Biggest Countries In The World For Pro Wrestling


Professional wrestling is a global phenomenon that reaches every part of the world in one way or another. Whether it be popular wrestling promotions that can be found, a die-hard fanbase cheering for any amount of content they can get, or the wrestlers themselves coming from their home to become a star elsewhere.

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Some of the first major promotions wrestling fans will think of are the WWE, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, or Progress, which all stand out as the representatives of their respective countries. Now that pro-wrestling is bigger than it has been in some years, let’s talk about what countries are the biggest fans of the sport and some of the promotions or stars to come from there.

10

Samoa

Several Wrestlers Hail From Here

The Wild Samoans standing on the ring apron

  • There aren’t many well-known promotions in Samoa.
  • Legendary Samoan wrestlers like Peter Maivia or The Wild Samoans had to find work elsewhere.
  • There are more Samoan wrestlers than just the Anoa’i family.

The country of Samoa takes this spot as there are very few well-known (if any) professional wrestling promotions in Samoa, but it would be amiss not to talk about the legacies of the many wrestlers who come from here. Of course, there is the Anoa’i family that has names like Peter Maivia, The Wild Samoans, The Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Yokozuna, Roman Reigns, The Usos, and the list goes on.

There are also plenty of popular names that don’t belong to the family, such as Dakota Kai, Samoa Joe, Emily Dole, and more. With the wrestling scene not being big in Samoa, these names have had to establish themselves elsewhere.

9

France

Pro-Wrestling Was Held In Circuses For Many Years

Andre The Giant vs Big John Studd

  • Professional wrestling in France dates back to the 1830s.
  • Major companies like the WWE travel to France every so often.
  • Names like Andre The Giant and L’Ange Blanc are well-established stars from France.

Pro wrestling in France isn’t nearly as big as it once was, but there is still a loving fanbase. At its peak, names like L’Ange Blanc, Cheri Bibi, Robert Duranton, and more were all wrestling on television, while others like Andre The Giant and Edouard Carpentier had careers in the U.S. A program called New Catch would be one of the more popular series to house wrestling.

There are still promotions that can be found in France today, but the more well-known products of the WWE and shows like Backlash 2024 are examples of why France is still a hotbed for professional wrestling.

8

India

The Country Has A Major Fanbase For Wrestling

The Great Khali with the WWE Championship

  • The Great Gama is widely considered a pioneer for professional wrestling in India.
  • The Great Khali started the biggest promotion, Continental Wrestling Entertainment, in 2015.
  • The Great Khali, Jinder Mahal, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and many more have become major stars in the U.S.

Professional wrestling in India is massive. Several names like The Great Gama, Jatindra Charan Guho, and Tiger Daula helped innovate wrestling in India, but later names like Dara Singh and Gama Singh popularized it. There have been a few smaller promotions, like FFW and Wrestle Square, but the biggest one would come when former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, The Great Khali, created Continental Wrestling Entertainment in 2015.

On the topic of Khali, he and several other Indian stars would become bigger names outside India, such as Jinder Mahal, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and more. They would all have relatively successful careers in promotions like the WWE, AEW, and TNA.

7

Australia

The Country Has Several Small Independent Promotions

Rhea Ripley's entrance as Women's World Champion

  • Australia doesn’t have any major promotions, but has a strong indy scene and fanbase.
  • The Fabulous Kangaroos, Al Costello & Roy Heffernan, were the first to make it big outside Australia.
  • Numerous stars like Rhea Ripley, Buddy Matthews, Grayson Waller, and so on have become household names.

In a similar situation to Samoa, Australia doesn’t have a stand-out major promotion that gets a lot of coverage outside the country, but instead its legacy comes from the many names that hail from here and have become stars. Names like Rhea Ripley, Buddy Matthews, Grayson Waller, Cassie Lee, and Jessie McKay have all become well-known and successful champions during their careers.

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Toni Storm also stands out as she was born in New Zealand, but moved to Australia at a very young age and started her wrestling career there. There are plenty more names that can be listed, like Bronson Reed, Harley Cameron, Zaria, but that would take all day.

6

Germany

Home To Westside Xtreme Wrestling

Gunther in wXw

  • wXw is the biggest German promotion, but there are others, like New European Championship Wrestling and German Wrestling Federation.
  • Stars like Ludwig Kaiser, Alex Wright, Absolute Andy, and more come from the country.
  • Major promotions like WWE, WCW, and Pro Wrestling Noah have held events here.

Now, on the other hand, Germany has a decent selection of promotions that can be found, but not as many well-known wrestlers. Some of the bigger names to come from Germany include WWE’s Ludwig Kaiser, WCW’s Alex Wright, and Axel Tischer, formerly known as Alexander Wolfe in the WWE.

wXw (Westside Xtreme Wrestling) is the most popular promotion in Germany and has had several German talents work there, such as Absolute Andy, Jay Skillet, and Karsten Beck. Shout-out also goes to Ilja Dragunov, who was born in Moscow, Russia but moved to Berlin at five years old.

5

Canada

Countless Stars Have Canadian Heritage

the-hart-family

  • Maple Leaf Wrestling is credited with bringing pro wrestling to Canada in 1930.
  • The Hart Family are some of the most well-known Canadian wrestlers.
  • Other stars like Edge, Christian Cage, Trish Stratus, Chris Jericho, and more have become legendary names.

If you thought that Australia had too many wrestlers to list off, that list is small compared to Canada’s. Let’s instead focus on the history and the promotions of Canadian pro wrestling, such as Maple Leaf Wrestling, which is credited as bringing the sport to the country in 1930. From there, Canada would see Stampede Wrestling, Border City Wrestling, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, and more all become quite successful.

As far as wrestlers, besides the ones mentioned above, familiar names include Kevin Owens, PCO, Kenny Omega, Chelsea Green, Steve Corino, Josh Alexander, Gail Kim, Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie, Sami Zayn, and countless more.

4

United States

Major Promotions Like AEW & WWE Are Based In The U.S.

Cody Rhodes makes his entrance as AEW TNT Champion on AEW Dynamite in 2020

  • Pro wrestling has roots in traveling carnivals in the U.S. from the late 1860s and 70s.
  • The WWE stood as the biggest promotion in the world.
  • Promotions like ECW, WCW, TNA, and AEW have all attempted to challenge the WWE.

Like other countries, professional wrestling was a carnival act in its early days. It would be that way for a number of years before making it to television in the 1950s, and cable in the 80s via the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, and more. The United States has seen several different eras of pro wrestling, such as the territory days, the Monday Night Wars, and modern day, where WWE and AEW are the biggest promotions around.

Everywhere from California, New York, Florida, and everywhere in-between has some sort of promotion big or small. The list of names to come from the United States is massive, but megastars like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and more are responsible for some of the biggest periods in pro wrestling history.

3

United Kingdom

Countries With Over A Hundred Years Of History In The Sport

Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr

  • Many styles of wrestling, like Catch As Catch Can, were invented in the U.K.
  • Television programs, like World of Sports, brought wrestling to viewers’ homes.
  • Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks were some of the first truly big names on the scene.

All the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have a rich history with professional wrestling dating back to at least the 1930s with the conception of Catch As Catch Can wrestling. ITV, or Channel 3 as it is known, would push professional wrestling into the British mainstream via the World of Sports network.

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This would showcase talents such as Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, who are widely considered some of the more popular early wrestlers. Decades later, fans would get companies like Progress and RevPro that housed names like Will Ospreay, Jamie Hayter, Pete Dunne, and Zack Sabre Jr., just to name a few.

2

Mexico

Lucha Libre Is Very Special In Mexico

El Santo

  • Wrestling in Mexico dates back to 1863.
  • Legends like El Santo, Gory Guerrero, Blue Demon, and Mil Mascaras popularized the sport.
  • Companies like CMLL and AAA are massively successful today.

Wrestling in Mexico, specifically the Lucha Libre style, is sacred and treated with the utmost respect. Whereas in the United States, where there are wrestlers like John Cena and Dwayne Johnson who broke into the mainstream media with television and movie roles, Mexico had El Santo, who was seen as a folk hero, starred in numerous films, had comic books based on him, and wrestled for five decades.

Other legends like Gory Guerrero, Blue Demon, and Mil Mascaras would achieve acclaimed status as well. You then also have greats like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, and more who were able to achieve fame outside Mexico. Modern day wrestling sees promotions like Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libra (CMLL) and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide have massive audiences poured out for every show.

1

Japan

Puroresu Is Very Different From Other Wrestling Styles

Kota Ibushi Hiroshi Tanahashi

  • Rikidozan and the Japanese Wrestling Association started the popularity of wrestling in Japan.
  • Later names like Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, and Mitsuharu Misawa would become legends and create their own promotions.
  • Companies like NJPW, Pro-Wrestling Noah, World Wonder Ring Stardom, and more continue the legacy.

Mexico and Japan are hard to decide which one sees professional wrestling as a bigger deal. So, let’s consider them tied, and talk a bit about the legacy “puroresu” has in Japan. Rikidozan is considered the “father” of wrestling in Japan, and while there were names before him that attempted to bring professional wrestling to Japan, none succeeded like he did with the JWA.

After Rikidozan, pupils Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba would leave the JWA and create New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling respectively. Both companies are around today and thriving, but they are far from the only promotions in Japan. Mitsuharu Misawa, a student of Giant Baba, would create Pro Wrestling Noah after a mass exodus of AJPW. There are also joshi promotions (women’s wrestling) such as World Wonder Ring Stardom and the more recent Dream Star Fighting Marigold.



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