World Wrestling Council
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| Acronym | WWC |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 13, 1973 |
| Style | Professional wrestling, sports entertainment, Hardcore wrestling |
| Headquarters | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Founder(s) | Carlos Colón Victor Jovica Gorilla Monsoon |
| Owner(s) | Victor Jovica Carlos Colón, Sr. |
| Formerly | Capitol Sports Promotions (1973 - 1995) Caribbean Championship Wrestling World Wrestling Council (1995-2016) |
| Website | wwcpr.net |
The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish; "Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre" though the Spanish translation isn't used to avoid confusion with the Mexican promotion of that name. Instead, they use the WWC abbreviation in Puerto Rico), is a professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor Jovica, and Gorilla Monsoon. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance until 1988. By the mid-1990s, the promotion had changed its name to the World Wrestling Council.
History
Beginnings (1970s)
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Capitol Sports Promotions, with Carlos Colón, Victor Jovica and Gorilla Monsoon as promoters/co-owners of the organization, was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) until late 1988, when Gorilla Monsoon left. The company then went bankrupt (as confirmed by Víctor Quiñones in an interview with prwrestling.com). Thomas Collado was the owner in 1976, before Carlos Colón and Victor Jovica.
Capitol Sports Promotions gained fame in Puerto Rican homes soon after their TV show, Super Estrellas de la Lucha Libre, went on-air every weekend on channel 4, WAPA-TV. The taped show is still aired on weekends (both Saturday and Sunday for two hours until March 2008 when it was reduced to one hour on both Saturdays and Sundays due to declining ratings). From 1973 to 1980 it aired on channel 11 (Telecadena Pérez Perry, then on Teleonce after the before mentioned went off the air), on channel 7 on Sunday evenings at 6pm and on Telemundo on Saturday mornings at 10am.
Pinnacle (1980s)
Capitol Sports Promotions began touring all over the island, and with the golden era of boxing in Puerto Rico limited only to Ponce and the metropolitan area of Puerto Rico, Capitol Sports Promotions took their shows to many, inner country towns where people were not used to seeing live in-ring sports events. As a result, Capitol's shows usually filled the smaller town arenas.
During one specific stretch, CSP sold out a 30,000 venue at Bayamón during 13 consecutive shows.[1] High profile wrestlers were winning in the range of $3,000-$5,000 per weekend.[1]
In 1983, Rickin Sánchez had taken over as Capitol's main promoter, as well as becoming one of the organization's broadcasters on the television shows. He was joined by the already retired Savinovich. Some time later, Sánchez (and his production company R & F Television) left the production of Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre due to some disagreements with the ownership of WWC. After these events, Savinovich became the main host of the programs.
The World Wrestling Council was a member National Wrestling Alliance from 1979 until 1987.
As the market remained a lucrative and “hot territory” within the organization, the presence of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship became ubiquitous in large events, predominantly represented by perennial headliner Ric Flair. On January 6, 1983, Colón defeated the latter to complete an unofficial run with the belt, retaining momentum afterwards and being ranked in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Top 10” throughout 1984.[2][3][4][5]
Death of Bruiser Brody (1988)
In 1988, American star Bruiser Brody was brutally stabbed in a WWC Anniversary event in Bayamón which he died from later on that night. The man who stabbed him was fellow wrestler and booker José González, known as Invader I. Apparently, the two men had a real-life feud that led to a confrontation in the locker room, that concluded with Brody receiving stab wounds to his chest and stomach. The only one to witness the series of events that ended in the death was WWC wrestler Tony Atlas. Atlas said he saw both men enter the shower area of the locker room. As Tony looked over to Carlos Colón, he then heard sounds and (Atlas claimed) he saw Brody hunched over with González brandishing a bloody knife about to finish Brody off. Tony and Carlos rushed to break it up along with several angry wrestlers.
After Brody's death, and the failed conviction of the murder (due to all witnesses testifying against him receiving subpoenas a week after the trial ended), WWC went through some difficult years, due to the fact that the flow of wrestlers that came from the United States suddenly ended. In a crisis that the WWC never overcame, many wrestlers thought that the administration of the WWC actually helped Brody's murderer go free and actually allowed him to continue to wrestle after the events.[citation needed]
Rebrand (1990s)
By the mid 1990s, the organization changed its official name to World Wrestling Council. Women also began to have an ever-increasing presence in the organization during that decade.
WWC vs. IWA-PR (2000–2006)
With the turn of the century came some changes that troubled the franchise. A promotion called International Wrestling Association (IWA-PR), promoted by Víctor Quiñones, became WWC's biggest competitor when it made an alliance with wrestling giant the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) which in turn brought American superstars to IWA-PR.
Fallout of hurricane Maria (2017–2019)
Following the passing of Hurricane Maria over Puerto Rico, the WWC headquarters lost power for a prolonged time period due to infrastructure damage. In response, the promotion issued licenses to some of its wrestlers to participate in the local independent scene, barring some creative limitations that prevented them from being booked in clean defeats.[6] As of December 2017, WWC's one-hour weekend shows on WAPA-TV continued to rerun the last several episodes produced prior to Maria. Almost five months after the hurricane, WWC confirmed its return with new episodes of the weekend shows (consisting of newly-recorded commentary and interview segments mixed with repeats of high-profile matches) leading up to a new live event on March 3, 2018.[7]
On July 23, 2018, longtime talent Ramón Álvarez (a.k.a. El Bronco No. 1) and Engel Landolfi unveiled a spinoff based in the Dominican Republic, WWC DR, receiving the support of Colón and Jovica (who loaned both the trade name and logo for use).[8] Its first event was scheduled for October 28, 2018, featuring talent from both WWC (such as Carlito, Gilbert, Thunder and Lightning) and local competitor WWL (Superstar Ash, Ángel Fashion and Vanilla Vargas).[8]
In November 2018, WWE acquired the WWC video library.[9]
Administrative changes (2019)
While still part of WWE’s roster (yet inactive), Eddie and Orlando Colón returned to WWC, working in both administrative roles and as in-ring talent in 2019.[10] Ray González was brought back in and placed in a creative role that was described onscreen as Director of Operations.
Collaboration with IWA-PR (2020–present)
On February 13, 2020, a video where Ray González extended an invitation to Savio Vega (now acting as president of the IWA-PR after it emerged from a hiatus in 2018) to attend a WWC to present him with a proposal that would be mutually beneficial was posted in the IWA-PR’s social media platforms.[11] After some anticipation, the summon was accepted in a subsequent segment aired in Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre.[12] On February 15, 2020, Vega accepted a copy of the document from González and informed that he would give his final answer at the IWA-PR event Histeria Boricua 2020.[13] During this skit, the heel faction known as Legacy (composed by Eddie Colón, Gilbert and Peter John Ramos) where placed in antagonism to the agreement.[13]
Roster
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Abaddon | WWC World Tag Team Champion |
| Mighty Ursus | WWC Puerto Rico Champion |
| Bellito Calderón | |
| Jay Vélez | |
| MechaWolf 450 | Occasional wrestler |
| Ricky Banderas | Occasional wrestler |
| Carlito | Occasional wrestler |
| El León Apolo | |
| El Comandante | |
| "El Hombre Bestia" Enyel | |
| Gilbert | |
| Steve Joel | Occasional wrestler |
| Gran Armando | WWC Television Champion |
| Khaos | WWC World Tag Team Champion |
| La Revolución | A masked tag-team whose members are not identified |
| Doom Patrol | |
| La Potencia | |
| Los Parceleros | |
| Gigante Nihan | |
| Peter John Ramos | |
| Riviero | |
| Pedro Portillo III | |
| Ray González | Retired, now director of operations |
| Zcion RT1 | |
| Guevara | |
| Chicano | |
| Xix Xavant | |
| Justin Dynamite | |
| Super Georgie | |
| Athan "El Inmortal" | |
| Rey Reyes | |
| "La Perla Negra" Allison | |
| Black Rose | Occasional wrestler |
| Krystal | Doom Patrol manager & Occasional wrestler |
Others
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|---|
| 'El Cariduro' José Herrera | Top commentator |
| El Wizard | Color commentator and manager of "Gran Armando" |
| Juan Manuel Ortega | Manager of "Gigante Nihan" & Occasional wrestler |
| Orlando Colón | Currently full time in roster WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion |
| Eddie Colón | Currently full time in roster |
Referees
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cesar Artache | |
| Stephan Alers | |
| José Rosa | |
| Windy Sáez | |
| Francisco Montalvo |
Main Wrestling Events
| Event name | Last held | Location |
|---|---|---|
| WWC Euphoria | January 4, 2020 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Camino a la Gloria | March 31, 2018[14] - April 1, 2018[14] | Manatí - Mayagüez, Puerto Rico |
| WWC La Hora de la Verdad | June 2, 2018[15] | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Noche De Campeones | November 23, 2019 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Summer Madness | August 5, 2017 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Aniversario | August 16, 17 & 18, 2019 | Hatillo, Guaynabo, San Germán, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Septiembre Negro | September 14, 2019 | Caguas, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Halloween Wrestling Extravaganza | November 3, 2018 | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Lockout | December 7, 2019 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
Championships
Current
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship | Orlando Colon | 1 | August 17, 2019 | 1952 | Guaynabo, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Puerto Rico Championship | Vacant | ||||
| WWC World Tag Team Championship | Khaos and Abaddon | 2 | December 7, 2019 | 1840 | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Television Championship | Gran Armando | 2 | February 15, 2020 | 1770 | Manati, Puerto Rico |
| WWC Junior Heavyweight Championship | Vacant |
Defunct and inactive
| Championship: | Final champion(s): | Date won: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTWA World Heavyweight Championship | Bobo Brazil | May 6, 1984 | June 10, 1984 (When TTWA breaks affiliation with WWC)[16] |
| TTWA World Tag Team Championship | Abdullah The Butcher & The Sheik | December 2, 1983 | June 10, 1984 (When TTWA breaks affiliation with WWC)[17] |
| WWC North American Heavyweight Championship | Manny Fernandez | August 31, 1991 | Abandoned November 15, 1991 |
| WWC North American Tag Team Championship | The Hunters (Bob Brown and Dale Veasey) |
June 20, 1987 | Abandoned August 26, 1987 |
| WWC Latin American Heavyweight Championship | El Bronco | February 8, 1990 | Abandoned June 10, 1990 (This title was created for an interpromotional show on Dominican Republic with DWF vs WWC was billed to Huracan Castillo and then lost against Bronco on DR) |
| WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship | The Latin Connection (Ray Gonzalez and Ricky Santana) |
October 10, 1991 | Abandoned November 8, 1991 |
| WWC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship | Pierroth, Jr. | April 3, 1999 | Abandoned December 13, 1999 |
| WWC Dominican Republic Heavyweight Championship | El Bronco | November 8, 2001 | Abandoned December 4, 2001 |
| WWC Hardcore Championship | Sabu | December 20, 2003 | Abandoned August 10, 2005 |
| WWC Women's Championship | Black Rose | September 24, 2011 | Abandoned December 2, 2011 |
| WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship | El Sensacional Carlitos | March 17, 2012 | Abandoned March 31, 2012 |
See also
References
- ^ a b (Meltzer 2004, p. 117)
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ "Contralona.com | San Juan | Contralona". Contralona.com | San Juan | Contralona. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ a b [6]
- ^ "WWE acquires World Wrestling Council (WWC) video library". PWInsider. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ a b [10]
- ^ a b "WWC Lucha Libre". web.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- ^ Torres, Joel. "WWC: Fecha, lugar y cartelera del evento La Hora de la Verdad; Fechas de ANIVERSARIO 45". Contralona.com | San Juan | Contralona (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-05-14.
- ^ http://www.wrestling-titles.com/tri/tri-h.html
- ^ http://www.wrestling-titles.com/tri/tri-t.html
Bibliography
- Meltzer, Dave (2004). Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers.
External links
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