IMPORTANT NOTE: Some title reigns that occurred between February 1997 and August 1997 were lost forever due to a hard drive crash. However for the Hall Of Fame wrestlers, we luckily still had enough evidence to remember who had these titles, and how many times. There's just no "title history" to register them under. Trust me, nobody's title reigns were artificially enhanced.
The Dark Church
(Dark Rogue & Black
Mage)
Handlers: Ken Goad and David Racer
Height/Weight: Rogue (6'2", 275 lbs.), Mage (5'11" 220 lbs.)
Finishers: Rogue (Backstab - top rope reverse DDT), Mage (Meteor Swarm - flying body attack)
Inducted: June 1997
Brief History:
The Dark Church were easily one of the best tag teams
in AGW history but they also were purely astounding in singles matches
as well. The AGW was the first and only league that these two wrestled
in as a team and between them, they held almost every single title in the
AGW. With a formidable blend of power, speed, finesse and ring savvy, these
two were virtually unstoppable in the ring and often their title reigns
easily lasted over a month each. Another piece of proof about how good
they are is that they won the first ever AGW Vs. The World Tag Team Tournament,
defeating not only AGW Tag Teams, but teams all over the world. However,
this also marked one of the last times the world would see the Dark Church
in action. In late '98, their two year contract ran out, and having done
more in those 2 years than most men can do in their entire careers, they
decided to travel overseas to Japan. At the AVTW tournament, they met some
Japanese promoters who begged for the Church to come there. Also, both
men can be seen as special guest stars in various episodes of Hercules
and Xena. As of the year 2000, both men are still active, although wrestling
just a part time schedule while pursuing other interests.
Violet Says:
"The Dark Church are without a doubt one of the most feared
groups that have ever entered an AGW ring. I mean, to be honest, these guys were
in the prime of the career between 1997 and 1999...and a decade later, we've
still got guys calling them out, or wanting to prove themselves against an AGW
staple. That's lasting power, my friends. There were times when the Rogue or
Mage hadn't stepped foot in an AGW ring for a year or two on end, and they would
get challenged by new fresh-faced kids...and ultimately the Church usually
showed up, and they usually put to rest the statements of any given upstart.
Plus, when the AGW first started, it was in need of a tag team who could help
start the division, and boy did these guys ever do just that. Their matches and
feuds with The Cripplers, Legends Of Tombstone, The Immortals, The Blood Pirates
and Big & Smooth were the stuff of legend.
What we didn't know was that they would go on to dominate the
Heavyweight and Cruiserweight divisions as well. The Rogue and Mage were truly
the first of many breakout stars the AGW ever produced. And
Titles Held:
Dark Rogue
AGW World Heavyweight Champion (6 times)
(the first 2 were between Feb. '97-July '97 though the records have been lost.)
AGW World Tag Titles (all with Black Mage) - 4 times
AGW Intercontinental Title - 3 times
AGW 6 Man Tag Team Titles (with Dark Church) - 2 times
Black Mage
AGW World Tag Team Titles (4 times, all with Dark Rogue)
AGW Intercontinental Title ( in early '97)
AGW Cruiserweight Title (5 times)
AGW TV Title
AGW 3-Man Tag Titles (2 times - once with Dark Rogue and Black Knight, once with Black Knight and Paladin)
The Cripplers
(James
"Grumpy" Moore and Tim "The Rambler" Wade)
Handler: J.T. Chisom
Height/Weight: Moore (6'8" 345 lbs.), Wade (6'5" 256 lbs.)
Finisher: The Crippler (modified Regal Stretch)
Inducted: June 1997
Brief History:
The Cripplers were mainly tag team
specialists, and were probably the most hated opponents of the Dark Church
ever. The Cripplers were two rough and tumble competitors, both of whom
used the same submission finishing move, The Crippler, probably the most
painful hold in AGW history. They were not limited to tag competition however,
especially Moore, who was able to gain a couple TV Title reigns and an
IC Title reign as well. The Cripplers actually joined the AGW at the very
beginning, unlike the Church, and were Speed Racer's first ever signees.
After a very success stint in 1997, the AGW went on a hiatus, and after
the hiatus was ended, the Cripplers were not intent on signing back for
another stint. Eventually, a couple of months into the AGW's resurrection,
Speed convined them to rejoin, however they simply didn't like the power
layout in the AGW Offices....rumor is that they had problems with Violet
Morris that couldn't be resolved. Thus, the Cripplers left, never to be
seen or heard from again. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
Violet Says:
"The Cripplers were one of the first two teams to really put AGW tag team wrestling on the map. They were submission specialists whose styles were different, yet worked well against their primary rivals, the Dark Church. I would still rank some of those two teams' matches as some of the finest ever. Unfortunately, those tapes have long been lost. But these guys were the first to sign with the fledgling AGW and will always have a special place in it's history.
I won't deny it, these guys would have had longer and more successful AGW careers had it not been for my inexperience with front office situations. When the AGW went from being an upstart promotion to actually bringing in some real money, these guys asked for a modest pay increase, which I downright refused. And so they plied their trade elsewhere. Not sure where exactly, as they more or less disappeared, but regardless these guys deserve Hall status."
Titles Held:
The Cripplers as a tag team are
4 time World Tag Team Champions. This might not seem like much but keep
in mind that each reign was at least 21 days long and they only participated
in the AGW from Feb.-June of 1997. Not too shabby at all.
Grumpy Moore is a 2 time TV Champ and 1 time IC Champ.
Tim Wade was a true tag team specialist
and rarely even competed in singles competition.
Doom
Handler: Rick Schaffer
Height/Weight: 7'4", 500 lbs.
Finisher: Doomsday Bomb (tiger driver)
Inducted: June 1997
Brief History:
Doom (not to be confused with the
Demolition 2000 member and former TWD/XWLer, DOOM) was the very first AGW
Champion ever. When brought into the AGW, he was a tag team specialist as a
member of Demolition with partner Apocalypse (again not to be confused with DOOM
or Apocalypse from the modern era). However his sheer size was overpowering for
his opponents and they just couldn't defeat him in the initial World Title
tournament. Doom held the AGW World Title twice, and his tag team never
quite got the attention it deserved based on Doom's singles accomplishments.
While Doom's overall accomplishments only ranged for a 3 month period in
the AGW's 3 and a half year history, he was the man who was the first torch-bearer
for the league and helped make the AGW a fed that would last. The team
of Demolition returned after the AGW's first hiatus, and Doom won the TV
Title at that time, however they soon inexplicably left.
Violet Says:
"The first BIG man in the AGW, Doom was a 500 pounder who could move like a man 200 pounds lighter. He was a man who didn't really say a whole lot, preferring to let his success tell the story. He was one half of another elite AGW tag team, Demolition, and while they never held tag gold, they were successful in singles competition and in general. Not sure, looking back here in 2008, if he deserves Hall status to be honest. But I guess since he was the FIRST ever AGW World Champion, that allowed him to qualify and at the time neither Speed nor myself gave it a second thought. Not sure where his career went after the AGW, but this guy was a true powerhouse."
Titles Held:
Doom is a 2 time World Champion,
including being the first ever to hold that title belt. He is also a two
time TV Champ.
The Duke Of Beav
Handler: J.T. Chisom
Height/Weight: 6'6" 267 lbs.
Finisher: One Armed Bandit (hammerlock slam)
Inducted: June 1997
Brief History:
The Duke Of Beav was in the same
stable as the Cripplers and some of the 6 man tag matches with the Cripplers
and Beav against The Dark Church and Black Knight are legendary. However,
The Duke was more of a loner type and far preferred singles action. He
never got an opportunity to hold the AGW World Title, however he was probably
the greatest IC Champ of the "first" era of the AGW. He never had any rough
feuds with any wrestler either....he never went out and jumped or taunted
wrestlers. The Duke Of Beav truly was an old-school style of wrestler whom
everyone respected. He actually left the league before the first hiatus,
and never came back, however the contributions that the Duke made to the
AGW cannot be denied as he brought class to the fed.
Violet Says:
"Here's another guy who most are unfamiliar with. The Duke Of Beav wasn't much of a tag wrestler, nor was he ever really a World Title contender. However he was the first upper midcard star in the AGW. He was a true technical wrestler who wasn't worried about competing with those who became the top stars. He was happy carving out his own niche in the AGW, and his style was as old school and no-nonsense as you could get. He was in the same stable with and left at the same time as The Cripplers, but here's a guy who is in the Hall simply because he was one of the few who helped to put the AGW on the map. And we thank him for that."
Titles Held:
The Duke of Beav was a 3 time IC
Champ and 1 time TV Champ in the AGW.