Abstract:
Professional wrestling, the enigmatic medium of entertainment enjoyed by millions to this day, was once practiced and distributed in a manner different from what most modem fans are accustomed to experiencing. Rather than one company, like the WWE, bringing their menagerie of performers to various locations and across television sets throughout out the world, the majority of professional wrestling used to be provided on a local level, with various industry members controlling the sport within their· city or region. A collection of these providers would go on to unify their efforts, creating a group called the National Wrestling Alliance. This "NWA" quite literally aligned its members into a collaborative effort to shield one another's location of control, or "territory," from any threats within the market. Whether these potential threats came from outside competition or from insubordination within the organization itself, the various alliance members were there to help eliminate any hardship experienced by their peers. Such practices provide several illustrations of the economic concept referred to as "collusion." In this piece, I analyze the National Wrestling Alliance's use of collusion to achieve security and power in the professional wrestling industry. My analysis ofthe collusive practices spans from the creation of the National Wrestling Alliance, throughout its life as a collusive body, to its fall from its position of economic power.
