Currently, the largest professional wrestling company worldwide is the United States-based World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ), which bought over many smaller regional companies in the late twentieth century, as well as its primary competitors in early 2001, World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ).

He helped reinvent interest in professional wrestling when he owned one of the most popular wrestling companies of the middle to late 1990s known as World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ).

TNT used World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) to attract a broader audience.

In 1988, Turner purchased Jim Crockett Promotions which he renamed World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) which became the main competitor to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ).

This helped drive many WWF wrestlers to its only major competition, World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ), between 1994 and 1997.

The two programs would trade wins in the ensuing ratings competition until mid-1996, when WCW began a nearly two-year domination that was largely fueled by the introduction of the New World Order, a stable led by former WWF performers Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash.

Starting in 1995, TNT was also the home of WCW Monday Nitro, the flagship show of the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, once regularly the highest rated weekly program on cable.

* Sid Eudy aka Sid Vicious or Sid Justice – former four-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion ( WWE, WCW )

* Buff Bagwell-Professional wrestler, five-time WCW World Tag Team Champion

He wrestled there under the ring names 1 – 2 – 3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993 – 2002, World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) under the ring name Syxx-Pac and also under his real name.

He continued using the 1 – 2 – 3 Kid name until his departure for World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) in 1996.

During the fall of 1997, the nWo invoked " Wolfpac Rules " and named Syxx as a replacement for the injured Kevin Nash as part of the Outsiders with Scott Hall in defending the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

*" Mr. Perfect " Curt Hennig ( 1958 – 2003 )-Former professional wrestling champion with American Wrestling Association ( AWA ), National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ), World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ), and World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ).

* Eric Bischoff-Wrestling personality and former President of WCW ( World Championship Wrestling )

This included nine World Heavyweight Championships ( the WWF / E Championship seven times and the WCW / World Championship ( 2 times )< sup > 1 </ sup >

World Championship Wrestling, Inc. ( WCW Inc .) was a privately held American professional wrestling promotion currently owned by World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) as a subsidiary.

Turner, and later Time-Warner, owned WCW until 2001 when it was purchased by its primary competitor, the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ), now known as WWE.

From 1995 onwards, WCW began to become more economically stable, largely due to the promotion of Eric Bischoff to Executive Producer, the hiring of Hulk Hogan, the introduction of Nitro and the resultant Monday Night Wars, the New World Order and other innovative concepts.

Once Bischoff was relieved of his duties in 1999, Vince Russo, a former writer for World Wrestling Federation, came on board to become the lead writer of WCW.

In the meantime, the World Wrestling Federation began speaking to the new AOL Time Warner about acquiring the WCW brand.

Notably, Mick Foley's WWF Championship win over The Rock on Monday Night Raw saw WCW lose millions of viewers when Eric Bischoff instructed announcer Tony Schiavone to give away the result minutes before both main events started, which led to Raw drawing eleven million viewers.

He is the only wrestler in history to have held the TNA X Division Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship.

Waltman, now known as Syxx, immediately began taunting the cruiserweights, going as far as to steal Eddy Guerrero's WCW United States Heavyweight Championship title belt, an act that led to a ladder match for the title at the January 1997 event Souled Out, which Syxx lost.

During this time, he won the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, held by Billy Kidman, and became the first and only person to hold both belts simultaneously.

The WWF kept the WCW United States Championship, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, the WCW World Tag Team Championship, and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

* Bob Keller ( American Professional Wrestler ) Listed in Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 Wrestlers 4 times, Former Host for American Pro Wrestlings Power Hour Agent and Manager for many former WCW and WWE Superstars ... Most Noted for teaming with Hagerstown Native Shane Heimburger ( Shadows ) to form the Team of The Mega Rockers

He has held the ECW and WCW tag titles with his partner, Rocco Rock, who are together known as The Public Enemy.

He also held the WCW / WWE Cruiserweight Championship a record eight times ( five times in WCW, three in WWE ).

On the March 22 Spring Breakout episode of Nitro, Mysterio got his first shot at the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against champion Ric Flair when the names of ( allegedly ) nearly everyone in the company were put into a hat and a lottery was held.

* Vince Russo, former booker for WCW and WWF ; current booker for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ; briefly held WCW's World Heavyweight Championship.

Among other accolades in professional wrestling, Luger is a three-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWA World Heavyweight Championship once ; a record-tying five-time NWA / WCW United States Heavyweight Champion who owns the records for consecutive days and total days as champion ; and the 1994 WWF Royal Rumble winner ( with Bret Hart ).

* WCW Sin, a professional wrestling pay-per-view event held by World Championship Wrestling in January 2001

He is the second longest-reigning WWF Champion of all time ( after Bruno Sammartino ) and the longest-reigning of the 1980s, having held the title for 1, 474 days from 1984-1988, as well as the longest-reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion of all time, with a 469 day reign from 1994-1995.

He also held the WCW United States Championship once, and is the record holder for most reigns as WWE Hardcore Champion with 26 reigns.

Between WCW, TNA, WWE and ECW, Levy has held 36 championships.

With that, he also became the first WCW Triple Crown Champion upon being awarded the title, having already held the United States and World Tag Team titles.

Once he returned to action, Flair briefly held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for a tenth time after defeating Barry Windham at Beach Blast before WCW finally left the NWA in September 1993.

As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is an eight-time champion, having held six World Tag Team Championships, one WWE Tag Team Championship, and one WCW Tag Team Championship.

The Great American Bash pay-per-view was held at the arena eight times during the life of the promotion, and by the time WCW was bought by WWE, The Great American Bash had been in Baltimore for four of the five previous years.

It was also the first WrestleMania held after the dissolution of the company's rival, World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and the Monday Night Wars.

Both of his world title reigns were represented by the Big Gold Belt: Benoit is one of four men to have held the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, alongside Bill Goldberg, Booker T and Big Show.

He is also a record-tying five-time WCW / WWE United States Champion, having held the championship twice in WCW, and three times in WWE.

Piper touched on subjects from the death of Piper's real-life cousin, Owen Hart, for which Piper held Russo to blame, to the downfall of WCW amongst other touchy subjects.

Through late 1996 and into 1997, Nash normally teamed with Hall as the Outsiders, and they held the WCW Tag Team Championship.

He held six world titles between the WWF and WCW, having won the WWF Championship twice and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship four times.