''WCW Saturday Night'' is an American weekly Saturday night

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

on TBS that was produced by

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

(WCW). Launched in 1971 initially by Georgia Championship Wrestling, the program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming ''WCW Saturday Night'' in 1992. Although initially the anchor show of the

Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner ( ...

-backed wrestling company, the September 1995 premiere of '' WCW Monday Nitro'' airing on sister station TNT usurped the show's once preeminent position in the company, as the primary source of storyline development and

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

buildup. The show's place in the company was further devalued by the advent of '' WCW Thunder'' in 1998, airing on TBS and providing the secondary wrestling and storyline development that ''WCW Saturday Night'' had produced in the wake of ''Nitro'' burgeoning three-hour-long format. Once the cornerstone of the WCW wrestling empire, ''WCW Saturday Night'' ended its run in 2000 as the company struggled creatively to meet the demands of producing over six hours of new broadcast material on a weekly basis. The rights to ''WCW Saturday Night'' now belong to WWE as a result of that company's 2001 purchase of selected assets of WCW (including its video library). Fifty-nine episodes from 1992 to 1993 under the ''WCW Saturday Night'' banner are available on the streaming service

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...

and

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

. Some previous episodes from 1985 to 1989 under the ''World Championship Wrestling'' banner were uploaded in 2015 and 2016 and are also available on the WWE Network.

History

''WCW Saturday Night'' premiered on April 4, 1992 as the showcase for the company's top talent. It grew out of two previous wrestling programs on TBS, which had been airing on that station and its predecessors since 1972. An additional Sunday program, '' Best of World Championship Wrestling'' also aired, though it was frequently preempted due to TBS's commitments to broadcast

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

baseball and other sports events. In spring 1988, TBS replaced it with a new Sunday wrestling show called '' NWA Main Event''. In all of its incarnations, ''WCW Saturday Night'' would normally air for two hours. During

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

season, however, it would typically air for one hour, to be immediately followed by '' Braves TBS Baseball''.

''Georgia Championship Wrestling'' (1971–1982)

On December 25, 1971, Georgia Championship Wrestling aired its first show on WTCG, a

UHF Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...

independent station An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, marke ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, as a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

special. Beginning in late January 1972, the promotion switched its Atlanta television outlet from its longtime home, WQXI-TV (now

WXIA-TV WXIA-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL (channel 36). Both stations share studios at One Monroe Place on the north ...

) to WTCG. In 1976 WTCG, renamed WTBS in 1979, began retransmitting its signal via satellite and became a

superstation ''Superstation'' (alternatively rendered as "super station" or informally as "SuperStation") is a term in North American broadcasting that has several meanings. Commonly, a "superstation" is a form of distant signal, a broadcast television sign ...

available to cable systems across the United States. As a result, Georgia Championship Wrestling became the first promotion affiliated with the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

(NWA) to have its television program broadcast nationally. Many of the NWA's regional promoters were unhappy, but promoter Jim Barnett claimed since he was only using Georgia-based wrestlers, that there was no harm. Whether or not Barnett was in fact taking the promotion national is a matter of dispute. Some wrestlers, such as

Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his ...

, say that he was in fact doing so, but prevented by fears of crossing

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

figures involved with the business. Throughout the 1970s, ''Georgia Championship Wrestling'' was one of the most popular programs on WTBS. The ''Georgia Championship Wrestling'' TV series, hosted by Gordon Solie, was taped at the WTBS studios at 1050 Techwood Drive in Atlanta before a small, live in-studio audience, as were most pro wrestling TV shows of that era. The show featured wrestling matches, plus melodramatic monologues and inter-character confrontations—similar to the programming offered by other territories, such as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part ...

(AWA),

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

' Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and Mid-South Wrestling.

''World Championship Wrestling'' (1982–1992)

In 1982, Georgia Championship Wrestling changed its main programming name to ''World Championship Wrestling'', a name Barnett had previously used when promoting in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. WTBS owner

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he ...

had requested the name change in hopes of giving the wrestling programming on the Superstation a less regional scope. Also, by this point, GCW had been running shows in "neutral" territories like

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. ''World Championship Wrestling'' continued to be taped at the TBS studios until March 1989, when the taping location was moved to the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta.

''Black Saturday'' (1984–1985)

In 1984, WWF owner

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

, hoping to expand the national reach of his

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 202 ...

-based company, bought a majority stake in the Georgia territory, and its WTBS time slot, for $750,000. On July 14 of that year, viewers tuned into ''World Championship Wrestling'' expecting to see Gordon Solie and the stars of GCW, only to witness McMahon introducing WWF programming instead, an event now known in professional wrestling lore as '' Black Saturday''. Freddie Miller, an announcer, was the only member of the original ''Georgia Championship Wrestling'' on-air cast who did not either quit in protest or get replaced by McMahon. McMahon had underestimated two major factors, however. The first was the difference in tastes between wrestling fans from different regions of the United States. GCW matches featured an emphasis on in-ring action with longer and more athletic matches. The WWF, however, was more

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...

-like in character, with cartoonish characters and storylines, and also tended to feature short squash matches in which one wrestler dominated the other. GCW's core audience thus did not receive the WWF product now shown on WTBS well. Secondly, McMahon had promised Ted Turner that he would produce original programming for the time slot at the WTBS studios in Atlanta. Instead, ''WWF World Championship Wrestling'' was mainly used as a recap show, featuring matches which had previously aired on the WWF's main television programs such as '' WWF Championship Wrestling'' and ''

WWF All-Star Wrestling The following is a list of all WWE television programs. It also includes programming produced under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Wrestling Entertainme ...

'', which were originally produced in the Northeast. Eventually, the WWF did have in-studio squash matches on the show on an infrequent basis. During this time, the show was co-hosted by Freddie Miller and Gorilla Monsoon, with Monsoon serving as the play-by-play announcer and Miller serving as the ring announcer. This did not stem the tide of negative viewer reaction to the WWF show, however. Angry viewers deluged WTBS with over a thousand complaints, demanding to know where GCW had gone. Turner, angry both at the declining ratings and at McMahon's reneging on his promise of original programming for the WTBS time slot, made two moves to correct the problem. Firstly, he offered Ole Anderson, who had refused to sell his minority interest in GCW to McMahon and instead formed a successor promotion known as ''Championship Wrestling from Georgia'' (CWG), a 7:00 a.m. time slot on Saturday mornings. He then gave Bill Watts, the owner of Mid-South Wrestling, a one-hour time slot on Sundays. These moves upset McMahon, who had assumed that the WWF would be the sole provider of professional wrestling content on WTBS with his purchase of GCW. Turner disagreed, citing McMahon's aforementioned breaking of his promise to provide original WWF programming for the WTBS time slot.

Under Jim Crockett Promotions (1985–1988)

The decline in ratings for the WWF's Saturday evening show, and the fans clamoring for GCW, began to make the WWF's foray onto WTBS one that lost the federation money. Eventually, McMahon cut his losses and sold the former GCW time slot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) for $1 million in March 1985. The final WWF produced edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'' aired on March 30, 1985. JCP's first edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'' aired on April 6, 1985. JCP, based in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

and run by

Jim Crockett, Jr. James Allen Crockett Jr. (August 10, 1944 – March 3, 2021) was an American professional wrestling promoter. From 1973 to 1989, he was part owner of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a wrestling company affiliated with the National Wrestling Allian ...

, was, like CWG and Mid-South, a member of the

(NWA) and ran NWA-branded shows in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and

the Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nor ...

. Crockett's first order of business was to merge his promotion with CWG, thus allowing his wrestlers to compete on CWG's Saturday morning WTBS time slot and vice versa. This deal (which former Georgia Championship Wrestling promoter Jim Barnett helped broker), however, forced the elimination of the ''Mid-South Wrestling'' program, which had been the highest-rated program on WTBS, from the WTBS schedule. Bill Watts had been poised to take over the former GCW time slot from McMahon, but instead ended up selling his promotion (by now known as the Universal Wrestling Federation) to Crockett in 1987. JCP retained the ''World Championship Wrestling'' name. Crockett filled the time slot with two hours of original programming filmed in Turner's Atlanta studios. The program name would also become the promotion's name following the purchase of JCP by Turner Broadcasting in 1988. In addition, the Saturday morning ''Championship Wrestling from Georgia'' program would become ''Championship Wrestling'' and use the same set as the Crockett-era ''World Championship Wrestling'' Saturday evening program.

=Superstars in Supertowns (February 7, 1987)

= The February 7, 1987, edition of ''NWA World Championship Wrestling'' was a special called ''Superstars in Supertowns''. It promoted the return of Magnum T. A. (who was forced to retire due to a near fatal car accident in October 1986) and opened up with a first-person view of a car driving on the road.

Tony Schiavone Noah Anthony Schiavone (, ; born November 7, 1957) is an American sports announcer, professional wrestling commentator and podcaster currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a play-by-play commentator and senior producer. He has pr ...

and

David Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Re ...

, dressed in tuxedos, hosted the show which showed different matches from cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. The opening contest was

Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...

vs.

Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by the ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a ...

from the Philadelphia Civic Center.

=November 5, 1988

= The November 5, 1988, edition of ''NWA World Championship Wrestling'' began with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair cutting a promo and pointing out a large group of Turner executives in the crowd. This was a subtle nod to Turner Broadcasting purchasing the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions. This program launched the WCW brand under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance, initially designed as a mutually beneficial arrangement, but ultimately one that proved divisive. On this first program, the

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

–

Paul E. Dangerously Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight ...

feud took center stage as their dueling versions of the well-known tag team Midnight Express commenced an intense feud that would last until the following February.

''WCW Saturday Night'' (1992–2000)

''World Championship Wrestling'' would be renamed ''WCW Saturday Night'' on April 4, 1992. This reflected an overhauled look and a new home studio-arena at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta with some footage from matches in Columbus, Georgia. The show was presented in a "neon" style, with a blue and pink color scheme. Neon signs displayed the show's logo, and the wrestlers entered through a silver mylar curtain. The show was given a new look again in March 1994, with a futuristic design with a unique entry way of slide-open doors and billowing smoke as the performers made their way to the ring. When the show originally premiered, it was hosted by

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator, analyst, and senior advisor. Ross is best known for a long and distinguished career a ...

and

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

Bruno Sammartino Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino (October 6, 1935 – April 18, 2018) was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavy ...

also appeared sporadically as a guest color commentator during certain weeks in 1992. Tony Schiavone took over the hosting duties following Ross' departure for the WWF in 1993 and remained until 1998.

Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federati ...

would replace Ventura after joining WCW in the beginning of 1994.

Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...

, who affectionately referred to ''Saturday Night'' as "The Mothership", replaced him in 1995 and continued until January 1998. Rhodes and Schiavone were removed from the broadcast so Schiavone could focus on his other broadcasting duties and Rhodes could take a managerial role after having turned heel, joining the New World Order. They were replaced by Scott Hudson and Mike Tenay, who was later replaced with

Larry Zbyszko Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his w ...

. Gene Okerlund often handled interviews after he joined WCW in 1993, as did Tenay, Schiavone, and Lee Marshall. In the summer of 1996, ''WCW Saturday Night'' was taped at '' WCW Pros Disney–MGM Studios set in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

due to all of Turner's mobile production units being used by other broadcasters for the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Live episodes

Episodes of ''WCW Saturday Night'' were usually filmed well in advance, with the exception of three live editions. The first one aired on July 9, 1994.

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

wrestled

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

as voted on by fans.

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

made his first in-studio appearance, and he and Sting were attacked by Sherri Martel. The second aired from downtown

, on May 27, 1995. It started raining halfway through the outdoor show, causing the ring mat to become slippery at times. The third live airing, again outdoors, took place on August 10, 1996, from the

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the surrounding Black Hills region of the United States. It began in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts a ...

in Sturgis, South Dakota. The show took place right before the Hog Wild

event, which was held on a Saturday night instead of the usual Sunday night slot for WCW pay-per-views. Hence, ''WCW Saturday Night'' was used as a lead-in to the pay-per-view show, much like '' WCW Main Event'' was used as a lead-in for Sunday pay-per-views until 1996.

Decline and end (1998–2000)

When WCW introduced the live program ''

Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...

'' on TNT in September 1995, the pre-taped ''Saturday Night'' became secondary in importance. When ''

Thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

'' premiered in January 1998, ''Saturday Night'' became WCW's third-tier program. The majority of airtime would be used to display up-and-comers and recent graduates of the WCW Power Plant (with the occasional

squash match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

) as well as recapping the major events of the other shows. The main event would often feature mid-card performers such as the current Cruiserweight Champion, Television Champion, or U.S. Heavyweight Champion in a non-title match. Hudson, Tenay, and Marshall manned commentating and locker room interviewing duties throughout this period. Backstage, "Mean Gene" Okerlund would regularly promote his WCW Hotline which provided fans with insider information on recent events in the company.Zimmerman, Christopher Robi
1998 IN QUOTES
SlashWrestling.com. Retrieved on 3-12-11. On April 1, 2000, ''WCW Saturday Night'' aired its final episode under its traditional format; one week later, it became a recap show and no longer featured exclusive matches. On July 1, 2000, the show was re-titled ''WCW Saturday Morning'' and moved from its established evening timeslot to a late morning timeslot. The show was canceled one month later as a result of low viewership. The last episode aired on August 19, 2000, seven months before WCW was bought out by the WWF and closed its doors entirely.

Title changes

Throughout the years, WCW Saturday Night has had numerous title changes. * Rick Rude and Manny Fernandez defeated

The Rock 'n' Roll Express The Rock 'n' Roll Express is a professional wrestling tag team consisting of professional wrestlers Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton. The duo began teaming together in Memphis in the early 1980s, followed by Mid-South Wrestling (later to be known ...

(

Ricky Morton Richard Wendell Morton (born September 21, 1956) is an American professional wrestler, currently performing on the independent circuit. He is the current GCW Television Champion, after pinning Matt Cardona at GCW Say You Will. For most of his care ...

and Robert Gibson) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (December 6, 1986) * Dick Murdoch and

Ivan Koloff Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff. He was the third wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship. Early life Perras was ...

defeated Ron Garvin and

to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on March 14, 1987 (live show) * The Midnight Express (

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managem ...

and

Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...

) defeated Ron Garvin and

in a tournament final to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on May 16, 1987 (live show) *

The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Robert "Rick Steiner" Rechsteiner and Scott "Scott Steiner" Rechsteiner. The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Michigan. The team ma ...

( Rick Steiner and

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championshi ...

) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (

Jimmy Garvin James Williams (born September 25, 1952) is an United States of America, American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Gorgeous Jimmy" Garvin and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin. A member of The Fabulous Freeb ...

and Michael Hayes) to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship on November 18, 1989 (taped November 1, 1989) * Tom Zenk defeated

to win the NWA World Television Championship on December 29, 1990 (taped December 4, 1990) *The Patriots ( Todd Champion and Firebreaker Chip) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (

and Michael Hayes) to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship on September 7, 1991 (taped August 12, 1991) *

Greg Valentine Jonathan Anthony Wisniski (born September 20, 1951) is a retired American professional wrestler, better known as Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. He is the son of wrestler Johnny Valentine. Over five decades, Valentine held more than 40 championships ...

and Terry Taylor defeated

Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...

and Big Josh to win the WCW United States Tag Team Championship on February 29, 1992 (taped February 17, 1992) *

defeated Steve Austin in a two out of three falls match to win the WCW World Television Championship on May 9, 1992 (taped April 27, 1992) * Dustin Rhodes and

defeated Steve Williams and Terry Gordy to win the NWA and WCW World Tag Team Championships on October 3, 1992 (taped September 21, 1992) * Dustin Rhodes defeated

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

in a tournament final to win the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on January 16, 1993 (taped January 11, 1993) * Dustin Rhodes defeated Rick Rude in the final match of the best-of-three series for the vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on September 11, 1993 (taped August 30, 1993) *

2 Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name 2 Cold Scorpio (sometimes spelled Too Cold Scorpio). He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extrem ...

and

Marcus Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a fiv ...

defeated The Nasty Boys ( Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on October 23, 1993 (taped October 4, 1993) *

defeated

in a Spring Stampede rematch to regain the held-up WCW World Heavyweight Championship on May 14, 1994 (taped April 21, 1994) *

defeated Lord Steven Regal to win the WCW World Television Championship on May 28, 1994 (taped May 2, 1994) * Harlem Heat (

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...

and Stevie Ray) defeated Stars and Stripes ( The Patriot and

Marcus Alexander Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a fi ...

) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on January 14, 1995 (taped December 8, 1994) *

Dick Slater Richard Van Slater (May 19, 1951 – October 18, 2018) better known by his ring name "Dirty" Dick Slater, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid-1990s for various promotions including Mid-Atlantic Champio ...

and

Bunkhouse Buck James "Jimmy" Golden (born August 1, 1950) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bunkhouse Buck. He also appeared in WWE as Jack Swagger Sr. A member o ...

defeated Harlem Heat (

and Stevie Ray) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on July 22, 1995 (taped June 21, 1995) * Harlem Heat (

and Stevie Ray) defeated

The American Males The American Males were a professional wrestling tag team in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) composed of Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs. Their gimmick was of two "pretty boys" who were fond of their own bodies and popular with women. Riggs w ...

(

and

Scotty Riggs Scott Antol (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1993 to 1999 under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Riggs. Antol is also known for his app ...

) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on October 28, 1995 (taped September 27, 1995) *

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

defeated Johnny B. Badd to win the WCW World Television Championship on March 9, 1996 (taped March 6, 1996) * Lord Steven Regal defeated

to win the WCW World Television Championship on August 31, 1996 (taped August 20, 1996) * Harlem Heat (

and Stevie Ray) defeated

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

(

Rocco Rock Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Champion ...

and Johnny Grunge) to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on October 5, 1996 (taped October 1, 1996) *

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...

defeated

Alex Wright Alexander Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German former professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He remained a pro ...

to win the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship on August 16, 1997 (taped August 12, 1997)

References

External links

*
Televised Wrestling History Timeline
* ttp://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/75165/The-Importance-of...5.11.08:-WCW-Saturday-Night--.htm The Importance of...5.11.08: WCW Saturday Night {{DEFAULTSORT:Wcw Saturday Night 1972 American television series debuts 1980s American television series 1990s American television series 2000 American television series endings Jim Crockett Promotions shows Saturday mass media TBS (American TV channel) original programming Television shows filmed in Atlanta Saturday Night