Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)

Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams) was a pro wrestling promotion operating in the United States, based in Marina del Rey, California, USA.

The UWF HA promotion was founded on August 26, 1990 by Herb Abrams, and it ceased operations on July 23, 1996.

Among the most infamous of all wrestling promotions, the Universal Wrestling Federation, not to be confused by the promotion ran by Bill Watts or the unrelated Japanese UWF incarnations, was established by Herb Abrams in 1990 with the goal of bringing back wrestling to “the way it used to be.”

UWF produced a weekly television series titled UWF Fury Hour, featuring a multitude of established stars. Problems emerged through Herb’s wishy-washy booking, bounced paychecks for wrestlers, as well as increasingly lower attendances for tapings. Abrams was ambitious however, and launched a pay-per-view in 1991 named Beach Brawl. After an abysmal buy rate, the promotion would mostly fade away due to numerous legal troubles and monetary issues due to Abrams’ “exotic” use of finances. One final show named Blackjack Brawl proved to be a historic failure, and a St. Valentine’s Day Massacre event in 1996 that failed to transpire would be the last gasp of the UWF, as Abrams died months later in unusual circumstances.

The UWF is remembered as a prime example of how not to run a promotion, and several documentaries covering its absurd existence have proven popular.

Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams): Info