Big Time Wrestling (Detroit) was a Territory pro wrestling promotion operating in the United States, based in Detroit, Michigan.
The BTW DETROIT promotion was founded on January 1, 1945 by Harry Light, Jack Britton, & Bert Ruby, and it ceased operations on October 12, 1980.
A founding member of the National Wrestling Alliance, Harry Light Wrestling Office promoted around the Detroit region for years through his show, Big Time Wrestling. Light would lose his promotion in 1959 during a promotional war against a young promoter in Jim Barnett, who founded the Barnett-Doyle Corporation to take over the Midwestern territory. In 1964, future extreme wrestling legend Ed "The Sheik" Farhat bought the territory and exclusive rights to the city’s Cobo Arena, with his father-in-law Francis Fleser as its figurehead owner. The promotion would have a hand in popularizing hardcore wrestling, though eventually succumbed to waning interest from fans who disliked its rather formulaic booking. Wrestling in Detroit would falter for years until the WWF revived interest in the city in the mid-1980s.
Big Time Wrestling (Detroit): Info
- Promotion Type Territory
- Continent
North & Central America - Date Established January 1, 1945
- Country
United States - Location Detroit, Michigan
- Date Retired October 12, 1980
- Founder Harry Light, Jack Britton, & Bert Ruby
- Owners
- Real Name Francis Fleser & Ed "The Sheik" Farhat ( September 19, 1964 - October 12, 1980)
- Real Name Jim Barnett & Johnny Doyle ( April 11, 1959 - September 18, 1964)
- Real Name Harry Light, Jack Britton, & Bert Ruby ( January 1, 1945 - April 10, 1959)
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Promotion Names
- Big Time Wrestling - BTW-DETROIT ( September 19, 1964 - October 12, 1980)
- National Wrestling Alliance Detroit - NWA DETROIT ( July 14, 1948 - September 18, 1964)
- Harry Light Wrestling Office - HLWO ( January 1, 1945 - July 13, 1948)
- Logo History
- BTW logo September 19, 1964 October 12, 1980
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- NWA Affiliation
- Location Michigan, Northwest Ohio ( September 19, 1964 - October 12, 1980)
- Location Michigan ( July 14, 1948 - April 10, 1959)