St. Louis Wrestling Club
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The St. Louis Wrestling Club was a professional wrestling promotion based in St. Louis, Missouri. It was owned and operated by Sam Muchnick. The promotion was a flagship member of the National Wrestling Alliance, and promoted primarily in the St. Louis area. It was colloquially referred to within the business as the "St. Louis office" of the NWA. Its weekly televison program, Wrestling at the Chase (carried by KPLR-TV), is considered one of the legendary programs in the history of professional wrestling.
Mushnick gained a reputation as a fair and honest promoter, which was uncommon in the early days of professional wrestling. In another anomaly, the St. Louis Wrestling Club did not recognize a tag team championship, focusing on singles matches and angles. Aside from recognizing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as its top prize, the promotion also recognized the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship, one of wrestling's more notable regional championships. From 1963 to 1968, the promotion also recognized a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship promoted by the Central States Wrestling promotion based in Kansas City.
Popular wrestling stars featured by the St. Louis Wrestling Club included Ric Flair, Harley Race (who was also a minority owner of the St. Louis Wrestling Club and Central States Wrestling), Dick the Bruiser, Gene Kiniski, Lou Thesz and Ted DiBiase.
In 1982, the St. Louis Wrestling Club was purchased by Bob Geigel, who also owned Central States Wrestling. In 1985, the St. Louis office was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions, and was absorbed into what soon became World Championship Wrestling. Its video archives are now owned by World Wrestling Entertainment.
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