Main Event Championship Wrestling
Encyclopedia
Main Event Championship Wrestling (MECW) is a privately owned professional wrestling promotion
founded by Jason Daniel. The company is active in the integrated-media industry, broadcasting its events on television and the Internet. MECW also gains revenue from live events, product licensing, and direct product sales. Jason Daniel is also the President of the company and head booker for MECW events, but only currently works as a part-time wrestler on camera. The company has its headquarters in Evansville, Indiana
; its official company name Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC operates out of its offices and studios in Evansville, Washington
and Vincennes, Indiana
.
The current owner recognizes prior use of the "Main Event Championship Wrestling" name by Reno Riggins
and Steve Doll
. The company also recognizes prior use of the MECW name by former promoter John Collins. Reno Riggins and Steve Doll
started running a promotion under the MECW name in 1999. According to Jason Daniel, in early 2001, Tracy Smothers
and Jason Daniel facilitated the assumed transactional purchase of the MECW set from Reno Riggins and Steve Doll
on behalf of former promoter John Collins. This transaction only consisted of an 18 x 18 foot wrestling ring, MECW vinyl banners and 3 championship title belts. With the WWE buyout of World Championship Wrestling
, many thought Main Event Championship Wrestling was going to be the next big professional wrestling promotion. In late 2001, John Collins found himself in legal trouble and the promotion ran by Collins, which used the MECW name, ceased to exist.
Since then, Jason Daniel has not only revived the Main Event Championship Wrestling name, but he has also filed the Articles of Incorporation making Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC a legal entity. On February 15, 2011, Main Event Championship Wrestling was filed to be a registered Trademark of Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC.
based local independent promotion, which ran out of the Evansville Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A group, which included: Jason Cain, Chris Thomas, Wade Givens, Josh Stratton, Kyle Wood and John Cooper walked away from the Coliseum group citing they no longer wished to be a part of the promotion as they didn't see it going anywhere, especially if the owners insisted on using untrained self-proclaimed wrestlers. With drawing a consistent 30+ fans each week, this group mentioned above no longer wanted to be associated with the Coliseum based promotion. Later, with help from Jeremy Lewis and Eric Gilley, they all realized each had similar vision of a much bigger promotion, which led them to organize their debut show at The Centre in downtown Evansville, Indiana. This debut show, titled MECW Arrives, featured a double main event. The first main event match consisted of former TNA
Tag Team Champion, "Natural" Chase Stevens
vs TNA Founder, Jeff Jarrett
. The headlined main event consisted of former OVW Superstar, Dirty Money vs WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry "The King" Lawler. This show received high praise as the show that featured two active wrestlers from both WWE and TNA
under one roof.
. Since MECW's inception by Jason Daniel, the MECW live events have been held in Evansville, Monroe City, Cannelton and Vincennes, Indiana.
Other shows and TV Tapings include, July 31, 2010 in Monroe City, IN. Also, August 14, 2010, which featured Former NWA/TNA Tag Team Champion, Chase Stevens
vs Former WWE Superstar, 'Psycho' Sid Vicious
in Evansville, IN. Also, an August 28, 2010 show featured Former WWE Spirit Squad member, Kenny Dykstra. Another show on January 15, 2011. MECW began using the title "Main Event Experience" for its TV Tapings, as well as its CBS Affiliate MY44 TV show.
Benefit show - On July 31, 2010, Main Event Championship Wrestling participated in carrying out a wrestling show to help benefit three different organizations, Survivors of Suicide, Muscular Dystrophy Foundation and Helping Area Residents Through Tragedy. This show was put on last minute, because the group that was supposed to put on the show backed out at the last minute.
Prior to this inception, MECW events spanned from Vincennes to Marion
, Lafayette
, and Evansville, Indiana
, as well as Nashville
, Kingsport
and various other cities in Tennessee
.
Currently, Jason Daniel holds the position of head talent booker. He also leads the creative team of Chris Thomas and Wade Givens, with additional creative input from a TV production standpoint from Tracey Russell, Jeremy Lewis, Josh Stratton, Kyle Wood and Chad Matthews.
As storylines progressed, Alexander C. West became quite a notable heel with less than favorable "Management decisions". This later prompted the "release" of A.C. West and opened the door for a new authority figure, known as the new Executive Vice President, Chad Matthews. This person still currently holds this authority figure role. A.C. West since returned, once again as the Manager of Champions. The storyline found him returning, not as an MECW employee, but as an independently contracted Manager hired by each individual wrestler to get "around" his formal release.
Like World Wrestling Entertainment
and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
, MECW wrestlers are classified as independent contractors and are not entitled to form workers' unions or employer health coverage.
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...
founded by Jason Daniel. The company is active in the integrated-media industry, broadcasting its events on television and the Internet. MECW also gains revenue from live events, product licensing, and direct product sales. Jason Daniel is also the President of the company and head booker for MECW events, but only currently works as a part-time wrestler on camera. The company has its headquarters in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
; its official company name Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC operates out of its offices and studios in Evansville, Washington
Washington, Indiana
Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,509 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County.-History:...
and Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
.
The current owner recognizes prior use of the "Main Event Championship Wrestling" name by Reno Riggins
Neal Hargrove
Neal Hargrove, known by his ring name Reno Riggins, is an American professional wrestler who has competed in Southeastern independent promotions including the United States Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1990s...
and Steve Doll
Steve Doll
Steve Doll was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as Steven Dunn in the tag team Well Dunn.-Professional wrestling career:...
. The company also recognizes prior use of the MECW name by former promoter John Collins. Reno Riggins and Steve Doll
Steve Doll
Steve Doll was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as Steven Dunn in the tag team Well Dunn.-Professional wrestling career:...
started running a promotion under the MECW name in 1999. According to Jason Daniel, in early 2001, Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers is an American professional wrestler.-Early career:Tracy started his career in the Memphis promotion on Saturday morning TV. Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers started teaming as The Southern Boys in Florida Championship Wrestling in 1987 where they feuded with The New Breed...
and Jason Daniel facilitated the assumed transactional purchase of the MECW set from Reno Riggins and Steve Doll
Steve Doll
Steve Doll was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as Steven Dunn in the tag team Well Dunn.-Professional wrestling career:...
on behalf of former promoter John Collins. This transaction only consisted of an 18 x 18 foot wrestling ring, MECW vinyl banners and 3 championship title belts. With the WWE buyout of 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...
, many thought Main Event Championship Wrestling was going to be the next big professional wrestling promotion. In late 2001, John Collins found himself in legal trouble and the promotion ran by Collins, which used the MECW name, ceased to exist.
Since then, Jason Daniel has not only revived the Main Event Championship Wrestling name, but he has also filed the Articles of Incorporation making Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC a legal entity. On February 15, 2011, Main Event Championship Wrestling was filed to be a registered Trademark of Main Event Championship Wrestling, LLC.
Formation
The concept of the revival of the MECW name originated shortly after the end of Jason Cain's time as head booker at an Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
based local independent promotion, which ran out of the Evansville Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A group, which included: Jason Cain, Chris Thomas, Wade Givens, Josh Stratton, Kyle Wood and John Cooper walked away from the Coliseum group citing they no longer wished to be a part of the promotion as they didn't see it going anywhere, especially if the owners insisted on using untrained self-proclaimed wrestlers. With drawing a consistent 30+ fans each week, this group mentioned above no longer wanted to be associated with the Coliseum based promotion. Later, with help from Jeremy Lewis and Eric Gilley, they all realized each had similar vision of a much bigger promotion, which led them to organize their debut show at The Centre in downtown Evansville, Indiana. This debut show, titled MECW Arrives, featured a double main event. The first main event match consisted of former TNA
TNA
TNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
Tag Team Champion, "Natural" 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:...
vs TNA Founder, 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...
. The headlined main event consisted of former OVW Superstar, Dirty Money vs WWE Hall of Famer, Jerry "The King" Lawler. This show received high praise as the show that featured two active wrestlers from both WWE and TNA
TNA
TNA may refer to:*Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka*The National Archives, in the United Kingdom*The New Amsterdams, a band*Threose nucleic acid, an analog of the nucleic acid DNA*Tonga Nurses' Association...
under one roof.
Expansion
MECW aired its first TV show on this station on September 4, 2010. Shortly after, with the suggestion from the live commentators (Nic Wood and Kyle Wood), the company began its talk show segments known as the "Main Event Freestyle". With the success and local poularity of this TV show, this led MECW Management to make a decision to seek even more households via larger networks. MECW is currently in negotiations with a major affiliate network. MECW is also currently mapping out a new territory system, in which they hope to implement sometime in late 2011.House shows and touring
Apart from their TV tapings, MECW has also produced DVD's of various live events. MECW Arrives, MECW Returns and MECW Supershow at Vincennes UniversityVincennes University
Vincennes University is a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are...
. Since MECW's inception by Jason Daniel, the MECW live events have been held in Evansville, Monroe City, Cannelton and Vincennes, Indiana.
Other shows and TV Tapings include, July 31, 2010 in Monroe City, IN. Also, August 14, 2010, which featured Former NWA/TNA Tag Team Champion, 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:...
vs Former WWE Superstar, 'Psycho' Sid Vicious
Sid Eudy
Sidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
in Evansville, IN. Also, an August 28, 2010 show featured Former WWE Spirit Squad member, Kenny Dykstra. Another show on January 15, 2011. MECW began using the title "Main Event Experience" for its TV Tapings, as well as its CBS Affiliate MY44 TV show.
Benefit show - On July 31, 2010, Main Event Championship Wrestling participated in carrying out a wrestling show to help benefit three different organizations, Survivors of Suicide, Muscular Dystrophy Foundation and Helping Area Residents Through Tragedy. This show was put on last minute, because the group that was supposed to put on the show backed out at the last minute.
Prior to this inception, MECW events spanned from Vincennes to Marion
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
, Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, and Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, as well as Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
and various other cities in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Creative team
In the John Collins era, the creative team consisted of Mark Mayhugh, Jeff Lane, Chase Stevens and Jason Cain. The Sandman booked the 08-11-2001 Philadelphia, PA show. This team was grouped for all other MECW business. This group also primarily booked towns for live events as well.Currently, Jason Daniel holds the position of head talent booker. He also leads the creative team of Chris Thomas and Wade Givens, with additional creative input from a TV production standpoint from Tracey Russell, Jeremy Lewis, Josh Stratton, Kyle Wood and Chad Matthews.
Authority figures
When MECW once again launched in 2010, it billed the on-air authority figure as a representative appointed by Main Event Championship Wrestling. This authority figure was known as MECW Executive Vice President, Alexander C. West. It did this for storyline purposes only.As storylines progressed, Alexander C. West became quite a notable heel with less than favorable "Management decisions". This later prompted the "release" of A.C. West and opened the door for a new authority figure, known as the new Executive Vice President, Chad Matthews. This person still currently holds this authority figure role. A.C. West since returned, once again as the Manager of Champions. The storyline found him returning, not as an MECW employee, but as an independently contracted Manager hired by each individual wrestler to get "around" his formal release.
MECW contracts
MECW wrestlers are not currently under any exclusive contract. The roster of MECW wrestlers are paid on a per appearance basis. This includes wrestlers currently under WWE and TNA contracts.Like World Wrestling Entertainment
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...
and 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...
, MECW wrestlers are classified as independent contractors and are not entitled to form workers' unions or employer health coverage.
Championships
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Previous champion(s) | Date won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MECW Heavyweight Championship | Vacant | Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World... |
July 14, 2001 | |
| MECW Television Championship | Vacant | Matt Bentley 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... |
July 14, 2001 | |
| MECW Tag Team Championship | The Hybrids | The Bad Boys | February 4, 2011 | Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census... |
See also
External links
- MECWPRO.com
- Shop.MECWPRO.com
- MECW at Facebook
- MECW at MySpace
- MECW at Twitter
- MECW at YouTube