The
National Wrestling Alliance (
NWA) is a
professional wrestling governing body which has historically been the largest league of independent wrestling promotions in the world also referred to as "territories" as they each generally covered and controlled a certain geographic location. The territories are all
independent professional wrestling promotions who are loosely affiliated with each other through their membership of the NWA and at time cross promote wrestlers or championships from other promotions. From 1974 up until the mid-1980s the Territories were very well defined and was able to sanction/influence wrestling promoters outside the NWA, but since the expansion of the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and the secession of
World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1991 the NWA has less influence on non-NWA members.