Four decades of territorial wrestling's #1 alt history
From 1957 to 1993 the Great Western Wrestling Alliance ran professional wrestling across the American West the old way: fourteen territories, each with its own hub city, its own champion and feuds that ran for years. This site is its Worldbook, the record of every wrestler, title and card.
Start here
In the ring
Territorial wrestling run the way it was: regional champions, title lineages and feuds that ran for years.
The map of the West
A promotion laid over the real map of the West, from one territory in Cheyenne in 1957 to fourteen by the Golden Era.
Building the universe
How a universe of more than 1,200 characters was built, and a kit for building one of your own.
The eras
Explore by era
1957–1968
Frontier Era
"Grit. Determination. Glory."
The founding years. Regional territories emerge across the American West, establishing the foundations of what would become a wrestling empire.
1969–1975
Expansion Era
"From Rio Grande to Redwoods"
Rapid growth and consolidation. The GWA expands from Texas to the Pacific Northwest, unifying territories under one banner.
1976–1987
Golden Era
"The Powerhouse of Pro Wrestling"
Peak popularity and cultural impact. Television deals, larger-than-life characters, and the rise of wrestling as mainstream entertainment.
1988–1993
Traditions Era
"Refining Wrestling To Its Purest Form"
A return to fundamentals. The final chapter focuses on in-ring excellence, legacy, and the art of professional wrestling.
The territories
The territory system
The GWA borrows the logic of the real territorial era. How that system worked.
Dispatches
All news-
XEOJ Radio is on the App Store
The GWA's border blaster is back on the air at xeoj-am.com, 24 hours a day, and XEOJ Radio for iPhone carries the same signal with the phone in your pocket.
-
Two new pages: the territory map and the worldbuilding guide
Two new pages on the site: a map of the real wrestling territories, and a guide to building a fictional promotion of your own.
-
GWA Day 2025
The Year the Library of Congress Said "Yeah, This Counts". Two Years In: A Celebration of Getting Legitimately Weird with It
Featured storyline
All storylines
GWA Twilight Zone - Shadows Of Respect
In the summer of '75, two wrestling legends clashed in a surreal rivalry that mirrored the chaos of the world outside the ring. As Eddie “Desert Eagle” Martinez and “Mountain Man” Mark Jensen battled for respect, eerie coincidences and strange events blurred the line between reality and the unknown.
Read the storylineChampionships
Every titleGWA World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship history (1965–1993) — 35 reigns, 14 champions, and 28 years of territorial wrestling's most prestigious title.
GWA Intercontinental Championship
The GWA Intercontinental Championship was introduced in 1968 as a symbol of the Great Western Wrestling Alliance's (GWA) expansion and its embrace
GWA Tag Team Championship
The GWA Tag Team Championship represents the pinnacle of tag team wrestling within the Great Western Wrestling Alliance (GWA), a coveted title that has
A Brief Overview of GWA Championships
The Great Western Wrestling Alliance (GWA) was renowned for its diverse array of championships, each contributing to its rich history and legacy. Spanning from
Get the GWA in your inbox
New wrestler profiles and territory histories, about once a month. Free.
More from the GWA
Radio: XEOJ-AM 1440
The border blaster that carried GWA wrestling from Ojinaga, Mexico, streaming again 24 hours a day.
Western Wrestling Chronicles
The quarterly retrospective of the territories, written in four voices from the GWA's wrestling press.
Build a fictional wrestling promotion
A practical guide to territories, naming, eras, championships and characters, with the GWA as the worked example.
The map pack
The territory map at print resolution, the territory book and a worldbuilding kit. Free for subscribers.