OMEGA Championship Wrestling
| Acronym | OMEGA/OCW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Cameron, North Carolina, United States |
| Founder(s) |
Haxz Islam Matt Hardy Jeff Hardy |
| Owner(s) |
Gregory Helms Matt Hardy |
The Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts, also known as OMEGA or OMEGA Championship Wrestling, is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in central North Carolina.[1]
It featured and helped launch the careers of both Hardys,[2] Kid Dynamo,[2] Joey Matthews, Christian York,[2] Venom,[2] C.W. Anderson,[2] Shane Helms,[2][3] and others.
History
The company was established in 1997, OMEGA was run and created by Matt and Jeff Hardy with help from his friend Haxz Islam. They began the promotion because, at the time, there weren't many places to wrestle, nor did they know anyone who could help.[1] Both Matt and Jeff Hardy took apart the ring and put it back together at every event they had, while Matt Hardy sewed all the costumes worn in OMEGA.
Closure
The promotion folded in October 1999,[4] after both Matt and Jeff Hardy had signed with the World Wrestling Federation, leaving the other wrestlers to make careers for themselves, with many moving onto NWA Wildside.
In 2007, Highspots.com produced a two-disc DVD set entitled OMEGA: Uncommon Passion, chronicling the history of the promotion, including matches and interviews with many OMEGA wrestlers.
Revival
Matt Hardy had announced that OMEGA would return in January 2013 with an event titled "Chinlock For Chuck". The main event featured Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Shane "Hurricane" Helms and "Cowboy" James Storm defeating Gunner, Steve Corino, CW Anderson and Lodi. On October 12, 2013 at "Chapel Thrill", Hardy announced a Tournament for the OMEGA Heavyweight Championship which featured Matt Hardy vs. CW Anderson and Shane "Hurricane" Helms vs. "The King" Shane Williams. After Hardy's qualifying match he was attacked by CW but was saved by the returning Willow the Whisp. Hardy won that match and now advance to the finals. In their April event "Chaos in Cameron" The Hardy Boyz defeated The Briscoe Brothers in the main event.
On February 28, 2015, OMEGA held an event called Night of a Champion, featuring the finals of the OMEGA Heavyweight Championship tournament. Jeff Hardy (replacing an injured Shane Helms) defeated his brother, Matt Hardy, to become the first OMEGA Champion since 2000.
On August 14, 2015, OMEGA announced a partnership with Global Force Wrestling (GFW).[5] On January 25, 2017, OMEGA announced it would crown its first tag team champions since 1999.
Championships
Active championships
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Previous champion(s) | Date won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMEGA Heavyweight Championship | Matt Hardy | Trevor Lee | November 21, 2015 | Smithfield, North Carolina |
| OMEGA Tag Team Championship | The Broken Hardys (Broken Matt & Brother Nero) |
N/A | January 29, 2017 | Gibsonville, North Carolina |
Defunct championships
| Championship | Final champion(s) | Previous champion(s) | Date won | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMEGA New Frontiers Champion | Cham Pain | Kid Dynamo | January 29, 1999 | Wendell, North Carolina |
| OMEGA Light Heavyweight Champion | Joey Matthews | Christian York | January 29, 1999 | Wendell, North Carolina |
Roster
Male wrestlers
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bam Shaw | |
| The Barbarian | |
| Caleb Konley | |
| CW Anderson | |
| Danny Miles | |
| Ethan Carter III | |
| Flex Armstrong | |
| George South | |
| Jake Manning | |
| Jeff Hardy | OMEGA Tag Team Champion |
| Matt Hardy | OMEGA Heavyweight Champion OMEGA Tag Team Champion |
| Matt Riviera | |
| Michael Barry | |
| Mr. TA | |
| Ricky Morton | |
| Robert Gibson | |
| Scott Steiner | |
| Shane Helms | |
| Shane Riley | |
| Todo Loco | |
| Trevor Lee | |
| The Warlord |
Female wrestlers
| Ring name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Amber O'Neal | |
| Reby Sky | |
| Mia Svensson | |
| Kacee Carlisle | |
| Jayme Jameson | |
Notable alumni
References
- 1 2 Jim Varsallone (December 2001). "Matt and Jeff Hardy - Interview". Wrestling Digest. Archived from the original on 2007-03-31. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hardy, Matt (2007-05-29). "Will Not Die-aries: Thoughts on rival Gregroy Helms". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-03-29. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ↑ Milner, John M. (2005-06-13). "The Hurricane". SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
- ↑ "Organization Of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts" (in German). Cagematch.de. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
- ↑ Caldwell, James. "News: Global Force & OMEGA starting a working relationship, title match added to Friday's Global Force show in N.C.". Pro Wrestling Torch. PWTorch.com. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
Further reading
- Dumas, Amy and Michael Krugman. Lita: A Less Traveled R.O.A.D.--The Reality of Amy Dumas. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. ISBN 0-7434-7399-X
- Hardy, Matt and Jeff. The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-06-052154-6
- Keith, Scott. Wrestling's One Ring Circus: The Death of the World Wrestling Federation. New York: Citadel Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8065-2619-X
