Africa Wrestling Alliance should not be confused with American Wrestling Association.
| Africa Wrestling Alliance | |
| Acronym: | AWA |
| Established: | 1995 |
| Style: | Traditional/Rofstoei |
| Location: | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Founder: | Shaun Koen |
| Owner: | Shaun Koen Koos Rossouw |
| Formerly: | Africa Wrestling Federation |
| Website: | AWA Official Website |
Africa Wrestling Alliance (AWA), formerly known as Africa Wrestling Federation, is a South African professional wrestling promotion founded in 1995.[1] [2] [3] The regionally based company is owned by Shaun Koen and Koos Rossouw. It is a traditionally styled promotion influenced by the international wrestling market, such as European and American mainstream wrestling. The style encompassed by the promotion's wrestlers is referred to as Rofstoei (an Afrikaans term).
The Africa Wrestling Federation (AWF) was founded by Shaun Koen and his wife in 1995 after the death of his father, Jackie Koen, on 16 December 1994. The AWF started off as a regional promotion based in Cape Town, regularly running in the Goodwood and Parow areas. A few years later the AWF started doing tours nationally and also ventured outside of South Africa to tour countries like Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
In 2003 AWF signed a year-long television contract with eTV to air weekly shows in 2004. The series was known as AWF on E Slam Series, and the episodes were recorded in arenas such as the Good Hope Centre, Carnival City and the Coca-Cola Dome. The actual running time of these events lasted three to four hours, but to minimise costs, they were split into one hour for each episode. In late 2004, ratings and attendance started decreasing. A soundtrack CD, AWF on E - The Soundtrack, was released under the EMI label to promote the television show. The year-long season culminated in a two-hour live special held at Sun City on 11 December 2004.
Plans were underway to have a second season in 2005, but AWA and eTV failed to agree to new terms. This caused the promotion to lose ownership of the name Africa Wrestling Federation and forced them to create new trademarks. The Africa Wrestling Alliance (AWA) name was then established in March 2005. Due to the lack of television exposure following AWF on E, some of the top names like The Saint, Skull, Rey Bourne and Jacques Rogue departed AWA to pursue other interests.
The AWA holds an annual Royal Rumble show at the Parow Civic Centre venue (nicknamed The House of Pain) in December. The event is regularly sponsored by Coca-Cola. The last champion was William McQueen, who won the AWA Royal Rumble Championship on 3 December 2007 in the 21-man battle royal main event.
Although the AWA is currently a non-televised, regional promotion, it has had a big impact on the South African wrestling industry and frequently does tours beyond its headquarters, having held events in the surrounding areas of Cape Town and in neighbouring countries such as Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The promotion is also actively involved in charity work. In association with its many sponsors and the Reach for a Dream foundation, unprivileged children are provided with the opportunity to attend certain shows for free and meet members of the roster.
The AWA training facility is currently based at the Wingfield Army Base in Goodwood, Cape Town. Classes are regularly held every Tuesday and Thursday. The head of the academy is Shaun Koen.
| Championship: | Champion(s): | Previous Champion(s): | Date Won: | Location: | Event: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWA African Heavyweight Championship | Mike Xander | 5 April 2011 | Parow Civic Centre, Cape Town, South Africa | AWA House of Pain: Good VS Evil | ||
| AWA African Cruiserweight Championship | Mr Money | Vinnie Vegas | 8 December 2011 | Parow Civic Centre, Cape Town, South Africa | AWA House of Pain: Night of the Champions Supercard | |
| AWA Lightweight Championship | Max The Body | Ed Electric | 25 June 2012 | Parow Civic Centre, Cape Town, South Africa | AWA House of Pain: Battle Royale | |
| AWA Royal Rumble Championship | SA Bulldog | Missing Link | 8 December 2011 | Parow Civic Centre, Cape Town, South Africa | AWA House of Pain: Night of the Champions Supercard |
| Championship: | Last Champion(s): | Previous Champion(s): | Date Won: | Location: | Event: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWF Tag-Team Championship | The Saint and The Gladiator | None | 11 December 2004 | Sun City, North West Province, South Africa | AWF on E Slam Series Final | |
| AWF Hardcore Championship | Skull | None | 11 December 2004 | Sun City, North West Province, South Africa | AWF on E Slam Series Final |
| Championshipname: | AWA African Cruiserweight Championship |
| Currentholder: | Johnny Palazzio |
| Won: | 7 April 2009 |
| Promotion: | Africa Wrestling Alliance |
| Created: | 11 December 2004 |
| Mostreigns: | Johnny Palazzio (2 reigns) |
| Firstchamp: | Johnny Palazzio |
| Longestreign: | Johnny Palazzio (days) |
| Shortestreign: | William McQueen (days) |
The AWA African Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling cruiserweight championship owned by the AWA promotion. The title was created and debuted on 11 December 2004 at a two-hour live television special, AWF on E Slam Series Final, when Johnny Palazzio won it in a battle royal. Title reigns are determined either by professional wrestling matches between wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines, or by scripted circumstances. Wrestlers are portrayed as either villains or heroes as they follow a series of tension-building events, which culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches for the championship. Title changes happen at live events, which are usually released on DVD.
| † | Indicates the current champion |