International Championship Wrestling (Mississippi)
International Championship Wrestling (also known as AWA International Championship Wrestling or AWA Mississippi) was a professional wrestling promotion that held events in the Mid-South area of the United States from September 1977 to August 1979, when it was run by George and Gil Culkin. The promotion was based in Jackson, Mississippi, with offices in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
| Acronym | ICW |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Style | Rasslin' |
| Headquarters | Jackson, Mississippi |
| Founder(s) | George Culkin |
| Owner(s) | George Culkin Gil Culkin |
| Parent | Mississippi Wrestling Enterprise |
| Sister | American Wrestling Association (1978-1979) |
| Formerly | AWA International Championship Wrestling |
Initially an "outlaw" wrestling promotion, the Culkins waged a near two-year promotional war against NWA Tri-State over the National Wrestling Alliance's Mid-South territory then controlled by Leroy McGuirk and Bill Watts. Part of their efforts to combat McGuirk including filing an anti-trust lawsuit against the NWA promoter. The company was briefly affiliated with the American Wrestling Association, which saw Nick Bockwinkel defend the AWA World Heavyweight Championship in Mississippi for the first time, before joining the NWA in mid-1979. The Culkins eventually allied with Bill Watts after he broke away from McGuirk and their promotion merged with Mid-South Wrestling.