List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States explained

This is a list of independent wrestling promotions in the United States, sorted by regional area, and lists both active and defunct "indy promotions" from the 1990s and 2000s. This list does not include the regional territories or promotions affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance.

There is no concrete definition on what constitutes an independent promotion. A general guideline would be that an independent promotion, as its name suggests, has no corporate sponsor or ownership providing funding for its operation. For example, Ring of Honor is owned by Tony Khan and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports, so they fall outside this definition. Another guideline would be a restriction, either by choice or by financial or logistical circumstances, to a particular geographic area, be it a state, a metropolitan area, or even a single town or arena.

Of lesser consideration is the promotion's fanbase. Fan attendance at live shows can be a factor, but is by no means a definite consideration. Most shows hosted by independent promotions have attendances anywhere from under fifty to a thousand or more, but Extreme Championship Wrestling in its heyday in the 1990s regularly hosted events of several thousand fans. Media exposure is also considered. Most independent promotions have very limited television exposure, if any, as they lack equipment or infrastructure to produce broadcast-quality programming. None have had any national television contract since ECW in the late 1990s. The most successful televised promotions release shows as syndicated programming, aired by one or several network affiliates in their local area.

New England

Massachusetts

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Note
Century Wrestling Alliance	Revere	Ellen Magliaro Tony Rumble	1989–2007	Tony Rumble died in 1999.
Chaotic Wrestling	North Andover	Jamie Jamitowski Killer Kowalski	2000–2017	[3] [4] [5]
International Wrestling Federation	Reading	Killer Kowalski	1979–1995
International World Class Championship Wrestling	Boston	Joseph Savoldi	1984–1996
Millennium Wrestling Federation	Melrose	Dan Mirade Neil Manolian	2001–2013	[6]	[7]
New England Championship Wrestling	Jamaica Plain	Sheldon Goldberg	2000–2019	[8] [9] [10]
Top Rope Promotions	Fall River	Steve Ricard	1984–(Last event was in 2017 so far)
World Wrestling Stars	Rockland	Mike Sparta	1998–2010

Rhode Island

East Coast

Maryland

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Maryland Championship Wrestling	Baltimore	Dan McDevitt Dick Caricofe Dennis Whipwrecht	1998–2003 1998–2003	Founded by Dan McDevitt and Mark Shrader in 1998, it went on hiatus for three years before resuming operations in 2006[12] Caricofe died on May 14, 2021.
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation	Essex		1991–2004	[13]

New Jersey

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Game Changer Wrestling	New Jersey	Brett Lauderdale	1999–present
Independent Wrestling Federation	Woodland Park	Kevin Knight	1998–2017	[14]
Jersey All Pro Wrestling	Bayonne	Frank Iadeavia Jeff Sharpio	1997–2018	[15] [16] Iadeavia died on September 23, 2015.
Phoenix Championship Wrestling	Toms River	Don Bucci	2001–2003
Women Superstars Uncensored	Lake Hiawatha	Sean Hansen	2007–2012

Active Movers Wrestling Old Bridge NJ

New York

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Family Wrestling Entertainment	Manhattan	Jordan Schneider	2010–2015
House Of Glory	Ridgewood, New York City	The Amazing Red Brian XL Master P	2012–present
Northeast Wrestling	Newburgh	Mike Lombardi	1994–present
Wild Zero	Syracuse / Rochester	Krist Worthless	2017–present

Pennsylvania

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
CHIKARA	Allentown	Mike Quackenbush	2002–2020
Combat Zone Wrestling	Philadelphia	D. J. Hyde	1999–present	[17]
Dragon Gate USA	Philadelphia	Satoshi Oji Gabe Sapolsky	2009–2015
Extreme Championship Wrestling	Philadelphia	Tod Gordon Paul Heyman	1992–2001	[18]
Extreme Rising	Philadelphia	Shane Douglas Kevin Kleinrock Steve O'Neill	2012–2014
Keystone State Wrestling Alliance	Pittsburgh	Bobby O	2000–present
Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling	Philadelphia	The Blue Meanie Jasmin St. Claire	2002–2005
Pro Wrestling eXpress	McKeesport	Jim Miller	1994–present
Steel City Wrestling	Pittsburgh	Norm Connors	1994–2000
World Xtreme Wrestling	Allentown	Afa Anoa'i	1996–present
International Wrestling Cartel	Pittsburgh	Justin Plumer	2001–Present	[19]

Midwest

Illinois

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
All American Wrestling	Berwyn ChicagoLaSalle	Danny Daniels	2004–present	In 2018 began branching out to Austin, Texas.
American Wrestling Federation	Chicago	Paul Alperstein	1994–1996
Shimmer Women Athletes	Berwyn	Dave Prazak Allison Danger	2005–2021	[20]
Warrior Wrestling	Chicago Heights	Steve Tortorello	2018–present
Windy City Pro Wrestling	Chicago	Sam DeCero	1988–2010
Women's Wrestling Army	Chicago	Bobby Cruise Maria Kanellis	2022–present

Indiana

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
IWA Mid-South	Clarksville	Ian Rotten	1996–2022	[21] [22]
Main Event Championship Wrestling	Evansville	Jason Daniel	2009–present

Missouri

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
National Wrasslin' League	Kansas City	Major Baisden	2016–2018
World League Wrestling	Troy	Harley Race (former)	1999–present

Ohio

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Heartland Wrestling Association	Cincinnati	Cody HawkJack KimbleChad Dillefeld	1996–2015
World Wide Wrestling Alliance	Columbus	Richard Arpin Dave Nelson	2004–2005

Southeast

Florida

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Full Impact Pro	Largo	Sal Hamaoui	2004–present
Future of Wrestling	Fort Lauderdale	Bobby Rogers	1998–2003
Shine Wrestling	Tampa	Sal Hamaoui	2012–present
Continental Championship Wrestling	Jacksonville	Chris Turner	1989–1991
Coastal Championship Wrestling	Coral Springs	Bruno Sassi	2004-present	[26]

Georgia

Name	Location	Owners	Years Active	Information
Deep South Wrestling	McDonough	Jody Hamilton	2005–2007
National Championship Wrestling	Cornelia	Steve Martin	1997–1999
Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling	Marietta	Dusty Rhodes	2000–2003

North Carolina

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
CWF-Mid Atlantic Wrestling	Burlington	Danny Wenkel	2000–2019
Deadlock Pro-Wrestling	North Carolina	Anthony Douglas James Darnell John Blud	2021–present
Fire Star Pro Wrestling	Greensboro	Labron Kozone	2012-present
OMEGA Championship Wrestling	Cameron	Matt Hardy Jeff Hardy	1997–1999 2013–present
South Atlantic Pro Wrestling	Winston-Salem	Paul Jones Frank Dusek	1990–1992
Premiere Wrestling Xperience	Charlotte	Brian Kanabroski	2003–present

Tennessee

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Global Force Wrestling	Nashville	Jeff JarrettKaren Jarrett	2014–2017
Innovate Wrestling	Kingsport	Tony Givens	2004–present
Memphis Championship Wrestling	Memphis	Terry Golden	2000–2001
Smoky Mountain Wrestling	Knoxville	Jim Cornette	1991–1995	[27] [28]
Southern States Wrestling	Kingsport	Beau James	1991–present
United States Wrestling Association	Memphis	Jerry Jarrett Jerry Lawler	1988–1997

West Virginia

South Central

Texas

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Global Wrestling Federation	Dallas	Max Andrews Grey Pierson	1991–1994	[30] [31]
Reality of Wrestling	Houston	Booker T	2006–present
Texas All-Star Wrestling	Humble	Bob Murphy	1994–present
Texas Wrestling Alliance	San Antonio	Rudy Gonzales	1999–present
Warriors 4 Christ Wrestling	San Antonio	Curtis Stone	1999–present

West

California

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
All Pro Wrestling	Hayward	Roland Alexander	1991–present[32]	[33] [34]
Empire Wrestling Federation	San Bernardino	Jesse Hernandez Bill Anderson	1996–present	[35]
Incredibly Strange Wrestling	San Francisco	Johnny Legend August Ragone	1995–2003
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla	Los Angeles	Excalibur Joey Ryan Scott Lost Super Dragon	2003–present	[36]
Ultimate Pro Wrestling	Los Angeles	Rick Bassman	1998–2007
Wrestling Society X	Los Angeles	Kevin Kleinrock Cody Michaels Vampiro	2006–2007
Xtreme Pro Wrestling	Sherman Oaks	Rob Zicari Tom Byron	1999–2003, 2021–present	[37] [38]
PCW Ultra	Torrance	Mike Scharnagl	2015–present

Oregon

Name	Location	Owner(s)	Years active	Notes
Portland Wrestling Uncut	Portland	Pete SchweitzerRoddy PiperDon Coss	2012–2014	The promotion aired on KPTV and KPDX.[40] [41] [42]
West Coast Wrestling Connection	Salem	Jeff ManningPat Kelly	2005–2016	Weekly television broadcast on KPDX-TV[43]
DOA Pro Wrestling	Portland	Terry Farness	2008-present	Monthly show carried live on IWTV

Utah

Notes and References

1. Web site: The New England Indy Graveyard . The New England Independent . Metrocast.net.
2. Web site: Assault Championship Wrestling . Tsakiries . Phil . Westcott . Brian . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories . August 9, 2013.
3. Web site: Indy Contact Sheet. Morgan. Adam. Stein. Nate. 2005-10-13. News. 411mania.com.
4. Web site: Chaotic Wrestling . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
5. Web site: Chaotic Wrestling . Palladino, Rich . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
6. Web site: Millennium Wrestling Federation . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
7. Web site: Millennium Wrestling Federation . Roelfsema, Eric . 2005 . Solie's Title Histories.
8. Web site: Wrestling Addresses . Resources: Products, Shows & Addresses . WrestlingMuseum.com . 2000.
9. Web site: New England Championship Wrestling . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
10. Web site: New England Championship Wrestling . Westcott . Brian . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
11. Web site: ECWA Hails Birthday Number 43 Today! . 1Wrestling News Team . August 27, 2010 . 1wrestling.com .
12. Web site: Maryland Championship Wrestling . Roelfsema . Eric . Westcott . Brian . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
13. Web site: Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (Maryland). Roelfsema. Eric. Westcott. Brian. 2004. Solie's Title Histories. Duncan. Royal. Will. Gary.
14. Web site: Independent Wrestling Federation . Tsakiries . Phil . Roelfsema . Eric . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
15. Web site: Jersey All Pro Wrestling . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
16. Web site: Jersey All Pro Wrestling . Tsakiries . Phil . Hisaharu Tanabe . 2009 . Solie's Title Histories.
17. Web site: Combat Zone Wrestling . Westcott . Brian . Bish . Matt . Fenwick . Adam . Urbanavage . Michael . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
18. Web site: Pro Wrestling Frequently Asked Questions: How do I contact my favorite wrestlers or promotion?. 1996-05-26. Macika. Dominic. Rec. Sport.Pro-Wrestling FAQ. Nick's Wrestling Spot.
19. Web site: Forney. Jesse. 2017-11-04. IWCwrestling.com – The International Wrestling Cartel. 2021-10-20. iwcwrestling.com. en-US.
20. Web site: SHIMMER Women Athletes . Fenwick, Adam . 2008 . Solie's Title Histories.
21. Web site: Independent Wrestling Association . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
22. Web site: Independent Wrestling Association (Indiana/Kentucky) . Eric Roelfsema . Brian Westcott . Adam Fenwick . Jeff Capo . 2005 . Solie's Title Histories.
23. Web site: Juggalo Championsh*t Wrestling . Tsakiries . Phil . Petrashek . Ethan . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
24. Web site: Pro-Wrestling America . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
25. Web site: Pro-Wrestling America . Palma, Richard . Westcott . Brian . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
26. Web site: CCW ANNOUNCES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING FROM FLORIDA TAPINGS PWInsider.com . 2024-10-07 . pwinsider.com.
27. Web site: Smoky Mountain Wrestling . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
28. Web site: Smoky Mountain Wrestling . Matt Benaka . Brian Westcott . Royal Duncan . Gary Will . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
29. Web site: Mason-Dixon Wrestling (formerly Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling) . Roelfsema, Eric . Westcott . Brian . 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
30. Web site: Global Wrestling Federation. Puroresu Dojo. 2003. Wrestling-Titles.com.
31. Web site: Global Wrestling Federation. Matt Roelfsema . Brian Westcott . Royal Duncan . Gary Will . 2004. Solie's Title Histories.
32. Web site: Apw Promoter Roland Alexander Passes Away . PWInsider.com . 2013-11-06 . 2022-05-13.
33. Web site: SoCal Title Histories . Southern California Pro-Wrestling History . SoCalUncensored.com.
34. Web site: All Pro Wrestling . Samuel Eanes, Brian Westcott . Earl Oliver . amp. 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
35. Web site: Empire Wrestling Federation . Puroresu Dojo . 2003 . Wrestling-Titles.com.
36. Web site: Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Westcott, Brian. 2004. Solie's Title Histories.
37. Web site: Keith . Scott . Nemer . Paul . Michael . Luke . Independent Promotions – FAQ . Pro Wrestling FAQ . Wrestleview.com . 2002.
38. Web site: Xtreme Pro Wrestling . Brian Westcott, Earl Oliver . Sam Falcitelli . amp. 2004 . Solie's Title Histories.
39. Web site: Ladies Professional Wrestling Association (LPWA); Inactive promotion in the Americas region . 27 October 2022 . CAGEMATCH.net . CAGEMATCH: The Internet Wrestling Database.
40. News: Tyler . James . 31 July 2015 . Legendary Wrestler and Portland resident 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper Dies at 61 . That Oregon Life . That Oregon Life LLC . 23 October 2022.
41. Web site: Portland Wrestling Uncut (PWU); Inactive promotion in the Americas region . 23 October 2022 . CAGEMATCH.net . CAGEMATCH: The Internet Wrestling Database.
42. Web site: Evans . Gavin . Where Are They Now? Your Favorite WWE Stars of the '80s; Roddy Piper . 23 October 2022 . complex.com . Complex Media, Inc.
43. Web site: West Coast Wrestling Connection (WCWC) . 23 October 2022 . CAGEMATCH.net . CAGEMATCH: The Internet Wrestling Database.