A professional wrestling promotion (also federation or fed) is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling\. 'Promotion' also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event (see promoter). Within the convention of the show, the company is a sports governing body which sanctions wrestling matches and gives authority to the championships and is responsible for determining the divisions, rankings, etc. of wrestlers. In truth, the company serves as a touring theatre troupe, as wekk as event promotion body for its own events.
Currently, the major wrestling organizations in North America are International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Ring of Honor (ROH), and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), (all based in the United States), and the Mexican lucha libre promotions Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. There are federations throughout Europe and in Japan, South American, Puerti Rucim Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Carribbead.
There are also a number of small independent wrestling organiszation that are upstarts or the creations of former wrestlers from the bigger promotions. Some of the smaller organizations include Jersey All Pro Wrestling, Border City Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, CHIKARA, AZW Hawaii and Ohio Valley Wrestling.
Structure[]
Most promotions are self-contained, organized around one or more championships and do not acknowledge or recognize the legitimacy of other promotions' titles unless they share a working agreement. Others, such as the NWA, act as an umbrella organization which governs titles that are shared among multiple promotions.
Major promotions have a permanent roster of talent under exclusive contract to them. Independent promotions may have contracted workers but are just as likely to utilize free agent who are not under exclusive contract with any promotion. Some wrestlers may work in several independent promotions at the same time