The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling organization formed in 1948. From its inception until the mid-1980s it was the most-recognized brand in professional wrestling. Under the control of the membership-based NWA Board of Directors (consisting of various prominent, regional promoters), it previously acted as a governing body for the NWA's national territory system which recognized one world champion, participated in talent exchanges, and collectively protected the territorial integrity of member promotions.
The NWA thrived in America until the late 1980s, by which time most original members had gone out of business as a result of the World Wrestling Federation's national expansion. The largest remaining NWA member, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which had been formed from the assets of Jim Crockett Promotions (which in turn had itself acquired other former NWA members), would leave the NWA for good in 1993. The NWA continued on as a governing body until 2012, when the rights to the name were transferred to R. Bruce Tharpe's International Wrestling Corp as a result of a lawsuit filed against then-Executive Director Robert Trobich and his company, Pro Wrestling Organization LLC, which controlled the trademarks on behalf of the organization. Under Tharpe, the NWA changed from a membership-based governing body to a private organization which licensed the NWA name to promotions.
Billy Corgan's company, Lightning One, purchased the NWA on October 1, 2017, at which point the NWA's affiliate agreements were allowed to lapse and the NWA became a singular wrestling promotion, rather than an alliance of promotions. Beginning that October, the NWA began its first YouTube series, Ten Pounds of Gold, which focused primarily around the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and others in the division. On February 8, 2018, the organization launched the NWA Network, a professional wrestling podcast network.
Current NWA Championships[]
- NWA Worlds Championship
- NWA World Television Championship
- NWA National Championship
- NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
- NWA World Tag Team Championship
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship
- NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship
NWA Shows[]
Owner(s)[]
- Robert Trobich - Pro Wrestling Organization LLC (1989–2012)
- R. Bruce Tharpe - International Wrestling Corp, LLC (2012–2017)
- Billy Corgan - Lightning One, Inc. (2017–present)
Other Pages