Independent circuit

In professional wrestling, the independent circuit 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 are usually honing their craft with the goal of being noticed and signed by a major national promotion such as WWE, All Elite Wrestling , or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the United States, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico, or New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Dragongate, All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Wonder Ring Stardom or one of 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. 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. 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 mid 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 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 where he publicly admitted pro wrestling was 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 smaller 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

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. 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 almost any open space 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.

No.	Promoter	Event	Location	Venue	Attendance	Main Event
—	NWA-NE	WRKO's Taste of the Boss	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston City Hall Plaza	35,000	5-0 vs. Victor Rivera and Jay Kobain
—	IWR	Warped Tour 2002	Pontiac, Michigan	Pontiac Silverdome	19,000	Deranged vs. Tommy Starr in a UV Light Tube Death match
—	BELIEVE	BELIEVE 156	Orlando, Florida	Central Florida Fairgrounds	15,000	Aaron Epic vs. Andrew Merlin for the SCW Florida Heavyweight Championship
—	AWF	Cement Belt Fair	Cementon, Pennsylvania	Cementon Fairgrounds	12,500	Heidi Lee Morgan vs. Baby Face Nellie
—	WPW	OC Fair: Flower Power	Costa Mesa, California	Washington Mutual Arena	12,000	El Hijo del Santo, Lil Cholo and Silver Tyger vs. Infernal, Super Kendo 2 and Super Parka
1.	—	All In	Hoffman Estates, Illinois	Sears Centre Arena	11,263	The Golden Elite vs. Bandido, Rey Fénix and Rey Mysterio in a six-man tag team match
—	WPW	OC Fair: Flower Power	Costa Mesa, California	Washington Mutual Arena	10,000	El Hijo del Santo, Lil Cholo and Silver Tyger vs. Infernal, Super Kendo 2 and Super Parka
—	HWA	BaseBrawl	Columbus, Ohio	Cooper Stadium	8,757	Rory Fox vs. Shark Boy for the HWA Cruiserweight Championship
2.	USWA	Memphis Memories	Memphis, Tennessee	Mid-South Coliseum	8,377	Jerry Lawler vs. Austin Idol vs. Brian Christopher vs. Doug Gilbert vs. Eddie Gilbert vs. Jimmy Valiant vs. Koko B. Ware vs. Moondog Spot vs. Terry Funk vs. Tommy Rich in a 10-man elimination match
—	WXW	Sportsfest	Allentown, Pennsylvania	Cedar Beach Park	8,000	The Love Connection vs. D'Lo Brown and Owen Hart
3.	USWA / WWF	USWA vs. WWF	Memphis, Tennessee	Mid-South Coliseum	7,500	Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler in a Steel Cage match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship
4.	FMLL	LuchaMania USA Tour	Los Angeles, California	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
5.	JCP	Ric Flair's Last Match	Nashville, Tennessee	Nashville Municipal Auditorium	6,800	Ric Flair and Andrade El Idolo vs. Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett
6.	FMW / WWA	FMW vs. WWA	Los Angeles, California	Cal State-Los Angeles Gym	6,250	Atsushi Onita, Tarzan Goto and El Hijo del Santo vs. Negro Casas, Horace Boulder and Tim Patterson in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls Street Fight match
—	IWC	Big Butler Fair	Prospect, Pennsylvania	Big Butler Fairgrounds	6,000	Dusty Rhodes vs. Jerry Lawler
7.	Multiple	World Wrestling Peace Festival	Los Angeles, California	Los Angeles Sports Arena	5,964	Antonio Inoki and Dan Severn vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Oleg Taktarov
8.	ECW	November to Remember	New Orleans, Louisiana	Lakefront Arena	5,800	The Triple Threat vs. New Triple Threat
8.	JCW	Bloodymania	Cave-In-Rock, Illinois	Hatchet Landings	5,800	Sabu and The Insane Clown Posse vs. Trent Acid and The Young Altar Boys
9.	FCW	Pride	Inglewood, California	Great Western Forum	5,500	Blue Demon Jr., El Hijo del Santo, Mil Mascaras and Tinieblas vs. Dr. Wagner Jr., Scorpio Jr. and Los Guerreros del Infierno
10.	—	Funk Free for All	Amarillo, Texas	Amarillo Civic Center	5,500	Terry Funk vs. Eddie Gilbert in a Texas Death match

Canada

No.	Promoter	Event	Location	Venue	Attendance	Main Event
—	Lutte 2000	Alouettes Mania I	Montreal, Quebec	Stade Percival-Molson	20,000	Jacques Rougeau vs. King Kong Bundy
—	LF	Alouettes Mania III	Montreal, Quebec	Stade Percival-Molson	20,000	Jacques Rougeau vs. Kamala
—	LF	Alouettes Mania IV	Montreal, Quebec	Stade Percival-Molson	20,000	Jim Duggan vs. Kurrgan with special referee Jacques Rougeau
1.	Lutte 2000	Pierre Carl Ouellet vs. Kurrgan	Montreal, Quebec	Centre Bell	5,500+	Pierre Carl Ouellet vs. Kurrgan with special referee Sid Vicious	-
2.	—	Stu Hart 50th Anniversary Show	Calgary, Alberta	Stampede Corral	4,600	Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship
3.	LF	Jacques Rougeau's Super Wrestling Family Gala	Verdun, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	4,300	Jacques Rougeau Jr. and J.J. Rougeau vs. Eric Mastrocola and Taloche the Clown for the Johnny Rougeau Tag Team Championship
4.	Lutte 2000	Pierre Carl Ouellet vs. King Kong Bundy	Verdun, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	4,000	Pierre Carl Ouellet vs. King Kong Bundy
5.	CWI	Brawl at the Bush II	Brantford, Ontario	Brantford Civic Centre	3,600	Haven, Lanny Poffo, Brutus Beefcake and Bushwhacker Luke vs. Big Daddy Hammer, Virgil and The Nasty Boys in a Survivor Series elimination match
6.	JRP	Richard Charland vs. Abdullah the Butcher	Montreal, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	3,500	Richard Charland vs. Abdullah the Butcher
6.	LF	Jacques Rougeau's Super Wrestling Family Gala	Montreal, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	3,500	Jacques Rougeau and Giant Martin vs. Kurrgan and Eric Mastrocola
7.	Gatineau Pro wrestling	Guerre civil 4	Gatineau, Quebec	Centre Slush Puppie	3,242	Thunder VS Darko
8.	NOTP	Night of Thunder	Winnipeg, Manitoba	Winnipeg Convention Centre	3,000	Chi Chi Cruz vs. Scott D'Amore
8.	LF	Jacques Rougeau Jr. Retirement Tour	Montréal, Quebec	Verdun Auditorium	3,000	Jacques Rougeau Jr. and J.J. Rougeau vs. Eric Mastrocola and Sylver
9.	Lutte 2000	L'Union Fait La Force IV	Montreal, Quebec	Centre Pierre Charbonneau	2,600	The Fabulous Rougeaus vs. The Garvin Brothers for the Johnny Rougeau Memorial Tag Team Championship
10.	BSE	Welcome to Mexico!	Toronto, Ontario	Harbourfront Centre	2,500	James Champagne, La Sombra and The KGB vs. Incógnito, Xtremo and Blue Demon Jr.
11.	Lutte 2000	L'Union Fait la Force	Montreal, Quebec	Pierre-Charbonneau Arena	2,200	14-man Battle Royal
11.	BCW	Rumble on the River	Windsor, Ontario	Riverfront Festival Plaza	2,200	Sabu vs. Geza Kalman for the BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship