the NWC was unable to recapture the cult following it enjoyed in previous years: Moving to California and final years In early-1997, Martin relocated his operations to Sacramento, California. Partnering with Jim Hanzalik, he ran shows at the Memorial Auditorium for a time. The NWC made its official debut on March 27, 1997, with the main event featuring Sabu and then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn in a Street Fight match. The NWC's second event in Sacramento saw then 52-year-old George "The Animal" Steele make a surprise appearance to challenge resident NWC rulebreaker The Thug after he used a foreign object to win his match against The Navajo Kid. As the Attitude Era was gaining in popularity, the NWC tried to reinvent itself as a more "family friendly" company. The promotion offered fans free autograph signings and a chance to interact with its wrestlers as part of this effort. In July 1997, Martin and Hanzalik were featured in The Sacramento Bee where they discussed their plans to hold regular shows at the Memorial Auditorium, a planned expansion into Reno, Nevada, and producing another weekly tv program. All of their events in Sacramento were being taped for this purpose but a new series never materialized. A year later, the NWC was ranked among the top U.S. independent promotions by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. The company held its last show at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on August 28, 1998. Martin had hopes of running regular shows in Sacramento, Stockton and Bakersfield, California but was ultimately unable to secure a television deal to air the promotion's weekly series. The Sacramento Bee reported that an arrangement with one station fell through at the last minute because the executives felt a "Steel Cage War with Weapons" match might offend viewers. Alumni Male wrestlers Female wrestlers Midget wrestlers Stables and tag teams Managers and valets Referees Commentators and interviewers Other personnel Championships and programming Championships NWC Heavyweight Championship NWC Tag Team Championship Programming Notes References General Specific External links National Wrestling Conference at Cagematch.net National Wrestling Conference at Wrestlingdata.com American professional wrestling promotions 1994 establishments in Nevada 1998 disestablishments in California Professional wrestling in California Professional wrestling in Nevada Entertainment companies established in 1994 Entertainment companies disestablished in 1998 Defunct companies based in Nevada Defunct companies based in California