Editing Professional wrestling (section)

=== Consolidation and renewed growth ===
{{See also|List of professional wrestling television series}}In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the [[Northeastern United States|northeast]], withdrew from the NWA; Vince McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into the territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of [[cable television]] in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s.<ref>Tim Brooks & Earl Marsh (2003). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows'' 8th edition</ref><ref>Andersen (2017). ''Fantasyland''. chpt. 27</ref>

Before cable TV, a typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via [[UHF television broadcasting|UHF broadcasting]].<ref>Solomon (2015). ''Pro Wrestling FAQ''. chpt. 6: "The second rise of wrestling, the territorial rise, came with the advent of UHF television, because now instead of having three or four TV stations, you had maybe 10 or 12, but they were all local."</ref> Cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called ''[[WWF All American Wrestling|All-American Wrestling]]'' on the [[USA Network]] in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in a new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to a central authority.<ref>Beekman (2006). ''Ringside''. p. 122</ref> Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members.<ref>Beekman (2006). ''Ringside''. p. 121: "For the other NWA promoters, whose stars only gained national exposure by appearing on the Georgia promotion's show, any attempt to generate countrywide interest in their product as a counter proved impossible. They did not possess the resources, nor could they stomach the idea of breaking the NWA's territorial code. McMahon played on this reluctance, moved into their territories in the wake of his television shows, and picked the NWA promoters off one by one."</ref> McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to the promotion's closing in 1991.<ref>Beekman (2006). ''Ringside''. p. 130</ref>

In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]]. McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling.

During the 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its [[WCW World Heavyweight Championship|World Heavyweight Championship]]. Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches.<ref name="Beekman 2006 p. 138">Beekman (2006). ''Ringside''. p. 138</ref>