Post by greedy on Jun 7, 2019 2:55:33 GMT -5
The WCW
The Eternal Wrestling Alliance is the result of several separate buyouts along the east coast of the United States. Bucky Johnson, a Charlotte wrestling legend and car dealer turned promoter founded Western Carolina Wrestling in 1998. From 1988 to 1992 the promotion held bi monthly shows in the Charlotte area, usually struggling to draw a crowd larger than 50-60 people. In 1992 Bucky Johnson decided he was going to make a change. He knew that the only way he could draw a larger crowd was to bring in larger names, but his biggest challenge was actually finding a large enough name that was willing to work his show. When all of his options were exhausted he decided to take another route. He called the owner of Georgia Championship Grappling and organized what many believed to be the first sign of what was to come, an inter promotional card that featured the best of both promotions fighting it out to see who turned out on top. This event was marketed as a once in a lifetime spectacle, and ended up setting the attendance record with 127 tickets sold. In all of the excitement, it was still disheartening for Bucky as he felt he had to rely on another company to increase business for his own. This sparked a second idea: a buyout.
The SSW
After a few days of meetings and phone calls, Bucky acquired Georgia Championship Grappling for $20,000 and immediately renamed the coalition Southern States Wrestling. His family and friends couldn't believe the decision to make such an investment in a failing company. When asked why he did it he simply responded "because." While it's a short and uninformative answer, anybody that's ever cared for something like Bucky did his promotion can understand the decision. Even though the investment was large, there was no doubt that Bucky made the right decision for his company. SSW was still putting on bi monthly shows in Charlotte, however the audience almost doubled to around 100 people. With the acquisition of extra talent, Bucky decided to alternate by also putting on a bi monthly show in Atlanta. The first Atlanta show showed much promise with an attendance of 180 people, by far the largest audience the promotion had performed in front of. The success of both shows only fueled the fire that would become EWA.
The Southern Expansion
By 1995 SSW had grown slightly, with an average of 120 people showing up for Charlotte shows and around 200 showing up in Atlanta. Bucky also decided to start hosting shows in Savannah, GA. The first Savannah show boasted an audience of 32 people. With the success elsewhere, Bucky saw this as only a minor hiccup, and a correctable one at that. With only one other promotion in the area, Bucky knew that he had an approach to take if attendance didn't improve. The next time the savannah show came around, it was clear by the 30 people that showed up that Bucky was going to have to reach into his pockets if he wanted to expand his market. He approached the owner of North Florida Championship Wrestling, who ran shows in Savannah and Jacksonville,FL, and offered a buyout. For the second time in the SSW's short history there was an expansion as the purchase was complete on the 2nd of January in 1996 for $26,500. The first show following the buyout in Savannah included a card full of familiar faces and sure enough over 100 people showed up for the matches. While it wasn't quite the success that the Georgia buyout was, Bucky still quenched the thirst he had to be the best in the area.
The Eastern Expansion
Where there's smoke, there's fire, and SSW was on fire in 1996. In the second half of the year close to 200 people were packing the small conference center in Charlotte and a record 275 people showed up for a show at an Atlanta High School. Savannah saw slight increases in attendance but for the most part was considered a weaker market for SSW. Bucky started promoting one off events in random cities throughout Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. One of these events was marketed as "The Beach House Bash" in Myrtle Beach, SC in July 1996. Over 500 people packed the outdoor venue for what Bucky considered to be his largest success as a promoter. He wasn't wrong either, as the show was fantastic and by far more profitable than most events, considering Bucky was mostly losing money in the wrestling business. It grew on Bucky over time, and at the turn of 1997 Bucky wanted a piece of that pie. He approached the leading promotion in the Myrtle Beach area and again pitched a buyout. This time he was turned down. He couldn't believe it. Most small promoters he encountered were looking for the first bus out of the business. Most couldn't afford to keep their promotions open and the ones that could surely weren't eating well without a source of steady income outside of the business. Bucky knew that if he wanted to continue to have attendance numbers that high, he needed the local market monopolized. He finally came to an agreement with the owner of Crystal Coast Wrestling but significantly overpaid. When the smoke cleared, Bucky had paid $75,000 for the promotion. This infuriated his wife, who never understood the business and surely didn't see the point in spending that kind of money on a "hobby." After 23 years of marriage, the wrestling business had cost Bucky his wife. She left him on March 17th 1997, the day after his buyout of CCW.
The Northern Expansion
1997-1999 were huge losses for Bucky and SSW. Attendance dropped and the product grew stale. Bucky's head wasn't on right. His wife had left him, his car sales were down, but most of all his large investment in Myrtle Beach wasn't panning out. His largest attendance in 1997-1999 occurred in May of 1997 in Atlanta GA. 225 people showed up for a card that was considered by most in attendance to be a joke. After years of great stories and performances, nothing stood out that could be called more than enough to get by. The time passed until in November of 1999, when Bucky Johnson passed away at the age of 64 while in his home in Charlotte, NC. He had a large funeral, with many of the guys that owed him their careers attending and paying their respects. It was later that day that his younger brother found out that he had received SSW in Bucky's will. Not being much of a wrestling fan, he sold the promotion to Bucky's biggest talent, Lee Durham, for $20,000 in December of 1999. Lee Durham was a hot heel in his heyday. He had mostly been working for Bucky part time as he was near retirement. This was the perfect opportunity for Lee to continue Bucky's vision while also continuing to make his mark on the world of wrestling after retirement. While Bucky always had a constant stream of money coming in from his car dealership, Lee wasn't as successful. He surely had to create a profitable system if he was to keep the promotion going for years to come. In March of 2000 SSW began doing shows again, this time there was a weekly show in Charlotte with special events scheduled in the Georgia and South Carolina Markets. Money wasn't in abundance, but Lee managed to turn a profit on his shows by minding his finances unlike Bucky before him. After a couple of years Lee had really gotten momentum on the side of SSW and secured a local public broadcasting deal that would change the company for the better. Instantly shows in Charlotte started seeing attendance numbers close to 500 strong. While events elsewhere had no immediate growth, Charlotte locals were known to follow the promotion and it resulted in slight increases overtime. It wasn't until September of 2002 that Lee Durham had the money and opportunity to continue Bucky's dream of expansion, and he knew just the place to do it. Washington D.C. had a growing wrestling market and it appealed to Lee. Lee decided that he would attempt to run a show in the D.C. market that feature a couple of local talents that could potentially boost sales. There was only one problem, the local promoter wouldn't let any of his talent work the show, stating that he didn't want to tarnish his guys by allowing them to wrestle out of towners. Lee took a play out of Bucky's playbook here, immediately responding with a buyout offer. Unlike the Myrtle Beach Promoter, the D.C. promoter was, in fact, looking to leave the business. In turn, Lee was able to make away with the D.C. talent and market at a steal of $10,000. The first show went great with attendance close to 400 people. Lee saw this as a huge success and planned on working the market regularly, expanding even more on the already large area worked by SSW. While not a national powerhouse, Lee was starting to notice the force that this company could be.
The EWA
For ten years SSW grew at a slow rate, but grow they did. Lee was innovative in his management. He went from running weekly shows in Charlotte, to weekly shows held across NC, SC, GA, VA and D.C. While SSW still only remained being broadcast in Charlotte, word of mouth was certainly a huge marketing tool for the promotion. Charlotte shows became spectacles and SSW was seeing attendance numbers between 600-1000 people when in the area. The typical weekly show was now drawing 300-400 people regardless of where they were and Lee was making serious money in comparison to when the company was first sold to him. Lee started expanding further south into Florida, hosting shows in Jacksonville, Orlando and Daytona successfully. The further north he went though, the more often Lee found himself with lower attendance. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't just the southern moniker that was keeping northerners from attending the shows, it was the product. Lee started to adjust his product ever so slightly, creating more of a melting pot of wrestling. Over time more and more northern fans were turning up for shows. Baltimore, Annapolis and Philadelphia were cities that Lee kept trying to push into, but still something was off. The largest promotion covering the area other than SSW was a promotion based out of Newark, NJ named New Jersey Deathmatch. While it appealed more to a certain audience, Lee noticed that their shows grabbed larger crowds, and perhaps the reason Lee wasn't selling as many tickets was because NJD was pulling the attention of his potential fans. After a lot of experience in the business Lee knew exactly what to do. In June of 2012 Lee purchased NJD for a sum of $125,000 and officially founded the Eternal Wrestling Alliance. Lee noted that the name change was based around the rich history of the promotions that came to be a part of it through the work of Bucky Johnson and himself, and that without the promotions priming the eastern US markets before them, the EWA wouldn't exist today. It took a few years before EWA would catch on and become what it is today, but now the EWA stands tall as the biggest promotion in the United States. With a territory that stretches from Florida to New York, EWA is more profitable and intriguing than ever. There have even been talks of a larger broadcast potentially in it's future. Until then, the EWA can rest easy knowing that it will continue to sell out convention centers and high school gyms for years to come.
The Eternal Wrestling Alliance is the result of several separate buyouts along the east coast of the United States. Bucky Johnson, a Charlotte wrestling legend and car dealer turned promoter founded Western Carolina Wrestling in 1998. From 1988 to 1992 the promotion held bi monthly shows in the Charlotte area, usually struggling to draw a crowd larger than 50-60 people. In 1992 Bucky Johnson decided he was going to make a change. He knew that the only way he could draw a larger crowd was to bring in larger names, but his biggest challenge was actually finding a large enough name that was willing to work his show. When all of his options were exhausted he decided to take another route. He called the owner of Georgia Championship Grappling and organized what many believed to be the first sign of what was to come, an inter promotional card that featured the best of both promotions fighting it out to see who turned out on top. This event was marketed as a once in a lifetime spectacle, and ended up setting the attendance record with 127 tickets sold. In all of the excitement, it was still disheartening for Bucky as he felt he had to rely on another company to increase business for his own. This sparked a second idea: a buyout.
The SSW
After a few days of meetings and phone calls, Bucky acquired Georgia Championship Grappling for $20,000 and immediately renamed the coalition Southern States Wrestling. His family and friends couldn't believe the decision to make such an investment in a failing company. When asked why he did it he simply responded "because." While it's a short and uninformative answer, anybody that's ever cared for something like Bucky did his promotion can understand the decision. Even though the investment was large, there was no doubt that Bucky made the right decision for his company. SSW was still putting on bi monthly shows in Charlotte, however the audience almost doubled to around 100 people. With the acquisition of extra talent, Bucky decided to alternate by also putting on a bi monthly show in Atlanta. The first Atlanta show showed much promise with an attendance of 180 people, by far the largest audience the promotion had performed in front of. The success of both shows only fueled the fire that would become EWA.
The Southern Expansion
By 1995 SSW had grown slightly, with an average of 120 people showing up for Charlotte shows and around 200 showing up in Atlanta. Bucky also decided to start hosting shows in Savannah, GA. The first Savannah show boasted an audience of 32 people. With the success elsewhere, Bucky saw this as only a minor hiccup, and a correctable one at that. With only one other promotion in the area, Bucky knew that he had an approach to take if attendance didn't improve. The next time the savannah show came around, it was clear by the 30 people that showed up that Bucky was going to have to reach into his pockets if he wanted to expand his market. He approached the owner of North Florida Championship Wrestling, who ran shows in Savannah and Jacksonville,FL, and offered a buyout. For the second time in the SSW's short history there was an expansion as the purchase was complete on the 2nd of January in 1996 for $26,500. The first show following the buyout in Savannah included a card full of familiar faces and sure enough over 100 people showed up for the matches. While it wasn't quite the success that the Georgia buyout was, Bucky still quenched the thirst he had to be the best in the area.
The Eastern Expansion
Where there's smoke, there's fire, and SSW was on fire in 1996. In the second half of the year close to 200 people were packing the small conference center in Charlotte and a record 275 people showed up for a show at an Atlanta High School. Savannah saw slight increases in attendance but for the most part was considered a weaker market for SSW. Bucky started promoting one off events in random cities throughout Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. One of these events was marketed as "The Beach House Bash" in Myrtle Beach, SC in July 1996. Over 500 people packed the outdoor venue for what Bucky considered to be his largest success as a promoter. He wasn't wrong either, as the show was fantastic and by far more profitable than most events, considering Bucky was mostly losing money in the wrestling business. It grew on Bucky over time, and at the turn of 1997 Bucky wanted a piece of that pie. He approached the leading promotion in the Myrtle Beach area and again pitched a buyout. This time he was turned down. He couldn't believe it. Most small promoters he encountered were looking for the first bus out of the business. Most couldn't afford to keep their promotions open and the ones that could surely weren't eating well without a source of steady income outside of the business. Bucky knew that if he wanted to continue to have attendance numbers that high, he needed the local market monopolized. He finally came to an agreement with the owner of Crystal Coast Wrestling but significantly overpaid. When the smoke cleared, Bucky had paid $75,000 for the promotion. This infuriated his wife, who never understood the business and surely didn't see the point in spending that kind of money on a "hobby." After 23 years of marriage, the wrestling business had cost Bucky his wife. She left him on March 17th 1997, the day after his buyout of CCW.
The Northern Expansion
1997-1999 were huge losses for Bucky and SSW. Attendance dropped and the product grew stale. Bucky's head wasn't on right. His wife had left him, his car sales were down, but most of all his large investment in Myrtle Beach wasn't panning out. His largest attendance in 1997-1999 occurred in May of 1997 in Atlanta GA. 225 people showed up for a card that was considered by most in attendance to be a joke. After years of great stories and performances, nothing stood out that could be called more than enough to get by. The time passed until in November of 1999, when Bucky Johnson passed away at the age of 64 while in his home in Charlotte, NC. He had a large funeral, with many of the guys that owed him their careers attending and paying their respects. It was later that day that his younger brother found out that he had received SSW in Bucky's will. Not being much of a wrestling fan, he sold the promotion to Bucky's biggest talent, Lee Durham, for $20,000 in December of 1999. Lee Durham was a hot heel in his heyday. He had mostly been working for Bucky part time as he was near retirement. This was the perfect opportunity for Lee to continue Bucky's vision while also continuing to make his mark on the world of wrestling after retirement. While Bucky always had a constant stream of money coming in from his car dealership, Lee wasn't as successful. He surely had to create a profitable system if he was to keep the promotion going for years to come. In March of 2000 SSW began doing shows again, this time there was a weekly show in Charlotte with special events scheduled in the Georgia and South Carolina Markets. Money wasn't in abundance, but Lee managed to turn a profit on his shows by minding his finances unlike Bucky before him. After a couple of years Lee had really gotten momentum on the side of SSW and secured a local public broadcasting deal that would change the company for the better. Instantly shows in Charlotte started seeing attendance numbers close to 500 strong. While events elsewhere had no immediate growth, Charlotte locals were known to follow the promotion and it resulted in slight increases overtime. It wasn't until September of 2002 that Lee Durham had the money and opportunity to continue Bucky's dream of expansion, and he knew just the place to do it. Washington D.C. had a growing wrestling market and it appealed to Lee. Lee decided that he would attempt to run a show in the D.C. market that feature a couple of local talents that could potentially boost sales. There was only one problem, the local promoter wouldn't let any of his talent work the show, stating that he didn't want to tarnish his guys by allowing them to wrestle out of towners. Lee took a play out of Bucky's playbook here, immediately responding with a buyout offer. Unlike the Myrtle Beach Promoter, the D.C. promoter was, in fact, looking to leave the business. In turn, Lee was able to make away with the D.C. talent and market at a steal of $10,000. The first show went great with attendance close to 400 people. Lee saw this as a huge success and planned on working the market regularly, expanding even more on the already large area worked by SSW. While not a national powerhouse, Lee was starting to notice the force that this company could be.
The EWA
For ten years SSW grew at a slow rate, but grow they did. Lee was innovative in his management. He went from running weekly shows in Charlotte, to weekly shows held across NC, SC, GA, VA and D.C. While SSW still only remained being broadcast in Charlotte, word of mouth was certainly a huge marketing tool for the promotion. Charlotte shows became spectacles and SSW was seeing attendance numbers between 600-1000 people when in the area. The typical weekly show was now drawing 300-400 people regardless of where they were and Lee was making serious money in comparison to when the company was first sold to him. Lee started expanding further south into Florida, hosting shows in Jacksonville, Orlando and Daytona successfully. The further north he went though, the more often Lee found himself with lower attendance. It didn't take long to realize that it wasn't just the southern moniker that was keeping northerners from attending the shows, it was the product. Lee started to adjust his product ever so slightly, creating more of a melting pot of wrestling. Over time more and more northern fans were turning up for shows. Baltimore, Annapolis and Philadelphia were cities that Lee kept trying to push into, but still something was off. The largest promotion covering the area other than SSW was a promotion based out of Newark, NJ named New Jersey Deathmatch. While it appealed more to a certain audience, Lee noticed that their shows grabbed larger crowds, and perhaps the reason Lee wasn't selling as many tickets was because NJD was pulling the attention of his potential fans. After a lot of experience in the business Lee knew exactly what to do. In June of 2012 Lee purchased NJD for a sum of $125,000 and officially founded the Eternal Wrestling Alliance. Lee noted that the name change was based around the rich history of the promotions that came to be a part of it through the work of Bucky Johnson and himself, and that without the promotions priming the eastern US markets before them, the EWA wouldn't exist today. It took a few years before EWA would catch on and become what it is today, but now the EWA stands tall as the biggest promotion in the United States. With a territory that stretches from Florida to New York, EWA is more profitable and intriguing than ever. There have even been talks of a larger broadcast potentially in it's future. Until then, the EWA can rest easy knowing that it will continue to sell out convention centers and high school gyms for years to come.