Formed in 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was the largest governing body in professional wrestling until the 1980s Rock 'n' Wrestling Era. Under the control of the NWA Board of Directors (consisting of various prominent, regional promoters), the governing body oversaw wrestling's national territory system, a system which saw promotions (referred to as "territories") recognize one world heavyweight champion, participate in talent exchanges, and collectively protect the territorial integrity of NWA members. Unlike modern independent promotions, the territories were regarded as major promotions and often collaborated with other NWA members.
In 1993,[1] the NWA was reorganized following the withdrawals of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), with the majority of new NWA territories being small independent promotions. As other territories withdrew from the governing body, the NWA would discontinue its memberships in August 2012 and adopted a licensing model.[2] In 2017, the NWA was purchased by Billy Corgan's Lightning One, Inc., which abandoned the licensing model and gradually transformed the NWA from a governing body to a stand-alone wrestling promotion.[3][4][5]
In October 2023, while still under the ownership of Billy Corgan's Lightning One, Inc., the NWA reintroduced the territory system. The first NWA-affiliated promotion introduced under the new system was NWA Exodus Pro Midwest, owned by then NWA World's Heavyweight Champion EC3.[6]
Current NWA-affiliated promotions and/or territories
The following promotions joined the NWA after the re-establishment of the territory system in October 2023.
Former NWA-affiliated promotions and/or territories
The following promotions were members/licensees of the NWA between its founding in 1948 and the organization's acquisition by Lightning One in 2017.
† indicates a founding member of the NWA
Timeline, 1948–1993
References
^"1993 - 2012".
^"NWA Lawsuit Settled, Promotion to Transfer to New Corporation". PWInsider.com.
^"Report: NWA & ROH No Longer Working Together; Nick Aldis Not Advertised For Summer Supercard". Fightful. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
^Jamie Greer (July 24, 2019), NWA Looking To Join Weekly TV Line Up, Last Word on Wrestling, event occurs at 01:11:50, retrieved July 19, 2013
^NWA Announces First TV Tapings For Planned Series, August 7, 2019, retrieved August 13, 2019
^"Official Press Release on the return of the territory system beginning with @ExoProWrestling!". National Wrestling Alliance on X. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^"NWA Announces Territory System Revival Under Billy Corgan's Leadership". Yahoo Entertainment. 2023-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
^Haulotte, Kellie (December 3, 2023). "The NWA Adds Another Promotion To Its List Of Territories". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
^"NWA Announces Launch Of NWA Chicago Affiliate Promotion". Yahoo Entertainment. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
^"Fight the World Wrestling (FTW)". Yahoo Entertainment. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
^"BILLY CORGAN ANNOUNCES NEW NWA TERRITORY". PWInsider. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
^""NWA Roster - Pretty Empowered"". National Wrestling Alliance. February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^ a b c d e f"NWA Membership Rosters: 1948". Retrieved January 6, 2014.
^ a b c d e f g hHornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. ECW Press. ISBN 9781554902743.
^"Great Falls Wrestling Booking Office". Retrieved January 6, 2014.
^ a b c d e f g h i j"NWA Membership Rosters: 1949". Retrieved January 6, 2014.