The National Wrestling Conference (NWC, originally the National Wrestling Council) was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1994 by T.C. Martin. With a mix of former World Wrestling Federation stars and talent from the independent circuit: the promotion showcased a variety of wrestling styles ranging from lucha libre to hardcore and midget wrestling. It also worked closely with Bill Anderson and Jesse Hernandez using many students from their School of Hard Knocks wrestling school.
The company initially attracted attention for its hardcore brawls involving Cactus Jack, Terry Funk and Sabu. Martin is credited for giving these future ECW stars the creative freedom to push the limits of hardcore wrestling. Along with introducing Sabu to Las Vegas audiences, the NWC was one of the first promotions in the U.S. to feature Rob Van Dam in a prominent position. In addition to a weekly television series, the promotion sold out both The Silver Nugget and Aladdin Hotel & Casino several times during its initial 1994–95 run. During this brief period, the NWC was considered an up-and-coming independent group by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. It also pioneered the use of the internet to promote itself and interact with wrestling fans across the country using AOL Chat.
The NWC made pro wrestling headlines in 1995 when The Ultimate Warrior agreed to make an appearance for the company after nearly three years in self-imposed exile. Thousands of fans came to see The Warrior's first U.S. wrestling appearance since 1992 in one of the biggest independent shows of the year. When one of Martin's backers was forced to pull out a few months later, Martin and Warrior formed a partnership which included jointly promoting Warrior University. Warrior's abrupt departure weeks later, and his erratic behavior leading up to their debut event, is blamed for causing the NWC's first bankruptcy. Martin managed to revive the NWC the following year and eventually moved its headquarters to Sacramento, California. He attempted to distance the company from its hardcore roots during its last years and held shows at the Memorial Auditorium until its close in August 1998.
History and overview Formation
T.C. Martin, a former sports radio host and one-time ring announcer for the World Wrestling Federation, formed the National Wrestling Council in the fall of 1994 with several investors. The promotion was backed financially by Al Rodriguez and colorful Las Vegas businessman James "Buffalo Jim" Barrier. The NWC held its debut show on October 8, 1994, at the Aladdin Theater on the Vegas Strip. It was headlined by Tito Santana and Terry Funk. The semi-main event between Bobby Bradley and Sabu was especially well received by the audience. Despite having never wrestled in the area, Sabu "got the biggest face pop of anyone on the show stemming from local TV commercials showing his crazy spots". The undercard also featured a match between Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Nailz in one of their earliest appearances on the independent circuit after their release from the World Wrestling Federation. The NWC became a stopover for a number of ex-WWF stars in the mid-1990s. The success of this first show encouraged Martin to move the NWC to the Silver Nugget Pavilion which would remain the promotion's home arena for most of its original run.
Silver Nugget Casino and television syndication The NWC's first-ever show at the Silver Nugget Casino was held on October 29, 1994. While the show only drew 550 fans, the Desert Death match between Sabu and Cactus Jack was rated 4 stars by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. During the match, the two men fought inside the casino itself and at one point Cactus Jack piledrove Sabu onto a blackjack table. The Cactus Jack-Sabu feud quickly became the promotion's most popular storyline. The first NWC Heavyweight Champion, Tito Santana, won the championship in a tournament held at the Silver Nugget Casino on November 19, 1994.
In what Dave Meltzer called "one of the biggest indie houses in a long time", the company's Silver Nugget show on January 13, 1995, sold out the venue for the first time with 1,500 fans in attendance. The main event was a rematch between Cactus Jack and Sabu in a "Bring Your Own Weapons" Steel Cage match. The "weapons" present in the cage included two tables, a telephone, a pair of garbage cans, a metal tray and a noose. The bout ended with both men climbing out of the cage at the same time but Sabu hit the floor first by falling through the timekeeper's table. The ultra-violent match received another 4 star rating from the Wrestling Observer, however, it reportedly alienated some of the audience who had come to see midget wrestling and a rare appearance by Junkyard Dog. JYD, who was in the process of moving to Las Vegas, made a number of appearances for the promotion which ended up being his last major run as an in-ring competitor.
The NWC attracted another sell-out crowd to the Silver Nugget Casino on February 11, the featured bout being Terry Funk and Virgil in a branding iron match, prompting the Wrestling Observer to call the promotion one of "the hottest indie groups" in the country. That same month, the NWC Heavyweight Championship was declared vacant after Tito Santana left the NWC to work for the American Wrestling Federation. Sabu defeated Terry Funk in a Texas chain match on March 17, 1995, to become the new champion.
This show also served as the first television taping for a weekly series called NWC Slammin' TV. The program was sponsored by Allstate Auto & Marine Electric, KOMP and Ultrazone, a popular lazer tag facility. NWC Slammin' TV was originally set to debut on May 13, 1995, but was pushed back two months. The show aired in July on KFBT (Channel 33) on Saturday afternoons from 12:00 to 1:00, replacing WWF Challenge. Martin became a more prominent on-screen character during this period. This included hosting "The Doctor's Office" on Slammin' TV, a comedy interview segment heavily influenced by the WWF's Piper's Pit, which was not popular with either the audience or wrestlers. And while the NWC was praised for its main events the undercard matches were "virtually unwatchable". Martin was also criticized for using more expensive ex-WWF talent despite Sabu, Terry Funk and Cactus Jack being the promotion's main draws. Martin also advertised Mil Mascaras for an NWC show in Indio, California that same year.
That spring, Rob Van Dam made his debut in the NWC against Bobby Bradley. He was brought in based on the suggestion of Sabu and formed a tag team with Bradley called Aerial Assault. The duo proved to be one of the promotion's most popular "babyface" performers. They dominated the NWC's tag team division, wowing crowds with their Suicide Bomber finisher, and remained undefeated throughout their three years with the company. While working with Bradley, Van Dam perfected many of the high-flying tag team maneuvers that would make him a star in Extreme Championship Wrestling
The Ultimate Return and KKK controversy
In the summer of 1995, T.C. Martin contacted The Ultimate Warrior about the possibility of working with the NWC. At the time, the wrestler was demanding $10,000 () for a single appearance, an amount few independent promoters could afford. The highest drawing talent on the independents were paid an average of $750 (). Warrior agreed to do the event as a favor to Bill Anderson, who had originally trained he and Sting as Power Team USA in 1985, in exchange for $1,000 as well as a deal with Martin to restart his wrestling school, Warrior University, with both parties sharing in the profits.
The match was unexpectedly set up on NWC's June 23 show which had a sellout crowd of 1,300 fans, with a weapon-filled Steel Cage Stretcher match involving Sabu, Cactus Jack, Mr. Hughes and Virgil as the main attraction. In the co-main event, The Honky Tonk Man used his guitar to win his match against Junkyard Dog. Bragging in post-match interview about having an open contract, the wrestler was confronted by T.C. Martin who revealed that The Ultimate Warrior had one as well and announced they would be meeting each other at the NWC's next show. The bout was promoted as a chance for The Honky Tonk Man to avenge his embarrassing loss at SummerSlam (1988).
"The Ultimate Return" was held on July 22, 1995, and saw The Warrior win the match after using The Honky Tonk Man's own guitar on him. Between 1,250-2,000 fans turned out to see the Warrior's first appearance in the United States in two and a half years, making it one of the year's highest-attended shows on the U.S. independent circuit behind Smoky Mountain Wrestling's Super Bowl of Wrestling (5,000) and the United States Wrestling Association's Memphis Memories II (3,000).
The event was a major coup for the company and garnered publicity from Pro Wrestling Illustrated and similar publications. But the company soon found itself dragged into The Ultimate Warrior's legal problems with the WWF. The July 29 edition of Slammin' TV, in which The Ultimate Warrior made his NWC TV debut, was pulled after KFBT received "an 11-page fax from Titan Sports" threatening legal action if it aired any footage of his appearance on the show. Though he appeared as "The Warrior", the WWF claimed his portrayal resembled "The Ultimate Warrior" character too closely. These segments were supposed to be edited out on the next broadcast but the station accidentally aired the episode its entirety the following month.
On August 25, 1995, the NWC held a supercard entitled "Night of Champions". James "Buffalo Jim" Barrier was on hand as a special guest color commentator. The focus of the event was a championship tournament to crown the first NWC Tag Team Champions. Ariel Assault won the tournament by defeating The Mercenaries (Mercenary #1 and Mercenary #2), The Powers of Pain (Warlord and Barbarian), and The Power Twins. In the main event, Sabu retained his title against Cactus Jack in a Lumberjack match. It was a match on the undercard, however, that aroused controversy when Virgil's opponent, The Thug, came out to the ring dressed in a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hood. The Thug was accompanied by another man dressed in a full KKK outfit who revealed himself as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Both men proceeded to attack Virgil with Neidhart rolling the KKK robe into a noose and hanging Virgil on the outside ropes. The 2-on-1 assault finally ended when the building's security dragged Neidhart to the back and Virgil was carried away on a stretcher. Matches from this event, including the KKK incident, aired on the September 24 edition of NWC Slammin' TV. This angle was used as the basis for an episode of the Netflix comedy-drama GLOW more than 20 years later.
Cross promotion with Ultimate Creations In late-1995, Al Rodriguez was experiencing financial troubles and had to pull out as an investor. Martin was forced to move the promotion's shows back to the Aladdin Theater as a result. Although The Warrior was supposed to come in for a one-time appearance, he became more interested in the NWC seeing the large crowds it was drawing. He and Martin agreed to form a new parent company, Ultimate Creations, which was to be officially announced on the promotion's upcoming first anniversary show. Martin also looked into bringing Big Van Vader to the NWC after the wrestler was suspended (and ultimately fired) by World Championship Wrestling. Additionally, the company's first and only home video release, NWC Total Chaos, became available to fans at the beginning of October.