Deep South Wrestling
Deep South Wrestling is a professional wrestling promotion in the state of Georgia. Deep South worked in tandem with World Wrestling Entertainment as a developmental territory from September 1, 2005, until April 18, 2007. Deep South was owned by Jody Hamilton, former director of the WCW Power Plant.
First run (1986–1988)
Jody Hamilton and Bill Behrens founded Deep South Wrestling in 1986 as a wrestling promotion and training facility, setting their base of operations in Lovejoy, Georgia. They had ties with both the American Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Alliance. After a career-ending back injury in October 1988, Hamilton folded the promotion and focused on his wrestling school, which by 1989, evolved into the WCW Power Plant.Second run (2005–2007)
In 2005, WWE decided to run a developmental territory in the Atlanta, Georgia area and hired Hamilton to run the territory and resurrect the Deep South Wrestling promotion after seventeen years of inactivity and set their base of operations in nearby McDonough, Georgia.Deep South Wrestling held their inaugural show under the WWE banner on September 1, 2005. Two months later, the promotion crowned Mike Mizanin as their first Deep South Heavyweight Champion. The promotion gained a timeslot on Comcast Sports South on Sunday nights at 11:30 p.m.
On July 9, 2006, the promotion debuted a live event at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. DSW began holding live shows at venues other than Six Flags, starting in the nearby town of Griffin, Georgia. On May 18, High Impact won a tournament to crown the first Deep South Tag Team Champions. On October 18, 2006, Deep South Wrestling landed a television deal with MAVTV.
On April 18, 2007, WWE ended its relationship with Deep South. after Deep South had held its final event on April 12. Because of Deep South parting ways, talent not under WWE developmental contracts left the promotion. Those that remained under contract were reassigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling.