''WCW Pro'' is an American televised wrestling show that was presented by

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 ...

(WCW). Along with ''

WCW WorldWide ''WCW WorldWide'' is an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, unin ...

'', it was part of the

WCW Disney tapings The WCW Disney tapings were a series of television tapings of professional wrestling matches conducted by the now defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW) at the Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ...

. The rights to ''WCW Pro'' now belong to

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, ...

and 161 episodes of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling are available for streaming on

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

in the United States and the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...

in international markets.

History

''Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling'' (1958–1986)

''WCW Pro'' started off as ''Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling'', one of two weekly syndicated wrestling programs presented by

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions, at times branded as Eastern States Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is a Family business, family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United Sta ...

(the other was ''World Wide Wrestling'', which in its final form was named ''

''). It started airing in 1958.

''NWA Pro Wrestling''/''WCW Pro Wrestling'' (1986–1994)

After the merger of JCP and

Georgia Championship Wrestling Georgia Championship Wrestling is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The promotion was affiliated with what had been the world's top sanctioning body of championship titles for decades b ...

, in 1986 the show was renamed ''NWA Pro Wrestling''. It was later renamed ''WCW Pro Wrestling'' in December 1990 after

Turner Broadcasting Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its ass ...

bought JCP in 1988.

New York and Chicago editions (1990–1993)

In 1990, a hybrid edition of ''WCW Pro Wrestling'' began airing over

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local market ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

WGN-TV WGN-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is sister station, sister to the company ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

; these two shows featured the same matches as the national version, but with wraparound segments localized for the specific markets inserted.

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...

and Paul E. Dangerously hosted WPIX's ''WCW Pro New York''. In late-September 1991, the New York version moved to

WCBS-TV WCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–lic ...

where the show aired in a late-night Saturday slot. However, after only a few weeks, the local version was dropped and WCBS-TV replaced it with the national version of the show. In April 1992, ''WCW Pro'' was replaced in New York altogether by ''WCW WorldWide'' (the show that ''WCW Pro New York'' replaced two years earlier on WPIX), which stayed on WCBS-TV for the next five years.

WPXN-TV WPXN-TV (channel 31) is a television station in New York City, serving as the local Ion Television outlet. Owned and operated by the Ion Media subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company, the station maintains offices on Seventh Avenue in Midtown ...

later picked up ''WCW Pro'' for its lineup, airing the show from 1996 until its cancellation. ''WCW Pro Chicago'' was hosted by

Tony Schiavone Noah Anthony Schiavone ( ; born November 7, 1957) is an American sports announcer, professional wrestling commentator and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he serves as the play-by-play commentator for ''Collision'', ...

and veteran WGN sports broadcaster

Jack Brickhouse John Beasley Brickhouse (January 24, 1916 – August 6, 1998) was an American sportscaster. Known primarily for his play-by-play coverage of Chicago Cubs games on WGN-TV from 1948 to 1981, he received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball H ...

. This show was also simulcast on WGN's national feed. Sometime in 1991, Brickhouse would leave commentary on the Chicago version to host his own segment on the program, "Brickhouse Bonus", and

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 ...

took over Jack's old spot on commentary. ''WCW Pro Chicago'' would last until 1993.

''WCW Pro'' (1994–1998)

In 1994 the show, now available on very few local stations, was added to TBS on Saturday mornings in place of WCW's ill-fated ''

WCW Power Hour ''WCW Power Hour'' (originally ''NWA Power Hour'') was the original Friday-night wrestling show for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), airing on TBS from June 23, 1989 to March 5, 1994. Unlike most television (and wrestling) shows that starte ...

'' on March 12, 1994. Some stations continued to air it in syndication, however. The show title also was shortened to simply ''WCW Pro''. In November 1995, WCW started taping ''WCW Pro'' at the Disney/MGM Studios (and later at

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

). Starting August 25, 1996, the show moved from its established TBS timeslot of Saturday morning at 9:05am EST to Sunday afternoons at 5:05pm EST, where it remained until it was canceled by TBS and replaced by ''

WCW Thunder ''WCW Thunder'', or simply ''Thunder'', is an American professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 to March 21, 2001. The popularity of WCW in 1996 and 1997 allowed for t ...

'' in January 1998. Shortly afterwards the now syndication-only ''WCW Pro'' became a weekly highlights and recap show with one or two exclusive matches a week. Scott Hudson and

hosted the in-studio segments while Lee Marshall and

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 ...

called the matches. TBS would continue to air ''

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 ...

'' and '' Saturday Night''. In late September 1998, ''WCW Pro'' was canceled.

Title changes

''WCW Pro'' had a few title changes. *

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 ...

defeated

Jack Brisco Freddie Joe "Jack" Brisco (September 21, 1941 – February 1, 2010) was an American amateur wrestler and professional wrestler. As an amateur for Oklahoma State, Brisco was two-time All-American and won the NCAA Division I national championship ...

to win the

NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship The NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship, originally known as the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship, was a professional wrestling championship promoted in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), a territory- promotion governed by the Nation ...

on July 7, 1982 * Paul Jones defeated

to win the

on September 1, 1982 *

Ron Garvin Roger Barnes (born March 30, 1945) is a Canadian former professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions, Mid-Atlantic Champi ...

and

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 the World Wrestling Federation (W ...

defeated Krusher Khrushchev 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, where he was billed from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ...

to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship on December 13, 1986 (taped December 9, 1986) *

The Steiner Brothers The Steiner Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Rick Steiner (real name Robert Rechsteiner) and Scott Steiner (real name Scott Rechsteiner). The brothers wrestled as amateurs at the University of Mich ...

(

Rick Steiner Robert Rechsteiner (born March 9, 1961) is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Rick Steiner. Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he wa ...

and

Scott Steiner Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler. Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and has also wrestled for Jim Crockett ...

) defeated

The Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

(

Jimmy Garvin James Williams (born September 25, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy Garvin. A member of the Fabulous Freebirds, Garvin is best known for his appearances with promotions including the America ...

and Michael Hayes) to win the

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...

on March 9, 1991 (taped February 18, 1991).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wcw Pro Jim Crockett Promotions shows

Pro Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof might also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African ret ...

TBS (American TV channel) original programming 1950s American sports television series 1960s American sports television series 1970s American sports television series 1980s American sports television series 1990s American sports television series 1958 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings First-run syndicated television programs in the United States