History Wrestling / AmericanWrestlingAssociation

* NonIndicativeName: Much like Wrestling/{{WCW}}, The American Wrestling Association Women's Championship was defended almost exclusively in Japan, about as far away from America as you can get. Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1 eventually sent it back to the USA and then retired it after Sherri Martel died.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 1996, former AWA employees in Wrestling Superstars Live began using the AWA name and selling rights to its use to other promotions in the UK, Canada and Japan. In 2007, WWE filed a lawsuit on the grounds it owned the right to the AWA name, causing the break up of this new alliance and ending the use of AWA properties not only among those purchased from WSL. National Wrestling Superstars would continue on for two more years after the suit before closing, meaning the closest thing to a continuation of the AWA ended up being a few regional promotions such as Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic.

* BigEater: The explanation for Scott Norton's "Flapjack" nickname was that he had supposedly eaten all the pancakes at the lumberjacks' camp by himself in one sitting.

* NonIndicativeName: Much like Wrestling/{{WCW}}, The American Wrestling Association Women's Championship was defended almost exclusively in Japan, about as far away from America as you can get. Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero one eventually sent it back to the USA and then retired it after Sherri Martel died.

* NonIndicativeName: Much like Wrestling/{{WCW}}, The American Wrestling Association Women's Championship was defended almost exclusively in Japan, about as far away from America as you can get.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 1996, former AWA employees in Wrestling Superstars Live began using the AWA name and selling rights to its use to other promotions in the UK, Canada and Japan. In 2007, WWE filed a lawsuit on the grounds it owned the right to the AWA name, causing the break up of this new alliance and ending the use of AWA properties not only among those purchased from WSL but even those that had been in use by original AWA's partners overseas that kept using them after the company went out of business. National Wrestling Superstars would continue on for two more years after the suit before closing, meaning the closest thing to a continuation of the AWA ended up being a few regional promotions such as Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic.

* SpiritualSuccessor: In 1996, former AWA employees in Wrestling Superstars Live began using the AWA name and selling rights to its use to other promotions in the UK, Canada and Japan. In 2007, WWE filed a lawsuit on the grounds it owned the right to the AWA name, causing the break up of this new alliance and ending the use of AWA properties not only among those purchased from WSL but even those that had been in use by original AWA's partners overseas that kept using them after the company went out of business. National Wrestling Superstars would continue on for two more years after the suit before closing, meaning the closest thing to a continuation of the AWA now is in a few regional promotions such as Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic.

** "Yukon" John Nord used Music/CreedenceClearwaterRevival's "Bad Moon Rising"

* WorldsStrongestMan: Ken Patera was billed as this.

* BaldOfAwesome: "Superstar" Billy Graham and [[Wrestling/JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]] amongst others.

** [[Wrestling/PlaybodyBuddyRose "Playboy" Buddy Rose]] and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers used Music/{{Madonna}}'s "Dress You Up"

** "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers used Music/{{Madonna}}'s "Dress You Up"

** The Trooper (Del Wilkes, aka the Patriot) used Music/{{U2}}'s "Desire"

* BadassGrandpa: Da Crusher had become a real life example of this by the time he retired in 1989 at the age of 63.

* [[UnrelatedBrothers Unrelated Cousins]]: Da Crusher and Dick The Brusier.

** Nikita Koloff used Music/PhilCollins' "In the Air Tonight"

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Wrestling/HulkHogan appeared to have won the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Championship]] twice in 1983 only to be stripped of the title after each match... the second time nearly causing the fans to riot. Hogan would soon leave the company and go on to become the face of the industry while making the WWF synonymous with pro wrestling in the mainstream. For fairly obvious reasons, this is also considered to be the point where the AWA started to go downhill.
** There's a story about Wrestling/PaulHeyman questioning Verne Gagne's booking in the late 80s to which Verne allegedly threw the booking sheets at Heyman and said "LetsSeeYouDoBetter." Heyman, of course, went on to gain a reputation as one of the most innovative bookers in wrestling history with Wrestling/{{ECW}}.

!!Provides examples of:

* PartsUnknown: Nord the Barbarian, from "Norwegia"

** AntiVillain: Nick Bockwinkel. Sure he cheated and called fans "cretinous humanoids," but he was just so eloquent and well spoken that you could always see where he was coming from.

* ForeignWrestlingHeel: Baron Von Raschke, Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie, Wrestling/AbdullahTheButcher, [[{{Wrestling/Kamala}} Kamala]] the Ugandan Giant, Boris Zhukov, Soldat Ustinov, etc.

* ICallItVera: During Baron Von Raschke's late-1980s feud with the the Sheik's (Adnan Al-Kaisse) Army, he carried around a baseball bat he called his "Louisville Sleeper."

* OneSteveLimit: Averted with Jerry "The Crusher" Blackwell and Reggie "Da Crusher" Lisowski. Naturally, they feuded over this.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Nick Bockwinkel.

* YouLookFamiliar: Averted with "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Big]]" Wrestling/ScottHall who sported an afro, [[PornStache porn stache]] and extremely muscular physique during his AWA run looked much different by the time he showed up in the WWF as Razor Ramon.

* BoringInvincibleHero: Verne Gagne could be said to be this right before he retired.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: '''''COL. [=DEBEERS=]'''''.

* AffablyEvil: Nick Bockwinkel; all the way. So much so that he could be considered a...
* AntiVillain: Nick Bockwinkel. Sure he cheated and called fans "cretinous humanoids," but he was just so eloquent and well spoken that you could always see where he was coming from.
** Sgt. Slaughter as well.

* MrFanservice: The Midnight Rockers (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels & Marty Janetty)

** The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Bryan Knobbs) used Music/JanetJackson's "Nasty"[[note]]Verne Gagne's daughter ''named'' the team after the song.[[/note]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: HulkHogan appeared to have won the World Heavyweight Championship twice in 1983 only to be stripped of the title after each match... the second time nearly causing the fans to riot. Hogan would soon leave the company and go on to become the face of the industry while making the WWF synonymous with pro wrestling in the mainstream. For fairly obvious reasons, this is also considered to be the point where the AWA started to go downhill.
** There's a story about Paul Heyman questioning Verne Gagne's booking in the late 80s to which Verne allegedly threw the booking sheets at Heyman and said "LetsSeeYouDoBetter." Heyman, of course, went on to gain a reputation as one of the most innovative bookers in wrestling history with Wrestling/{{ECW}}.

* WrestlingFamily: The Gagnes (Verne & Greg), the Vachons (Butcher & Mad Dog) and the Hennigs (Larry & Curt).

* MrFanservice: The Midnight Rockers (ShawnMichaels & Marty Janetty)
* ForeignWrestlingHeel: Baron Von Raschke, Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie, Abdullah the Butcher, [[{{Wrestling/Kamala}} Kamala]] the Ugandan Giant, Boris Zhukov, Soldat Ustinov, etc.

* AffablyEvil: Nick Bockwinkle all the way. So much so that he could be considered a...
* AntiVillain: Nick Bockwinkle. Sure he cheated and called fans "cretinous humanoids," but he was just so eloquent and well spoken that you could always see where he was coming from.

* BadassInANiceSuit: Nick Bockwinkle

* CoolOldGuy: Nick Bockwinkle during his final World Title run at age 52.
** Not to mention that Bockwinkle was able to rap better than everyone else, including the younger talent, in the [=WrestleRock=] Rumble video.

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Nick Bockwinkle

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: '''''COL. [=DEBEERS=]''''', full stop.

* RingOldies: The combination of the AWA style resulting in less wear and tear on the wrestlers bodies and the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] signing away their younger talent made the AWA especially prone to this in the 80s. Nick Bockwinkle, Verne Gagne, Da Crusher and Baron Von Raschke all had World Heavyweight or Tag Team title runs past the age of 50.

* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Nick Bockwinkle.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: '''''COL. [=DEBEERS=]'''', full stop.

** [[ForeignWrestlingHeel Col. [=DeBeers=]]] used Music/GunsNRoses' "Welcome to the Jungle", which made no sense as his [[TheGimmick gimmick]] was of a militant South African racist.

** There's a story about Paul Heyman questioning Verne Gagne's booking in the late 80s to which Verne allegedly threw the booking sheets at Heyman and said "LetsSeeYouDoBetter." Heyman, of course, went on to gain a reputation as one of the most innovative bookers in wrestling history with {{ECW}}.

** Larry Zybysko was part of the Gagne family by marriage, but this was never mentioned on camera.
* YouLookFamiliar: Averted with "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Big]]" Scott Hall who sported an afro, [[PornStache porn stache]] and extremely muscular physique during his AWA run looked much different by the time he showed up in the WWF as Razor Ramon.

* HighlyVisibleNinja - Larry Zybysko's training partner [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W67HcAoGvHU Mr Go.]]

* BaldOfAwesome: "Superstar" Billy Graham and [[{{Wrestling/JesseVentura}} Jesse "The Body" Ventura]] amongst others.

* GorgeousGeorge: "Superstar" Billy Graham and later, [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]].

* BaldOfAwesome: "Superstar" Billy Graham and [[JesseVentura Jesse "The Body" Ventura]] amongst others.

* ForeignWrestlingHeel: Baron Von Raschke, Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie, Abdullah the Butcher, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Teijo Khan, etc.