10 "Major" Wrestling Promotions That Never Got Off The Ground
7. World Wrestling All-Stars
The final of the trio of post-WCW, pre-TNA companies that emerged in the wrestling vacuum also had the greatest exposure. Despite being run out of Australia by promoter Andrew McManus, World Wrestling All-Stars aired a few Pay-Per-View events in the U.S. that wrestling-hungry fans made sure to order.
WWA boasted stars like Jeff Jarrett, Sting, and The Steiners, but it wasn't enough without a strong creative direction. At their first PPV event, Inception, the company hosted a Vince Russo-style one evening tournament to determine an inaugural champion, and Road Dogg Jesse James, of all people, ended up as the winner.
Things got even worse with the second PPV, Revolution. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were pulled from the show when they signed with WWE, and Randy Savage, who was supposed to appear, backed out at the last minute. To announce Savage's missing the event, the company placed a tremendous red "X" over his picture during the pre-show, along with the text "Not Appearing." Oh, and Road Dogg also no-showed.
Given all that, the fact that the league lasted all the way until 2003 is the most surprising part of the story.