Embedded Files
The millennium rolled in with pro-wrestling still in the midst of one of its greatest boom periods. Three companies were not only on national television, but they were drawing (mostly) healthy crowds, holding regular pay-per-view shows and merchandising across the country. This had even aided the independent pro-wrestling groups across the country. However, a year a half later and two of those companies, WCW and ECW, would be "dead" with only the WWF remaining. This hot period, like others in history, had been filled with hot-shot booking and product over-saturation that led to a "scorched earth" in the years to come.
This did, however, leave a void that many aspiring promoters saw as an incredible opportunity. The first out of the gate was Ring of Honor, which was an attempt to create a regular "super indy" that pulled in the greatest unsigned talent and offered unique dream matches. The second was NWA-TNA, which was a hybrid of traditional wrestling and edgy "sports entertainment" that brought together the top free agents, established legends and unsigned talent on weekly pay-per-view shows. The third was Major League Wrestling, which looked to create an engaging product with a variety of styles and talent. A fourth group, Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla, started the following year that was based in Southern California and, not unlike Ring of Honor and MLW, sought to establish a product that brought in the best unsigned talent.
TNA and Ring of Honor changed ownership, changed management, changed top talent and at the same time added new television deals, added pay-per-view events and added alliances with other companies. MLW did not last long, but it was not forgotten. PWG saw slower growth, but developed a unique model of running shows, selling content and appealing to talent.
By the mid-2010s, the landscape had undergone incredible change since the fall of WCW and ECW. Demographics had shifted so that a Mexican-influenced product like Lucha Underground could have a chance. MLW had been slowly getting its brand back into people's consciousness and after some successful reunion shows, Court Bauer decided to bring it back and it quickly became notable. As the decade was coming to a close, another perfect storm occurred with a wealthy backer, a solid core of talent and a television deal that led to the formation of All Elite Wrestling.
ROH - Ring of Honor (2002-)
ROH - Ring of Honor (2002-)
Shelton Benjamin
Tyler Black
Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark)
Claudio Castignoli
Homicide
Nigel McGuinness
Kenny Omega
Rhino
Davey Richards
The Young Bucks
Appearances
NWA-TNA / TNA - Total Nonstop Action / Impact! Wrestling (2002-)
NWA-TNA / TNA - Total Nonstop Action / Impact! Wrestling (2002-)
In 2002, Jerry and Jeff Jarrett made a bold move. They began promoting a pro-wrestling company with weekly pay-per-views, rather than trying to secure a TV deal. Based out of Nashville, NWA-TNA hoped to combine old and new. There were both successes and failures in those early days, but the company came out ahead. Eventually, Jerry left, they relocated to Orlando and made pushes into television, video games and onto the Internet. They now have great international visibility, have a regular show on Spike TV in the US and have both young and established talent, however booking and an apparent desire to be a product similar to the WWE has prevented them from being much more than a distant number two company.
Regulars
Alberto El Patron
Kurt Angle
Junior Fatu (Rikishi)
The Nasty Boys (Knobbs & Sags)
Judas Mesias
Team 3-D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon)
Made Appearances
Abismo Negro
Mike Awesome
Bob Backlund
The Bushwackers (Luke & Butch)
Damian
Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal)
MLW - Major League Wrestling (2002-2004; 2017-)
MLW - Major League Wrestling (2002-2004; 2017-)
Original
Abdullah the Butcher
Mike Awesome
LA Park (La Parka)
Revival
Mil Muertes
Colonel Parker
Savio Vega
Kevin Von Erich
PWG - Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla (2003-)
PWG - Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla (2003-)
Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark)
Bryan Danielson
Homicide
Low-Ki
CM Punk
Nigel McGuinness
Kenny Omega
Davey Richards
AJ Styles
The Young Bucks
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Prince Deavitt
Dragon Kid
Jushin Liger
Keiji Muto
Masato Tanaka
Dick Togo
Appearances
Rey Bucanero
Fit Finlay
Chavo Guerrero Sr.
Mando Guerrero
Jeff Jarrett
Bob Orton Jr.
Roddy Piper
Jake Roberts
Rob Van Dam
Lucha Underground (2014-2018)
Lucha Underground (2014-2018)
Mil Muertes (Ricky Banderas)
Hugo Savinovich
Jake Strong (Jake Hager)
AEW (All-Elite Wrestling (2019-)
AEW (All-Elite Wrestling (2019-)
The story of AEW is an odd one. After nearly two decades of companies vying for a distant second place behind the WWE, an unusual occurrence led Cody Rhodes and others to organize an indy event that drew 10,000 fans. That success led the Khans to get involved, which followed with a television deal to get them on TNT.
Arn Anderson
Awesome Kong
Tully Blanchard
Jon Moxley
Kenny Omega
Paul Wight
The Young Bucks
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