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{{Short description|American professional wrestling promotion (1964–1989)}}
{{other uses|World Wrestling Association (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox wrestling promotion
|name=World Wrestling Association
|image=
|acronym=WWA
|established=March 1964<ref name="KayfabeIntro">{{cite web|url=http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/wwa-ind/wwaindintro.htm|title=Regional Territories: WWA-Indianapolis - Intro|publisher=Kayfabe Memories|access-date=2009-08-23}}</ref>
|folded=1989
|style=[[American wrestling]]
|location=[[Indiana]]
|founder=[[Dick the Bruiser]]<ref name="Kayfabememories"/><br>[[Wilbur Snyder]]<ref name="Kayfabememories"/>
|owner=[[Dick the Bruiser]]<br>[[Wilbur Snyder]]
|parent=[[WWE Libraries]]
|sister=[[Powerful Women of Wrestling]]
|split=[[List of NWA territories#Defunct and former NWA member promotions|NWA Indianapolis]]
|website=
|}}

The '''World Wrestling Association''' was an [[Indianapolis]]-based [[professional wrestling]] [[professional wrestling promotion|promotion]] which was operated by [[Dick the Bruiser]] and his business partner [[Wilbur Snyder]].<ref name="KayfabeIntro"/><ref name="Kayfabememories">{{cite web|url=http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/wwa-ind/wwaind.htm|title=Regional Territories: WWA-Indianapolis|publisher=Kayfabe Memories|access-date=2009-08-23}}</ref> It was affiliated with the larger [[American Wrestling Association]] and recognized its champions, along with its own and those of the Indianapolis-based [[Powerful Women of Wrestling]]. It ran from 1964 to 1989.

==History==
The World Wrestling Association (WWA), operating under the legal name Championship Wrestling of Indiana, Inc., was established in 1964 by William Afflis and Wilbur Snyder.<ref name="KayfabeIntro"/><ref name="Kayfabememories"/> The duo purchased the Indianapolis NWA promotion in 1964 from its longtime owner [[Jim Barnett (wrestling)|Jim Barnett]], who at that time was attempting to start up a promotion in Australia. The name of the promotion was taken from the former promotions in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas.<ref name="Kayfabememories"/>

In 1965, the WWA purchased the Chicago-based [[Fred Kohler Enterprises]] from [[Fred Kohler (wrestling promoter)|Fred Kohler]]. In May of the same year, the promotion ceased promoting events in Detroit.

The promotion developed wrestlers such as [[Bobby Heenan]] and [[amateur wrestler]] [[Greg Wojciechowski]]. Wojciechowski wrestled for the WWA under the name "The Great Wojo" and held the WWA World Heavyweight Championship three times.<ref name="Titles"/> In later years, [[Scott Steiner]] got his start in the WWA under his real name, Scott Rechsteiner.

A talent sharing agreement with [[American Wrestling Association]] (AWA) head (and longtime champion) [[Verne Gagne]] brought forth other talent, including [[The Crusher (wrestler)|The Crusher]] and [[Baron von Raschke]]. The WWA also put on joint wrestling events with the AWA starting in 1966. In 1971, the WWA returned to promoting events in Detroit in competition with the NWA Detroit until 1975.

The WWA tried to make a go of it in the mid-1980s, when [[Vince McMahon]]'s [[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF) was buying regional promotions across the country, but the Bruiser's advancing age and the talent drain to the WWF were too much, and the WWA ceased promoting matches in 1989.

==Championships==
* [[WWA World Heavyweight Championship (Indianapolis version)|WWA World Heavyweight Championship]]<ref name="Titles">{{cite book | author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will | title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications | year=2006|edition=4th | isbn=0-9698161-5-4 }}</ref>
* [[WWA World Tag Team Championship (Indianapolis version)|WWA World Tag Team Championship]]<ref name="Titles"/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last=Lentz III |first=Harris M. |date=2003 |title=Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling |edition=2 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=0786417544 }}

==External links==
*[http://www.wwasuperstarwrestling.com WWAsuperstarwrestling.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128143430/http://www.wwasuperstarwrestling.com/ |date=2009-11-28 }}
*[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/in/wwa/ WWA title histories at Wrestling-Titles.com]
*[http://www.cagematch.net/?id=8&nr=103&page=16 World Wrestling Association alumni at Cagematch.net]
*[http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/promotions/wwa-in.html World Wrestling Association alumni at OWW.com]
*[http://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=ligen&kategorie=8&liga=291&infos=1 World Wrestling Association alumni at Wrestlingdata.com]

{{Professional wrestling in the United States}}

[[Category:Independent professional wrestling promotions based in the Midwestern United States]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in Indiana]]
[[Category:Defunct professional wrestling promotions]]

World Wrestling Association (Indianapolis) - Revision history

Hearthospital: entry