Canadian Professional Wrestling

Professional Wrestling certainly has had lots of great Canadian stars over the years, like Bret Hart, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Chris Jericho, Adam Copeland (Edge), and Trish Stratus just to name a few, but what about Canadian wrestling promotions.

Certainly, the biggest business in Pro Wrestling is World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) which as of 2023 is part of TKO Group Holdings Inc. a Publicly traded American company that also owns Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The notorious former WWE owner Vince McMahon still reportedly owns 4% of the company, while majority ownership rests with the Endeavor Group an even larger American entertainment company. WWE air exclusively on Netflix which is also an American company.

After the WWE, the second biggest player in the wrestling business is All Elite Wrestling (AEW) which despite the prominent role of Canadian star Kenny Omega, is a privately held American company. AEW wrestling airs on TSN and TSN+ in Canada, TSN is a division of Canadian media giant Bell.

Likely the third biggest wrestling promotion, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) has been owned by the Canadian company Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp since 2017. Anthem is owned by Canadian Leonard Asper, and includes AXS TV, HDNet Movies, Gravitas Ventures, Fight Network, Invicta FC, GameTV, Game+ in addition to TNA Wrestling. Athem’s primary office is located in Toronto, with additional offices in New York, Denver, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

So TNA Wrestling is Canadian? Am I supporting Canada by watching it TNA iMPACT!?

TNA Wrestling is primarily an American business owned by a Canadian parent company. Most of TNA’s events take place in the USA so most revenue will go to expenses in the USA, but if TNA Wrestling makes any profits those could be returned to Anthem Sports & Entertainment which has employees in Toronto and those profits could be reinvested or returned to the owner who is also Canadian. Note that this only applies if TNA Wrestling is profitable, and it has been known to have many financial troubles before being bought by Anthem so it is quite possible that there are actually no profits returning to the parent company.

How can I watch TNA Wrestling in Canada?

Sportsnet and TNA announced an agreement to show TNA iMPACT!, TNA Xplosion, TNA in 60 and TNA Classics on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet+. TNA’s wrestling content is included in the Sportsnet+ Standard package (which also includes the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs).

TNA Wrestling will have live events in Brampton, Ontario May 23 and May 24, 2025. The first night will be the Under Siege Pay Per View event, followed by TV tapings for iMPACT! on the second night. Some tickets are still available for both events.

Didn’t the WWE buy TNA Wrestling?

TNA wasn’t bought by the WWE, but in January of 2025, the WWE and TNA officially announced a partnership to allow for crossover of stars specifically between WWE’s NXT program and TNA. The financial nature of the deal wasn’t disclosed but the deal is likely mutually beneficial with TNA’s top stars getting exposure on WWE programs and WWE getting access to new talent without having to change the ring names for characters moving over from TNA.

What about TNA star Joe Hendry, is he Canadian?

No, Joe Hendry is Scottish, but he did appear at WrestleMania 41 as a surprise replacement for injured Canadian WWE star Kevin Owens.

TNA does feature some Canadian wrestlers: Champaign Singh, Cody Deaner, Eric Young, Jody Threat, Rosemary, and Santino Marella.

What Canadian Pro Wrestling Companies are there?

Most Canadian wrestling promotions are local operations focused in one area but there are a few with wider scope and online presence:

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, has events scheduled in Toronto and Montreal and stands out due to its high quality YouTube channel which has similar production quality to TNA wrestling.

Canadian Wrestling Elite (CWE), based in Winnipeg, tours Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario regularly and has a YouTube channel here.

Canadian Wrestling Federation (CWF), based in St Catherines, Ontario, tours and hosts wrestling training and birthday parties. CWF’s YouTube channel is here.

North Pro Canadian Wrestling, performs in the Maritimes and has 2 seasons available for Bell Fibe TV subscribers, and has a YouTube channel.

Great Canadian Wrestling (GCW), has performances scheduled in Ontario and has a YouTube channel.

365 Pro Wrestling, has performances in BC and Ontario as well as a YouTube channel.

Mystery Wrestling, performs in Gatineau Quebec, and has a YouTube channel.

Main Event Wrestling (MEW), performs in Montreal, and has a YouTube channel.

Capital City Combat Championship (C4), performs in Ottawa, and has a YouTube channel.

Winnipeg Pro Wrestling, performs as you might expect in Winnipeg, and has a YouTube channel.

All Start Wrestling performs in BC and has a YouTube channel.