 The conference was formed on April 27, 2006 by eight schools with wrestling squads that had formerly competed as independents since the WWC charter members were all members of conferences that did not sponsor wrestling except one true independent.The original members were the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference, California State University, Fresno (more commonly known as Fresno State) from the Western Athletic Conference, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University of The Summit League, the University of Northern Colorado out of the Big Sky Conference, the University of Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley Conference, and independent Utah Valley University (then named Utah Valley State College).Fresno State dropped its wrestling program before competing in the conference.