System, which was itself a former American media conglomerate founded in 1965-1970. Turner Broadcasting was later part of WarnerMedia, a former American multinational media conglomerate. After WCW's dissolution, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) acquired the company's assets and intellectual property. WWE, founded in 1952 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, now maintains the WCW brand through its classics website and archival content.

### Business Structure and Operations
WCW operated as a business entity classified as both a privately held company and a subsidiary company. As a business, it was an organization undertaking commercial, industrial, or professional activities with the goal of generating profit. The company's structure included components typical of business enterprises, including economic activity, property, and human capital. WCW operated within the professional wrestling industry, which combines elements of sports entertainment—described as theatrical competition presenting ostensibly competitive events with high theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation for audience entertainment.

### Geographic Presence
WCW was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the capital city of the U.S. state of Georgia. Atlanta served as both the company's operational base and its location of formation. The company operated primarily within the United States, though its television programming and media products had international reach. The choice of Atlanta as headquarters connected WCW to the broader tradition of professional wrestling in the American South, following earlier promotions based in the same region.

### Technology and Distribution
WCW utilized various technologies and distribution channels to reach its audience. The company leveraged television as a primary medium for transmitting its wrestling content to viewers. As the internet developed during WCW's operational years, the company likely adapted to this global system of connected computer networks, though specific details of its internet presence are limited in the source material. The company's website, now maintained by WWE at http://www.wwe.com/classics/wcw/, represents the ongoing digital presence of the WCW brand.

### Legacy and Preservation
Following its dissolution, WCW's legacy has been preserved through WWE's ownership of its intellectual property. WWE maintains the WCW brand through its classics website, where archival content and historical information about the promotion are made available. The company's Wikipedia presence includes 31 sitelinks, indicating ongoing interest in its history. The transition from WCW to WWE represents a significant consolidation in the professional wrestling industry, with WWE now controlling the legacy of one of its former major competitors.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. Quora
3. YouTube API