NWA Shockwave (NWA-SW, formerly known as CyberSpace Wrestling Federation and NWA: Cyberspace) was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

that was founded by Billy Firehawk in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 2001, and later relocated to

Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New ...

. It was the earliest promotion to bring in major stars to

Central New Jersey Central Jersey, or Central New Jersey, is the middle region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation Central Jersey is a distinct administrative division, administrative toponymy, toponym. While New Jersey is often divided into North Je ...

, many being seen in live events for the first time, and attracted a loyal following for its traditional "

family friendly Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety ...

" style of wrestling. It was the single major promotion of this type to run New Jersey, other rival promotions favoring hardcore-style wrestling, and was at one time considered the top promotion in the region along with

Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surit ...

. The company was known for its early use of the internet to promote itself, and was the earliest known wrestling organization to broadcast its events on a regular webcast; their show, "Shockwave TV", aired on ITV until 2005. After Firehawk's death in 2006, control of the company fell to Derek Gordon, who ran the company until its close the following year. The promotion had a working relationship with

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

, helped by Firehawk's friendship with

Mike Tenay Michael William Tenay (born March 1, 1955) is an American podcast presenter and retired professional wrestling play-by-play announcer known for his time as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. T ...

, which allowed it to feature TNA stars, storylines and sanction title defenses of the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...

. Among the number of then current and future stars who spent time in the promotion included

Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time X ...

, A.J. Styles, Michael Shane,

Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...

, C.M. Punk,

D'Lo Brown Accie Julius Connor (born October 22, 1973), better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown (also formatted as D-Lo Brown), is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to TNA Wrestling, where he works as a producer. He is best known for his t ...

Julio Dinero Brian Wohl (born April 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known for his ring name Julio Dinero. Professional wrestling career Wohl debuted in 1994 after training at the Baltimore Wrestling Factory under Axl Rotten a ...

Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a Glossary of professional wrestling terms#agent, producer and Glossary of professional wrestling terms#manage ...

, Kip James,

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

Ron Killings Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under his real name, stylized as Ron Killings and R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenures in Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrest ...

Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (professional wrestling), producer and was formerly an in-ring performer. Roode is known ...

Shark Boy Dean Matthew Roll (born January 28, 1975) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Shark Boy. Prior to his appearances in TNA, Roll competed on the independe ...

Elix Skipper Elix Skipper (born December 15, 1967) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time WCW Cruiserweight Tag ...

Petey Williams Peter Williams III (born August 26, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a backstage producer. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling, where he is a two-time X Division Champion. He is also known for hi ...

America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Entertainment#Fox Alternative Entertainment, Fox Alternative Entertain ...

( Chris Harris &

James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...

The Naturals The Naturals were a professional wrestling tag team made up of Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens. They are best known for their work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are former three-time NWA World Tag Team Champions. History ...

(Andy Douglas &

Chase Stevens Chase Bradley Stevens (born January 17, 1979) is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name of "The Natural" Chase Stevens. He is known primarily for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he was a member ...

) and The S.A.T. (Jose & Joel Maximo).McCaffrey, Sean. "The Third Annual DOI 250." ''DeclarationofIndependents.net''. N.p., 2005. Web. 30 May 2010. Many former stars from

Extreme Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

and

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (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 National W ...

also appeared for the promotion;

Chris Candido Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with professional wrestling promotion, promotions such as World Championship ...

and

Tammy Lynn Sytch Tamara Lynn Sytch (born December 7, 1972), commonly known by her ring name Sunny, is an American former professional wrestling personality. Sytch was introduced to the professional industry by her longtime boyfriend Chris Candido, and debuted i ...

Danny Doring Daniel Morrison (born February 19, 1974) is an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Danny Doring. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championsh ...

Chris Hamrick Christopher Hamrick (born October 21, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in ECW, though he is also known for his appearances in WWE, TNA and throughout the independent circuit. Professional wrestling car ...

, E. Z. Money,

Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. Lynn has worked for professional wrestling promotion, promotions ...

Rodney Mack Rodney Begnaud (born October 12, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name Rodney Mack. He is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he performs under the ring name Damage ...

and

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

from ECW and

Crowbar A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially gooseneck, or pig bar, or in Australia a jemmy, is a lever consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flat ...

Kanyon The Poseidon (, "Poseidon", GRAU index 2M39, NATO reporting name Kanyon), previously known by Russian codename Status-6 (), is an autonomous, nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle reportedly in production by Rubin Design Bureau, capable ...

Diamond Dallas Page } Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), is an American fitness instructor, actor, and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract, under the ring name Di ...

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and gridiron football player. He is best known for his work with Jim Crocke ...

and

Vince Russo Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling writer, booker and pundit. He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...

from WCW. Both Tammy Lynn Sytch and Vince Russo "

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

" at NWA Cyberspace shows. Several independent wrestlers also competed in the promotion during their early careers such as

Gran Akuma Gran Akuma (born December 20, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in Chikara. He has also worked for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Dragon Gate USA and Full Impact Pro (FIP). In Chikara, he was a member of ...

Slyck Wagner Brown Wagner Brown (born September 5, 1979) is a Jamaican born Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, SWB or Slyck Wagner Brown. Brown currently wrestles on the Independent circuit in the Northeastern United State ...

, Mike Kruel, The Smoke, "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers, Rob Eckos and Xavier. Chikara's

Mike Quackenbush Michael Spillane (born March 18, 1976) is an American podcaster, author, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, Promoter (entertainment), professional wrestling promoter, and semi-retired professional wre ...

and

World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) was a Florida-based independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American S ...

's The Hungarian Barbarian and Mana the Polynesian Warrior were also regulars. Brown has claimed that NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave was his favorite promotion to work for. Upon joining the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

in 2005, the promotion became known as NWA: Cyberspace and then NWA Shockwave. It was affiliated with several other regional NWA promotions in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

, specifically NWA New Jersey/New York, NWA North Jersey and NWA Upstate, as well as having a working relationship with

Mikey Whipwreck John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he was an ECW Triple C ...

's New York Wrestling Connection. Several of his students wrestled in the promotion Ken Scampi, Mike Spinelli, Mason Raige, Quiet Storm, Tara Charisma and

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

. The promotion boasted an impressive roster of female wrestlers as well. Among them included Alexis Laree,

April Hunter April Hunter (born September 24, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, boxer, actress, writer, fitness model and glamour model. She has appeared in publications including ''MuscleMag International ...

Tracy Brooks Tracy Brookshaw (born May 22, 1975) is a Canadian former professional wrestler, wrestling valet and referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she spent most ...

Cindy Rogers Cindy may refer to: People *Cindy (given name), a list of people named Cindy, Cindi, Cyndi or Cyndy *Tugiyati Cindy (born 1985), Indonesian footballer *Cindy (singer), Japanese singer Music * ''Cindy'' (musical), an off-Broadway production in 1 ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, Lacey,

Nikki Roxx Nicole Raczynski (born April 19, 1979) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring names Roxxi Laveaux, The Voodoo Queen, and Roxxi. She is also known for her time ...

, O.D.B, Serena,

Sumie Sakai is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. She is best known for her extensive tenure in Ring of Honor (ROH), where she was the inaugural and longest reigning Women of Honor Champion. Early life As a young w ...

Talia Madison Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and the NWA under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former two-time ...

and managers Alere Little Feather and

Jade Chung Jennifer Chung (born November 6, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, ring announcer, and model (person), model. She worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), as a ring announcer under the ring name Jad ...

Jasmin St. Claire Jasmin St. Claire (born October 23, 1970) is an American former pornographic actress. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW. She has made appearances in the world of professional wrestling ...

, former co-owner of Pro Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW) with then boyfriend

The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...

, also served as its commissioner until its close.

History

CyberSpace Wrestling Federation

Billy Firehawk, a semi-retired Canadian-born wrestler, founded the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation in

in 2001. His wife Daisy was the principal owner of the promotion while Firehawk took care of the general running of the company.McCaffrey, Sean. "Interview with Billy "Big Poppa" Firehawk." ''DeclarationofIndependents.net''. N.p., Apr. 2004. Web. 30 May 2010. Booking duties and talent scouting went to David Levy, who was also a wrestler on the roster. Firehawk and David Levy put together the foundation & groundwork for what the CSWF & NWA Cyberspace would become. In October 2002, Firehawk began promoting wrestling shows in

and, on October 19, the promotion crowned its first heavyweight champion when Smokey M defeated

, Kidd USA and Sinister X in a 4 Way Dance at its at "Halloween Horror '02" show in

Flemington, New Jersey Flemington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Brian Fury,

Don Montoya Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...

and

. Three months later at "Legendary Breakout", the heavyweight title was unified with the USWF Heavyweight Championship after the New York-based United States Wrestling Federation folded. Firehawk and many other mainstays had previously competed in the USWF during the last decade. Firehawk was able to bring in stars from

following its close the previous year, due in part to his friendship with WCW announcer

, as well as from

. David Levy scouted and brought in top indy taent to mix with the established veterans. Some would even go on to WWE careers like Matt Striker, Antonio Thomas, Mickie James, and others. During its five-year existence, TNA's

, Chris Harris,

and

would all hold the heavyweight title while

( Chris Harris &

), the United Nations (

Prince Nana Nana Osei Bandoh (born August 1, 1979), better known by his ring name, Prince Nana, is an American professional wrestling manager and former professional wrestler of Ghanaian descent. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves a ...

) and The S.A.T. (Jose & Joel Maximo) held the tag team titles. For many of these wrestlers, it was the first time they would appear in live events in New Jersey. The promotion's skillful utilization of the internet to promote itself soon made the CSWF one of the most visible on the East Coast. In early-2003, the promotion established a women's division and brought in many of the top female wrestlers on the indy circuit at the time. On January 25, Alexis Laree defeated Serena and

in a 3 Way Dance at Flemington's HealthQuest of Hunterdon to become the first CSWF Women's Champion. Also on the card included former

wrestlers

and E. Z. Money, and independent wrestlers Mike Quackenbush,

and

Slyk Wagner Brown Wagner Brown (born September 5, 1979) is a Jamaican born professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, SWB or Slyck Wagner Brown. Brown currently wrestles on the Independent circuit in the Northeastern United States. Additionally, SWB wa ...

. These were eventually followed by

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki *, a Russian film directed by Yevgeni Kotov * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', a 1989 and 1991 ...

, Lacey,

, O.D.B,

and

. On July 12, Laree walked out during a CSWF show in Rahway before a match against Simply Luscious. She subsequently left the promotion over a contract dispute and the title remained vacant for two months before being won by

on September 13. Like Laree, Trinity also left the promotion and publicly criticized Firehawk while a guest on the Masked Maniac Hotline. Following the debut of

, a former WWE Women's Champion, she and April Hunter would feud over the promotion's women's title over a year later.McCaffrey, Sean. "2nd Interview with Billy "Big Poppa" Firehawk." ''DeclarationofIndependents.net''. N.p., Mar. 2005. Web. 30 May 2010. Firehawk's relationship with TNA allowed the promotion to not only use TNA wrestlers but also have some of its storylines be played out in the CSWF such as the continuation of the feud between Triple X and

. It also sanctioned title defences of the

TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won ...

. On the July 12th show in Rahway, Mike Tenay and Crowbar were in Ron Killings' corner when he took on

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

. Tenay would eventually become a "heel" manager and de facto leader of the growing TNA faction within the promotion. By the end of the year,

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 (professional wrestling), feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during ...

, D-Lo Brown,

, Michael Shane and America's Most Wanted ( Chris Harris &

) were also competing for the CSWF. The high costs of running shows with such high-profile stars, however, took its toll on the company during its first year. Among the more serious issues were that the small crowds they were bringing in were not enough to justify running highly expensive shows as was Firehawk's tendency to overpay its talent. On April 24, 2004, the CSWF ran against rival promotions Jersey All Pro and Jersey City Wrestling in

. The main event was a rare interpromotional match between TNA's Ron Killings and

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/ World Wrestling Entertainm ...

for the CSWF Heavyweight Championship as well as appearances by Mike Tenay and

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

. JAPW's show featured Vader and

Mike Awesome Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

while JCW had

Kamala Kamala may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kamala (name) — lists people and characters with the surname or given name ** Kamala Harris, 49th Vice President of the United States and 2024 Democratic Party presidential nominee * Kamala ...

and

Bam Bam Bigelow Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close-to-400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned mo ...

and

, both ex-WCW stars, headlined another show in Wayne on August 28. On October 30, 2004,

appeared as leader of "Team TNA" and fired Julio Dinero and Miss Michelle from the group. He also threatened to fire Crowbar if he lost his match against Abyss which he did.

also wrestled on the show, defeating Danny Jaxx, and later brawled with Ron Killings following his match with Matt Striker. Luger cut a bizarre promo on "Shockwave TV" in which he delivered a rant against both Killings and Firehawk prior to his appearance at the upcoming "Superbrawl Saturday" show. This interview has become widely popular on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

and social networking sites such as

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

and

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

. Luger was scheduled wrestle in a 6-man tag team match with The Youngbludz (Matt Striker and Nick Berk) against Ron Killings & America's Most Wanted at CSWF's "Fatal Attraction" on January 8, 2005, however, he suffered a back injury in preparation for his match and was instead replaced by then

NWA World Heavyweight Champion The NWA World's Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world heavyweight championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professiona ...

. Sonjay Dutt won the NWA Cyberspace Cruiser-X Championship from Grim Reefer via forfeit. The event also marked the final appearance of Vince Russo, who announced his retirement from the wrestling industry. Jarrett also filled in for Luger in his bout against Ron Killings at "Superbrawl Saturday III" a month later.

NWA: Cyberspace

On that same day, during "Superbrawl Saturday III", Billy Firehawk announced that the promotion had officially joined the

and was being renamed NWA: Cyberspace. The previous year, Firehawk had been approached by NWA President Bill Behrens about becoming an NWA affiliate. Although they ran shows in New Jersey, the promotion was still officially based in New York and were not allowed to join under the organization's rules. Behrens then helped Firehawk acquire the rights to use the NWA New Jersey name from promoter Fred Rubenstein. This caused some controversy with Gino Moore and Joe Panzarino, two other promoters who also claimed ownership of NWA New Jersey, and resulted in Moore suing Rubenstein in court. Rubenstein would eventually join the promotion, appearing on camera as a referee, and later became its chief operating officer. By this time, the promotion was arguably considered one of the two top promotions in the New Jersey area, the other being

. In March, Josh Daniels defeated Mike Tobin to win the NWA Cyberspace Internet Title in Wayne, New Jersey.

wrestled his final match in NWA Cyberspace before going to

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

. After a near lengthy revamping of their website, the CSWF began broadcasting full events via its "Shockwave TV" webcast on March 25, 2005. A day later, it held another major show which saw Slyck Wagner Brown defended the NWA CyberSpace Championship against the former champion Ron Killings,

and Mana the Polynesian Warrior in a dog collar match and a match between Triple X and America's Most Wanted. Jarrett would continue to defend his NWA title in the promotion, including "champion vs. champion" bouts against then CSWF Heavyweight Champion Slyk Wagner Brown, until losing the title in TNA to A.J. Styles on April 21. Nine days later, Jarrett defeated Slyk Wagner Brown for the CSWF Heavyweight title at "Retribution" on April 30. Despite losing the title, Brown continued to be one of the top stars in the promotion over the next year. Other stars who wrestled for NWA Cyberspace that year included Mike Kruel,

and

. However, the promotion was a subject of controversy throughout much of 2005 and early-2006. Many of these originated with Frank Goodman, a rival New Jersey promoter, and his Masked Maniac Hotline. Firehawk's on-screen role in the company was openly criticized as were his promotion's questionable business decisions and practices. Former Women's Champion Talia had criticized the promotion as a guest the previous year, and a falling out with former employees Dave Levy and Eric Nyenhuis resulted in them speaking out against the company as well. As a guest on the Masked Maniac Hotline, Nyenhuis claimed that Firehawk had physically threatened him and, on one occasion, told him he was "going to cut his fucking legs off" prior to his firing. NWA Cyberspace's relationship with TNA was supposedly threatened due to difficulties with Jeff Jarrett and Jeremy Borash after booker Derek Gordon was alleged to have written storylines conflicting with TNA angles. Jarrett supposedly received a bounced check from Firehawk as well. There were also claims of "scaling back" on big name talent and that the promotion was losing around $10,000 a show.McCaffrey, Sean. "3rd Interview with Billy "Big Poppa" Firehawk." ''DeclarationofIndependents.net''. N.p., Mar. 2006. Web. 30 May 2010. In spite of this, the promotion held its most successful show that year when over 400 fans attended "Superbrawl Saturday IV" in

Kearny, New Jersey Kearny ( ) is a town in the western part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a suburb of Newark. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 41,999, an increase of 1,315 (+3.2%) from the 2010 census cou ...

, on January 21, 2006. A minor disturbance occurred at the show when Wayne Ploghofft, an employee of National Wrestling Superstars, was accused of attempting to take away objects he deemed as "weapons" from fans waiting to enter the building and forcibly eject others from attending the show. When Firehawk and other officials heard what was happening, Firehawk left the building with security members to confront Ploghofft but found he had left before their arrival. In early-2006, the promotion also began to co-promote events with

's New York City Wrestling Connection. In March,

won the NWA Cyberspace Internet Championship from Josh Daniels at one of these shows in

Deer Park, New York Deer Park is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Babylon, in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was listed as 28,837 at the time of the 2020 census. History Deer Park is located in ...

. Several of Whipwreck's students, including Ken Scampi, Mike Spinelli, Mason Raige, Quiet Storm, Tara Charisma and

, had been regulars in the promotion since its early years. On March 26, 2006, the promotion held its "Disturbing The Peace" supercard at the former home arena of Jersey City Wrestling, the Boys & Girls Club, in

Garfield, New Jersey Garfield is a city in Bergen County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 32,655, an increase of 2,168 (+7.1%) from the 2010 census count of 30,487, which in turn reflected an increas ...

. The May 21st edition of "Shockwave TV" in Flemington saw Tammy Lynn Sytch forced to leave the promotion when Kip James lost a "Loser's Manager Retires" match to Rhino with manager John Shane.

NWA Shockwave

NWA Cyberspace changed its name to NWA Shockwave on June 6, 2006, to reflect its Internet show, the aforementioned "Shockwave TV." Less than six weeks later, Billy Firehawk died on July 17, 2006, due to complications stemming from diabetes. He was 40 years old. Following the death of Firehawk, principle management of the federation was given to Derek Gordon, the former WCW producer and director of operations of NWA Shockwave. Gordon had been usually credited for the content driven plotlines of the federation over the year. The promotion went on a brief hiatus that summer. Upon its return, it promised new and unique storylines as well as bringing in fresh talent from other NWA affiliates in the United States and the United Kingdom. At the end of the year, The S.A.T.'s left the promotion and took the titles with them to

Tod Gordon Tod Gordon (born June 19, 1955, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American businessman. Gordon is the president of Carver W. Reed Co. Inc, a Philadelphia jewelry store and loan office that was established in 1860. He is also the founder of de ...

's Pro Wrestling Unplugged.McCaffrey, Sean. "NWA Officer Fred Rubenstein Comments On the NWA Shockwave Tag Team Titles Story." ''DeclarationofIndependents.net''. N.p., November. 2006. Web. 30 May 2010. Stripped of the championship, the belts were discontinued when the promotion went on a brief hiatus starting on December 1, 2006. The Cruiser X and Women's titles were similarly scrapped. On January 13, 2007, Gordon held "NWA Shockwave: A New Beginning" at the sold-out Elks Lodge in

Boonton, New Jersey Boonton () is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline o ...

. Serving as a memorial show for Firehawk, the show brought back regulars such as Mike Tobin, Bobby Fish, Rob Eckos, Ken Scampi, Cindy Rogers and others. Havok won a Gauntlet Match defeating Devon Storm, Sinister X, Paul E. Normous, Boogalu Washington, Cindy Rogers and Slyk Wagner Brown to win the vacant NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship. Papadon beat Grim Reefer, Mike Tobin and Josh Daniels in a 4 Way Dance for the NWA Shockwave Internet title. Four months later, it was announced that NWA Shockwave and NWA Pro East would co-promote the NWA's first national television taping on the East Coast to be held at the Italian-American Family Association in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area.L ...

, on April 28. The show featured Crowbar, Damian Dragon, the Devil's Rejects (Paul E Normus & Sinister X) and NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Champion Havoc. Havoc and NWA Shockwave Internet Champion Pappadon defended their titles a May 5 NWA Pro East-Bodyslam Wrestling Organization show at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lodi. The promotion also signed an exclusive contract with the American Legion Hall to tour the Jersey Shore and included holding its inaugural “Beach Blanket Bodyslam” supercard. Havoc defended his heavyweight title on NWA Pro East cards for two months until losing the belt to Papadon in Clifton on June 2, 2007. The match was a 3 Way Dance involving then Internet Champion Josh Daniels and saw Papadon defeat each man in a best of three falls to win both titles. This was the last recorded title defence of the heavyweight championship and the promotion quietly closed down shortly afterwards.

Roster

Alumni

Cyber Babes

Championships

References

External links

CSWF.comCSWOL.comWrestling-Titles.com: N.W.A. CyberSpace / ShockwaveOnline World of Wrestling - NWA Cyberspace Results ArchiveCagematch.de - NWA Shockwave
{{Professional wrestling in the United States Entertainment companies established in 2001 Entertainment companies disestablished in 2007 American independent professional wrestling promotions based in New York (state) American independent professional wrestling promotions based in New Jersey National Wrestling Alliance members Defunct professional wrestling promotions