WOW - Women Of Wrestling, aka WOW!, is a women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane, previously the founder of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. It is based in Los Angeles, California, and is owned by McLane and Los Angeles Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss. The promotion launched a series of syndicated programs in the 2000-01 television seasons in 102 TV markets using a similar format of character driven performers, with names befitting a comic book series, such as Jungle Grrrl, an inmate tag-team complete with orange jump suits named Caged Heat, a Hollywood starlet named Lana Star, and the Persian Princess.
WOW programs were able to stand out from other wrestling programs by offering television viewers and live event audience an all female troupe of performers who played campy villains and heroines in all sizes and nationalities. By being the only entertainment source of its kind, WOW captured a strong adult demographic following with its primary audience, the male television audience (18-49 years of age) generating 25% higher ratings than its secondary audience of young women (18-24), teens, and tweens (7-12).
After a long hiatus, in December 2014, WOW! announced their launch into digital media in 2015. Marketed as "WOW Superheroes", its characters are empowered women from all different backgrounds and professions. Season 2 of the show premiered on March 1, 2016, on YouTube. Its fourth season premiered February 28, 2017. On April 20, 2017, MGM Television announced that Mark Burnett, MGM's President, Television Group & Digital, and Jeanie Buss formed a partnership to develop new content across a range of unscripted programming and digital formats for WOW!. Its fifth season commenced production in Los Angeles on May 11, 2017, with its live event at the historic Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.
Video Women of Wrestling
Company history
Initial run (2000-2001)
WOW programming was aired in first-run syndication, often late at night and packaged with other sports-entertainment programming. The programs quickly became the highest rated wrestling shows in the markets of New York and Los Angeles and demonstrated ability regardless of the region, market size or time-period to grow each television stations audience. The promotion aired about twenty four original one-hour episodes, fielding a single pay-per-view, Women of Wrestling Unleashed. With its headquarters in Los Angeles, WOW held its live events which were taped for broadcast from the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The organization's first live event attendance was a mere 400+, but its audience grew to over 5,000 customers over the period of only six events, and its website peaked in one month with slightly over 10 million unique visitors.
The majority of WOW's performers were rookies to the business, recruited from backgrounds in modeling, acting, stunt work, and martial arts. Selina Majors (who wrestled as Bambi) and Thug (who wrestled as Peggy Lee Leather) were the trainers for the company. Jeanie Buss appeared regularly on WOW programming, although not as an in-ring participant.
Dormant (2001-2012)
Due to the ever soft and declining advertising market during this time, WOW was not able to take advantage of its momentum and ceased production after completing 24 original episodes and one live pay-per-view event. WOW ceased television production by fall 2001. WOW, although off the air in the United States after 2001, continued to exist through international distribution deals with the markets of Israel, Russia, India, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, the Middle East, Turkey, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic and other countries airing the WOW shows.
David McLane would attempt to relaunch the show again a few times over the next decade, with no success. One attempt in 2002 included a partnership with Kiss frontman Gene Simmons. Starting in July 2011, the WOW website reported the WOW original shows started airing on the ABC affiliate KTNV in Las Vegas. The series continues to be distributed internationally. In 2013, Coors Light sponsored several live events in Las Vegas at the Eastside Cannery Casino and Hotel, where new programs were produced.
Relaunch (2012-present)
On May 29, 2012, McLane and Buss announced their intention to produce new episodes of the series. On Sunday, December 9, 2012, at 11 a.m. on The CW Las Vegas station KVCW, WOW! returned to television in advance of the "WOW! Pandemonium Tour 2013". WOW! kicked off the tour in Las Vegas, Nevada, with their first live event on January 19, 2013.
The new programming of WOW featured some of the original WOW wrestlers such as Lana Star, Jade, Delta Lotta Pain, Loca, Thug, Jungle Grrrl and Selina Majors with the addition of new talent who auditioned for WOW in the months prior to December 9, 2012, television show. The WOW wrestlers are now referred to as "SuperHeroes". New WOW SuperHeroes are characters known as Frost, Fire, Stephy Slays, Keta Rush, La Niña and a Mexican star named Azucar. Original WOW Girl Selina Majors serves as the official trainer of WOW's new talent. Joining the roster are independent wrestlers Santana Garrett and Amber O'Neal.
Maps Women of Wrestling
SuperHeroes (season 1)
WOW SuperHeroes (2000-2002)
WOW tag teams (2000-2002)
The remaining teams were mainly created for WOW's Tag Team Tournament, although some of the teams continued to team with one another until the end of the first season.
- Beckie "The Farmer's Daughter" & Bronco Billie
- Boom Boom & Caliente
- Caged Heat: Delta Lotta Pain & Loca with Vendetta. Defeated Harley's Angels for the titles. At first, a heel tag team, they became twiners after they saved Selina Majors from one of Harley's Angels brutalization. Known for their finishing moves, the Drive By and Capital Punishment.
- Danger & Riot
- Farah "The Persian Princess" & Paradise
- Harley's Angels: EZ Rider & Charlie Davidson with Thug. Known for their constant three on one interference and their frequent assaults on Selina Majors. Defeated by Caged Heat for the titles. Became enemies of Caged Heat after Delta and Loca saved Selina Majors from one of the biker team's assaults.
- Ice Cold & Poison
- Lana Star & Patti Pizzazz (formerly Patti Pep)
- Law & Order: Nicki Law & Christy Order
- Roxy Powers & Tanja "The Warrior Woman"
- The Asian Invasion: Jade & Lotus
- The Beach Patrol: Sandy, Summer & Sunny (later Wendi Wheels)
- The Daughters of Darkness: Mystery (who appeared at WOW Unleashed as Vendetta) & Misery (who was the Disciplinarian working under a mask). Managed by a mysterious man called The Goon.
- Team Spirit: Randi Rah Rah & Patti Pep (later Patti Pizzazz)
WOW other personnel
- David B. McLane: Host and announcer
- Dan Masters: Announcer and backstage interviews (2012 - present)
- Lee Marshall: Announcer (2000 - 2001)
- Stephen Dickey: Announcer and commentator (2013 - present)
- Ed Ryba: Voiceovers (2001)
- Andrew M. Somers: Voiceovers (2000 - 2001)
- Julie Day: Backstage interviews (2000 - 2001)
- James Furlong: Music composer (2013 - present)
- Josh Milton: Referee
- Jeff McGowan: Referee
- Jesse Hernandez: Referee
- Andrew Hecker: Voiceovers and director
List of episodes (2000-2002)
Below are the results of the matches aired on the WOW TV show and the approximate dates they aired.
SuperHeroes (season 2-3)
WOW SuperHeroes (taped 2013-2014, aired 2016)
- Abilene Maverick "The Governor's Daughter" (Callee Wilkerson): Tag team partner of Candace LeRae.
- Amber O'Neal: One half of All American Girls along with Santana Garrett, new WOW World Tag Team Championship holders in 2013 by defeating Caged Heat. Turned on her partner, Santana Garrett, by Lana Star and is now christened the Beverly Hills Babe.
- Azúcar
- Candice LeRae (Candice Dawson): Tag team partner of Abilene Maverick "The Governor's Daughter".
- Delta Lotta Pain (Jwaundace Candece): Prisoner from the Nevada State Penitentiary, billed with Loca and Vendetta as Caged Heat. She, along with Loca (sans Vendetta), returned to the promotion in 2013. Former WOW World Tag Team Championship holder.
- Desdemeana "The Soldier Of Darkness"
- Fire (Taylor Lewis): Did not appear in any WOW episodes.
- Frost "The Olympian" (Janeshia Adams-Ginyard)
- Holidead
- Jade (Jennifer Lee Chan): Chinese wrestler known for her Samurai Scissors move, sometimes called The Jaded Edge. Has a fan in her beloved grandmother. After going winless (except for a disqualification) in her first run in the promotion, celebrated her first victory in WOW.
- Jessie Jones: One half of Southern Pride along with Selina Majors.
- Jungle Grrrl (Erica Porter): Tarzan based wrestler, billed as from being from the Amazon Rainforest. One of the few near undefeated wrestlers in WOW, she became new WOW World Championship holder after defeating Lana Star. Lana subsequently defeated her for the championship in 2014.
- Keta Rush (Keta Meggett): One half of the Bully Busters along with Stephy Slays.
- Kitty (Holly Meowy): Former personal assistant of Lana Star.
- Khloe Hurtz
- La Niña (Melissa Santos): One half of Tropical Storm along with Paradise.
- Lady London (Georgina Rawlings): Did not appear in any WOW episodes.
- Lana Star (Lana Kinnear): One of WOW's marquee performers. Often called the Fabulous Lana Star. A movie star wannabe who often used dirty tricks and cheating such as smashing hand mirrors and spraying hair spray in her opponent's eyes to win her matches. Despite her underhanded tactics, she also proved herself to be a good technical wrestler. Known for her finishing move, The Lana Star Facelift. Arrogantly called Women of Wrestling, "the Lana Star Show". Had a personal assistant called Kitty, whom she fired. In a non-televised match, Lana finally achieved championship gold by defeating Terri Gold for the WOW championship. She returned to the promotion, as the champion in 2013, until she was defeated by fellow original WOW girl, Jungle Grrrl. In January 2014, Lana defeated Jungle Grrrl and regained the title. Succeeded in turning Amber O'Neal against her partner (as she had previously done with Patti Pep) and turned her into the Beverly Hills Babe.
- Loca (Cher Ferreyra): Prisoner from Nevada State Penitentiary. One third of Caged Heat, along with Delta Lotta Pain and Vendetta. She and Delta (sans Vendetta) returned to the promotion in 2013. Former WOW World Tag Team Championship holders.
- Paradise: Island girl wrestler from Tonga. One half of Tropical Storm along with La Niña.
- Razor: Tag team partner of Spike; allied with Riot.
- Riot: Original WOW SuperHero. A rebellious loner. She returned to the promotion in 2016. She is the leader of her trio with Razor and Spike.
- Santana Garrett: One half of the new WOW World Tag Team Championship holders in 2013, All American Girls. Current WOW champion. Lost her tag team partner Amber O'Neal, when she was turned against Garrett by Lana Star.
- Selina Majors "The Real Deal": Four time WOW World Championship holder. She returned to Women of Wrestling as the current roster's official trainer and as one half of Southern Pride along with Jessie Jones.
- Sophia López (Leslie Garza): New official representation of Caged Heat. Succeeded in getting the prison team out of prison.
- Spike (Ashly Martinez): "Niece" of former WOW wrestler Thug. Allied with Riot
- Stephy Slays (Stephanie Mason): Formerly Stephanie La Maravillosa. One half of the Bully Busters along with Keta Rush.
- Sunshine (Jamila Griffith): Inspired by The Beach Patrol (original WOW girls Sandy and Summer).
- Tatevik "The Gamer" (Tatevik Hunanyan)
- Thug (Peggy Lee Leather): Mentor of her "niece" Spike.
- Zombie: Did not appear in any WOW episodes.
WOW tag teams (taped 2013-2014, aired 2016)
The original new tag teams. The only tag team that returned to the promotion was Caged Heat.
- Abilene Maverick "The Governor's Daughter" & Candace LaRae
- All American Girls: Amber O'Neal & Santana Garrett
- Bully Busters: Keta Rush & Stephy Slays (formerly Stephanie La Maravillosa)
- Caged Heat: Delta Lotta Pain & Loca with The Atty. Sophia Lopez, The Caged Heat Representative
- Spike & Razor with Thug
- Southern Pride: Selina Majors & Jessie Jones
- Tropical Storm: La Niña & Paradise
Championships
WOW World Championship
WOW World Tag Team Championship
WOW Unleashed
WOW Unleashed was a professional wrestling pay-per-view from Women of Wrestling. It took place on February 4, 2001, from the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The PPV suffered from technical difficulties and a low buyrate. A second PPV, Spring Vengeance, was announced for April 8, 2001, during Unleashed, but never came to fruition. The announcers were Lee Marshall and former manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Regular announcer David McLane, also the promotion's President, served as Master of Ceremonies.
See also
- List of women's wrestling promotions
References
External links
- Official website
- Google Groups archive of press release announcing WOW
- IMDb entry
- Women of Wrestling Unleashed (2001)
- Divas of Pro-Wrestling
- Women Wrestling
Source of article : Wikipedia
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