This Month in NWA History: Steve Corino
Steve Corino
April 24, 2001
By the time he arrived in the National Wrestling Alliance in Spring 2001, Steve Corino was an established superstar — especially among fans of hardcore wrestling.
Just weeks prior to his NWA debut, Corino lost the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Championship to The Sandman. As a result, he jumped into immediate contention for “The Ten Pounds of Gold.”
It took “The King of Old School” little time to make it to the top of the mountain. On April 24, 2001, Corino defeated then-champion Mike Rapada for the NWA World’s Heavyweight title in Tampa, FL.
In many ways, Corino’s victory was a landmark moment for NWA. Less than seven years prior, Shane Douglas infamously threw that very belt down after winning it in a tournament final at the historic 2300 Arena.
Declaring the NWA “dead,” Douglas proclaimed his ECW championship a World Title in its stead. Corino proved the NWA was not “dead” at all, defending the belt for 172 days.
His reign ended October 13, 2001. At the company’s anniversary show NWA 53 in St. Petersburg, FL, Corino faced Japanese legend Shiota Hashimoto. After receiving a head injury, Corino was deemed unable to continue. Ruled a “No Contest,” the match was thrown out, neither man victorious and the belt vacated.
Two months later, in McKeesport, PA, a new champion was crowned at NWA Clash of Champions. A three-man round robin tournament saw Gary Steele, Hashimoto and Corino compete for the belt — with Hashimoto emerging with the title.
While Corino was unable to reclaim “Sweet Charlotte,” his career was far from over. He went on to two reigns as the prestigious World Wrestling Council Universal champion, capture the Major League Wrestling World Title and win the Ring of Honor World Tag Team titles.
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