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21st Century Wrestling are one of the biggest success stories of recent times, having undergone a meteoric rise that has seen them go from drawing less than 100 people to their events and facing bankruptcy to selling out large arenas and having their own TV show on UK Broadcasting Prime.
The key to their success has been UK television personality Jeff Nova, who bought the company in 2006. His introduction of a Sports Entertainment philosophy, an insistence on high quality production values, and a willingness to use his media contacts to his advantage have turned 21CW into a British cultural institution.
PRODUCT: Sports Entertainment
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Modern WWE right down to killing the Independent scene and establishing a monopoly.
5 Star Supreme Wrestling are the most successful women's wrestling company in history, having dominated the joshi scene in Japan since the early 1990s when they put every other company out of business. They are best known for the very successful period where they had the legendary 'Magic Three' (Sensational Ogiwara, Thunder Hike, and Crusher Ichihara) headlining. Ogiwara took over the company in 2015 and has set about revitalising it with a faster, more modern feel. The poor decision to join the ill-fated Modern Japan movement and the downturn in business following the tsunami of 2016 both hit the company hard to the point that there were serious worries about bankruptcy, but they have since been able to recover and rally under Ogiwara's leadership.
PRODUCT: Fast paced, hard hitting action. Some room for gimmicks but they're more periphery than anything else.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: 5SSW is like an AJW that never went out of business.
Based out of Montreal, All Canada Pro Wrestling are a model of how to run a successful small independent company. Formed in 2009, their hook is that they focus entirely on smaller athletes, utilising a 230lb weight limit on their roster, and they give the fans fast-pacted and exciting matches without having to rely on expensive star wrestlers. Originally they presented a very serious vision of wrestling, but over the years they've mellowed slightly and added some humour and showmanship to their mix. A very progressive organisation, in 2017 they became the first wrestling company in North America to operate a roster that integrated male and female competitors equally.
PRODUCT: Workrate heavy but adds a strong dose of humour and characters.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: One of the various smaller promotions like Over The Top or PROGRESS where it's still workrate heavy but not serious business all the time.
The brainchild of the millionaire businessman James J McMinister, Australian Pro Wrestling was created to be an 'Australian super league'; using his financial power he bought out all of the small companies that were dotted around the country's east coast, combining the best talent from each to form a marketable package. Unfortunately his otherwise perfect plan was ruined by the arrival of RAW just two years later, as their national TV deal instantly relegated APW to a distant second place in terms of importance in Australia. RAW have proven to be a constant thorn in McMinister's side ever since, with their regular talent raids preventing APW from growing or expanding out from their base in Sydney.
PRODUCT: PG Rated Sports Entertainment. A more dumbed down version of what you would get with the bigger promotions.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Product wise you can compare it to a promotion like the XWF that sprung up following the closure of WCW where they were clearly trying to be a sponsor friendly version of the WWE or WCW.
One man embodied the spirit of Golden Canvas Grappling more than any other - the legendary Yoshifusa Maeda, the former five time champion who stayed loyal through thick and thin. However, when GCG joined the controversial 'Modern Japan' movement in 2011 it proved too much; considering it an insult to both himself and the company's proud history, Maeda quit. Joined by his close friend Kazu Yoshizawa, Maeda founded Black Canvas Grappling as the true continuation of the 'roaring lion' tradition. Although GCG have since collapsed (thus fully justifying Maeda's decision), BCG continues to go from strength to strength.
PRODUCT: Strong Style Puroresu. Serious competitive wrestling with no glitz or glamour
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: 90's All Japan Pro Wrestling. Hard hitting action without a ton of showmanship
Burning Hammer Of The Wrestling Gods have been the giant of Japanese pro wrestling for decades, with a lot of their success coming from the fact that they've always been willing to adapt to changing circumstances. Never far from controversy, BHOTWG have weathered many storms and scandals over the years (such as the "INSPIRE crisis" of 2006) but in recent years they've hit a particularly rocky patch: their short-lived dalliance with a more western style upset their core fan base, the tsunami of 2016 added to the hurt, and that was then followed by a string of high profile retirements that gutted the roster. Now, for the first time in three decades, BHOTWG are genuinely reeling and vulnerable.
PRODUCT: Westernised Strong Style. Physical, hard hitting matches are still important but it has more elements taken from American Wrestling
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Modern New Japan Pro Wrestling. It has ripoffs of the Bullet Club and Suzuki-gun along with a strong history of Super Junior action.
The Canadian Wrestling Alliance was formed when the two great families of Canadian wrestling, the Stones and the DeColts joined forces in the wake of the deaths of their respective patriarchs. Both NOTBPW and CGC had been struggling to remain relevant for several years prior to this, weighed down by ageing, overfamiliar rosters and the weight of their own histories, and so by uniting they could remain strong enough to withstand the American powers of USPW and SWF. With an emphasis on combining the great ringwork of NOTBPW with the showmanship of CGC and promoting fresh new talent, the CWA has been a huge success thus far.
PRODUCT: Classic traditional wrestling that you'd get from 80's NWA
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: There really isn't one. The Stones and DeColts are based on the Hart and Von Erich families respectively and a mega promotion forming out of the two families joining together is nuts as opposed to one family being miserable assholes and the other being nearly all dead.
Formed in 2018 by local boy Curtis Jenkins, Championship Wrestling from Wigan offers a deliberately old-school style of wrestling, a throwback to the very earliest days of wrestling in Britain, where blows are stiff and submissions are excruciating. Cleverly positioning themselves as the polar opposite of 21CW, they market themselves as "a real man's promotion" and their wrestlers are portrayed as legitimate tough men, not "sports entertainers", and as such they've been able to attract fans who have been put off by 21CW's glitz and glamour.
PRODUCT: Pure Competitive Wrestling. No fun allowed, serious business only
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: The ill fated World of Sport revival although obviously it's not on TV
Back in the 1990s, at a time when the SWF's Sports Entertainment product dominated all aspects of American wrestling, people said that a tiny promotion from California couldn't possibly hope to survive by promoting fast-paced matches with lightweight workers. Coastal Zone Championship Wrestling did it anyway and have now been in business for nearly three decades. Always open to working with others, CZCW have long had strong ties with various lucha libre companies, and in 2011 were also founding members of the Confederation Of The Territories alongside staunch ally MAW and also NYCW. As befits their Californian origin, CZCW are a very progressive company and were the first American company to have female workers compete as equals with the men.
PRODUCT: Fast-paced action, a mix of high flying and technical wrestling.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: I kinda want to say Pro Wrestling Guerilla but that might be off base.
Comitte Internacional de Lucha Libre were set up in 2011 by the veteran luchador El Maestro who clearly wanted to capitalise on the Mexican wrestling boom that was in full swing at the time. Very old school in feel, they operate as one of the traditional family friendly lucha libre companies that have been a part of Mexican wrestling for decades - the only difference being that they have ditched the strict tecnico / rudo divide, allowing for varied match ups. Over time they have developed a roster that is a nice mix of youngsters looking to make a mark, veterans who want one more run, and rejects from the bigger companies who now have a point to prove. Notably, CILL also heavily promote luchadoras as a key part of their show.
PRODUCT: Traditional Lucha Libre although it has done away with the face and heel divide
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: I am utterly clueless about the world of Lucha Libre so I have no fucking clue
Deep Impact Wrestling are Australia's 'alternative' wrestling group. They were set up by the veteran rebel The Comedian, who had become infuriated by the rise of RAW and all it represented. The concept behind DIW is to be everything that RAW is not; down and dirty wrestling aimed squarely at young males who want a fix of violence, hardcore action. Beers flow, blood is spilled, and one giant middle finger is extended in the direction of Sports Entertainment. The company is very much a small time operation and has been on the verge of bankruptcy on several occasions, but through luck, a dedicated crew of workers, and an awful lot of cost-cutting they've managed to survive longer than anyone expected.
PRODUCT: Extreme Hardcore. Trashy, low production value garbage wrestling
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: DIW is one of the IWA Mid South's or Deep South's of the world. Somehow still kicking around and with someone genuine talent occasionally coming through on the way up but does itself no help with the way it operates.
The most successful lucha libre company in history, Empresa Internacional de Lucha Libre (formerly SOTBPW) have dominated Mexican wrestling for many years. Their success is generally attributed to two men in particular - owner Jorge Ibanez and his willingness to invest heavily, and the lucha legend Champagne Lover, whose popularity completely transcended the business and allowed EILL to do unprecedented levels of business. With everything seemingly going perfectly for them, 2018 saw the company rocked by the twin blows of Lover's retirement and, just a few months later, Ibanez's shock death. With his son now in charge, EILL are entering a tricky new phase without their visionary leader or talismanic star.
PRODUCT: Lucha Libre Entertainment. A more Americanised take on Lucha Libre where it's clearly putting a strong focus on angles and storylines over the matches
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: AAA. EILL sprung up at generally the same time that AAA opened up in the real world and went around throwing around money to draw talent from the more respected, traditional Lucha Libre promotions.
The European Wrestling All-Stars are based out of Berlin and are one of the two companies that were created in the wake of UCR's closure. The most Americanised of the European companies, they use a sports entertainment model that has clearly been based off the one used so successfully by the Supreme Wrestling Federation. Popular in their 'stronghold' of Germany, their glitzy product is easy on the eye (and brain, some would say) and so likely gives them a greater scope for expanding across Europe than any of the other companies on the continent.
PRODUCT: Sports Entertainment
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: i'unno. Not a European Wrestling guy
The slightly mysterious EXODUS 2010 were founded by a group of investors represented by the media-shy Yoshi Oshiro and seemed to appear out of nowhere in mid-2010. With impressive (and slightly suspicious) financial reserves at their disposal, the new company had no problem attracting some big names to sign with them, including the controversial Burning EXILE who quickly became their head booker, star wrestler, and unofficial spokesman. In-ring, EX2010 focus on junior heavyweight wrestlers and present an exciting, fast-paced product. With a talented roster who have a real "us against the world" camaraderie, EX2010 are really starting to make waves in Japan.
PRODUCT: Super Junior Action. More focus on faster smaller wrestlers but with a but more showmanship and humour allowed.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Either Dragon Gate or DDT. I guess it's a little more on the Dragon Gate side because it still has some serious elements as opposed to DDT which is just silly.
Set up by the legendary luchador El Bandido (a man whose name value alone made it easy to get investors), Extremo Moderno Lucha Libre are an attempt to do something a little different to capture a piece of the booming Mexican wrestling market. Although taking classic lucha libre as its base concept, EMLL does a few things a little differently; as well as introducing a 'dark fantasy' feel that is somewhere between a comic book and a horror movie, they have also completely abandoned tag team wrestling, instead making every show all about a series of head to head battles between individual wrestlers in the style of a beat 'em up video game.
PRODUCT: Grindhouse Lucha Libre. It's darker and gritter with frequent brawls and more fantastic characters and storylines.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: It's Lucha Underground all the way.
Puerto Rico's first major wrestling organisation, FREEDOM Caribbean Wrestling was created in 2007 by national hero Puerto Rican Power and his close friend Shawn Gonzalez. With the demise of DAVE having happened just a few months earlier, they felt that there was a gap in the market and an obvious pool of newly unemployed talent that they could tap into. The focus of the company is on a traditional type of wrestling with strong characters helping draw fans to the arena to see hard-hitting action, but Puerto Rican Power's phenomenal popularity is definitely the key to their entire operation. The tragic death of Shawn Gonzalez in 2011 hit them hard, as did Power's retirement, but in each case they quickly regrouped and went back to steadily putting on good quality shows.
PRODUCT: Puerto Rico flavoured Tex-Mex. Hard fought and often bloody brawls revolving around foreign heels challenging the top babyface
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: World Wrestling Council. Puerto Rican Power is clearly supposed to be that youngster Carlos Colón.
The high-profile Californian rapper and well known wrestling fan Brother Grimm got his first taste of the business when he joined up with Gil Thomas and Nemesis to form Invincible Pro Wrestling in 2011. Although initially a success, Grimm fell out with his partners over the creative direction of the company; feeling disrespected, he quit and promptly formed his own organisation, Grimm SoCal Wrestling. GSW has a gritty, hardcore feel and has been helped enormously by Grimm's media contacts and its innate urban appeal. They run all of their shows out of Grimm's infamous Warehouse club, which adds a unique atmosphere.
PRODUCT: Extreme Hardcore but with that urban gangsta flava. Not quite true deathmatch wrestling but pushing it
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: It seems to me like GSW is more in line with XPW where it's trashy and sleazy and not as good as the promotion that it's clearly aping.
Invincible Pro Wrestling was set up in Los Angeles in 2011 by three unlikely partners - Gil Thomas brought financial muscle to the table, Nemesis was the booking brains and link to the wrestling community, and the rapper Brother Grimm provided media savvy, image, and his club (The Warehouse) as the base of operations. After a successful first year, things turned ugly when Grimm became unhappy that his ideas weren't being used often enough and quit, not only setting up a rival organisation (Grimm SoCal Wrestling) but also stealing several members of the IPW roster, kick-starting a war. IPW survived, but were then hit hard by the death of Nemesis in 2017. They have since regrouped, and under new booker Vin Tanner's leadership they are beginning to find a new identity.
PRODUCT: Urban Alternative. While still allowing for hardcore and brawls, it allows a more varied selection of in-ring action.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Modernish CZW. It still has hardcore action and bloody bouts but it also promotes a lot of talented wrestlers that can do more than just swing weapons and throw people into things.
Upon his retirement in 2005, wrestling legend Rip Chord used his own money to set up Mid Atlantic Wrestling in his home city of Baltimore. A throwback to the old days of regional territories, the idea behind the company was to provide an environment where young wrestlers could hone their skills and be prepared for life in the big leagues, an ethos that MAW still embodies to this day. Chord retired in 2011 and handed the company and its mission over to his friend, Sam Keith. In recent years MAW has struck up a strong working relationship with TCW, an agreement that works well for both companies as MAW get financial help and TCW get the strongest possible training for their next generation of talent.
PRODUCT: Old School Territories. It's classic 70's era NWA action.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Any promotion that wants to bring wrestling back to the territories. Just look at any company that Jim Cornette has run
New York City Wrestling are unapologetically a throwback to an older era. Created by old-school veteran The Stomper, they have changed little since their debut in 1988; to this day, they provide slow paced traditional wrestling with minimal glitz, almost as if caught in a time warp from 1976. While this has stopped them from ever expanding outside of the Tri-State area, their loyal fan base would have it no other way, pointing out that while it may not be glamorous, it is consistently value for money. The Stomper retired in 2010, handing over the territory to his chosen successor, Larry Vessey. He has gone with a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" strategy and kept NYCW firmly on their usual old-school course, albeit with more of an emphasis on tag team wrestling
PRODUCT: Even older school. Take MAW but add more focus on tag team wrestling
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: WWWF prior to Vince buying it out.
OLLIE are the oldest active wrestling organisation in the world, having run their first show back in 1955. They are sometimes known as "The People's Promotion", a reference to the golden era when their low-cost shows would fill arenas with entire families. Famously, there is much confusion over what their initials stand for and there are at least five competing theories with a strong claim to being the truth. At one point the most successful company in Mexico, running sold out shows every night with the greatest collection of stars ever seen on one roster, time has not been kind to them and modern day OLLIE is very much a small-time operation which doesn't even get onto national TV anymore. Many feel their decline is terminal and don't expect them to reach their 75th anniversary.
PRODUCT: Classic traditional Lucha Libre
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: It's CMLL if CMLL repeatedly fell down the stairs because AAA would constantly trip it.
DAVE's demise in April 2007 hit many people hard, but it was far from unexpected - there had been signs of their coming closure for years in advance. Mitch Naess, Phil Vibert's protege and the long time voice of DAVE, therefore had a lot of time to plan ahead in case the worst did happen, and that is how Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling came to be. The concept was simple; to start again and repeat the formula that had worked first time around but to avoid the traps that DAVE fell into. Naess, aided by a number of DAVE alumni, thus began the mission to try and succeed where DAVE failed....to complete the hardcore revolution.
PRODUCT: Hardcore wrestling.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: DAVE was the ECW equivalent. PSW is like a fusion of Ring of Honor and CZW. ROH was co-founded by the protege of Paul Heyman but wasn't a hardcore wrestling promotion while CZW clearly was trying to step into the hole in the market created when ECW died.
Created by Japanese legend Sadaharo Jimbo in 1996, Pride Glory Honor Wrestling had a meteoric rise to prominence thanks to the amazing matches that the 'golden generation' wrestlers like Miwa, Tatsuko, Mushashibo, Hoshino and Inukai pumped out on a monthly basis for over a decade. The intense style that made the matches so watchable proved to be a double-edged sword though, as their stars fell away to injury one by one. Jimbo retired in 2014 and handed over power to his protege Nobuatsu Tatsuko, who unfortunately has been unable to stop the rot; with the old stars all retired and few new stars stepping up to replace them, PGHW has been in a steep decline for a while now. Whether Tatsuko can turn them around remains to be seen.
PRODUCT: King's Road Strong Style. Very hard hitting, a lot of emphasis on in ring storytelling to get stories over
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: While there are obvious tells that it could very well be Pro Wrestling NOAH with how it was formed by talent walking out of the top promotions, at the moment it could easily be seen as post-Inokism New Japan where the big stars have either retired or reduced their schedules and so they're trying to build new stars of guys like Tanahashi and Nakamura.
Pro Wrestling SAISHO was set up by the PGHW management team in 2002 to act as a development territory; essentially a mini-version of PGHW itself, the sole aim of the company was to provide a place for youngsters to gain much needed experience. SAISHO looked on the verge of closure in 2014 when new PGHW owner Nobuatsu Tatsuko decided that it was an unnecessary financial burden. The legendary Mito Miwa, newly retired and with little desire to be merely Tatsuko's lieutenant, stepped in and bought the company instead. He has proven a smart businessman, adapting the company to meet new challenges, keeping them financially lean to survive the post-tsunami economic slump, and spotting and developing their own young talent rather than relying on big signings.
PRODUCT: Strong Style Puroresu. Much like BCG, it's wrestling presented as a sport.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: There really isn't one. Developmental Territories aren't really a thing in Japan.
The Queens of American Wrestling organisation was formed in 2010 by the former AAA star Farrah Hesketh. Based out of Houston, Texas, her idea was to combine the traditional American style of women's wrestling with that of the luchadoras of Mexico to create an exciting hybrid. QAW was an instant success and has quickly developed a good fan base in several cities in the state. Known for being willing to take chances (such as the intentional blurring of the traditional tecnico and rudo lines or their heavy use of stables) and promote fresh new talent, QAW are playing a big part in the evolution and continued rise of women's wrestling in North America.
PRODUCT: Tex-Mex Lucha Libre. A balance of brawling and high flying along with a focus on strong storytelling and characters.
REAL World Equivalent: There isn't really one that I can compare it to.
Revolution Australian Wrestling
The exclusive property of The Australian Sports Network, Revolution Australian Wrestling were the world's first wrestling league to be created entirely for TV. RAW came about after one of the network's executive producers, a hot-shot "idea guru" called Tristram Day, realised that wrestling shows tended to test extremely well in the key demographics that the network was after. Unwilling to spend big bucks to import shows from America, he realised that if the network created its own company and treated it like a TV show then they would be able to market (and profit from) their own exclusive stars. RAW has gone on to become hugely popular despite 'real' wrestling fans looking down on it because of the lack of actual in-ring action.
PRODUCT: Wrestling Soap Opera. Heavy focus on storytelling with matches being just a vehicle to tell stories
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: It's less a promotion and more just a tongue in cheek joke about how wrestling is always described as a soap opera for men.
After seeing how successful Rip Chord had been with Mid Atlantic Wrestling at creating an old-style territory in order to help give workers valuable experience, Richard Eisen decided that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery and promptly followed suit. Rhode Island Pro Wrestling was set up in August 2006 to be a "feeder league" for the SWF, using the MAW-template of taking raw talent off the independent circuit and seeing if they could be molded into workers worthy of the main roster. Professor Nero was originally entrusted with the job of running the company, with Mean Jean Cattley taking over upon Nero's retirement in 2014. Nowadays RIPW is almost exclusively populated by Supreme Wrestling University graduates, and it has turned into a slick conveyer belt for new SWF talent.
PRODUCT: Sports Entertainment
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: NXT. It's a child promotion for the WWE equivalent
Mark Carnie has always been a bit of a grifter, but his biggest score occured in 2015 when he managed to blag his way into getting the Scottish National Arts Council to give him a $5,000,000 grant to set up a wrestling company. He achieved this by slyly categorising it as a 'choreographed performance art piece examining interpersonal conflict', thus hoodwinking the clueless bureaucrats in charge. Although Carnie has proven to be the very definition of a scumbag indy wrestling promoter and seems to basically be running the company as a real life e-fed, Scottish National Promotions has somehow managed to amass a loyal following amongst Scots who can't bring themselves to watch an English promotion like 21CW and is doing very well.
PRODUCT: Blood and Beer wrestling. Very much all about hardcore wrestling with a Scottish flair
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Maybe Insane Championship Wrestling?
The Supreme Wrestling Federation are the most famous wrestling company in the world and have been the dominant force in the North American wrestling market for almost the entire of the modern era. Run by the famous Eisen family, the company has generally been characterised by a ruthless attitude toward competition and a willingness to poach talent. Their status as undisputed kings of American wrestling was lost in 2015 when they were surprised by the massive growth of USPW. That was compounded by a horrible five year period in which they lost many of their biggest stars and, worse still, saw SWF's founder Richard Eisen forced into retirement by an IRS investigation. Now run by Jerry and Eric Eisen, they've steadied the ship but face the difficult task of taking on the mighty USPW while building up a new generation of home grown talent.
PRODUCT: Sports Entertainment
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Much like 21CW, it's the WWE. It bought out all of the competition back in the day and now has to contend with a stagnant roster and no real momentum.
The smallest of the 'Big Three' of American wrestling, Total Championship Wrestling are known for their emphasis on good quality matches and treating wrestling seriously. This is an intentional move to position themselves as a more realistic and traditional alternative to the glitz and glamour of USPW and SWF. They almost went bankrupt in 2015 after years of foolishly trying to keep up with the spending of their more financially powerful rivals, and that led to them being purchased by the big American toy company BriCo. This has given them a degree of financial stability for the first time in years and has also seen TCW move from their traditional home in California to BriCo's HQ in San Antonio, although despite the changes they've continued to lose ground on their rivals after the loss of several big stars.
PRODUCT: Southern Rasslin'
Real World Equivalent: TCW is late WCW. It was initially matching it with the WWE equivalent but the wheels have come off, it might survive and pull things back together but it's clearly circling the drain.
The Madrid-based Ultimate European Wrestling is one of the two off-shoot companies that were created when Europe's dominant promotion, UCR, closed in 2007. Led by the highly respected veteran Ali Bloxsome, UEW offer a traditional wrestling experience, the kind that has been popular across the continent for many decades, without the glitz and showmanship that their closest rivals, the EWA, use. Their growth has been slow but steady and they have gradually managed to carve out a niche for themselves with fans who respect the fact that they treat pro wrestling seriously.
PRODUCT: Traditional Wrestling. Presented like a westernised version of Japanese Wrestling where it is treated seriously with an emphasis on match quality but has angles to further storylines.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: The respect for wrestling angle makes me think it's a Spanish version of Ring of Honour.
Created in 2001 by Danny Jillefski, United States Pro Wrestling has built its subsequent success around offering a family-friendly product that is heavy on unabashed patriotism and 1980s wrestling nostalgia. The legendary Sam Strong became owner in 2006 and leveraged his enormous name value to make the company into a genuine player, turning the traditional 'Big Two' of American wrestling into a 'Big Three'. USPW were bought out in 2014 by billionaire Allen Packer in order to provide exclusive content for his new 'Reverie' subscription-based network. With the network's financial muscle and enormous viewership behind them, USPW have quickly become the biggest wrestling company on the planet, although their regular poaching of talent has turned some wrestling fans against them.
PRODUCT: Family-friendly Pro Wrestling
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Hulkamania era WWF. They're throwing around a lot of money stealing stars from the opposition and are putting on a very child friendly product.
The Victory Wrestling Association are a European company who were created in 2009 by the multi-millionaire Albert Thorp and are based in his home country of Switzerland. They are perhaps the ultimate melting pot of wrestling concepts, as seemingly anything goes; whether this is an attempt to please everybody or a deliberate effort to create a truly unique fusion of styles is hard to ascertain. On top of their unusual style, for a long time the VWA were also noted for dispensing entirely with the concept of tag teams and alliances, with all their matches feature singles competitors. They only did away with that in 2019 when they added tag team titles.
PRODUCT: A Melting pot of styles. No seriously, it's called that just because anything goes except for deathmatches and eye candy matches.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Pffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttt. I don't know
World Level Wrestling are the pioneers of 'LuchaResu', the blending of the traditional styles of Mexico and Japan. By combining their innovative style with a sense of fun not found in the other major Japanese companies, WLW carved out a profitable niche for themselves. After years of strong progress, the great tsunami and the collapse of the Modern Japan movement hurt the company, but what nearly killed them off was the scandal that erupted in 2018 when it came to light that the yakuza were involved. With their assets frozen, WLW was effectively closed for an entire year. Former BHOTWG owner Kaneie Komine took them over in 2019 and is now trying to rebuild them from the ashes.
PRODUCT: LuchaResu Entertainment. An unholy combination of lucha libre, puroresu and entertainment.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: Michinoku Pro. It's not quite as goofy as EXODUS 2010 but it still has a sense of fun.
New Zealand's first professional wrestling organisation, ZEN: Art Of Wrestling mixes the cutting edge athletic and technical aspects of lucha libre with a healthy dose of off-the-wall humour and zany characters. The emphasis is primarily on producing fun shows that the whole family can enjoy, and they do it well, but the quality of wrestling they produce should not be overlooked either. Although ZEN have gained a cult following over the years, they have constantly had to battle to make enough money to stay afloat; they have come close to bankruptcy on several occasions and have been forced to rely mostly on cheap homegrown talent to keep costs low.
PRODUCT: Comic Book Lucha Libre. It's a denser and wackier version of Lucha Libre where it adds in more overt comic book storytelling and visual language. Was the first promotion in the game to have a mixed inter-gender roster.
REAL WORLD EQUIVALENT: CHIKARA.