Africa Wrestling Alliance Africa Wrestling Alliance , formerly known as Africa Wrestling Federation , is a South African professional wrestling promotion founded in 1995 . The regionally - based company is owned by Shaun Koen and Koos Rossouw , and is a traditionally - styled promotion influenced by the international wrestling market , such as European and American mainstream wrestling . The style encompassed by the top stars of AWA such as Shaun Koen , African Warrior and BDX - treme is referred to as Rofstoei ( an Afrikaans term ) . History . Establishment and early years ( 1995 - 2003 ) . The Africa Wrestling Federation was founded by Shaun Koen and his wife in 1995 after the death of his father , Jackie Koen , on [ [ December 16 , 1994 . The AWF started off as a regional promotion based in Cape Town , regularly running in the Goodwood and [ [ Parow areas . A few years later the AWF started doing tours nationally and also ventured outside of South Africa to tour countries like Swaziland and Zimbabwe . In 2003 AWF signed a year - long television contract with eTV to air weekly shows in 2004 . AWF on E ( 2004 ) . The AWA aired weekly television episodes taped for e . tv throughout 2004 known as AWF on E Slam Series . The episodes were recorded in arenas such as the Good Hope Centre , Carnival City and the Coca - Cola Dome . The actual running time of these events lasted three to four hours , but to minimise costs , they were split into one hour for each episode . The show was relatively successful until late 2004 , when ratings and attendance started decreasing . A soundtrack CD , " AWF on E - The Soundtrack " , was released under the EMI label to promote the AWF on E television show . The year - long season culminated in a two - hour live special held at Sun city , South Africa on December 11 ] ] , 2004 . The Birth of the Africa Wrestling Alliance ( 2005 ) . Plans were underway to have a second season in 2005 , but AWA and eTV failed to agree to new terms . This caused the promotion to lose ownership of the name AWF and forced them to create new trademarks . The " Africa Wrestling Alliance " name was then established in March , 2005 . Due to the lack of television exposure following AWF on E , some of the top names like The Saint , Skull , Rey Bourne and Jacques Rogue departed AWA to pursue other interests . Current scene ( 2005 - present ) . The top two stars in AWA at the moment are Shaun Koen and Johnny Palazzio , as both have main evented shows in their respective divisions and have held their championships since late 2004 . The undercard is dominated by young cruiserweights like Nick Fury , El Matador , Vinnie Vegas and William McQueen , who are blossoming into the AWA ' s next big cruiserweight stars . In the heavyweight division , African Warrior , BDX - treme , The Oz and The Missing Link hold contendership to the AWA African Heavyweight Championship held by Koen . Annual events . Coca - Cola Royal Rumble . The AWA holds an annual Royal Rumble show at the Parow Civic Centre venue ( nicknamed " The House of Pain " ) in December . The event is regularly sponsored by Coca - Cola . The last champion was " William McQueen " , who won the AWA Royal Rumble Championship on December 3 , 2007 in the 21 - man battle royal main event . Touring and charity work . Although the AWA is currently a non - televised , regional promotion , it has had a big impact on the South African wrestling industry and frequently does tours beyond its headquarters , having held events in the surrounding areas of Cape Town and in neighbouring countries such as Swaziland , Mozambique and Zimbabwe , often drawing thousands of spectators . The promotion is also actively involved in charity work . In association with its many sponsors and the Reach for a Dream foundation , unprivileged children are provided with the opportunity to attend certain shows for free and meet members of the roster . Training academy . The AWA training facility is currently based at the Wingfield Army Base in Goodwood , Cape Town . Classes are regularly held every Tuesday and Thursday . The head of the academy is Shaun Koen . Most of the wrestlers on the current roster were trained at the AWA training academy . Championships . AWA Royal Rumble Championship . This championship is fought for only at the annual Royal Rumble show at the Parow Civic Centre in December . The event is regularly sponsored by Coca - Cola . The current champion is " William McQueen " , who won the AWA Royal Rumble Championship on December 3 , 2007 in the 21 - man battle royal main event . Former champion : The African Warrior Current champion : William McQueen ( won on December 3 , 2007 ) [ [ Category : African wrestling promotions ] ]