NWA Shockwave
Encyclopedia
NWA Shockwave was a professional wrestling
promotion
that was founded by Billy Firehawk in Staten Island
, New York
in 2001, and later relocated to Wayne, New Jersey
. It was the earliest promotion to bring in major stars to Central New Jersey, many being seen in live events for the first time, and attracted a loyal following for its traditional "family friendly" 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
.
The company was known for its early use of the internet to promote itself, most notably, for being 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
, helped by Firehawk's friendship with Mike Tenay
, which allowed it to feature TNA stars, storylines and sanction title defenses of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
. Among the number of then current and future stars who spent time in the promotion included Abyss, Amazing Red
, A.J. Styles
, Michael Shane
, Christopher Daniels
, C.M. Punk, D'Lo Brown
, Julio Dinero
, Sonjay Dutt
, Kip James
, Frankie Kazarian
, Jeff Jarrett
, Ron Killings
, Jay Lethal
, Bobby Roode, Shark Boy
, Elix Skipper
, Petey Williams
, America's Most Wanted
(Chris Harris
& James Storm
), The Naturals
(Andy Douglas
& Chase Stevens
) and The S.A.T.
(Jose & Joel Maximo).
Many former stars from Extreme Championship Wrestling
and World Championship Wrestling
also appeared for the promotion; Chris Candido
and Tammy Lynn Sytch
, Danny Doring
, Chris Hamrick
, E.Z. Money, Jerry Lynn
, Rodney Mack
and Rhino from ECW and Crowbar, Kanyon
, Diamond Dallas Page
, Lex Luger
and Vince Russo
from WCW. Both Tammy Lynn Sytch and Vince Russo "retired
" at NWA Cyberspace shows. Several independent wrestlers also competed in the promotion during their early careers such as Gran Akuma
, Slyck Wagner Brown, Mike Kruel
, The Smoke, "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers
, Rob Eckos
and Xavier. CHIKARA
's Mike Quackenbush and World Xtreme Wrestling
'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
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
, specifically NWA New Jersey/New York, NWA North Jersey and NWA Upstate, as well as having a working relationship with Mikey Whipwreck
'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 promotion boasted an impressive roster of female wrestlers as well. Among them included Alexis Laree
, April Hunter
, Tracy Brooks, Cindy Rogers
, Jazz
, Lacey
, Nikki Roxx, O.D.B, Serena
, Sumie Sakai
, Talia Madison
and managers Alere Little Feather and Jade Chung
. Jasmin St. Claire
, former co-owner of Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling
(3PW) with then boyfriend Brian Heffron
, also served as its commissioner until its close.
, New York
in 2001. His wife Daisy was the principal owner of the promotion while Firehawk took care of the general running of the company. In October 2002, he began promoting wrestling shows in Central New Jersey and, on October 19, the promotion crowned its first heavyweight champion when Smokey M defeated Danny Doring
, Kidd USA and Sinister X in a 4 Way Dance at its at "Halloween Horror '02" show in Flemington, New Jersey
; also appearing on the show were independent wrestlers Brian Fury, Don Montoya, Mike Quackenbush and Gran Akuma
. 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 World Championship Wrestling
following its close the previous year, due in part to his friendship with WCW announcer Mike Tenay
, as well as from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
. During its five-year existence, TNA's Ron Killings
, Jeff Jarrett
, Chris Harris
, Abyss and Bobby Roode would all hold the heavyweight title while America's Most Wanted
(Chris Harris
& James Storm
), the United Nations (Prince Nana
& Sonjay Dutt
) 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 April Hunter
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 Extreme Championship Wrestling
wrestlers Chris Hamrick
and EZ Money, and independent wrestlers Mike Quackenbush, Crowbar and Slyk Wagner Brown. These were eventually followed by Ariel
, Tracy Brooks, Cindy Rogers
, Lacey
, Nikki Roxx, O.D.B, Sumie Sakai
and Talia Madison
. 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 Trinity
on September 13. Like Laree, Trinity also let the promotion and publicly criticized Firehawk while a guest on the Masked Maniac Hotline. Following the debut of Jazz
, a former WWE Women's Champion, she and April Hunter would feud over the promotion's women's title over a year later.
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 America's Most Wanted
. It also sanctioned title defences of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
. On the July 12th show in Rahway, Mike Tenay and Crowbar were in Ron Killings' corner when he took on Homicide. Tenay would eventually become a "heel" manager and defacto leader of the growing TNA faction within the promotion. By the end of the year, Larry Zbyszko
, D-Lo Brown, Shark Boy
, Michael Shane
and America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris
& James Storm
) 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 Wayne, New Jersey
. The main event was a rare interpromotional match between TNA's Ron Killings and WWE
's Al Snow
for the CSWF Heavyweight Championship as well as appearances by Mike Tenay and Roddy Piper
. JAPW's show featured Vader and Mike Awesome
while JCW had Kamala
, Chris Candido
and Bam Bam Bigelow. Diamond Dallas Page
and Kanyon
, both ex-WCW stars, headlined another show in Wayne on August 28. On October 30, 2004, Vince Russo
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. Lex Luger
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
and social networking sites such as Facebook
and MySpace
.
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
Jeff Jarrett
. 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.
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 had acquired 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 Jersey All Pro Wrestling
. In March, Josh Daniels defeated Mike Tobin to win the NWA Cyberspace Internet Title in Wayne, New Jersey. Frankie Kazarian
wrestled his final match in NWA Cyberspace before going to World Wrestling Entertainment. 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, Abyss 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
, Rodney Mack
, Abyss and Petey Williams
.
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.
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
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, Ploghofft having no authorization to act on behalf of NWA Cyberspace, he 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 Mikey Whipwreck
's New York City Wrestling Connection. In March, Bobby Roode won the NWA Cyberspace Internet Championship from Josh Daniels at one of these shows in Deer Park, New York
. Several of Whipwreck's students, including Ken Scampi, Mike Spinelli, Mason Raige, Quiet Storm, Tara Charisma and Trinity
, 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
. 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.
At the end of the year, The S.A.T.'s left the promotion and took the titles with them to Tod Gordon
's Pro Wrestling Unplugged. Stripped of the championship, the belts were discontinued when the promotion when 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
. Serving as a memorial show 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. The show also served as a memorial show Firehawk.
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
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.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
that was founded by Billy Firehawk in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 2001, and later relocated to Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
. It was the earliest promotion to bring in major stars to Central New Jersey, many being seen in live events for the first time, and attracted a loyal following for its traditional "family friendly" style of wrestling. It was the single major promotion of this type to run New Jersey, other rival promotions favoring hardcore-style wrestling
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
, and was at one time considered the top promotion in the region along with Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
.
The company was known for its early use of the internet to promote itself, most notably, for being 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
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
, helped by Firehawk's friendship with Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
, which allowed it to feature TNA stars, storylines and sanction title defenses of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
. Among the number of then current and future stars who spent time in the promotion included Abyss, Amazing Red
Amazing Red
Jonathan Figueroa is a professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Amazing Red, or simply Red for short. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time X Division Champion, while also working on the American independent circuit...
, A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Michael Shane
Matt Bentley
Matthew James "Matt" Bentley is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by the ring name Michael Shane. He was trained by his cousin, former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Shawn Michaels, and he took the name Michael Shane as a play on...
, Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
, C.M. Punk, D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown
Accie Julius Connor better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown , is an American professional wrestler. Well known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, he is currently working as an agent for Impact Wrestling.Connor has held forty-eight championships in various promotions during...
, Julio Dinero
Brian Wohl
Brian Wohl is an American professional wrestler better known under his ring name Julio Dinero.-Career:Wohl debuted in 1994 after training at the Baltimore Wrestling Factory under Axl Rotten and Hack Myers...
, Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
, Kip James
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
, Frankie Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, Ron Killings
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
, Bobby Roode, Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...
, Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a four-time NWA World Tag Team...
, Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
, America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)
America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
(Chris Harris
Chris Harris (wrestler)
Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship...
& James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
), The Naturals
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 TNA, where they are multi-time former tag team champions.- History :...
(Andy Douglas
Andy Douglas
Andy Douglas is a retired American professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a member of The Naturals alongside his tag team partner Chase Stevens.-Career:...
& Chase Stevens
Chase Stevens
Chase Stevens is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a member of The Naturals alongside his tag team partner Andy Douglas.-Career:...
) and The S.A.T.
The S.A.T.
The S.A.T. are a professional wrestling tag team mostly seen in independent promotions that consists of brothers Jose Maximo and Joel Maximo who were both born in Brooklyn, New York...
(Jose & Joel Maximo).
Many former stars from Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
and World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
also appeared for the promotion; Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
and Tammy Lynn Sytch
Tammy Lynn Sytch
Tamara "Tammy" Lynn Sytch is an American professional wrestling manager, personality,and occasional wrestler. She achieved her greatest success under the ring name Sunny within the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, and is widely considered as one of the first Divas...
, Danny Doring
Danny Doring
Dan Morrison is an American wrestler better known as Danny Doring, most known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling, as the tag team partner of Roadkill...
, Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the early 2000s...
, E.Z. Money, Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Rodney Mack
Rodney Begnaud
Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack.-Debut :...
and Rhino from ECW and Crowbar, Kanyon
Chris Kanyon
Christopher Klucsarits was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon and Mortis.-Early career:After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby...
, Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
, Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
and Vince Russo
Vince Russo
Vincent James "Vince" Russo is an American creative writer and author, well known for his work in the professional wrestling industry. He is notable for his tenure with World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
from WCW. Both Tammy Lynn Sytch and Vince Russo "retired
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
" at NWA Cyberspace shows. Several independent wrestlers also competed in the promotion during their early careers such as Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma is a professional wrestler who currently works for Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, where he uses the ring name AKUMA. He has also worked for the Florida based Full Impact Pro. In Chikara, he was a member of the Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with...
, Slyck Wagner Brown, Mike Kruel
Mike Kruel
Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
, The Smoke, "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers
Justin McIsaac
Justin McIsaac is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, also known by his ring names "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers or Justin Shaype, who competes in independent promotions on the East Coast and Northeastern United States...
, Rob Eckos
Rob Strauss
Robert "Rob" Strauss is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Robbie E. He is the current TNA Television Champion and a former TNA X Division Champion...
and Xavier. CHIKARA
Chikara
Chikara may refer to:*力, , the Japanese word meaning power, capability, or influence* Chikara, a Shona word meaning "carnivore"* Chikara - A stringed instrument from India.*Chikara-mizu , a ritual at the beginning of a sumo match...
's Mike Quackenbush and World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling
World Xtreme Wrestling is a Northeastern-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and have toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam....
's The Hungarian Barbarian and Mana the Polynesian Warrior
Mana the Polynesian Warrior
Nikora Mana Tuhakaraina is a New Zealand professional wrestler, better known by his ringname Mana the Polynesian Warrior. He competes in North American independent promotions including Ballpark Brawl, Combat Zone Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, the National Wrestling...
were also regulars. Brown has claimed that NWA Cyberspace/Shockwave was his favorite promotion to work for.
Upon joining the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
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
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, specifically NWA New Jersey/New York, NWA North Jersey and NWA Upstate, as well as having a working relationship with Mikey Whipwreck
Mikey Whipwreck
John Watson , better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling where he became the third ECW Triple Crown Champion....
'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
Stephanie Finochio
Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
.
The promotion boasted an impressive roster of female wrestlers as well. Among them included Alexis Laree
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
, April Hunter
April Hunter
April Hunter is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model. She has appeared in many publications, from MuscleMag International to Playboy Magazine and even has her own comic book series, Code Red by Pickle Press.-World Championship Wrestling :In...
, Tracy Brooks, Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers is a retired American professional wrestler. She is known for performing on the independent circuit for World Xtreme Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, among others.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Jazz
Carlene Begnaud
Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz...
, Lacey
Lacey (wrestler)
Lacey is an American former professional wrestler, most known for working with numerous promotions throughout Northern America career such as Ring of Honor, Shimmer, IWA-Mid South, Full Impact Pro, and NWA Midwest. She has also wrestled for Chikara, ChickFight, and was part of Wrestling Society X...
, Nikki Roxx, O.D.B, Serena
Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena...
, Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai
born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara....
, Talia Madison
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
and managers Alere Little Feather and Jade Chung
Jade Chung
Jade Chung is a Canadian professional wrestler and wrestling manager who has appeared in Border City Wrestling, IWA Mid-South, the National Wrestling Alliance, Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla...
. Jasmin St. Claire
Jasmin St. Claire
Jasmin St. Claire is a former pornographic actress who is best known for starring in "gang bang" pornographic movies, in which she has sex with large numbers of men continuously. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW...
, former co-owner of Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling
Pro-Pain-Pro Wrestling
Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, or 3PW, was a hardcore professional wrestling promotion based around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran many shows from the former ECW Arena. Following the close of Extreme Championship Wrestling, many former ECW veterans, such as Raven, The Sandman, Al Snow and Sabu, made...
(3PW) with then boyfriend Brian Heffron
Brian Heffron
Brian Heffron is a professional wrestler and actor better known as The Blue Meanie or Da Blue Guy.-Early career:...
, also served as its commissioner until its close.
CyberSpace Wrestling Federation
Billy Firehawk, a semi-retired Canadian-born wrestler, founded the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation in Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 2001. His wife Daisy was the principal owner of the promotion while Firehawk took care of the general running of the company. In October 2002, he began promoting wrestling shows in Central New Jersey and, on October 19, the promotion crowned its first heavyweight champion when Smokey M defeated Danny Doring
Danny Doring
Dan Morrison is an American wrestler better known as Danny Doring, most known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling, as the tag team partner of Roadkill...
, Kidd USA and Sinister X in a 4 Way Dance at its at "Halloween Horror '02" show in Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
; also appearing on the show were independent wrestlers Brian Fury, Don Montoya, Mike Quackenbush and Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma
Gran Akuma is a professional wrestler who currently works for Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, where he uses the ring name AKUMA. He has also worked for the Florida based Full Impact Pro. In Chikara, he was a member of the Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with...
. 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 World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
following its close the previous year, due in part to his friendship with WCW announcer Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
, as well as from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
. During its five-year existence, TNA's Ron Killings
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, Chris Harris
Chris Harris (wrestler)
Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship...
, Abyss and Bobby Roode would all hold the heavyweight title while America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)
America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
(Chris Harris
Chris Harris (wrestler)
Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship...
& James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
), the United Nations (Prince Nana
Prince Nana
Prince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.-Professional wrestling career:...
& Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
) and The S.A.T.
The S.A.T.
The S.A.T. are a professional wrestling tag team mostly seen in independent promotions that consists of brothers Jose Maximo and Joel Maximo who were both born in Brooklyn, New York...
(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
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
defeated Serena
Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena...
and April Hunter
April Hunter
April Hunter is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model. She has appeared in many publications, from MuscleMag International to Playboy Magazine and even has her own comic book series, Code Red by Pickle Press.-World Championship Wrestling :In...
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 Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
wrestlers Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick
Chris Hamrick is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the early 2000s...
and EZ Money, and independent wrestlers Mike Quackenbush, Crowbar and Slyk Wagner Brown. These were eventually followed by Ariel
Ana Rocha
Ana Rocha is an Portuguese-American professional wrestler and manager known by her ring name "The Portuguese Princess" Ariel, who has competed in Northeastern independent promotions including Ring of Honor, IWA Mid-South and the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early life and career:Born in São...
, Tracy Brooks, Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers is a retired American professional wrestler. She is known for performing on the independent circuit for World Xtreme Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, among others.-Professional wrestling career:...
, Lacey
Lacey (wrestler)
Lacey is an American former professional wrestler, most known for working with numerous promotions throughout Northern America career such as Ring of Honor, Shimmer, IWA-Mid South, Full Impact Pro, and NWA Midwest. She has also wrestled for Chikara, ChickFight, and was part of Wrestling Society X...
, Nikki Roxx, O.D.B, Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai
born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara....
and Talia Madison
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
. On July 12, Laree walked out during a CSWF show in Rahway
Rahway, New Jersey
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...
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 Trinity
Stephanie Finochio
Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
on September 13. Like Laree, Trinity also let the promotion and publicly criticized Firehawk while a guest on the Masked Maniac Hotline. Following the debut of Jazz
Carlene Begnaud
Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz...
, a former WWE Women's Champion, she and April Hunter would feud over the promotion's women's title over a year later.
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
Triple X (professional wrestling)
Triple X was a wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The team consisted of Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper, and Low Ki . The team was originally formed in late 2002 as part of Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment Xtreme superstable...
and America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling)
America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. It also sanctioned title defences of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
. On the July 12th show in Rahway, Mike Tenay and Crowbar were in Ron Killings' corner when he took on Homicide. Tenay would eventually become a "heel" manager and defacto leader of the growing TNA faction within the promotion. By the end of the year, Larry Zbyszko
Larry Zbyszko
Lawrence "Larry" Whistler is a professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Larry Zbyszko. Zbyszko is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, wrestling legend Bruno Sammartino during the early 1980s....
, D-Lo Brown, Shark Boy
Shark Boy
Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:...
, Michael Shane
Matt Bentley
Matthew James "Matt" Bentley is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by the ring name Michael Shane. He was trained by his cousin, former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Shawn Michaels, and he took the name Michael Shane as a play on...
and America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris
Chris Harris (wrestler)
Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship...
& James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
) 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
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
and Jersey City Wrestling in Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
. The main event was a rare interpromotional match between TNA's Ron Killings and WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's Al Snow
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
for the CSWF Heavyweight Championship as well as appearances by Mike Tenay and Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
. JAPW's show featured Vader and Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso , better known by his ring name Mike Awesome, was an American professional wrestler best known in America for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Federation and also in Japan for his work with Frontier Martial-Arts...
while JCW had Kamala
Kamala
Kamala is a common Hindu name, usually meaning Nelumbo nucifera, the lotus. Variants include Kamal and Kamla. It is unrelated to the similar sounding name of Arabic origin meaning perfection or integrity usually spelled Kamal in English but spelled Kemal in Turkish, which appears as the middle name...
, Chris Candido
Chris Candido
Christopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
and Bam Bam Bigelow. Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
and Kanyon
Chris Kanyon
Christopher Klucsarits was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon and Mortis.-Early career:After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby...
, both ex-WCW stars, headlined another show in Wayne on August 28. On October 30, 2004, Vince Russo
Vince Russo
Vincent James "Vince" Russo is an American creative writer and author, well known for his work in the professional wrestling industry. He is notable for his tenure with World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
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. Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
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
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and social networking sites such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.
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
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
. 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 National Wrestling AllianceNational Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
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 had acquired 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 Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
. In March, Josh Daniels defeated Mike Tobin to win the NWA Cyberspace Internet Title in Wayne, New Jersey. Frankie Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
wrestled his final match in NWA Cyberspace before going to World Wrestling Entertainment. 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, Abyss and Mana the Polynesian Warrior
Mana the Polynesian Warrior
Nikora Mana Tuhakaraina is a New Zealand professional wrestler, better known by his ringname Mana the Polynesian Warrior. He competes in North American independent promotions including Ballpark Brawl, Combat Zone Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, the National Wrestling...
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
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
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
Mike Kruel
Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making...
, Rodney Mack
Rodney Begnaud
Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack.-Debut :...
, Abyss and Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
.
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.
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, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
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, Ploghofft having no authorization to act on behalf of NWA Cyberspace, he 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 Mikey Whipwreck
Mikey Whipwreck
John Watson , better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is a retired American professional wrestler best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling where he became the third ECW Triple Crown Champion....
's New York City Wrestling Connection. In March, Bobby Roode won the NWA Cyberspace Internet Championship from Josh Daniels at one of these shows in Deer Park, New York
Deer Park, New York
Deer Park is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 27,745 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Several of Whipwreck's students, including Ken Scampi, Mike Spinelli, Mason Raige, Quiet Storm, Tara Charisma and Trinity
Stephanie Finochio
Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity...
, 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, New Jersey
Garfield is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,487.When the area that is now Garfield was first developed in 1873, it was known as East Passaic. In 1881, the community's name was changed to Garfield in honor of...
. 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 last three years, during which the federation enjoyed an increasing fan base and better profits. 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
Tod 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 both defunct Professional wrestling promotions Eastern Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling...
's Pro Wrestling Unplugged. Stripped of the championship, the belts were discontinued when the promotion when 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, New Jersey
Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey that was chartered in 1867. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 8,347. The town was originally called "Boone-Towne" in 1761 in honor of the Colonial Governor Thomas Boone....
. Serving as a memorial show 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. The show also served as a memorial show Firehawk.
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, New Jersey
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 84,136. The 2010 population represented an increase of 5,464 residents from its population of 78,672 in the 2000 Census, making it the state's 11th largest...
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
Lodi, New Jersey
Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of 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.
Alumni
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Danny Doring Dan Morrison is an American wrestler better known as Danny Doring, most known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling, as the tag team partner of Roadkill... Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent... Rob Strauss Robert "Rob" Strauss is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Robbie E. He is the current TNA Television Champion and a former TNA X Division Champion... Gran Akuma Gran Akuma is a professional wrestler who currently works for Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, where he uses the ring name AKUMA. He has also worked for the Florida based Full Impact Pro. In Chikara, he was a member of the Kings of Wrestling stable, while also being a part of Team F.I.S.T. with... Chris Hamrick Chris Hamrick is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling throughout the early 2000s... Chris Harris (wrestler) Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship... Monty Sopp Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James... Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control... Chris Kanyon Christopher Klucsarits was an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, under the ring names Chris Kanyon and Mortis.-Early career:After college, he began training under Pete McKay Gonzalez, Ismael Gerena and Bobby... Frankie Kazarian Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... Ron Killings Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik... |
Mike Kruel Michael "Mike" Mayo, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Mike Kruel. He began his career in the independent circuit, wrestling in Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, East Coast Wrestling Association and USA Pro Wrestling, while occasionally making... Jay Lethal Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion... Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... Jerry Lynn Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... Rodney Begnaud Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack.-Debut :... Mana the Polynesian Warrior Nikora Mana Tuhakaraina is a New Zealand professional wrestler, better known by his ringname Mana the Polynesian Warrior. He competes in North American independent promotions including Ballpark Brawl, Combat Zone Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, the National Wrestling... Diamond Dallas Page Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor... Justin McIsaac Justin McIsaac is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, also known by his ring names "The Alpha Male" Justin Powers or Justin Shaype, who competes in independent promotions on the East Coast and Northeastern United States... Vince Russo Vincent James "Vince" Russo is an American creative writer and author, well known for his work in the professional wrestling industry. He is notable for his tenure with World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... |
Shark Boy Dean Mathew Roll is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Shark Boy and his experience in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .-Early career:... Elix Skipper Elix Skipper is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, where he was a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Cruiserweight Tag Team Champion, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a four-time NWA World Tag Team... Petey Williams Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA... America's Most Wanted (professional wrestling) America's Most Wanted was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of "Wildcat" Chris Harris and "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm, who competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... (Chris Harris Chris Harris (wrestler) Christopher Eric "Chris" Harris is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he was formerly one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted along with partner & Former TNA World Heavyweight Champion James Storm.-World Championship... & James Storm James Storm James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J... ) 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 TNA, where they are multi-time former tag team champions.- History :... (Andy Douglas Andy Douglas Andy Douglas is a retired American professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a member of The Naturals alongside his tag team partner Chase Stevens.-Career:... & Chase Stevens Chase Stevens Chase Stevens is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was a member of The Naturals alongside his tag team partner Andy Douglas.-Career:... ) The S.A.T. The S.A.T. are a professional wrestling tag team mostly seen in independent promotions that consists of brothers Jose Maximo and Joel Maximo who were both born in Brooklyn, New York... (Jose & Joel Maximo) Prince Nana Prince Nana Osei Bandoh is an American professional wrestler of Ghanaian extraction, better known by his ring name, Prince Nana. He has stated that he is an Ashanti prince.-Professional wrestling career:... & Sonjay Dutt Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent... ) |
Cyber Babes
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Carlene Begnaud Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz... Lacey (wrestler) Lacey is an American former professional wrestler, most known for working with numerous promotions throughout Northern America career such as Ring of Honor, Shimmer, IWA-Mid South, Full Impact Pro, and NWA Midwest. She has also wrestled for Chikara, ChickFight, and was part of Wrestling Society X... Mickie James Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional... Velvet Sky Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich... |
Cindy Rogers Cindy Rogers is a retired American professional wrestler. She is known for performing on the independent circuit for World Xtreme Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, among others.-Professional wrestling career:... |
Sumie Sakai born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara.... Serena Deeb Serena Deeb is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling. under the ring name Serena... Jasmin St. Claire Jasmin St. Claire is a former pornographic actress who is best known for starring in "gang bang" pornographic movies, in which she has sex with large numbers of men continuously. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW... Tammy Lynn Sytch Tamara "Tammy" Lynn Sytch is an American professional wrestling manager, personality,and occasional wrestler. She achieved her greatest success under the ring name Sunny within the World Wrestling Federation during the 1990s, and is widely considered as one of the first Divas... Stephanie Finochio Stephanie Finochio is an American stuntwoman and retired professional wrestler and valet better known by her ring name Trinity... |
Championships
| Championship | Notes |
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| NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship The NWA Shockwave Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship in NWA Shockwave and the National Wrestling Alliance . It was the original title of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion and was later recognized by the NWA as a regional title. It was... |
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| NWA Shockwave Tag Team Championship NWA Shockwave Tag Team Championship The NWA Shockwave Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship in NWA Shockwave and the National Wrestling Alliance . It was the original title of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion and was later recognized by the NWA as a regional title. It was introduced as... |
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| NWA Shockwave Internet Championship NWA Shockwave Internet Championship The NWA Shockwave Internet Championship was a professional wrestling Internet/television championship in NWA Shockwave and the National Wrestling Alliance . It was the original title of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion and was later recognized by the NWA as a regional title. It was... |
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| CSWF Hardcore Championship CSWF Hardcore Championship The CSWF Hardcore Championship was a professional wrestling hardcore heavyweight championship in the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation. It was among the first original titles of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion. The inaugural champion was JD Dreamer, who defeated Big Q and Lucifer Grimm... |
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| NWA Shockwave Cruiser X Championship NWA Shockwave Cruiser X Championship The NWA Shockwave Cruiser X Championship was a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship in NWA Shockwave and the National Wrestling Alliance . It was the original title of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion and was later recognized by the NWA as a regional title. It was... |
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| NWA Shockwave Women's Championship NWA Shockwave Women's Championship The NWA Shockwave Women's Championship was a professional wrestling women's championship in NWA Shockwave and the National Wrestling Alliance . It was the original title of the CyberSpace Wrestling Federation promotion and was later recognized by the NWA as a regional title. It was introduced as... |