Wrestling Superstars Live
Wrestling Superstars - Live! was a governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctioned various championships. It was founded in 1996 by Dale Gagner and Jonnie Stewart. History. In 1996, Dale Gagner and his associate Jonnie Stewart, former American Wrestling Association (AWA) employees, began using the AWA name in the state of Minnesota, falsely claiming with the authorization from the Minnesota Secretary of State, and formed an organization known as AWA Superstars of Wrestling. They began the organization as a continuation of the American Wrestling Association, which closed in 1991. By 2005, the organization  began to franchise the AWA Superstars of Wrestling name, selling memberships to existing independent promotions around the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. Several members of AWA Superstars of Wrestling were former members of the National Wrestling Alliance. In 2007, most of the memberships were terminated by Dale Gagner after defrauding members. Gagner and Stewart then began co-promoting shows with a small number of regional promoters instead. Lawsuit, renaming and reorganization. On April 26, 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) filed a lawsuit against Dale Gagner, citing trademark infringement, as WWE owned some American Wrestling Association properties due to  their purchase after the AWA's closure. In a move to sidestep WWE, Jonnie Stewart, with the help of a Chicago-based copyright law firm, attempted to trademark the name "American Wrestling Alliance" instead. On October 29, 2008, a settlement was reached between Gagner and WWE. The court ruling prohibits Gagner from use of the AWA name or any other derivatives. As a result, the organization was renamed to Wrestling Superstars Live. In a press release sent out October 30, 2007, the organization announced that it will no longer sanction independent territories. Gagner and Stewart noted that each of the  remaining territories would be individually assessed. Championships. When the organization was formed in 1996, Wrestling Superstars Live claimed the lineages and names of original American Wrestling Association Championships. However, following WWE's filed lawsuit against Gagner and Stewart, AWA Wrestling Superstars Live championship reigns are recognized from 1996 and forward. Members. Wrestling Superstars Live had members in the United States, Canada, England and Australia.