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List of National Wrestling Alliance attendance records

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The original NWA territory system in North America (1940s-1980s).

The following is a list of National Wrestling Alliance attendance records. Founded in 1948, the National Wrestling Alliance controlled the professional wrestling industry in North America and other parts of the world during the "Territory-era" (1940s-1980s). All of the major NWA promoters were put out of business after the World Wrestling Federation began its national expansion under Vince McMahon, Jr. during the 1980s wrestling boom.

The two largest remaining members, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) left the organization in 1993, however, the NWA continued to exist as a loose coalition of independent promotions until the mid-2010s. In 2017, the NWA was purchased by Billy Corgan and became a singular, independent promotion, putting an end to the NWA territory system.

The list is dominated by the American wrestling promotion World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), a precursor to the modern-day World Wrestling Entertainment, which was operated by Vince McMahon, Sr. and Toots Mondt. Based in New York City, New York, they joined the NWA in 1957 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) with their territory eventually encompassing most of the Northeastern United States. Pat O'Connor vs. Buddy Rogers, co-promoted by the CWC and Fred Kohler Enterprises, was held at Comiskey Park on June 30, 1961, drawing a crowd of 38,000. It earned a then-record $141,345 (equivalent to US$1,441,152 in 2023) at the gate[1] and is most attended NWA live event of all-time. On January 24, 1963, McMahon and Mondt left the NWA and began promoting their own world champion under the WWWF banner. McMahon rejoined the NWA in 1971 and remained a member until his son, Vince McMahon, Jr., finally split from the organization in 1983.

The Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) and World Wrestling Council (WWC) are tied for the second highest number of shows with 5 each. At the height of its power, NWA-affiliated promotions held events at indoor arenas and sports stadiums that typically had a seating capacity of at least 20,000 people or more, and in which the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was often contested in the main event. All but sixteen of the events have been held in United States, while five have been held in Japan and Puerto Rico, four in Mexico and two in Canada.

Events and attendances

[edit]
Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
FKE / CWC Pat O'Connor vs. Buddy Rogers
June 30, 1961 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 38,000 Pat O'Connor (c) vs. Buddy Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [2]
JWA World Big League
May 7, 1961 		Nara, Japan Ayame Pond Amusement Park 36,000 Rikidozan and Toyonobori vs. Jim Wright and Mr. X in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [3]
WCCW David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions
May 6, 1984 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium † 32,132 Ric Flair (c) vs. Kerry Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [4]
WWWF Showdown at Shea
June 25, 1976 		New York City, New York Shea Stadium 32,000 Antonio Inoki vs. Muhammad Ali in a Boxer vs. Wrestler match [5]
WWC WWC Aniversario
September 17, 1983 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium Abdullah the Butcher vs. André the Giant [6]
TSW Superdome Extravaganza
July 22, 1978 		New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome † 31,000 Ray Candy vs. Ernie Ladd in a steel cage match [7]
FKE Pat O'Connor vs. Yukon Eric
July 29, 1960 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 30,275 Pat O'Connor (c) vs. Yukon Eric in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [8]
WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '85
October 6, 1985 		Dallas, Texas Cotton Bowl † 30,214 The Von Erichs (Kerry and Kevin Von Erich) vs. The Dynamic Duo (Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez) in a Hair vs. Hair match [9]
JWA JWA Pro-Wrestling World Championship Series (Day 1)
October 7, 1957 		Tokyo, Japan Korakuen Stadium 30,000 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Rikidozan for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [10]
JWA JWA Pro-Wrestling World Championship Series (Day 2)
October 13, 1957 		Osaka, Japan Ogimachi Pool Lou Thesz (c) vs. Rikidozan in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [10]
WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
April 3, 1983 		Bayamón, Puerto Rico Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium Carlos Colón (c) vs. Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship [11]
WWC WWC Aniversario
September 15, 1984 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Coliseum 29,000 Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody (c) vs. Abdullah the Butcher and Carlos Colón for the PWF World Tag Team Championship [12]
EMLL Blue Demon vs. El Santo
September 27, 1953 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros 28,000 Blue Demon (c) vs. El Santo for the NWA World Welterweight Championship [13]
JCP Great American Bash
July 6, 1985 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium 27,000 Ric Flair (c) vs. Nikita Koloff for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with David Crockett as special referee [14]
FKE Killer Kowalski vs. Bearcat Wright
September 16, 1960 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 26,731 Killer Kowalski vs. Bearcat Wright in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [8]
BTW Parade of Champions
June 24, 1972 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium † 26,339 Dory Funk Jr. (c) vs. Fritz Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [15]
WCCW 2nd Annual Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions
May 5, 1985 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium † 26,153 Kerry Von Erich vs. One Man Gang. Per the pre-match stipulation, One Man Gang would earn a match against Fritz Von Erich but if Kerry won manager Gary Hart would have his head shaved. [16]
WWWF Billy Graham vs. Bruno Sammartino
June 27, 1977 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 26,090 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
WWWF Bob Backlund vs. Ivan Koloff
August 28, 1978 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 26,000 Bob Backlund (c) vs. Ivan Koloff for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
NWA-HW Fred Blassie vs. John Tolos
August 27, 1971 		Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum † 25,847 Fred Blassie vs. John Tolos in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [18]
IWA Édouard Carpentier vs. Buddy Rogers
July 21, 1960 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium † 25,703 Édouard Carpentier vs. Buddy Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [19]
JDE Lou Thesz vs. Baron Michele Leone
May 21, 1952 		Los Angeles, California Gilmore Baseball Park † 25,256 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Baron Michele Leone in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls unification match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and World Heavyweight Championship [20]
WWWF Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes
September 26, 1977 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 25,102 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
EMLL Blue Demon vs. Tony Borne
November 27, 1953 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros 25,000 Blue Demon vs. Tony Borne in a Mask vs. Hair/Beard match [21][22]
JWA JWA International Big Competition (Day 10)
August 1, 1955 		Osaka, Japan Ogimachi Pool Mitsuhiro Rikidozan and Kin'ichi Azumafuji (c) vs. Jesús Ortega and Bud Curtis in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship [23]
EMLL Black Shadow vs. Tony Borne
October 30, 1958 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros Black Shadow vs. Tony Borne in a Hair vs. Hair match [24][22]
JWA Summer Series I (Day 15)
August 14, 1967 		Osaka, Japan Osaka Baseball Stadium Giant Baba (c) vs. Gene Kiniski in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA International Heavyweight Championship [25]
JCP Great American Bash (Day 20)
July 18, 1987 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium Ric Flair (c) vs. Road Warrior Hawk for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [26]
WWWF Bruno Sammartino vs. Waldo Von Erich
May 19, 1975 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 24,553 Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Waldo Von Erich for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [27]
WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
October 16, 1982 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium 24,000 Carlos Colón (c) vs. Ric Flair for the WWC World Heavyweight Championship
IWA Édouard Carpentier vs. Antonino Rocca
July 18, 1956 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium † 23,227 Édouard Carpentier vs. Antonino Rocca [28]
WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
January 6, 1983 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium 23,000 Carlos Colón (WWC) vs. Ric Flair (NWA) in a Champion vs. Champion match for the WWC World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Heavyweight Championship
JCP Great American Bash (Day 4)
July 5, 1986 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium Ric Flair (c) vs. Ricky Morton in a steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [26]
WWWF Showdown At Shea
September 30, 1972 		Flushing, New York Shea Stadium 22,508 Pedro Morales (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [29]
WWWF Superstar Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund
February 20, 1978 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 22,092 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Bob Backlund for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
WWWF Superstar Billy Graham vs. Mil Máscaras
December 19, 1977 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 22,085 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Mil Máscaras for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
EMLL Sugi Sito vs. El Santo
January 1, 1954 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros 22,000 Sugi Sito (c) vs. El Santo for the NWA World Middleweight Championship [22]

Historical

[edit]

Territory-era (1940s-1980s)

[edit]
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1940s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. MVSC Lou Thesz vs. Gorgeous George
January 28, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 12,496 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Gorgeous George for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [30]
2. MVSC Lou Thesz vs. Antonino Rocca
February 25, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,932 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Antonino Rocca for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [31]
3. FKE Don Eagle vs. Cyclone Anaya
November 18, 1949 		Chicago, Illinois International Amphitheater 10,745 Don Eagle vs. Cyclone Anaya in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [32]
4. MVSC Buddy Rogers vs. Don Eagle
February 4, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,651 Buddy Rogers vs. Don Eagle [31]
5. MVSC Buddy Rogers vs. Billy Darnell
April 1, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,598 Buddy Rogers vs. Billy Darnell [31]
6. MVSC Lou Thesz vs. Enrique Torres
January 14, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,579 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Enrique Torres for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [31]
7. MVSC Bill Longson vs. Gorgeous George
March 11, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,573 Bill Longson vs. Gorgeous George
8. MVSC Bill Longson vs. Primo Carnera
March 25, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,466 Bill Longson vs. Primo Carnera [31]
9. MVSC Buddy Rogers vs. Don Eagle
March 18, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,276 Buddy Rogers vs. Don Eagle [31]
10. MVSC Buddy Rogers vs. Bobby Bruns
January 7, 1949 		St. Louis, Missouri Kiel Auditorium 10,110 Buddy Rogers vs. Bobby Bruns [31]
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1950s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. JWA JWA Pro-Wrestling World Championship Series (Day 1)
October 7, 1957 		Tokyo, Japan Korakuen Stadium 30,000 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Rikidozan for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [10]
JWA Pro-Wrestling World Championship Series (Day 2)
October 13, 1957 		Osaka, Japan Ogimachi Pool Lou Thesz (c) vs. Rikidozan in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [10]
2. EMLL Blue Demon vs. El Santo
September 27, 1953 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros 28,000 Blue Demon (c) vs. El Santo for the NWA World Welterweight Championship [13]
3. JDE Lou Thesz vs. Baron Michele Leone
May 21, 1952 		Los Angeles, California Gilmore Baseball Park 25,256 Lou Thesz (c) vs. Baron Michele Leone in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls unification match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and World Heavyweight Championship [20]
4. JWA JWA International Big Competition (Day 10)
August 1, 1955 		Osaka, Japan Ogimachi Pool 25,000 Mitsuhiro Rikidozan and Kin'ichi Azumafuji (c) vs. Jesús Ortega and Bud Curtis in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship [23]
EMLL Blue Demon vs. Tony Borne
November 27, 1953 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros Blue Demon vs. Tony Borne in a Mask vs. Hair/Beard match [21][22]
EMLL Black Shadow vs. Tony Borne
October 30, 1958 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros Black Shadow vs. Tony Borne in a Hair vs. Hair match [24][22]
5. IWA Édouard Carpentier vs. Antonino Rocca
July 18, 1956 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium 23,227 Édouard Carpentier vs. Antonino Rocca [28]
6. EMLL Sugi Sito vs. El Santo
January 1, 1954 		Mexico City, Mexico Plaza de Toros 22,000 Sugi Sito (c) vs. El Santo for the NWA World Middleweight Championship [22]
7. IWA Gene Kiniski vs. Killer Kowalski
July 17, 1957 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium 21,851 Gene Kiniski (c) vs. Killer Kowalski in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the MAC International Heavyweight Championship with Mike Mazurki as the guest referee [33]
8. IWA Yvon Robert vs. Pat O'Connor
August 18, 1954 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium 21,616 Yvon Robert vs. Pat O'Connor in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [34]
9. IWA Édouard Carpentier vs. Killer Kowalski
August 15, 1956 		Montreal, Quebec Delorimier Stadium 21,454 Killer Kowalski (c) vs. Édouard Carpentier for the MAC World Heavyweight Championship with special referee Rocky Marciano [35]
10. CWC Antonino Rocca & Miguel Pérez vs. Sheik of Araby & Bull Curry
October 20, 1958 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 20,793 Antonino Rocca and Miguel Pérez vs. Sheik of Araby and Bull Curry [36]
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1960s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. FKE / CWC Pat O'Connor vs. Buddy Rogers
June 30, 1961 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 38,000 Pat O'Connor (c) vs. Buddy Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [2]
2. JWA World Big League
May 7, 1961 		Nara, Japan Ayame Pond Amusement Park 36,000 Rikidozan and Toyonobori vs. Jim Wright and Mr. X in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [3]
3. FKE Pat O'Connor vs. Yukon Eric
July 29, 1960 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 30,275 Pat O'Connor (c) vs. Yukon Eric in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [8][37]
4. FKE Killer Kowalski vs. Bearcat Wright
September 16, 1960 		Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park † 26,731 Killer Kowalski vs. Bearcat Wright in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [8]
5. IWA Édouard Carpentier vs. Buddy Rogers
July 21, 1960 		Montreal, Canada Delorimier Stadium 25,703 Édouard Carpentier vs. Buddy Rogers in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [19]
6. JWA Summer Series I (Day 15)
August 14, 1967 		Osaka, Japan Osaka Baseball Stadium 25,000 Giant Baba (c) vs. Gene Kiniski in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA International Heavyweight Championship [25]
7. CWC Buddy Rogers vs. Bobo Brazil
July 17, 1962 		Washington, D.C. D.C. Stadium † 20,959 Buddy Rogers vs. Bobo Brazil in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [38]
8. CWC Buddy Rogers & Bob Orton vs. Johnny Valentine & Bearcat Wright
January 22, 1962 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 20,777 Buddy Rogers and Bob Orton vs. Johnny Valentine and Bearcat Wright in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [39]
9. CWC Buddy Rogers & Bob Orton vs. Johnny Valentine & Vittorio Apollo
May 26, 1961 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 20,702 Buddy Rogers and Bob Orton vs. Johnny Valentine and Vittorio Apollo [40]
10. CWC Antonino Rocca and Johnny Valentine vs. The Fabulous Kangaroos
February 27, 1961 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 20,400 Antonino Rocca and Johnny Valentine vs. The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello and Roy Heffernan) [41]
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1970s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. WWWF Showdown at Shea
June 25, 1976 		New York City, New York Shea Stadium 32,000 Antonio Inoki vs. Muhammad Ali in a Boxer vs. Wrestler match [5]
2. TSW Superdome Extravaganza
July 22, 1978 		New Orleans, Louisiana Louisiana Superdome † 31,000 Ray Candy vs. Ernie Ladd in a steel cage match [7]
3. BTW Parade of Champions
June 24, 1972 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium 26,339 Dory Funk Jr. (c) vs. Fritz Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [15]
4. WWWF Billy Graham vs. Bruno Sammartino
June 27, 1977 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 26,090 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
5. WWWF Bob Backlund vs. Ivan Koloff
August 28, 1978 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 26,000 Bob Backlund (c) vs. Ivan Koloff for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
6. NWA-HW Memorial Coliseum Spectacular
August 27, 1971 		Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 25,847 Fred Blassie vs. John Tolos in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match [18]
7. WWWF Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes
September 26, 1977 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 25,102 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
8. WWWF Bruno Sammartino vs. Waldo Von Erich
May 19, 1975 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 24,553 Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. Waldo Von Erich for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [27]
9. WWWF Showdown at Shea
September 30, 1972 		Flushing, New York Shea Stadium 22,508 Pedro Morales (c) vs. Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [29]
10. WWWF Superstar Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund
February 20, 1978 		New York City, New York Madison Square Garden 22,092 Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs. Bob Backlund for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship [17]
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1980s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. WCCW David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions
May 6, 1984 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium † 32,132 Ric Flair (c) vs. Kerry Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [4]
2. WWC WWC Aniversario
September 17, 1983 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium 32,000 Abdullah the Butcher vs. André the Giant [6]
3. WCCW Cotton Bowl Extravaganza '85
October 6, 1985 		Dallas, Texas Cotton Bowl † 30,214 The Von Erichs (Kerry and Kevin Von Erich) vs. The Dynamic Duo (Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez) in a Hair vs. Hair match [9]
4. WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
December 18, 1983 		Bayamón, Puerto Rico Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium 30,000 Carlos Colón (c) vs. Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship [11]
5. WWC WWC Aniversario
September 15, 1984 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Roberto Clemente Coliseum 29,000 Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody (c) vs. Abdullah the Butcher and Carlos Colón for the PWF World Tag Team Championship [12]
6. JCP Great American Bash
July 6, 1985 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium 27,000 Ric Flair (c) vs. Nikita Koloff for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with David Crockett as special referee [14]
7. WCCW 2nd Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions
May 5, 1985 		Irving, Texas Texas Stadium 26,153 Ric Flair (c) vs. Kevin Von Erich for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [16]
8. JCP Great American Bash (Day 20)
July 18, 1987 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium 25,000 Ric Flair (c) vs. Road Warrior Hawk for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [26]
9. WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
October 16, 1982 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium 24,000 Carlos Colón (c) vs. Ric Flair for the WWC World Heavyweight Championship
10. WWC Carlos Colón vs. Ric Flair
January 6, 1983 		San Juan, Puerto Rico Hiram Bithorn Stadium 23,000 Carlos Colón (WWC) vs. Ric Flair (NWA) in a Champion vs. Champion match for the WWC World Heavyweight Championship and NWA World Heavyweight Championship
JCP Great American Bash (Day 4)
July 5, 1986 		Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium Ric Flair (c) vs. Ricky Morton in a steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [26]

Modern-era (1990s-2010s)

[edit]

Note: New Japan Pro Wrestling withdrew from the organization in February 1993, followed by World Championship Wrestling in September 1993.

Top 10 most-attended shows in the 1990s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. NJPW / WCW Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome
January 4, 1993 		Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Dome 63,500 Genichiro Tenryu vs. Riki Choshu [42][43]
2. NJPW G1 Climax (Day 3)
August 10, 1992 		Tokyo, Japan Ryogoku Kokugikan 11,500 G1 Climax tournament quarter-finals [44]
G1 Climax (Day 4)
August 11, 1992 		G1 Climax tournament semi-finals [45]
G1 Climax (Day 5)
August 12, 1992 		G1 Climax tournament finals [46]
NJPW Wrestling Scramble: Battle Zone Space I (Day 11)
November 22, 1992 		Tokyo, Japan Ryogoku Kokugikan The Great Muta (c) vs. Sting for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship [47]
Wrestling Scramble: Battle Zone Space I (Day 12)
November 23, 1992 		Masahiro Chono (c) vs. Scott Steiner for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [47]
3. NJPW Battle Final: Battle Final in Rainbow Hall (Day 8)
December 11, 1992 		Nagoya, Japan Rainbow Hall 10,510 The Hell Raisers (Hawk Warrior & Power Warrior) vs. Scott Norton & Jim Neidhart [48]
4. WCW The Real Event (Day 1)
March 11, 1993 		London, England Wembley Arena 11,500 Big Van Vader (c) vs. Sting for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship [43]
5. WCW The Real Event (Day 2)
March 12, 1993 		Birmingham, England National Exhibition Centre 10,500 Sting & Dustin Rhodes vs. Barry Windham & Paul Orndorff in a Bunkhouse match [43]
6. WCW The Great American Bash
July 7, 1990 		Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena 10,000 Ric Flair (c) vs. Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [49]
WCW WCW Worldwide
April 17, 1992 		Augusta, Georgia 10-man Nintendo Top Ten Challenge tournament [50]
7. WCW WrestleWar
February 25, 1990 		Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro Coliseum 9,894 Ric Flair (c) vs. Lex Luger for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship [49]
8. WCW Starrcade
December 29, 1991 		Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk Scope 9,000 20-man Battlebowl match [51]
9. WCW Clash of the Champions XXIV
August 18, 1993 		Daytona Beach, Florida Ocean Center 8,903 Big Van Vader (c) vs. Davey Boy Smith for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship [43]
10. WCW Halloween Havoc
October 27, 1991 		Chattanooga, Tennessee UTC Arena 8,900 Lex Luger (c) vs. Ron Simmons in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship [51]

Note: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling withdrew from the organization in May 2007.

Top 10 most-attended shows in the 2000s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. NWA-MACW The Next Revolution (Day 1)
December 30, 2003 		Guangzhou, China Tianhe Gymnasium 7,500 Terry Taylor (c) vs. Steve Williams for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship [52]
2. NWA-MACW The Next Revolution (Day 2)
January 1, 2004 		Guangzhou, China Huadu Stadium 6,100 Steve Williams (c) vs. Terry Taylor for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship [53]
3. TNA Lockdown
April 15, 2007 		St. Charles, Missouri Family Arena 6,000 Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting and Jeff Jarrett) vs. Team Cage (Christian Cage, A.J. Styles, Scott Steiner, Abyss and Tomko) (with James Mitchell) in a Lethal Lockdown match with Harley Race as gatekeeper
4. NWA-OVW Christmas Chaos
January 31, 2001 		Louisville, Kentucky Louisville Gardens 5,010 Nick Dinsmore (c) vs. Chris Benoit for the NWA-OVW Heavyweight Championship [54]
5. TNA
APW 		Impacto Total (Day 1)
January 5, 2007 		Lissabon, Portugal Campo Pequeno Bullring 5,000 Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe in a singles match.
6. NWA-OF / NWA-PE NWA Wrestling Showcase
April 4, 2008 		Newark, New Jersey JFK Recreation Center 4,500 Judas Young (c) vs. Tom Brandi for the NWA Pro East Heavyweight Championship [55]
7. TNA House Show
November 25, 2006 		Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, México Arena Coliseo de Monterrey 4,000 Kurt Angle vs. Abyss in a singles match.
7. House Show
March 17, 2006 		Plymouth Township, Michigan Compuware Sports Arena 3,700 Christian Cage (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
9. Bound for Glory
October 22, 2006 		3,600 Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Kurt Angle as special outside enforcer.
10. NWA-MACW The Next Revolution (Day 3)
January 3, 2004 		Guangzhou, China Guangzhou Gymnasium 3,400 Battle royal
Top 10 most-attended shows in the 2010s
No. Promotion Event Location Venue Attendance Main Event(s)
1. NWA-MACW Halifax County Bash
January 29, 2011 		South Boston, Virginia Halifax County High School 2,300 Buff Bagwell vs. Rikki Nelson
2. NWA-IWA Wrestle-Fire-Works 2
July 13, 2010 		Merville, France 2,000 Kim Kaycee (c) vs. Bulla Punk for the NWA European Women's Championship
NWA-PWR Oliver John vs. Kafu
September 18, 2011 		Watsonville, California Santa Cruz County Fair Oliver John vs. Kafu
3. NWA / ROH Crockett Cup
April 27, 2019 		Concord, North Carolina Cabarrus Arena 1,300 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament
4. NWA Summer Clash
July 14, 2014 		Benton, Arkansas Saline County Fairgrounds 1,200 Byron Wilcott (c) vs. Tim Storm for the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship
5. NWA-MACW Brawl For It All
February 27, 2010 		Cheraw, South Carolina Cheraw High School 1,100 The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. Buff Bagwell & Rikki Nelson
NWA-IZW Festival of the Southwest
May 8, 2010 		Sierra Vista, Arizona Fort Huachuca The Native Warriors (Hawaiian Lion & The Navajo Warrior) vs. The Ballard Brothers (Shane Ballard & Shannon Ballard) in a Steel Cage match
6. NWA-PWR Oliver John vs. Atsushi Sawada
February 27, 2010 		King City, California Salinas Valley Fairgrounds 1,000 Oliver John (c) vs. Atsushi Sawada in a non-title Steel Cage match for the NWA Heritage Championship
NWA-PWR Oliver John vs. Atsushi Sawada
July 31, 2010 		Watsonville, California Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Oliver John (c) vs. Atsushi Sawada for the NWA Heritage Championship
7. NWA-ICWA Sunny Day
August 14, 2010 		Fresnes-sur-Escaut, France 900 Battle royal
8. NWA-PWF / WFAC Wrestling For A Cause: Call To Arms Tampa, Florida Scottish Rite Pavilion 850 The Sheik (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada for the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship [56]
9. NWA-MACW Night of Champions
March 13, 2010 		Easley, South Carolina Easley High School 800 The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) vs. Buff Bagwell & Rikki Nelson
NWA-ICWA October Fest 2
October 2, 2010 		Frameries, Belgium Salle Max Audin Greg Fury (c) vs. Teo Tispun for the NWA French Heavyweight Championship
NWA-MACW Fall Brawl
August 13, 2011 		South Hill, Virginia Park View High School Christian York vs. Chris Hamrick
10. NWA-PWR Blue Demon Jr. vs. Oliver John
May 14, 2011 		Turlock, California Stanislaus County Fair 700 Blue Demon Jr. (c) vs. Oliver John for the PWR Heavyweight Championship

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  • † ^ Retractable roof stadium
  • * ^ Open air venue

References

[edit]

General

  • Freedman, Lew (2018). "Attendance at Wrestling Matches". Pro Wrestling: A Comprehensive Reference Guide. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4408-5350-0.

Specific

  1. ^ Pro Wrestling Illustrated (1999). "WRESTLING'S GREATEST CROWDS". PWI Presents: The 1999 Wrestling Almanac and Book of Facts. Vol. IV (4th ed.). Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: London Publishing Co. p. 163. ISSN 1084-9610. 1999 Edition.
  2. ^ a b Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-1554902743.
  3. ^ a b "The 3rd Annual World League: 1961/05/01 - 06/29: 44 cards". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b Henry, Justin (May 20, 2018). "10 Highest Non-WWE Attendances In American Wrestling History (Part Three)". Cultaholic.com.
  5. ^ a b Gross, Josh (2016). Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment. BenBella Books, Inc. p. 175. ISBN 1942952201.
  6. ^ a b Woodward, Buck (September 17, 2010). "THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 28 YEARS AGO TODAY, RIC FLAIR BECOMES 'THE MAN' FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER". PWInsider.com.
  7. ^ a b "Superdome Extravaganza 7/78". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  8. ^ a b c d Hornbaker, Tim (April 26, 2011). "Chicago Wrestling Results - 1960". LegacyOfWrestling.com.
  9. ^ a b Henry, Justin (May 20, 2018). "10 Highest Non-WWE Attendances In American Wrestling History (Part One)". Cultaholic.com.
  10. ^ a b c d "Pro-Wrestling World Championship Series: 1957/10/07 - 10/25: 7 cards". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  11. ^ a b "World Wrestling Council Misc. Events: December 18, 1983 in San Jaun, PR". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  12. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (September 15, 2019). "9/15 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: DANIEL BRYAN WINS SECOND WWE CHAMPIONSHIP, BRODY & HANSEN VS. COLON & ABDULLAH HEADLINES WWC ANNIVERSARIO & MORE". PWInsider.com.
  13. ^ a b "EMLL Misc. Cards". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  14. ^ a b Cornette, Jim. "HOW THE BASH GOT BASHED". Fighting Spirit Magazine. No. 166. United Kingdom: Uncooked Media.
  15. ^ a b "Texas Stadium 1972". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  16. ^ a b "Historical Cards: Parade of Champions 2 (May 5, 1985. Irving, Texas)". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 172. 2007 Edition.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cawthon, Graham. "Madison Square Garden - The 70s". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  18. ^ a b Carlson, Michael (June 30, 2009). "John Tolos: Wrestler celebrated as one of the finest ring villains". The Independent.
  19. ^ a b Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-55022-741-3.
  20. ^ a b Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-1554902743.
  21. ^ a b "EMLL Misc. Cards". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  22. ^ a b c d e f Farmer, Matt (January 7, 2009). "1950's Attendances (Updated 11/11/10)". WrestlingClassics.com.
  23. ^ a b "Pro-Wrestling International Big Competitions (Manaslu Expedition Fundraising): 1955/07/15 - 09/04: 35 cards". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  24. ^ a b "EMLL Misc. Cards". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
  25. ^ a b "Summer Series 1: 1967/07/21 - 08/16: 16 cards". Wrestling-Titles.com. Puroresu Dojo. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  26. ^ a b c d Cawthon, Graham. "GREAT AMERICAN BASH TOURS". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  27. ^ a b Oliver, Greg (July 7, 2009). "Waldo von Erich: The consummate heel". Canadian Online Explorer. SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Alt URL
  28. ^ a b Laprade, Pat; Hébert, Bertrand (2013). "Eddie Quinn". Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1770902961.
  29. ^ a b Olshansky, Elliot (August 9, 2008). "Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant sowed the seeds of a slam at Shea Stadium". New York Daily News.
  30. ^ McCue, George (February 6, 1949). "GORGEOUS GEORGE; His Finger Curls, Valet, Other Elegant Affectations Make Him Wrestling's Biggest Box Office Attraction". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 96. A recent night when the mercury stood at 11 degrees, with a knife-edged wind and slippery streets discouraging ventures out of doors, long lines of vehicles crawled purposefully toward the Arena. When the turnstiles stopped clicking, 12,496 ticket-buyers had disposed themselves about a wrestling ring.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g Hornbaker, Tim (January 16, 2011). "St. Louis Wrestling Results - 1949". LegacyOfWrestling.com.
  32. ^ Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly That Strangled Professional Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-1554902743.
  33. ^ Laprade, Pat; Hébert, Bertrand (2013). "Gene Kiniski". Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1770902961.
  34. ^ Laprade, Pat; Hébert, Bertrand (2013). "Pat O'Connor". Mad Dogs, Midgets and Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling. Toronto: ECW Press. ISBN 978-1770902961.
  35. ^ DeGreer, Vern (August 16, 1956). "Rocky Gives Mat Verdict To Edouard". The Gazette. p. 34. An excited crowd of 21,454 milled through the stadium and around the ring as an announcer told wrestling fans that referee Marciano had awarded the Montreal Island version of mat titles to Carpentier.
  36. ^ Tanabe, Hisaharu; Yohe, Steve; Sharkey, Jeff; Baker, David (November 1, 2019). "Results: 1958". NYProWrestling.com.
  37. ^ Henry, Justin (May 20, 2018). "10 Highest Non-WWE Attendances In American Wrestling History (Part Two)". Cultaholic.com.
  38. ^ "DC Stadium: July 17, 1962 in Washington, DC". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  39. ^ "Wrestling Taking Firm Grip While Purists Quibble Over Its Merits". The Journal-Herald. March 10, 1962. p. 15.
  40. ^ Tanabe, Hisaharu (July 27, 2020). "Results: 1961". NYProWrestling.com.
  41. ^ "APOLLO MAT TEAM WINS BEFORE 20,400". New York Times. February 28, 1961.
  42. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 15, 1993). "Flair leaves WWF, two World Title changes, Japan update, tons more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. The annual New Japan Tokyo Egg Dome show has, which had its fifth version on Monday, 1/4, has in that time turned into from a prestige factor, right behind Wrestlemania as the biggest card of the year in the world. This year's show did nothing to hurt that reputation as the seventh largest recorded crowd to ever witness pro wrestling--63,500--sold the building out one week in advance to see a show that received raves from everyone I spoke with about it.
  43. ^ a b c d Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: WCW 1993". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  44. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 8, 1992). "SummerSlam 92, HUGE look at Japanese wrestling scene, best of 90s". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. Crowd was a sellout 11,500 with tickets ranging from $80 down to $24 so the gate was probably around $575,000. However it was a soft ticket for the scalpers being it was the first of three nights in a row at the same building. When we got to the show at about 6:40 p.m., there were a lot of scalpers in front with tickets selling them for less than face value so you could probably get in the building for $15. There were a few hundred empty seats in the upper deck even though all tickets were legitimately sold out beforehand as they never opened the ticket window for walk-up sales the day of the show.
  45. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 8, 1992). "SummerSlam 92, HUGE look at Japanese wrestling scene, best of 90s". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. Crowd was once again a sellout of 11,500 with the same pricing structure and the same gate. There were still many scalpers in front of the building before the show.
  46. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 8, 1992). "SummerSlam 92, HUGE look at Japanese wrestling scene, best of 90s". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. Third straight sellout crowd of 11,500. There were no tickets available before the show and the regular scalpers from the previous night were offering well over face value to buy tickets (which they would then re-sell) and having little luck finding people wanting to sell.
  47. ^ a b Meltzer, Dave (November 30, 1992). "Japan Dome Show 92, Halme wins title, Jericho vs. Storm, Clash". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. New Japan set itself up for its biggest show of 1993, the 1/4 card at the Tokyo Dome, running a series of new angles, new personnel and new concepts at its big shows 11/22 and 11/23 at Tokyo Sumo Hall. Both shows sold out the 11,500-seat building to the tune of an estimated $600,000 each night.
  48. ^ Meltzer, Dave (December 21, 1992). "Lawler to WWF, Raw debut scoops, booking committee added to WCW". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. With the 12/11 show drawing 10,510 and 12/14 drawing 6,850 with tickets from $24 to $80 at each shows, New Japan finished the year with gates in the $500,000 and $350,000 range.
  49. ^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: WCW 1990". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  50. ^ Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: WCW 1992". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  51. ^ a b Cawthon, Graham. "Yearly Results: WCW 1991". TheHistoryOfWWE.com.
  52. ^ Dykens, Brad (ed.). "National Wrestling Alliance – 2003". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com.
  53. ^ Scherer, Dave; Woodward, Buck; Johnson, Mike; McGrath, Jess (January 3, 2005). "2004: THE YEAR IN REVIEW". PWInsider.com.
  54. ^ Campbell, Jason. "Christmas Chaos". ProWrestlingHistory.com.
  55. ^ Dykens, Brad (ed.). "National Wrestling Alliance – 2008". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com.
  56. ^ Dykens, Brad (ed.). "National Wrestling Alliance – 2010". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com.
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