independent circuit
{{short description|Grouping of small professional wrestling promotions}}
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions.
Independent promotions are essentially viewed as a minor league or farm system for the larger national promotions, as wrestlers in "indie" companies (especially young wrestlers just starting their careers) are usually honing their craft with the goal of being noticed and signed by a major national promotion such as WWE, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) (which also owns Ring of Honor (ROH)), or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the United States, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (which is owned by WWE) or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico, or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Dragongate, All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Wonder Ring Stardom or the CyberFight promotions in Japan. It is also not uncommon for veteran wrestlers who have had past tenures with major promotions to appear on independent shows, either as special attractions or as a way to prolong their careers as free agents.{{cite web |last1=Castle |first1=Michael |title=Entertainment, Value and WRESTLING: Why Independent Wrestling Promotions Matter |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/768430-entertainment-value-and-wrestling-why-independent-wrestling-promotions-matter |website=Bleacher Report |access-date=July 15, 2011}} There are also plenty of wrestlers who also wish to not sign with any of the major promotions and therefore primarily depend on the independent circuit for work.
Origins
The "indie" scene in the United States dates back to the days of regional territories. When a promoter ran opposition in even one town controlled by a National Wrestling Alliance sanctioned territory, they were often called an "outlaw" territory.{{cite web |url=http://www.theindycorner.com/columns/the-history-of-independent-wrestling/ |title=The History of Independent Wrestling |last=Farmer |first=Matt |date=December 23, 2015 |website=TheIndyCorner.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612212653/http://www.theindycorner.com/columns/the-history-of-independent-wrestling/ |archive-date=June 12, 2021}} This is considered by some to be a forerunner to indies since some stars of the past got their start in these low quality local rivals to the big regional territories.
The modern definition of the independent circuit came about in the middle to late 1980s and fully formed and flourished after 1990. These promotions initially sought to revive the feel of old school territorial wrestling after former territories either went national, such as WWF, went out of business, or eventually did both, such as WCW. Several indies did in fact manage to tour different towns within a region and maintain a consistent schedule.
After Vince McMahon, seeking regulatory relief, gave in 1989 testimony in front of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission{{Cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119010/3/index.htm |title=Vince McMahon has transformed pro wrestling from a - 03.25.91 - SI Vault |access-date=2013-08-06 |archive-date=2014-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407093053/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119010/3/index.htm |url-status=dead }} where he publicly admitted pro wrestling was in fact a sports-based entertainment, rather than a true athletic competition, many state athletic commissions stopped regulating wrestling. This obviated the need for complying with many expensive requirements, such as the need for an on-site ambulance and trained emergency medical personnel at each bout. After the business was thus exposed and deregulated, just about anyone could be a promoter or a wrestler since no licensing beyond a business license was then required. Many thought they could save money by holding shows in lesser towns and smaller arenas with little to no televised exposure, leading to many shows being held only once a week or once a month in local towns.
By country
=United States=
{{see also|List of independent wrestling promotions in the United States}}
Independent promotions are usually local in focus and, lacking national TV contracts, are much more dependent on revenue from house show attendance. Due to their lower budgets, most independent promotions offer low salaries (it is not unusual for a wrestler to work for free due to the fact most promoters can only afford to pay well-known talent). Most cannot afford to regularly rent large venues, and would not be able to attract a large enough crowd to fill such a venue were they able to do so. Instead, they make use of any almost open space (such as fields, ballrooms, or gymnasiums) to put on their performances. Some independent promotions are attached to professional wrestling schools, serving as a venue for students to gain experience in front of an audience. As independent matches are seldom televised, indie wrestlers who have not already gained recognition in other promotions tend to remain in obscurity. However, scouts from major promotions attend indie shows, and an indie wrestler who makes a good impression may be offered a developmental or even a full-professional contract.
The advent of the Internet has allowed independent wrestlers and promotions to reach a wider audience, and it is possible for wrestlers regularly working the indie circuit to gain some measure of fame among wrestling fans online. Additionally, some of the more successful indies have video distribution deals, giving them an additional source of income and allowing them to reach a larger audience outside of their local areas.
=Canada=
{{see also|List of independent wrestling promotions in Canada}}
=Australia=
{{see also|List of professional wrestling organisations in Australia}}
Unlike the North American or Japanese products which have large, globally renowned organisations such as WWE and New Japan Pro-Wrestling with several hundred smaller promotions, Australia only has approximately 30 smaller independent circuit promotions which exist in all but one of the states and territories, that being the Northern Territory. Tours from the North American product are regularly sold out in capital cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
=Mexico=
{{see also|List of professional wrestling promotions in Mexico}}
Lucha libre has many more independent wrestlers in proportion to the rest of North America, because of the weight classes prevalent in the Mexican league system as well as its emphasis on multiple person tag matches; just about anyone with ability can emerge from an independent promotion into either AAA or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and be a champion there. Independent Mexican wrestlers may use a lot of gimmicks, including some that may be based on copyrighted characters from American television shows, such as Thundercats and X-Men. (These gimmicks are often changed if the wrestler playing them makes it into AAA or CMLL; the most prominent example of non-compliance with this method is midget wrestler Chucky from AAA, whose gimmick is based on the Child's Play movies.)
=Japan=
{{see also|List of professional wrestling promotions in Japan}}
Until 1984, no independent puroresu promotion per se existed in Japan; potential talent went directly into the training dojos of either New Japan Pro-Wrestling or All Japan Pro Wrestling. (International Wrestling Enterprise also was a third-party promotion until 1981.) The advent of the Japanese Universal Wrestling Federation offered a long-sought third alternative.
From 1986 to 1988 the Japanese system went back to the two-promotion system, but then the UWF was reformed and another promotion, Pioneer Senshi, was started. Because of Japanese societal mores which implied that a wrestler was a lifelong employee of a company and thus identified with it wherever he went, neither AJPW nor NJPW made an effort to acquire wrestlers trained in other promotions; wrestlers from the major promotions who left, such as Genichiro Tenryu, Gran Hamada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Akira Maeda, Atsushi Onita, and Nobuhiko Takada had to start their own independent promotions in order to keep themselves in the limelight (Wrestling Association "R", Universal Lucha Libre, Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi, Fighting Network Rings, Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, and Hustle respectively) .
As the 1990s ended, though, things began to change. Independent promotions began gaining more prominence as they were featured in major specialized media such as Shukan Puroresu and Shukan Gong magazines. With the death of Giant Baba and retirement of Antonio Inoki, which effectively broke their control over the promotions they founded, the major promotions began looking to the smaller promotions for talent.
In 2000, the first major signing from an independent, Minoru Tanaka by NJPW from BattlARTS, took place; soon after NJPW stocked the junior heavyweight division with independent talent such as Masayuki Naruse, Tiger Mask, Gedo, and Jado. On the same year, following the Pro Wrestling Noah split, AJPW was forced to fill its ranks with independent talent; Nobutaka Araya, Shigeo Okumura and Mitsuya Nagai signed up (Araya is the only one who remains, but other signings since then have been Kaz Hayashi, Tomoaki Honma, Hideki Hosaka, and Ryuji Hijikata.)
Noah admitted one wrestler from the independents, Daisuke Ikeda, to its ranks as well (Ikeda has since left, but other wrestlers from the independents that were signed included Akitoshi Saito, Takahiro Suwa, and Taiji Ishimori). Although AJPW, NJPW, and Noah remain committed to their dojos, the reliance on independents is growing as obscure talent is recognized for its ability.
=United Kingdom=
{{see also|Professional wrestling promotions in the United Kingdom}}
For most of the years of ITV's coverage of British Wrestling, the dominant promoter in the United Kingdom was the Joint Promotions cartel, which was originally modelled on the NWA and later amalgamated into a single company. Nonetheless, throughout this period, untelevised alternative promotions flourished with at least one significant competitor to Joint for live shows.
Initially the main rival was the former dominant promotion in the territory, Atholl Oakley's BWA. By the time of its demise, wrestler/promoter Paul Lincoln had established himself as a major promoter with shows featuring himself as headline heel. In 1958, when Bert Assirati was stripped of the British Heavyweight Championship, Lincoln formed the BWF alliance of promoters to support Assirati's claim, later recognising Shirley Crabtree as champion. Lincoln's BWF was eventually bought out into Joint in 1970.
Welsh promoter Orig Williams also used the BWF name, promoting from the late 1960s up until the early 2000s and then sporadically until his death in 2009. From 1982 to 1995, Williams had a Welsh language TV wrestling show "Reslo" on S4C. Brian Dixon, a referee for Williams, set up his own company Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead later renamed All Star Wrestling {{circa|1984}}. An alliance with promoter and former top star Jackie Pallo failed to prevent Joint gaining a five-year extension on its TV wrestling monopoly from January 1982 to December 1986.
However, by the mid-1980s Dixon had won over many wrestlers and fans from Joint who were tired of the Big Daddy-orientated direction of Joint. Eventually this culminated in All Star gaining a TV show on satellite channel Screensport and later, a slice of ITV's coverage from 1987 until the end of ITV wrestling in 1988. By the end of this period, All Star had effectively replaced Joint (by now owned by Max Crabtree, brother of Shirley) as the dominant promotion in the UK.
Joint, renamed Ring Wrestling Stars in 1991, dwindled down before closing with Crabtree's retirement in 1995, All Star has continued to be the dominant non-import live promotion in the UK up to the present day. Its principal competitors since that time have been Scott Conway's TWA, John Freemantle's Premier Promotions, RBW and LDN Wrestling. Since the 1990s there have also been numerous American-style "New School" promotions.
Attendance records
{{About|attendance records for professional wrestling on the independent circuit by decade|a year-by-year listing|List of professional wrestling attendance records on the independent circuit|attendance records from National Wrestling Alliance-affiliates|List of National Wrestling Alliance attendance records#Modern-era (1990s-2010s){{!}}List of National Wrestling Alliance attendance records|section=yes|all-time records|List of professional wrestling attendance records}}
Note: Minimum attendance of 5,000.
- Light Grey indicates event was a free show and/or held at a major public gathering.
=Historical=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%;"
|+Top 10 most-attended shows in the 2000s ! No. ! Promoter ! Event ! Location ! Venue ! Attendance ! class=unsortable|Main Event(s) ! class=unsortable| |
| 1.
| {{center|PMG}} | Clash of the Legends | 6,000? | Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Wight | |
| 2.
| {{center|ECW}} | Heat Wave | Los Angeles, California | 5,700 | Justin Credible (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 3.
| {{center|NWA}} | NWA New Jersey vs. NWA Pro | 5,500 | Apollo (c) vs. Dimitrios Papadon for the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship | |
| rowspan="4"|4.
| {{center|NEPW}} | NEPW at the Lake County Fairgrounds |rowspan="4"|5,000 | Julio Dinero vs. Dick Trimmins | |
| {{center|WXW}}
| Sportsfest | Rapid Fire Maldonado (c) vs. Mana the Polynesian Warrior for the WXW Heavyweight Championship | |
| {{center|MW}}
| Throwback Night II | Terry Funk and Corey Maclin vs. Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart with Jimmy Valiant as special referee |
| {{center|ASW}}
| Dukes of Hazzard Festival | Iron Cross, Bobby Houston and Jerry Lawler vs. Stan Lee, Eddie Golden and K.C. Thunder | |
| rowspan="2"|5.
| {{center|ECW}} | Guilty as Charged | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium |rowspan="2"|4,700 | Mike Awesome vs. Spike Dudley for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship | |
| {{center|—}}
| Clash of the Legends | Jerry Lawler vs. Lord Humongous with Lance Russell as special referee | |
| rowspan="2"|6.
| {{center|ECW}} | Anarchy Rulz |rowspan="2"|4,600 | Justin Credible (c) vs. Jerry Lynn for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship | |
| {{center|ECW}}
| November to Remember | Jerry Lynn (c) vs. Steve Corino vs. Justin Credible vs. The Sandman and in a Double Jeopardy match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 7.
| {{center|MW}} | Throwback Night | 3,758 | Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart vs. Corey Maclin and Kamala |
| 8.
| {{center|ECW}} | ECW on TNN | 3,700 | Super Crazy (c) vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri and Little Guido in a 3-Way Dance match for the ECW World Television Championship |
| rowspan=2|9.
| {{center|ECW}} | ECW on TNN |rowspan=2|3,500 | Justin Credible (c) vs. The Sandman for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship |
| {{center|MW}}
| Throwback Night III: A Nightmare in Memphis | Jerry Lawler and The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) vs. Corey Maclin, Stan Lane and Jackie Fargo |
| 10.
| {{center|ECW}} | Hardcore Heaven | The Rave | 3,400 | Justin Credible (c) vs. Lance Storm and Tommy Dreamer in a 3-Way Dance match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship |
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%;"
|+Top 10 most-attended shows in the 2010s ! No. ! Promoter ! Event ! Location ! Venue ! Attendance ! class=unsortable|Main Event(s) ! class=unsortable| |
| 1.
| {{center|—}} | All In | 11,263 | The Golden Elite (Kota Ibushi, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. Bandido, Rey Fénix and Rey Mysterio in a six-man tag team match | |
| 2.
| {{center|FMLL}} | Luchamania USA | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 7,000 | Blue Demon Jr., Cien Caras Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. El Hijo del Santo, L.A. Par-K and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in a six-man tag team match | |
| 3.
| {{center|JCW}} | Take Me Home Charity Show | 4,500 | 2 Tuff Tony (c) vs. The Weedman for the JCW Heavyweight Championship | |
| 4.
| {{center|JCW}} | Hatchet Attacks | 4,311 | Corporal Robinson (c) vs. Ian Rotten in a Barbed Wire, Tables, Ladders & Glass match for the JCW Heavyweight Championship |
| 5.
| {{center|WCE}} | WrestleCade 5: The Final 3 Count | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 4,000 | Matt Hardy (c) vs. Ryback for the WrestleCade Championship | {{cite web |url=https://www.wxii12.com/article/wrestlecade-2016-in-winston-salem/8368455 |title=WrestleCade 2016 in Winston-Salem |last=Lea |first=Chris |date=November 26, 2016 |website=WXII-TV |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}} |
| 6.
| {{center|NEW}} | Six Flags Slam Fest | Six Flags Great Adventure Theme Park | 3,700 | Jon Moxley vs. Caz XL |
| 7.
| {{center|CWI}} | Brawl at the Bush II | Brantford, Ontario | 3,600 | Haven, Lanny Poffo, Brutus Beefcake and Bushwhacker Luke vs. Big Daddy Hammer, Virgil and The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) in a Survivor Series elimination match | |
| rowspan="3"|8.
| {{center|—}} | | Chicago, Illinois |rowspan="3"|3,500 | Blue Demon Jr., Imágen Nocturna and Piloto Suicida vs. L.A. Par-K, El Hijo del Santo and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. |
| {{center|LU}}
| Austin Warfare | Cage, Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jack Evans, Johnny Mundo and PJ Black | |
| {{center|ROH}}
| Supercard of Honor XI | Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Dalton Castle for the ROH World Championship | |
| 9.
| {{center|NEW}} | Wrestling under the Stars (Day 1) | 3,341 | Rey Mysterio Jr. and Alberto El Patrón vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) | |
| 10.
| {{center|NEW}} | Wrestlefest | 3,300 | Kurt Angle vs. Cody Rhodes in a Steel Cage match | |
Footnotes
{{reflist|group=Note}}
See also
References
General
- {{cite web |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/indy/indyindex.html|title=Indies|website=ProWrestlingHistory.com}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/memphis/index.html|title=The History of Wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum|website=ProWrestlingHistory.com }}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/smw/index.html |title=The Complete History of Smoky Mountain Wrestling |website=ProWrestlingHistory.com }}
Specific
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last1=Drasin |first1=Ric |author-link1=Ric Drasin |last2=Collins |first2=Bruce Dwight |date=2003 |title=So, You Want to be a Wrestling Promoter? |publisher=Imprint Books |isbn=1591099498}}
- {{cite book |last=Snyder |first=Ronald |date=2017 |title=Wrestling's New Golden Age: How Independent Promotions Have Revolutionized One of America's Favorite Sports |publisher=Sports Publishing |isbn=978-1683580201}}
- {{cite book |last=Greenberg |first=Keith Elliot |author-link=Keith Elliot Greenberg |date=2020 |title=Too Sweet: Inside the Indie Wrestling Revolution |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1773055763}}
External links
- [https://www.indyprowrestling.com/ IndyProWrestling.com]
- [https://independentwrestling.tv/ Independent Wrestling TV]
- {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55f0Bimbx1o |title=Pro Wrestling Basics: What is Indy/Indie Wrestling? |last=Quackenbush |first=Mike |author-link=Mike Quackenbush |date=August 31, 2020 |website=YouTube.com |publisher=Til We Make It |access-date=}}
- {{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH2M4soueLU |title=The Bottom Rope: Inside the world of independent wrestling |last=Monday |first=Michael |date=November 17, 2017 |website=YouTube.com |publisher=NJ Advance Media |access-date= }}
- {{cite web |url=https://www.thesportster.com/wwe/wwe-indie-wrestling-different-same/ |title=How Indie Wrestling Is Different From WWE (& How It's The Same) |last=Sharma |first=Ishaan |date=July 7, 2021 |website=TheSportster.com |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}
- {{cite web |url=https://www.prowrestlingstudies.org/2019/08/26/the-problem-with-indie-wrestling-hint-its-not-the-wrestling/ |title=The Problem with "Indie Wrestling" (hint: it's not the wrestling) |last=Mathewson |first=Dan |date=August 26, 2019 |website=ProWrestlingStudies.org |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}
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