In 1994, the World Association of Wrestling was formed in Norwich, Norfolk by Ricky Knight, his wife Sweet Saraya, and his Superflys tag team partner Jimmy Ocean.

From humble beginnings at the debut show “The War of ’94”, held at the Talk, Norwich, WAW has built upon its loyal fanbase over the last twenty-two years thanks to a highly interactive product and is now home to some of the best performers British wrestling has to offer, as well as attracting internationally renowned stars from around the globe.

The biggest opportunity to occur for WAW during its early days was securing the Old Corn Exchange venue, which had long been associated as Norwich’s home of British wrestling. It was from this venue that WAW based itself and began looking to the future, leading to the birth of the WAW Academy, whose first graduates include Roy Knight, The UK Pitbulls, Bash, and Hot Stuff. These students graduated from promising young talent to main roster members and eventually became some of the most sought-after wrestlers on the national wrestling circuit.

The WAW Academy initially ran shows from the Old Corn Exchange every two weeks, giving students a chance to showcase their talent and creating the intense loyalty that local fans have for homegrown talent which continues to this day, to an extent where many prefer to see Academy graduates over established names. When WAW began running these early Academy shows, attendance at the Corn Exchange rose from a lowly 80 to over 250 as word about the high-quality entertainment provided by competitive wrestling spread. Shows at the Corn Exchange continued to be a staple of WAW events until the building closed in 2000.

Though the closure of the Corn Exchange was a time of sadness for both WAW and its fans, it would only be a matter of months until a new high was reached when a highly ambitious project to run a supershow showcasing the very best of British wrestling was announced. Held at the Norwich Sport Village, Fightmare saw a capacity crowd of 2000 fans in attendance, with 500 more reluctantly turned away, witnessed the crowning of Tiger Steele as the first ever WAW World Heavyweight Champion and set the tone for progress in the new millennium.

Fightmare 2 is held at the Waveney Sports Centre, Lowestoft. Many future stars appeared at the event, including Saraya (as Britani Knight) and Nick Aldis at an early stage in their respective careers.

A new home was found in 2012 in the form of EPIC Studios, a top-quality television production studio in the heart of Norwich. The venue quickly became a semi-permanent feature in the WAW events calendar, hosting many major events over the next few years.

Max Fisher’s documentary ‘Fighting With My Family’ is aired on Channel 4, following the lives of the Knight Dynasty in their pursuit of fortune.

A new home was found in 2012 in the form of EPIC Studios, a top-quality television production studio in the heart of Norwich, allowing fans from all over the country to easily attend shows thanks to a multitude of transport connections. EPIC Studios became home to Epic Encounters, featuring premium quality wrestling which eventually made its way onto national television on BEN TV and MyChannel in 2014.

After a brief sojourn from Epic which saw WAW return to its original home, the Talk, for several shows in 2015 ended in January 2016 with the biggest event yet as a TV pilot taping took place. Numerous international stars came to the organisation and were left in awe at the immense homegrown talent existing within WAW. These shows exposed the world to the hidden gem of British wrestling in ways never seen before, paving the way for even greater things to come…

The legendary Scott Hall was appointed as WAW Commissioner at WAW’s TV Pilot taping. Following shows saw the appearance of several major global superstars, including Rey Mysterio, Mr. Anderson, and Sean Waltman.

Stephen Merchant’s film based on the 2012 documentary hits theatres worldwide to critical acclaim.

The release of the long-awaited film ‘Fighting With My Family’, starring Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, and the visionary minds of Dwayne Johnson and Stephen Merchant, was another highlight of the year. Wrestling fans and cinema-goers alike were treated to a thrilling real-life story about the growth of the Knight Dynasty in both fame and numbers, along with cameo appearances from dozens of WAW wrestlers, staff, and alumni.

WAW’s all-time attendance record was broken with more than 4,000 fans coming to Carrow Road for Fightmare 3. Former Norwich City star Grant Holt teamed up with the legendary Billy Gunn in the main event. The show itself was overseen by guest International Commissioner Mick Foley, who kept things running smoothly throughout the day, with a little help from Mr. Socko!

After COVID threw the entire world into turmoil, WAW found itself needing a new home. The perfect location was found and quickly became an all-in-one headquarters, training facility and events venue, the WAW Performance Centre.

WAW joined Twitch and began streaming shows live from the WAW Performance Centre. These shows later moved over to YouTube so that fans could watch the shows after their original broadcast, giving people around the world the opportunity to watch.