Ring Warriors

History

Ring Warriors began as a television concept in the early 1990s, created by Florida promoter Howard Brody and Hiro Matsuda through their company World Superstars of Wrestling, Inc. They adapted New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s World Pro Wrestling show for an international audience, calling it Ring Warriors. The program aired on Eurosport, ESPN Asia, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and other global networks. Craig DeGeorge and Sir Oliver Humperdink hosted the first 26 episodes, after which DeGeorge was replaced by Gordon Solie, who had just left WCW. The plan was to eventually build a U.S. promotion that matched the show’s style and philosophy, but Matsuda died before that could happen.

In 1997, World Superstars of Wrestling tried to enter the U.S. market by partnering with the now-defunct VDO and Webstar, along with Scott Crompton and George Zhen, to launch one of the earliest video-based websites. Filmed in Tampa Bay, Florida, Matsuda and Brody produced six one-hour episodes hosted by Gordon Solie and Bruno Sammartino. Sir Oliver Humperdink conducted interview segments with wrestlers like Dan “The Beast” Severn and Danny Spivey. Because the internet was still in its infancy, the technology and bandwidth couldn’t support the project, so only those six episodes were broadcast. Unofficially, Ring Warriors is considered the first television show ever streamed online.

The Ring Warriors name was revived in 2011 by Brody, along with partners Larry Brannon (also known as Vito DeNucci) and Paul Jones (not the wrestling manager). This new promotion launched as a member of the National Wrestling Alliance. In May 2013, the company restructured. Paul Jones, who had been CEO since September 2011, became a business development adviser and consultant to the executive board.

Jones also served as CEO and president of Battling Bombshells. Larry Brannon took over as COO, and Howard T. Brody became CEO. The company secured angel financing from a private group with offices in South Florida and Las Vegas, which allowed them to begin television production. Their first tapings were scheduled for July 2013 in South Florida.

In March 2014, they announced an international TV distribution deal with Fighting Spirit. In April 2015, they held a six-hour taping at WPBT studios, aiming to broadcast in India, Singapore, and Thailand. In August 2015, they announced a taping at Tampa Letter Carriers Hall in Tampa, Florida. The promotion closed in 2016.

Ring Warriors announced a return in June 2018, and in July they revealed a national television partnership with WGN America. The show premiered on September 15, 2018. In December 2018, episodes began streaming on Amazon Prime Video, starting with the “Winter Finale” on December 22, 2018. The promotion ceased operations after that season finale. Its last heavyweight champion was Killer Kross. The promotion’s titles included the Grand Championship, Global Tag Team Championship, Bahamian Championship, and Battling Bombshells Championship.