Current Champions -
WAPW Champion - MVP
WAPW North American Champion - Elijah Burke
WAPW Tag-Team Champions - Gen Ex (Strong & Aries)
WAPW Cruiserweight Champion - Teddy Hart
WAPW Hardcore Champion - Jamie Noble
WAPW Champion - MVP
WAPW North American Champion - Elijah Burke
WAPW Tag-Team Champions - Gen Ex (Strong & Aries)
WAPW Cruiserweight Champion - Teddy Hart
WAPW Hardcore Champion - Jamie Noble
1/4 The Dream: Heading into 2009 Paul Heyman resided in his small house in Edgemont, New York. No longer tied down to WWE, Heyman tried to pursue a position in Wrestling again when he joined a consortium which looked to buy out Ring Of Honor. Though the initial bid to buy ROH failed Heyman realized that he still had ‘the itch’ to get back into wrestling on a mainstream level. Knowing that he couldn’t make this on his own financially – he enlisted the help of close friend John Maynard. Maynard was a wealthy man, but between the two of them they still didn’t have the financial resources at their disposal as WWE and TNA did. Through their many contacts, they came into touch with a multi-millionaire car-manufacture supremo Michael Morton, who by chance was a long-time follower of the wrestling business. Knowing they had a tough task on their hands to persuade him the join their pact and invest his many millions into the company, Heyman drew up plans of how the Promotion, World Alliance of Professional Wrestling (WAPW), was going to function and how Morton and Maynard would fit into the plans. And by mid-January 2009, paper-work was signed, sealed and as Vince McMahon was soon to find out – delivered...
2/4Paul Heyman was back in the saddle and along with Morton and Maynard, this time he was on equal financial footing as World Wrestling Entertainment. However, Paul needed to contain the news, at least for the time being. The wrestling world would have to wait until it was made official. Amidst the contract negotiations and financial deals which Paul was in charge of, Maynard secured a primetime television slot – 2 hours, every Wednesday from 8-10pm on ‘FX’. The venue for the first show was also set – they would be airing from out of Nashville at the Von Braun Center. For years Paul was referred to as a greasy, wily, slime-ball who was willing to stoop to any level to make a success of his promotion, and he was about to show Vince McMahon and Jeff Jarrett that he still had a trick or two up his sleeve.
3/4 The Plan: Things couldn’t have fallen into place better if Paul had asked – one week in late December WWE was hosting Raw and Smackdown tapings from New York. The other week, TNA were hosting a live event in the same vicinity. Paul saw an opening, and asked innocently for permission to go backstage and catch up with old friends with both promotions. Unbeknowingly – Vince and Jeff accepted the offer. Before he knew it, he was talking to some of the biggest names in the industry – Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, MVP and Rey Mysterio about how it was going contractually and if they would consider jumping ship. Heyman was shot down by some but with a lot of others he scheduled further talks. Mere days later Paul Heyman, Michael Morton and John Maynard sat twenty more than twenty TNA and WWE stars down and discussed contracts and compensation. The contractual issues were smooth sailing as most of the prospective signings were keen to jump ship at the first opportunity. By the turn of the new year, the talent was amidst being acquired. The ones poached from WWE and TNA had the remainder of their contracts bought out, as well as substantial compensation fees. Vince McMahon and Jeff Jarrett were said to be furious at the ‘audacity’ of Paul Heyman and his rebel-group.
4/4 The Assembly: The first major signing for World Alliance Professional Wrestling was WWE’s MVP. He joined on a three year deal where he would earn roughly a little more than he would in WWE. He was directly quoted as saying the ‘travel had a lot to do with his decision’. He was followed just 3 days later by an enthusiastic Rey Mysterio who cited he was losing his passion in WWE. Morton was writing big cheques and getting some of the biggest names in North-America. Chronologically, Ken Kennedy was the next to move from Smackdown signing a lucrative contract on the 19th of January. WAPW’s raid on WWE was almost complete, with Raw’s duo of Shad and JTG – Cryme Tyme signing one year deals!
TNA was not exempt. Heyman had made headline-stealing moves for both Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. Both of who rejected the big money defections and stayed loyal to TNA. They couldn’t however spare Christian Cage from leaving. With not long left on his contract he signed on new year’s day. A tandem with a short period of time left on their contracts – Team 3D. Heyman held talks with them and agreed in principal for them to sign with him. Alex Shelley and Lance Hoyt headed off a list of defecting talent, with hefty compensation having to be paid for Alex in particular.
The signings of WWE and TNA stars made waves across the globe – the wresting world was in awe. However arguably the biggest prospective signing of them all was the signing of a free-agent. A former World Champion in WWE, and a former World Champion of WCW – but officially he hasn’t been named! Hulk Hogan, The Rock and Goldberg were all heavily linked with joining WAPW.
World talent was also being plucked, with Mexico’s exciting talent Mistico joining WAPW to compete in the Cruiserweight Division. Jack Evans was signed from the independents, as was former WWE developmental talent Teddy Hart. Two of ROH’S kingpins were signed in Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, as well as the Amazing Red and the Briscoe Brothers.