American Wrestling Association

The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) but becoming an independent territory in the late 1950s. Reigning NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor was declared the first AWA World Champion in May 1960, but was given a 90-day ultimatum to defend his title against Verne Gagne who was touted as the number one contender. When O'Connor failed to defend his title, it was stripped of him and awarded to Gagne on August 16, 1960.
==History==
===Early years===
Anton Stecher was a founding member of the NWA in 1948 and had promoted wrestling in Minneapolis since 1933 through his Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club. In 1952, he sold a one third interest in the promotion to Wally Karbo and his son Dennis. Stecher died on October 9, 1954 and control of the promotion passed to Karbo and Dennis. Verne Gagne, a former amateur wrestling champion, had become a well known and popular wrestler nationally in the 1950s as a result of his appearances on the DuMont Network. He aspired to become NWA World Champion, but for various reasons to do with politics inside the NWA, he never became champion. In 1959, Dennis Stecher sold his majority stake in the Minneapolis Boxing and Wrestling Club to Karbo and Gagne. They became co-owners of the promotion from that point onward.
===Breaking from the NWA===
In 1960, after unsuccessfully lobbying the NWA for a title match between Gagne and the NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor, Gagne and Karbo led certain territories out of the NWA forming the AWA. The AWA unilaterally recognized NWA World Champion Pat O'Connor as AWA World Champion and gave him 90 days to defend the AWA title against Gagne. The NWA ignored the challenge. O'Connor was stripped of the AWA title and it was awarded to Gagne on August 16, 1960. While O'Connor was considered the first AWA Champion, he never wrestled in the AWA until later in the 1960s (when he teamed with Wilbur Snyder to win the AWA World Tag Team Championship).
Gagne was a former amateur-wrestling champion who had earned a spot on the U.S. team at the 1948 Summer Olympics; he ran the AWA with a traditionalist sensibility, firmly believing that sound technical wrestling—not flashy "sports entertainment"—should be the basis of a pro-wrestling company. Starting in the 1970s, Gagne trained his new wrestlers from his farm in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
==Championships==
Championship 	First Champion 	Final Champion 	Date Retired
AWA World Heavyweight Championship 	Pat O'Connor 	Larry Zbyszko 	January 1991
AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship 	Mike Graham 	Buck Zumhofe 	January 1991
AWA World Tag Team Championship 	Murder Inc. (Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills)	DJ Peterson and The Trooper 	January 1991
AWA World Women's Championship 	June Byers 	Candi Devine 	January 1991
AWA America's Championship 	Larry Zbyszko 	Sgt. Slaughter 	1986
AWA International Heavyweight Championship	Austin Idol 	Manny Fernandez 	December 7, 1987
AWA International Tag Team Championship 	Kenya and Kenyala Kondorie 	Bill Dundee and Rocky Johnson 	September 1987
AWA International Television Championship 	Greg Gagne 	Greg Gagne 	October 1989
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship 	Jerry Lawler 	Jerry Lawler 	December 7, 1987
AWA Southern Tag Team Championship 	Jos Leduc and Jean Louie 	The Midnight Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels)	February 1, 1988
AWA United States Championship 	Verne Gagne 	Mr. M 	January 9, 1962
==Images==
AWA_Heavyweight_Champion_(old).jpg|AWA World Championship 
(70's)]]AWA_World_Champion_(old).jpg|AWA World Championship (early 80's)
AWA_World_Champion_2.jpg|AWA World Championship (late 80's, Early 90's)
AWA_World_Tag_Team_Champion.jpg|AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA_Light_Heavyweight_Champion_(old).jpg|AWA Light Heavyweight Champion
AWA_International_TV_Champion.jpg|AWA International TV Championship
AWA_Southern_Champion.jpg|AWA Southern Championship
AWA_Southern_Tag_Champion.jpg|AWA Southern Tag Team Championship
AWA-Logo2.png|AWA logo as used by World Wrestling Entertainment
==See also==
*Alumni
==External links==
* Profile
de:American Wrestling Association
Category:American wrestling promotions
Category:American Wrestling Association
Category:Defunct wrestling promotions
Category:Promotions