Internation Wrestling Association (IWA) is still on the mind and memories of many wrestling fans in Puerto Rico. The company that started in the late 1990s has one of the best runs in Puerto Rican wrestling history.
When wrestling promoter Victor Quiñones alongside Savio Vega and Miguel Perez Jr. started the company after their WWF/E career, the magnitude of their impact was unknown. IWA PR developed new stars like El Mesias, Apolo, Chicano and the careers of WWE Superstar Bobby Roode, Dean Ambrose and Impact Wrestling’s Abyss. Moreover, their attendance and TV Shows put pressure on legendary wrestling promotion World Wrestling Council that at the time was developing the Colon brothers.
Its impact on Puerto Rican wrestling is undeniable and its closing in 2012 left a sour taste in many fans. It’s because of this that last May when World Wrestling League announced a comeback of IWA (if their team won at Golpe de Estado 2018), the show sold out. Even though IWA PR didn’t came back, fans are still hungry and nostalgic for the company.
IWA Florida
Now, in the state of Florida, IWA has appeared. Savio Vega announced that he was bringing back IWA Florida in July (it briefly operated in 2011). Vega, who last time was wrestling in WWL, said that IWA FL will work with new talent from the state and that the IWA Undisputed World Championship was coming back.
Vega, who was pushing the WWL vs. IWA angle in the last three shows of WWL, still has hope that a return of IWA can be done. In Puerto Rico, the company is affected by a huge debt that it has with the Department of Finance in Puerto Rico. Is because of this, that IWA PR can’t comeback in the island. The closest thing that they could do was using IWA as a trademark but not as a corporation.
In an interview with Contralona PR, Savio said explained that he would use women and men in his new project and that the IWA Florida project was brought up by a wrestling manager and a wrestling announcer. The announcer is non-other that Willie Urbina, who is living in Florida and that is testing his new strength as a producer. Although nothing else has been confirmed, the IWA FL presents itself as a whole new project and not a sequel of the old IWA PR that fans love.
— IWA Florida (@IWAFlorida) August 4, 2018
