Harley Race's Wrestling Academy
| Acronym | WLW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999[1] |
| Headquarters | Eldon, Missouri |
| Founder(s) | Harley Race |
Harley Race's Wrestling Academy is a professional wrestling school located in Eldon, Missouri. It was established in 1999 by former World Heavyweight Champion, Harley Race. Students of the school are incorporated into the professional wrestling promotion World League Wrestling.
History
School
The Harley Race Wrestling Academy is operated by Harley Race.[2] It provides training programs for those looking to enter the professional wrestling industry. The objective of the program is to Teach safe wrestling technique, draw on Harley Race's experience and to give students tools to succeed in professional wrestling.[3] Programs include both courses to become a professional wrestler; which requires anywhere between 300–500 hours of training, or professional wrestling referee training, which entails 60 hours of training.
The school itself incorporates a wrestling ring and weight room.[2] The school is attended by mostly men, but occasionally women join it, as well.[2]
The school initially put on local wrestling events that raised money for local charities in Missouri.[2] The wrestling school later began a running partnership with Pro Wrestling Noah that includes many of the program's talent touring with the Japanese-based wrestling promotion.
History of World League Wrestling
In 1999, Race began World Legion Wrestling, (WLW), an independent professional wrestling promotion that integrates current and past students of the Harley Race Wrestling Academy.[2] At first they did television for the America One Television Network, and added their show to the weekly line-up of a different wrestling promotion every night at 11:00 p.m. eastern time. After they lost their TV, they changed their name to World League Wrestling, and continued promoting in the Missouri area. World League Wrestling is based out of Eldon, Missouri, and puts on approximately 60 shows a year.[2] The slogan for the company is Shut up and wrestle, which expresses its theme of more old-school wrestling and less "showboating".[2][4] The promotion is family-style professional wrestling entertainment that excludes nudity and swearing.[4] The shows also sometimes features guest wrestlers such as "Dr. Death" Steve Williams.[5]
Current champions
| Championship | Champion(s) | Defeated | Date Won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WLW Heavyweight Championship | Luminous Warrior | Go Shiozaki | May 19, 2009 | Eldon, MO |
| WLW Tag Team Championship | Steve Anthony and Bao Nguyen | Jason Jones and Darin Wade | July 10, 2009 | Waterloo, IA |
| WLW Ladies Championship | Amy Hennig | Stacey O'Brien | March 21, 2009 | Eldon, MO |
Alumni
References
- ^ Sloca, Paul (April 12, 2000). "Learning from Harley Race, A dream fulfilled: Getting slammed at the wrestling academy". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Weber, Bruce (March 15, 2005). "Don't Let Your Head Flop, And Flip the Other Guy". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ "Brochure". Harley Race's Wrestling Academy. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ a b Oliver, Greg (July 10, 2005). "Newton HOF set to grow by six". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Clapp, John (March 22, 2007). "Plenty of life still in Dr. Death". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Johnson, Steven (July 6, 2007). "Wrestling stars find recognition, not defeat, at Waterloo". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
Further reading
- Morris, Frank (November 18, 2005). "Harley Race's Night-School Pro Wrestling Classes". NPR.
