UPDATE ON 2008 NWA HALL OF FAME CEREMONY From Robert K. Trobich
Ric Flair, part of the 2008 NWA Hall of Fame class, will unfortunately not be present to receive this honor on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. World Wrestling Entertainment, which has a contractual relationship with Flair, will not permit Flair to attend the ceremony.
“I am deeply sorry that Ric will not be in Atlanta for the Hall of Fame ceremony”, said NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich. “Ric was very honored to be recognized by the NWA and wanted to be in Atlanta to thank his fans. Unfortunately, the WWE refused to allow him to be there. It is truly a sad action on their part, as the main people injured by the WWE’s seeming petulance is the wrestling fans. Nonetheless, Ric Flair was a legend in the NWA long before the WWE was anything other than a regional promotion in the northeast. As such, Ric will still be a member of the 2008 class. He has earned that honor, and we intend to bestow it upon him”, said Trobich.
The 2008 NWA Hall of Fame will commence on Saturday June 7, 2008 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. Tickets for this event are on sale at ticketmaster.com or the Philips Arena box office.
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Whoooo the Newest Inductee
Charlotte, NC (May 30, 2008) – The word legend is thrown around a lot these days, but “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair is the very definition of the word and the National Wrestling Alliance® will be inducting him into the NWATM Hall of Fame on June 7th at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA!
Flair is an icon of Pro Wrestling and has collected 16 World Heavyweight Championships including 8 recognized by the NWATM, 6 by World Championship Wrestling and 2 for World Wrestling Entertainment. Flair was also the leader of “The Four Horsemen,” a dominant group of fighters that ruled the Pro Wrestling world for many, many years.
“With Ric Flair’s involvement, I’d say our 60th Anniversary event is truly going to be a history making one. I have been around the NWATM longer than anyone and I can tell you this marks the first time in close to 20 years that Flair is going to step into an NWATM building,” said NWATM Executive Director Robert K. Trobich, he continued “Atlanta this is a great homecoming for many of these men, I mean Rich, Sheik, The Midnights, Koloff and Flair at the site of the old Omni? I hope every wrestling fan in Atlanta comes out and shows the support these men earned and deserved. This may be the greatest Class we’ve ever inducted.”
Since the year 2000, Flair has wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment on their RAW and Smackdown brands. Earlier this year he lost a match at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando, FL that required him to retire ending a storied 30 plus year career. Today Flair acts a WWE Ambassador, representing the company at special events.
The 2008 NWATM Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place on June 7th in Atlanta, GA. It is a featured attraction during the NWATM 60th Anniversary event. Tickets to this event are on sale now at ticketmaster.com or the Philips Arena Box Office.
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Charlotte, NC (May 29, 2008) – The National Wrestling Alliance® is proud to announce the next inductee for this years NWA™ Hall of Fame. This man dominated the NWA™ throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. He was the holder of the NWA™ National, United States (unifying the two titles in 1986) World Six Man Tag Team, World Tag Team Championships and the winner of the inaugural Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup; of course we’re speaking of “The Russian Nightmare” Nikita Koloff!
Koloff feuded with many of today’s legend’s all across the NWA™ including Dusty Rhodes, Wahoo McDaniels, Ric Flair, Ronnie Garvin, The Rock – N – Roll Express and Magnum TA. In the tag team area he was most successful teaming with “Uncle” Ivan Koloff and Krusher Kruschev.
“Nikita Koloff is an amazing talent and truly belongs in the NWA™ Hall of Fame! His career speaks for itself and we (the NWA™ Board of Directors) are very excited that he will be attending the ceremony in Atlanta” stated NWA Director, Ed Chuman.
The 2008 NWA™ Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place on June 7th in Atlanta, GA. It is a featured attraction during the NWA™ 60th Anniversary event. Tickets to this event are on sale now at ticketmaster.com or the Philips Arena Box Office.
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The Midnight Express to be inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame
Charlotte, NC (May 26, 2008) The National Wrestling Alliance® is pleased to announce the addition of The Midnight Express: Lover Boy Dennis Condrey and BeautifulBobby Eaton to the NWA Hall of Fame. To many the Midnights (and with their Manager, NWA Hall of Famer James E. Cornette) are the very definition of tag team wrestling. Condrey, Eaton and Cornette are the most popular and most acclaimed version of the team and is celebrating their 25th anniversary together this year.
Over the year’s the Midnight Express has battled just about everyone on the Pro Wrestling scene. They were involved in memorable feuds over the NWA World Tag Team Championships with Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, The Fantastics and The Road Warriors. Most fans would argue that the “Midnight’s” greatest foes were and still are NWA™ Hall of Famer’s The Rock and Roll Express.
We’ve always planned for something special for the people of Atlanta and with inducting the Midnight Express into our Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Express confirmed for the date our matchmakers have come up with a special attracting featuring these two great tag teams, The NWA Hall of Fame Match,’ it is our goal to make the NWA Hall of Game Match a special part of our larger events world wide” stated Robert K. Trobich, NWA Executive Director.
The Midnight Express joins Tommy “Wildfire” Rich and The Iron Sheik as the announced honorees in the Class of 2008. More inductees will be announced soon.
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Charlotte, NC (May 21, 2008) Khosrow Vaziri better known as The Iron Sheik has terrorized his opponents while entertaining generations of Pro Wrestling fan’s for close to four decades. Although The Iron Sheik turned Pro in 1972 he has been competing on the grappling scene since the mid 1960s and was a member of his native Iran’s Olympic Wrestling Team during the 1968 Mexico Olympics. In 1971, he won the AAU Greco Roman Gold Metal. Vaziri was also once a bodyguard for the family of the Shah of Iran.
The Iron Sheik was always a feared man in the ring because of his deadly armature background and win at all costs attitude. Throughout the years The Iron Sheik feuded with many of the best the National Wrestling Alliance® had to offer including Dusty Rhodes, Tommy Rich, Dick Murdock, Ronnie Garvin and Sting.
Championship gold did not elude The Iron Sheik. While competing with the NWA he earned several NWA titles, but it wasn’t until 1983 when he won the WWE® Championship from Bob Backlund ending Backlund’s 6-year reign as Champion. His run as WWE® Champion ended 4 weeks later when he lost that title to Hulk Hogan in Madison Square Garden. The Iron Sheik would then move into the tag team ranks with partner Nikolai Volkoff winning the WWE® Tag Team Championships under the watchful eye of Manager Classy Fred Blassie.
The Iron Sheik is a true legend of the mat game. In 2005 he was inducted into the WWE® Hall of Fame and today is retired from in ring action, but is till very active as he is being re-discovered by a new generation of fans as a regular on the popular Howard Stern Show.”
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Charlotte, NC (May 19, 2008) On June 7, 2008 the National Wrestling Alliance® kicks off their 60th Anniversary at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. Not only will the night feature great pro wrestling from the brightest and best the NWA has to offer, it will also feature the 2008 NWA Hall of Fame inductions.
This is our third Hall of Fame class and I am very pleased with who the selection committee selected. I am also pleases to announce that NWA Hall of Famer Jim Cornette will be the MC for the ceremony, said NWA Executive Director Robert K. Trobich.
The first inductee of the Class of 2008 is one time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Wildfire Tommy Rich. Rich began his 34-year in-ring career in the Southern parts of the NWA and was a multi-time regional Champion through out the late 1970’s and 80’s. On April 27, 1981 Rich became the youngest NWA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating NWA mainstay Harley Race. Rich is also known for his hard hitting bloody matches, considered by many as some of the bloodiest in Georgia wrestling history. Wildfire is still very active in the pro wrestling scene and still one of the most popular pro wrestler’s in the State of Georgia.
Wildfire Tommy Rich will be participating in a match against one of his biggest rivals on June 7th when he faces the Madman from Sudan Abdullah the Butcher.
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