On the surface, the alliance between the AWA and the Memphis, Tennessee-based CWA seemed like a good one. The AWA needed help to combat the WWF and the NWA. The CWA could provide the help the AWA needed. However the solution to the AWA's problems wasn't that simple. AWA crowds at house shows had fallen dramatically. The infusion of Memphis wrestlers like new AWA champion Jerry Lawler and the veteran Superstar Bill Dundee didn't really help the AWA at all. The AWA crowds at arena shows remained small.

On the other hand, the CWA benefited greatly from the alliance with the AWA. The night Jerry Lawler won the AWA title from Curt Hennig resulted in a sellout crowd at the Mid South Coliseum in Memphis Tennessee. Subsequent AWA title defenses by Lawler in Memphis also drew large crowds. It was another example of Memphis promoter Jerry Jarrett making a tremendous deal with another promotion with Jarrett's promotion, the CWA, coming out on top.

Soon there became a third player in the alliance between the AWA and CWA. Fritz Von Erich's Dallas, Texas-based promotion also had fallen on tough times. Crowds were way down in Dallas so Fritz hooked with up AWA boss Verne Gagne and CWA head honcho Jerry Jarrett. The plan was for the three promotions to work together for several months, which would result in a pay-per-view broadcast that would make all three promotions lots of money. It was a great idea in theory.

Jerry Lawler defended the AWA heavyweight championship frequently. Lawler faced such men as Tommy Rich, Buddy Landel, Dutch Mantell, Jimmy Garvin, Ronnie Garvin, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kerry Von Erich and Bill Dundee on cards held in Memphis, Tennessee. Jerry also defended the AWA strap against Doug Furnas in Knoxville Tennessee, Eddie Gilbert in Mississippi, Austin Idol in Alabama, Terry Taylor in Texas and former AWA champ Curt Hennig in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lawler did everything in his power to restore prestige to the AWA title.