Disciples of the New Church
| Disciples of the New Church | |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Members | See below |
| Name(s) | The Disciples of the New Church The New Church Disciples The New Church |
| Debut | June 19, 2002 |
| Disbanded | October 1, 2003 |
| Years active | 2002–2003 |
| Promotions | TNA |
The Disciples of the New Church, also known as the New Church Disciples or simply The New Church, were a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from June 19, 2002 to October 1, 2003.
Originally, The Disciples of the New Church formed as a heel stable consisting of Tempest, Slash, and Malice, along with Father James Mitchell as their manager. They were all introduced in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on June 19, 2002 when they competed in the Gauntlet for the Gold: an over-the-top rope elimination match in which the final two competitors face off in a one-fall singles match to crown the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion of the TNA era. Malice and Ken Shamrock were the last two remaining in the Gauntlet for the gold match, with Ken Shamrock winning via pinfall, thus leading up to a feud between him and The New Church.
On the next PPV, the following week, The New Church interrupted a speech by Ken Shamrock. James Mitchell challenged Shamrock to a match with his Disciple, Malice, for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and Ken Shamrock agreed. Then Malice attacked Shamrock from behind in the ring and gave him a chokeslam. On July 3, Ken Shamrock was attacked by Malice backstage before their match even started, but Ken Shamrock competed to face Malice in the ring regardless and retained his NWA World Title after he defeated Malice in a singles match. On July 10, Slash and Tempest got a shot at the Tag Team Titles against A.J. Styles and Jerry Lynn but were defeated. Malice had another chance at a shot at the NWA title, when he faced Sabu in a number one contenders ladder match on July 17, but lost. On July 24, Malice stole the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ken Shamrock after he retained it in a ladder match with Sabu, but on July 31, Shamrock got it back when TNA security Don Harris interrupted after a match involving Malice and Apolo, taking the NWA World Heavyweight Championship away from Malice to bring it to its rightful owner, Ken Shamrock.
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