place_of_birth tracy smothers
Jim ___MASK74___ Promotions Inc . was a family - owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte , ___MASK37___ , United States . Founded in 1931 , the promotion emerged as a cornerstone ___MASK93___ the National Wrestling Alliance . By the 1980s , Jim ___MASK74___ Promotions was , along with the World Wrestling Federation , one ___MASK93___ the two largest promotions in the United States . The ___MASK74___ family sold a majority interest in the promotion to Turner Broadcasting System in 1988 , resulting in the creation ___MASK93___ World Championship Wrestling . ___MASK54___ Broadcasting System , Inc . ( known professionally as ___MASK54___ Broadcasting System and also known simply as ___MASK54___ ) is an American media conglomerate that is a division ___MASK93___ Time Warner and manages the collection ___MASK93___ cable television networks and properties initiated or acquired by Ted ___MASK54___ . The company was founded in 1970 , and merged with Time Warner on October 10 , 1996 . It now operates as a semi - autonomous unit ___MASK93___ Time Warner . The company ' s assets include CNN , HLN , TBS , TNT , Cartoon Network , Adult Swim , Boomerang and TruTV . The company ' s current chairman and CEO is John K . Martin . The headquarters ___MASK93___ ___MASK54___ ' s properties are located in both the CNN ___MASK21___ in Downtown ___MASK89___ and the ___MASK54___ Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive in Midtown ___MASK89___ , which also houses ___MASK54___ Studios . Across Interstate 75 / 85 from the Techwood campus is the original home ___MASK93___ ___MASK54___ ' s WTBS superstation ( now separated into its TBS cable network and Peachtree TV ), which today houses the headquarters ___MASK93___ Adult Swim and Williams Street Productions . Lucha libre ( meaning " Free fight ") is a term used in ___MASK46___ for a form ___MASK93___ professional wrestling developed in the country . Professional wrestling is an athletic form ___MASK93___ entertainment based on a portrayal ___MASK93___ a combat sport . Although the term today refers exclusively to professional wrestling , it was originally used in the same style as the American and English term " freestyle wrestling ", referring to an amateur wrestling style without the restrictions ___MASK93___ Greco - Roman wrestling . Vincent Kennedy " Vince " McMahon ( born August 24 , 1945 ) is an American professional wrestling promoter , former commentator , announcer , film producer , actor , and retired professional wrestler . Since taking over the company from his father in the 1980s , McMahon has always worked in the corporate area ___MASK93___ the WWE as well as behind the scenes . He currently serves as the majority owner , chairman , and CEO ___MASK93___ the professional wrestling promotion . Tod ___MASK55___ ( born June 19 , ___MASK64___ , in ___MASK88___ , Pennsylvania ) is an American businessman . ___MASK55___ is the president ___MASK93___ Carver W . Reed Co . Inc , a ___MASK88___ jewelry store and loan office that was established in 1860 . He is also the founder ___MASK93___ defunct professional wrestling promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling ( later Extreme Championship Wrestling ). He owned the promotion until it was sold to his head booker Paul Heyman in May 1995 . Professional wrestling is a dramatized athletic performance inspired by competitive combat sports . Taking the form ___MASK93___ live events held by touring promotions , it is a unique style ___MASK93___ combat based on a combination ___MASK93___ adopted styles , which include classical wrestling , catch wrestling and various forms ___MASK93___ martial arts , as well as an innovative style based on grappling ( holds / throws ), striking , and aerialism . Various forms ___MASK93___ weaponry are sometimes used . The content  including match outcomes  is choreographed and the combative actions and reactions are performed to appear violent without injuring the wrestlers . Before the 1980s , these facts were kept highly secret , after which they were openly declared . By and large , the true nature ___MASK93___ the content is ignored by the performing promotion in official media in order to sustain and promote the willing suspension ___MASK93___ disbelief for the audience by maintaining an aura ___MASK93___ verisimilitude . Fan communications by individual wrestlers and promotions through outside media ( i . e ., interviews ) will often directly acknowledge the fictional nature ___MASK93___ the spectacle , making the predetermined nature ___MASK93___ the sport something ___MASK93___ an open secret . The presentation ___MASK93___ scripted events as legitimate is known as " kayfabe ". Tracy Smothers ( born September 2 , 1962 ) is an American professional wrestler . He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling , Smoky Mountain , the World Wrestling Federation and Extreme Championship Wrestling , as a member ___MASK93___ the Full Blooded Italians throughout the 1990s . The first Japanese to involve himself in catch wrestling , the basis ___MASK93___ traditional professional wrestling , was former sumo wrestler Sorakichi Matsuda . There were subsequent attempts before and after World War II to popularize the sport in Japan , but these generally failed until the advent ___MASK93___ its first big star , Rikidzan , in 1951 , who became known as the " father " ___MASK93___ the sport . Rikidzan brought the sport to tremendous popularity with his Japanese Wrestling Association ( JWA ) until his murder in 1963 . Following his death , Puroresu thrived , creating a variety ___MASK93___ personalities , promotions and styles . It has also created a mass ___MASK93___ other cultural icons in Japan including : Rikidzan , Giant Baba , Antonio Inoki , Jushin " Thunder " Liger , Tiger Mask , Keiji Mutoh / The Great Muta , Shinsuke Nakamura , Mitsuharu Misawa , and Kenta Kobashi . Throughout the years , a number ___MASK93___ promotions have opened and closed , but a few have persisted to remain the most popular and thriving companies : New Japan Pro Wrestling is currently considered by many as the top promotion . Robert Edward " Ted " ___MASK54___ III ( born November 19 , 1938 ) is an American media mogul and philanthropist . As a businessman , he is known as founder ___MASK93___ the Cable News Network ( CNN ), the first 24 - hour cable news channel . In addition , he founded WTBS , which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television . The National Wrestling ___MASK8___ ( NWA ) is a professional wrestling governing body which has historically been the largest league ___MASK93___ independent wrestling promotions in the world . The organization sanctions various NWA championship bouts within its member promotions . The NWA has been in operation since 1948 . Prior to the 1960s , it acted as the sole governing body for most ___MASK93___ professional wrestling , operating as a talent and ___MASK67___ name franchiser for the inter - regional " territory " system . Paul Heyman ( born September 11 , 1965 ) is an American entertainment producer , writer , performer , marketer , promoter , advocate and commentator currently signed to WWE . Heyman owned and was the creative force behind the Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) promotion from 1993 until its closure in 2001 . Before running and owning ECW , he was a manager under the ring name Paul E . Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and other promotions . He is the co - owner ___MASK93___ the Looking4Larry Agency in New York City , which was named one ___MASK93___ " Advertising Age " Top 100 Global Marketers . ___MASK89___ is the capital of and the most populous city in the U . S . state of Georgia , with an estimated 2015 population of 463 , 878 . ___MASK89___ is the cultural and economic center of the ___MASK89___ metropolitan area , home to 5 , 710 , 795 people and the ninth largest metropolitan area in the United States . ___MASK89___ is the county seat of Fulton County , and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County . WCW Inc . ( formerly known as World Championship Wrestling , Inc .) was an American professional wrestling promotion , historically based in ___MASK89___ , Georgia . It began as a regional ( mid - Atlantic U . S .), National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA )- affiliated " territory " promotion  Jim Crockett Promotions  until November 1988 , when Ted Turner ( through his Turner Broadcasting System business ) bought the promotion , whose struggle to compete with Vince McMahon ' s World Wrestling Entertainment ( then WWF now WWE ) had left it near bankruptcy . Immediately after the buyout , the business was renamed the Universal Wrestling Corporation ( UWC ) and consisted of Crockett ' s business assets not picked up by World Wrestling Federation Entertainment . Bankruptcy is a ___MASK30___ status ___MASK93___ a person or other entity that cannot repay the debts it owes to creditors . In most jurisdictions , bankruptcy is imposed by a court order , often initiated by the debtor . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in ___MASK88___ , ___MASK25___ in 1992 by Tod ___MASK55___ . ECW closed when then owner Paul Heyman declared bankruptcy in April 2001 . The promotion showcased various international styles ___MASK93___ professional wrestling , ranging from lucha libre to puroresu and hardcore wrestling , and became known for having an intelligent , often rowdy and vocal fanbase that rejected the more cartoonish programming ___MASK93___ ECW ' s competitors . Hardcore wrestling is a form ___MASK93___ professional wrestling where disqualifications , count - outs , and all other different rules do not apply . Taking place in usual or unusual environments , hardcore wrestling matches allow the use ___MASK93___ numerous items , including ladders , tables , chairs , thumbtacks , barbed wire , light tubes , shovels , baseball bats , golf clubs , hammers , axes , chains , crowbars , wrenches , tongs , and other improvised weapons used as foreign objects . Although hardcore wrestling is a staple ___MASK93___ most wrestling promotions , where they are often used at the climaxes ___MASK93___ feuds , some promotions ( such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling , International Wrestling Syndicate and Combat Zone Wrestling ) specialize in hardcore wrestling , with many matches performed in this manner .