National Wrasslin' League
| Company type | Independent professional wrestling promotion |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
| Founded | July 2016 |
| Founder | Major Baisden |
| Defunct | April 12, 2018 |
| Headquarters | Kansas City , United States |
Area served | Kansas City, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri |
Key people | Major Baisden (Founder), Chris Gough (Director of talent relations and creative lead), Travis Scott Bowden (Vice president of marketing and creative assistant), Matt Jackson (General manager NWL STL) |
| Products | Live professional wrestling events (NWL KC, NWL STL) |
The National Wrasslin' League (NWL) operated as an independent professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Established in July 2016 by Major Baisden, NWL organized live wrestling events in both Kansas City and St. Louis, branding these shows as NWL KC and NWL STL respectively. The organization concentrated on recruiting local athletes alongside free agents from across the country, presenting family-oriented narratives that highlighted personal rivalries and competition between cities. Its target demographic included families and men aged 34 to 48 who had grown disinterested in mainstream wrestling, with the goal of reigniting enthusiasm through a nostalgic style. The promotion ultimately shut down on April 12, 2018, due to insufficient audience turnout.
History
Major Baisden founded the NWL after observing a decline in popularity for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a publicly traded entity led by Vince McMahon, alongside the emergence of regional independent wrestling promotions in significant markets. He recognized an opportunity for locally owned companies that combined professional marketing strategies with high production standards in regions where independent wrestling was flourishing.
Beginning in May 2016, Baisden initiated efforts to identify and acquire independent promotions within Kansas City and St. Louis to capitalize on their existing fan bases and talent pools. By July 2016, negotiations commenced with Metro Pro Wrestling, owned by Chris Gough. The acquisition was completed in August 2016, with Gough taking on the roles of director of talent relations and creative lead. Additionally, Travis Scott Bowden, previously associated with Memphis Wrestling, joined as vice president of marketing and creative assistant.
In October 2016, NWL officially took ownership of Metro Pro’s assets, appointing Gough as general manager responsible for creative direction and talent management. Reports from November 2016 revealed intentions to broaden NWL’s presence into other regional areas including Austin and Houston; Portland and Seattle; Los Angeles and San Francisco; as well as Memphis and Nashville. Later that month, NWL introduced its Training & Development Center located in North Kansas City, headed by Rob Messerli alongside wrestler Derek Stone.
On April 12, 2018, Major Baisden announced the immediate cessation of all NWL activities.
Signings
On September 28, 2016, NWL revealed its initial multi-year contracts with twin brothers Logan and Sterling Riegel from Lee's Summit, Missouri. Both 24 years old, they performed under the ring names Jet and Jax Royal, collectively known as Royal Blood.
On October 5, 2016, NWL signed Kevin Kwiatkowski, a 26-year-old heavyweight weighing 328 pounds from south St. Louis County, marking the first signing for NWL STL.
By October 12, 2016, NWL had secured its first nationally recognized wrestler: 28-year-old Sam Udell.
On November 3, 2016, NWL finalized an agreement to acquire the assets of St. Louis Anarchy (SLA) Wrestling, merging the local promotion into NWL STL operations. Matt Jackson remained as general manager for NWL STL.
Veteran wrestler Jake Dirden from the Midwest joined NWL on November 10, 2016. The following week saw NWL KC announce the addition of Bolt Brady—originally from Austin, Texas—who competed under the name Blane Meeks in Kansas City.