It was the first successful independent promotion in the region, along with W.D. Woody's Ultimate Championship Wrestling, rivaling long-running territory-era promoters Mike and Denny Million (All-American Wrestling), Bob Ross (American Championship Wrestling), and James Wells (North American Wrestling Alliance) during the mid-to late 1990s.
The Independent Professional Wrestling Alliance was founded by independent wrestlers Cueball Carmichael and Kevin Carson[4] in the fall of 1995. Its first show was held on October 9, 1995, at the National Guard Armory in Manassas, Virginia where Carmichael won a battle royal to become the promotion's first heavyweight champion;[5]Death & Destruction (Frank Parker & Roger Anderson) also defeated American Patriot and Kevin Dillon to become the first IPWA Tag Team Champions. The promotion crowned its first light heavyweight champion nine months later when Mark "The Shark" Shrader defeated Quinn Nash (substituting for Earl the Pearl) in a tournament final in Alexandria on June 7, 1996.[6]
Carmichael, who would go on to win the IPWA Heavyweight Championship a record 4-times, engaged in a long-running feud with Johnny Gunn over the belt for much of the promotion's history. Their rivalry started during Carmichael's first title reign when, on March 9, 1996, Gunn attacked the champion with a steel chair shortly after a successful title defense against The Iron Sheik. Their match a month later saw Gunn beat Carmichael following a 32 minute bout; sometime during the match, 22-year-old fan Danelle Evans stole the heavyweight title but it was later recovered by local police.[7]
Territorial reach
Within a few years, the IPWA had established itself as the states' first successful independent promotion along with rival W.D. Woody and Ultimate Championship Wrestling based in Hillsville, Virginia. Though there were a number of short-lived promotions both prior to and during this period, it was these two organizations which were the biggest rivals of longtime territory-era promotions Bob Ross' American Championship Wrestling (1978-), James Wells' North American Wrestling Alliance (1980–2000), and Mike and Denny Million's All-American Wrestling (1988–1996) throughout the decade.[6]
The event was intended to have been a class project and school fundraiser for marketing students at Chantilly High, then having won local and state competitions, with the proceeds being used to fund student travel expenses for a Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) leadership conference in Anaheim, California. The students were involved in advertising the event, which included designing and selling the fliers in question, and were to have worked at the show.[11] Shallal defended his actions maintaining that those attending the event should not be exposed to negative stereotypes and expressed the view that "[the students have] been sensitized to the issue of multi-culturalism and diversity".[14] The school official had planned to lead a protest at the event if it had gone ahead. In a later interview with the Washington Post, Shallal stated that he was "pleased by the cancellation" adding that he was "sorry it had to take this long to come to what should have been an obvious solution."[12][13]
The promotion responded by filing a lawsuit on behalf of the IPWA against the Fairfax County School Board and Chantilly High School Principal Dale Rumberger in September 1997. Both Carmichael and Kevin Carson claimed that the IPWA had lost $15,000 as a result of a breach of contract by school officials and sought compensation;[15] the last-minute cancellation forced the two promoters to cancel talent, travel plans, equipment and lodging for local and out-of-state performers. They claimed to have attempted to accommodate the school's initial complaint with The Iron Sheik's involvement, which Shallal claimed promoted anti-Arab and anti-Iranian sentiments, by dropping the wrestler from the show. A second complaint filed by Shallal and the ADC over midget wrestling, however, caused the school to cancel both the fundraiser and a second future show at Fairfax High School. As part of its lawsuit, the promotion cited that it had previously attracted an audience of 950 at Fairfax High in December 1995.[11][13]
Cross-promotional shows
IPWA enjoyed a close working relationship with other regional promotions on the East Coast, most especially, Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation in Maryland. Its use of MEWF talent sometimes saw feuds and storylines carry over into the Virginia promotion. It not only acknowledged MEWF champions but could also affect the IPWA's champions as well. For example, the inaugural IPWA Light Heavyweight Champion Mark Shrader was forced to surrender the belt after winning the MEWF Heavyweight Championship from Axl Rotten on September 13, 1996. Earlier that year, MEWF Tag Team Champions Darkside (Glen Osbourne and Rockin' Rebel) defeated IPWA Tag Team Champions Death & Destruction (Frank Parker and Roger Anderson) in a "champions vs. champions" match to win both titles.[6] On October 26, 1996, an IPWA/MEWF interpromotional show was held at its home arena, the Secret Cove, in Alexandria, Virginia, which saw Joey Matthews wrestle then MEWF Light Heavyweight Champion Steve Corino and MEWF Heavyweight Champion Mark Shrader defeat Corporal Punishment. Also on the card, Lucifer and "Hollywood" Bob Starr fought each other in a taped-fist match.[16]
Two years later, on May 15, 1999, the IPWA participated in the Break the Barriersupercard at Philadelphia's ECW Arena in what was one of the largest interpromotional events ever held in the United States; representing the promotion, IPWA Heavyweight Champion Cueball Carmichael successfully defended his title against Julio Sanchez.[17]
Final years
In August 1998, the IPWA left their longtime home arena, the Secret Cove, in Alexandria, Virginia. The promotion had run regular shows there for nearly three years. It was unexpectedly dropped in favor of what turned out to be a one-time event held by the MEWF in November 1996 followed by a nine-month run by its rival Ultimate Championship Wrestling. Returning to the Secret Cove in the fall of 1997, a decision was eventually made to leave in favor of a bigger venue in northern Virginia though it continued to use a 700-seat facility in Chincoteague. Declining business, however, would force the IPWA's eventual close, along with many other local independents, by the spring of 2001. A few years later, on March 22, 2008, the IPWA held a reunion show in Sewell, New Jersey featuring many of its former stars, most notably, including Buddy Landell and King Kong Bundy.[18]
^Bonham, Chad. Wrestling with God: 10 Stories of Modern Day Warriors Who Came Face to Face with the Creator. Tulsa: RiverOak Publishing, 2001. (pg. 218) ISBN1-58919-935-9
^Prebich, Courtney (April 17, 1997). "Wrestling Match Is Pinned; Board Official Calls Chantilly Fund-Raiser Culturally Insensitive". Chantilly Times. Shallal said his main concern was that negative stereotypes not be presented to the students. "Hopefully, they've all been sensitized to the issue of multi-culturalism and diversity," he said.
^"Wrestling Alliance Fighting Back". Washington Post. October 9, 1997.
^DiMuzio, Michael J. "Arena Reports: Virginia - IPWA at Secret Cove Sports Arena." Pro Wrestling Illustrated. March 1997: 77+.
^Pro Wrestling Illustrated. "Wrestling Supercards." PWI 2001 Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts. Vol. IV. No. 1. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Co., 2001. (pg. 175)
^"Oklahoma Scoop". Columns. Oklafan.com. January 14, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
