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Professional Wrestling of the 2020s

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Wrestlers and Other Individuals

  • Nick Aldis
  • Mustafa Ali
  • Darby Allin
  • Andrade (El Ídolo): Began the decade in WWE; released in 2021. Made an appearance in AAA shortly thereafter, and soon signed with AEW, performing in both promotions as Andrade El Ídolo. Tag-teamed with his father-in-law Ric Flair in the latter's "Last Match" in 2022.
  • Asuka: Became the second female Grand Slam Champion in May 2020.
  • "Stone Cold" Steve Austin: Came out of retirement in 2022 for a (likely) one-off match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.
  • Bad Bunny: Became an occasional wrestler starting in 2021, and scored two eliminations in the 2022 men's Royal Rumble.
  • Bad Luck Fale
  • Britt Baker: Took a Level in Badass after a heel turn in 2020, winning the AEW women's title the next year.
  • Finn Bálor
  • Sasha Banks/Mercedes Moné: Became the third female Grand Slam Champion in September 2020. Left WWE in 2022 and joined NJPW's sister promotion Stardom in January 2023 as Mercedes Moné, claiming NJPW's women's title a month later.
  • Travis Banks: Blackballed from the industry in 2020 after being ousted for his unethical backstage and personal antics.
  • Shayna Baszler: Joined the WWE main roster in 2020.
  • Bayley: Became the first year-long SmackDown Women's Champion and the most prolific women's champion in WWE history in 2020* .
  • Bianca Belair: Joined the main WWE roster in 2020, became won the Royal Rumble and became WWE Smackdown Women's Champion in 2021, joining Sasha Banks in the first WrestleMania main event to feature two black women wrestlers. After losing her title to Becky Lynch, she would reclaim it at WrestleMania 2022.
  • Shelton Benjamin
  • Mike Bennett: Released by WWE in 2020 and returned to ROH once his non-compete expired until the end of 2021. Joined Impact Wrestling in 2022 as part of Honor No More. Won the Impact Tag Team Championship with Matt Taven, before losing to Heath and Rhino. Currently competing for AEW.
  • Big E: Finally wins the WWE Championship in September 2021.
  • Big Show/Paul Wight: Joined AEW as a commentator in 2021 under his real name of Paul Wight, thereby averting the trope of which he was one of the namers.
  • Eric Bischoff: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • Aleister/Malakai Black: Released by WWE in 2021 and signed with AEW as Malakai Black once his non-compete expired. Formed the House of Black in 2022.
  • Black Rose
  • Tessa Blanchard: Became the first-ever Impact Wrestling female World Champion, though quickly became Overshadowed by Controversy by her backstage problems becoming public. Left later that year after refusing to film segments leading up to a title match.
  • Alexa Bliss: Underwent a Gimmick Retool in 2020.
  • Scarlett Bordeaux: Released by WWE in 2021. Returned to WWE in August 2022.
  • Dana Brooke
  • Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson: Left WWE when his contract expired in May 2021 and signed with AEW that September, performing under his real name once again. Got inducted in the inaugural Ring of Honor Hall of Fame, Class of 2022.
  • Elijah Burke: Began the decade wrestling for NWA.
  • Colt Cabana
  • Christian (Cage): Came out of retirement in 2021, first making a cameo at WWE's Royal Rumble, then soon after joining AEW as Christian Cage. Later that year, took the Impact World Championship off Kenny Omega.
  • Sami Callihan
  • Don Callis
  • Matt Cardona: Started this decade working the indies, with a brief stop in AEW in 2020, and going from there to Impact and the NWA in 2021. Won the NWA world title and the Impact Digital Media title in 2022, and in May of that year also held four championship belts in three indy promotions as well as his self-proclaimed "Internet Championship". By the next month, he dropped said belts (except the Internet one) due to a legit injury.
  • Carmella
  • Dalton Castle
  • Orange Cassidy: Became AEW's breakout star in 2020, and won his first belt with the promotion, the All-Atlantic Championship, in 2022, holding that belt through its 2023 renaming as the International Championship.
  • Cesaro/Claudio Castagnoli: Left WWE when his contract expired in 2022, showing up in AEW under his real name at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door that June. Won the ROH World Championship the next month.
  • Tommaso Ciampa
  • Adam Cole: Left WWE once his NXT contract expired in 2021, moving to AEW that September.
  • Michael Cole
  • Carlito Colσn
  • Baron Corbin
  • Nikki Cross: Adopted the divisive "Nikki A.S.H." persona in 2021, and became WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Rhea Ripley under that name.
  • Danhausen: Joined AEW in 2022.
  • Christopher Daniels
  • Solo Darling
  • Tenille Dashwood: Became Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion for the first time with Madison Rayne in 2022. Returned to WWE in October of the same year.
  • Delirious
  • Sonya Deville: Betrayed her ally Mandy Rose in 2020. Left TV to deal with a personal legal issue, and returned as an on-screen official.
  • Dick the Bruiser: Posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • EC3: Released from ROH when it went on hiatus at the end of 2021; later announced the establishment of the new CYN promotion in 2022 alongside Adam Scherr (the former Braun Strowman).
  • Edge: Came out of retirement in 2020 at the Royal Rumble, and won the 2021 Royal Rumble match, becoming the first wrestler to do so after entering the WWE Hall of Fame.
  • Eddie Edwards: Did a heel turn at Impact Wrestling's No Surrender 2022, revealing himself as the leader of Honor No More.
  • Nelson Erazo/Homicide
  • Eva Marie: Briefly returned to the WWE in 2021.
  • Lacey Evans
  • EVIL: Betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japón in 2020 to join Bullet Club, winning the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental belts soon after.
  • Fandango/Dirty Dango: Released by WWE in June 2021 and then changed his ring name to Dirty Dango. Worked the indies until his WWE noncompete expired, moving first to the NWA and then Impact.
  • Fιnix
  • Bobby Fish: Released by WWE in August 2021, joining AEW that October.
  • Charlotte Flair: Became the first female Royal Rumble winner of the decade, and later the fourth female Grand Slam Champion on December 2020. Outside the ring, married Andrade El Ídolo in 2022.
  • Ric Flair: Ended a decade-long retirement to work his "final" match at the Starrcast fan convention in Nashville on July 31, 2022.
  • Nick Gage
  • Johnny Gargano
  • "Superstar" Billy Graham: Passed away on May 17, 2023.
  • Corey Graves
  • The Great Khali: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • Vickie Guerrero: Signed with AEW as a manager in 2020, shortly after being released by WWE.
  • Sammy Guevara
  • Billy Gunn
  • Jake Hager
  • Scott Hall: Passed away on March 14, 2022.
  • Jeff Hardy: Released by WWE in December 2021 and joined AEW in March 2022.
  • Matt Hardy: Defected to AEW in March 2020.
  • Mark Henry: Signed with AEW as an analyst and coach*  in May 2021.
  • Paul Heyman
  • Molly Holly: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • Hook: Debuted in 2021.
  • Kota Ibushi: The NJPW mainstay won and dropped the IWGP Tag Team belts in 2020, and won the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles later that year. In 2021, he unified the two belts, becoming the first holder of the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
  • Antonio Inoki: Passed away on October 1, 2022.
  • Mickie James: Released by WWE in April 2021 and returned to Impact shortly afterwards. Notably, she entered the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble as the reigning Impact Knockouts Champion.
  • Joey Janela
  • Jeff Jarrett: Left WWE in 2021 and was all over the place in 2022—appearing in GCW, AAA, and the NWA before a brief return to WWE, during which he also took the pinfall in Ric Flair's "Last Match". By the end of the year, he had joined AEW as its director of business development.
  • Nia Jax
  • Jazz
  • Chris Jericho: Began the decade as the inaugural AEW world champion, dropping the title to Jon Moxley a couple of months in. Established AEW's first power stable, the Inner Circle, later retooling it into the Jericho Appreciation Society. Became ROH World Champion in September 2022.
  • Kamala: Passed away on August 9, 2020 (though he had worked his last match in 2010).
  • Kane: Incumbent mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Headlined the 2021 induction class of the WWE Hall of Fame.
  • Andy Kaufman: Posthumously inducted in the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023.
  • Allysin Kay
  • Billie Kay: Released by WWE in April 2021. Joined Impact in October the same year.
  • Stacy Keibler: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023.
  • KENTA: Currently wrestling in New Japan.
  • Low Ki
  • R-Truth
  • Hana Kimura: Passed away on May 23, 2020 via suicide, leaving a big impact in wrestling, not just in Japan but worldwide.
  • Holidead
  • Eddie Kingston: Started the decade in the NWA, moving to AEW later that year. Started making appearances for AEW partner NJPW in 2021. "Left" AEW in 2023 to return full-time to sister promotion ROH.
  • Kofi Kingston
  • Johnny Knoxville: Appeared in the men's Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
  • Killer/Karrion Kross: Joined WWE in 2020 as part of NXT, becoming NXT champion. Moved to the main roster in July 2021 and released that November after experiencing some of the worst booking of modern times. Returned to WWE in August 2022 after Triple H took over WWE creative.
  • L.A. Park: With his son El Hijo de L.A. Park, held the MLW tag team belts for most of 2021. They were both released by MLW in 2022.
  • Bobby Lashley: Finally won the WWE Championship in March 2021, making him the second wrestler in history after Rob Van Dam to win the WWE, ECW, and Impact Wrestling World Championships.
  • Jerry Lawler: Occasional commentator for WWE in this decade, and worked the odd indy show, most recently against Scott Steiner in 2022. Suffered a stroke in February 2023.
  • Tom Lawlor
  • John Layfield: Member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2020 (though that year's induction would be delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19).
  • Gene LeBell: Passed away on August 9, 2022.
  • Candice LeRae
  • Brodie Lee: Defected to AEW in March 2020. He suddenly passed away on December 26, 2020, shocking the wrestling community.
  • Keith Lee: Became NXT Champion and North American Champion simultaneously in 2020, and left for the main roster soon after. Released in November 2021 and joined AEW once his noncompete expired. Won the AEW tag team belts in 2022 along with Swerve Strickland.
  • Kimber Lee: Joined Impact in 2020, leaving by the end of 2021.
  • Mandy Leon
  • Brock Lesnar: Left WWE in 2020, but came back a year later.
  • Jay Lethal: Started the decade in ROH; joined AEW in November 2021 after being released by ROH soon before that promotion's hiatus. Teamed with Jeff Jarrett to oppose Ric Flair and Andrade El Ídolo in Flair's "Last Match" in 2022.
  • Jushin Thunder Liger: Had his retirement match on the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 on January 5, 2020, with a retirement ceremony the next night during New Year Dash!! Also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2020.
  • Lita: Came out of retirement in 2022. Teamed with Becky Lynch to claim the WWE women's tag team belts in 2023.
  • Angelina Love: Began the decade with ROH until she left during its hiatus in 2022, eventually joining NWA.
  • Becky Lynch: Relinquished the Raw Women's Championship in May 2020 and went on hiatus due to her real-life pregnancy. She gave birth to a baby girl in December that same year, and married her longtime partner Seth Rollins in June 2021. Returned to in-ring action in August 2021. Added the WWE women's tag team title to her résumé in 2023.
  • Maryse
  • Nigel McGuinness
  • Drew McIntyre: Finally reached main event status by winning the first Royal Rumble of the decade and winning the WWE Championship twice in the same year.
  • Shane McMahon: Returned to WWE in 2022, making sporadic appearances (most recently at WrestleMania 39).
  • Stephanie McMahon: Resigned from her WWE executive position shortly after her father un-retired in 2023.
  • Vince McMahon: Retired from WWE under pressure in 2022 amid a sex scandal, but un-retired in January 2023, reportedly to facilitate the sale of the company that was finalized that April.
  • Melina
  • Mercedes Martinez: Released by WWE in 2021, had a short stint in Impact Wrestling once her non-compete expired and later joined AEW in the same year. Won the ROH World Women's Championship against Deonna Purrazzo.
  • Shawn Michaels: Started the decade as a writer and producer for NXT under his longtime friend Triple H. After Trip had a serious cardiac issue in 2021, Michaels took over NXT creative, and continued in that role even after Trip recovered.
  • The Miz
  • MJF
  • Ember Moon/Athena: Released by WWE in 2021 and joined AEW once her non-compete expired.
  • Liv Morgan
  • John Morrison: Released by WWE in November 2021; signed with AAA as John Superstar once his noncompete expired in 2022.
  • Jon Moxley: Became an AEW mainstay, holding their world title for most of 2020. Took time off in 2021 for alcohol rehab, coming back to claim the interim AEW title in 2022 during CM Punk's legit injury and successfully reunifying the title later that year. Also in 2022, signed a new deal with AEW that added coaching to his role with the company.
  • Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta: Shut down his Wrestle-1 promotion in 2020 and signed with Pro Wrestling Noah. Also made sporadic appearances in NJPW and AEW in the decade. Retired from in-ring competition in February 2023, the same year in which was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame.
  • Dominik Mysterio: Sone of the legendary Rey Mysterio. Briefly held the SmackDown tag team belts with his father in 2021. Turned heel and joined The Judgment Day in 2022, and began feuding with his father.
  • Rey Mysterio: Headliner of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2023. Briefly held the SmackDown tag team belts alongside real-life son Dominik in 2021, before Dominik turned heel and feuded with his dad.
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Natalya
  • New Jack: Passed away on May 14, 2021.
  • Shaquille O'Neal: Made appearances in AEW in 2020 and 2021.
  • Kyle O'Reilly
  • Kazuchika Okada
  • Kenny Omega: Started the decade as AAA Mega Champion. Added the AEW World Championship in 2020, holding that belt for nearly a year before dropping it to Adam Page. During this time, he also became Impact World Champion in 2021. Drew a suspension from AEW in 2022 due to his involvement in the backstage fight that followed CM Punk's AEW title win at All Out and returned a few months later.
  • Randy Orton
  • Ozzy Osbourne: Inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • Will Ospreay: Finally reached main event status by winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 2021.
  • Kevin Owens
  • PAC: Became the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion in 2022. Later that year, also won the AEW World Trios Championship along with the Lucha Brothers.
  • Adam Page: Became a main-eventer in AEW, taking their world title off Kenny Omega in 2021.
  • Paige/Saraya: Came out of retirement to sign with AEW as Saraya in 2022.
  • Pat Patterson: Passed away on December 2, 2020.
  • Logan Paul: Tag-teamed with The Miz at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, and later that year at Crown Jewel had an impressive performance in an unsuccessful bid to take the WWE Universal Championship off Roman Reigns. Signed full-time with WWE in 2023.
  • Pentagσn Jr.
  • Beth Phoenix
  • Montel Vontavious Porter/MVP: Returned to WWE in 2020, becoming Bobby Lashley's manager.
  • CM Punk: Returned to the ring in 2021 in AEW, winning their world championship two different times in 2022. However, his remarks in a post-event media scrum after the second title win at All Out led to a real backstage fight that also involved Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, with Punk soon stripped of the title and suspended. Set to return to AEW in 2023. Was inducted in the inaugural Ring of Honor Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
  • Madison Rayne: Announced a 10-Minute Retirement in 2021, then returned and became Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion alongside Tenille Dashwood. Joined AEW in 2022.
  • William Regal: Started the decade as the on-screen general manager of WWE NXT, also serving behind the scenes as a trainer and recruiter. Left WWE in January 2022 and joined AEW as a manager and coach that March, soon becoming the manager of the Blackpool Combat Club. Returned to WWE in December 2022 in a backstage role.
  • Roman Reigns: Rejuvenated his career by a critically-acclaimed Face–Heel Turn in August 2020.
  • Cody Rhodes: Left AEW in February 2022, rejoined WWE in April of the same year. Won the 2023 Men's Royal Rumble.
  • Dustin Rhodes
  • Ricochet
  • Matt Riddle
  • Ruby Riott/Soho: Released by WWE in 2021 and joined AEW as "Ruby Soho" later that year.
  • Rhea Ripley: Joined the main WWE roster in 2021. Won the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble and ultimately the SmackDown Women's Championship, becoming the fifth women's Grand Slam Champion and the youngest Grand Slam in WWE history.
  • Jake Roberts: Though retired as a wrestler, began the decade in AEW as a manager.
  • Seth Rollins: Married Becky Lynch in June 2021, not long after they became first-time parents.
  • Bobby Roode
  • Mandy Rose: Entered an on-screen relationship with Otis in 2020. Returned to NXT in 2021 and formed the heel Toxic Attraction stable, holding the NXT Women's Championship for over a year.
  • Jim Ross
  • Ronda Rousey: Came back to WWE in 2022 after a near three-year absence to win the Women's Royal Rumble.
  • Erick Rowan
  • Peyton Royce: Released by WWE in April 2021. Joined Impact that October.
  • Rusev/Miro and Lana: Rusev was released by WWE in April 2020, changed his ring persona to Miro, and signed with AEW that September. Lana was released by WWE in June 2021.
  • Lio Rush
  • Joey Ryan: Blackballed from the industry in 2020 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.
  • Zack Sabre Jr.: Became the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion in January 2023.
  • Sabu: Wound down his career in the indies and announced his retirement in November 2021.
  • Samoa Joe: Was released by WWE in 2021, but returned soon after as an on-screen official on NXT. Released again in January 2022 and signed with AEW once his noncompete expired, claiming both the AEW TNT Championship and ROH World Television Championship by the end of the year. Was inducted in the inaugural Ring of Honor Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Tony Schiavone
  • Veda Scott
  • Marty Scurll: Originally assigned as the new head booker of Ring of Honor, he later got said position revoked and then blackballed from the industry (at least in the United States) in 2020 after being ousted for taking advantage of a drunk 16-year-old girl in a bar in his homeland of the United Kingdom five years ago.
  • William Shatner: Inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
  • Sheamus
  • Hikaru Shida: Won the AEW Women's World Championship in 2020 and held onto it for over a year, making her the longest reigning AEW Title holder at the time.
  • Velvet Sky: Became commentator for NWA Power in 2021.
  • Davey Boy Smith: Posthumously entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
  • Tamina Snuka
  • Kris Statlander: Got a gimmick Retool in 2022, no longer being billed as "The Galaxy's Greatest Alien". Ended Jade Cargill's run of nearly 17 months with the AEW TBS Championship in 2023.
  • Scott Steiner: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022 alongside his brother Rick, as The Steiner Brothers. Also works the occasional indy show.
  • Aron Stevens: Began the decade in the NWA, and retired from in-ring action in 2022. Remains in the NWA as a producer.
  • Kia Stevens: Started the decade in AEW, but soon went on hiatus to film the streaming TV series GLOW. Released in June 2021 and announced her in-ring retirement that August. Entered the Impact Hall of Fame that October, inducted by her long-time rival Gail Kim.
  • Sting: Joined AEW in December 2020.
  • Toni Storm: Left WWE in late 2021 and joined AEW in March 2022 once her noncompete expired. Has since claimed the AEW Women's Championship twice.
  • Swerve Strickland: Released by WWE in 2021 and joined AEW in 2022.
  • Braun Strowman/Adam Scherr: Released by WWE in 2021 and moved to the indies under his real name once his noncompete expired. In February 2022, teamed with EC3 to establish the new CYN promotion. Returned to WWE in September 2022.
  • Roderick Strong: Was a founding member of the Diamond Mine stable in 2021.
  • AJ Styles: Became the first WWE Grand Slam Champion of the decade in April 2021, making him the second wrestler in history to achieve this feat in both WWE and Impact Wrestling after Kurt Angle.
  • Minoru Suzuki
  • Matt Sydal: Joined AEW in 2020.
  • Hiromu Takahashi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: Retroactively recognized as one of the first two NJPW Grand Slam Champions in 2021.
  • Matt Taven: Released by ROH in 2021 after 13 consecutive years with the promotion. Joined Impact Wrestling in 2022 as part of Honor No More. Won the Impact Tag Team Championship with Mike Bennett before losing to Heath and Rhino. Currently competing for AEW.
  • Chuck Taylor
  • Taz: Began the decade as an AEW commentator, also becoming manager of the Team Taz stable in 2020 before it broke up in 2022. Also introduced ECW's former FTW Championship to AEW in 2020.
  • Taryn Terrell: Came out in retirement in 2021 as part of NWA's roster.
  • Triple H: Officially announced his in-ring retirement in March 2022, though he had worked his last match in 2019. Took over WWE creative later in 2022 after his father-in-law Vince McMahon's retirement. Though Vince un-retired in 2023, Trip remains in charge of creative.
  • Tyrus: Started the decade in the indies and joined the NWA in 2021, winning its world title in late 2022. Has been working on the side as a political commentator for Fox News throughout the decade.
  • Mike Tyson: Made appearances in AEW in 2020 and 2021.
  • The Undertaker: Officially retired on November 22, 2020, exactly thirty years after his debut. Headlined the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction class.
  • Daffney Unger: Passed away on September 1, 2021.
  • Vader: Posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.
  • Rob Van Dam: Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
  • Zelina Vega: First released from her WWE contract in 2020, she returned one year later and wins the inaugural Queen's Crown tournament.
  • Ivelisse Vιlez
  • The Velveteen Dream: Had a promising career effectively ended by credible and disturbing allegations in 2020.
  • WALTER: Finally moved from NXT UK to WWE's US-based brands in 2022, taking the new name GUNTHER in the process. Currently holds the Intercontinental Championship after defeating Ricochet.
  • Wardlow
  • Katarina Waters
  • Jay White: The other wrestler retroactively recognized in 2021 as an NJPW Grand Slam Champion. He later turned on the Guerrillas of Destiny in Impact Wrestling No Surrender 2022, expelling them from Bullet Club so The Good Brothers are reincorporated to the group. Wound up his NJPW run by losing "Loser Leaves Japan" and "Loser Leaves NJPW" matches in February 2023, and signed with AEW that April.
  • "Dr. Death" Steve Williams: Posthumously entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021 as part of the 2020 class.
  • Xavier Woods: Became WWE King of the Ring in 2021, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
  • Bray Wyatt/The Fiend: Released by WWE in July 2021. Returned to WWE in October 2022 following weeks of online cryptic vignettes.
  • Toru Yano
  • Eric Young: Returned to Impact in 2020 and formed Violent By Design, getting his second World Championship and two more World Tag Team Championships in the process.
  • Su Yung
  • Sami Zayn
  • Dolph Ziggler: Formed the Dirty Dawgs with Robert Roode, becoming Smackdown Tag Team Champions in 2021. He would become NXT Champion in 2022 before losing the title to Bron Breakker 27 days later.

Tag Teams and Stables

Promotions

  • AAA (1992–)
  • All Elite Wrestling (2019–): Launched two new programs in 2021—the AEW Dark Elevation webcast and AEW Rampage on TNT. In January 2022, AEW Dynamite moved from TNT to TBS, and AEW CEO Tony Khan bought Ring of Honor in March 2022.
    • AEW also created four championships in this decade: the TNT Championship in 2020, the TBS Championship in 2021, and the All-Atlantic and World Trios Championships in 2022. The FTW Championship, originally created by Taz in ECW, was revived in 2020 when Taz joined AEW; it's billed as an "unsanctioned" title but is nonetheless defended at AEW shows. The All-Atlantic Championship was renamed the International Championship in March 2023.
  • CHIKARA (2002–2020): Ceased operations in July 2020 after widespread allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct by co-founder Mike Quackenbush and several other wrestlers.
  • CMLL (1933–)
  • CZW (1998–)
  • Deadlock Pro Wrestling (2021-): Had first event in December 2021.
  • DDT Pro-Wrestling (1997–): Merged into CyberFight in 2020, but maintains its separate identity.
  • Game Changer Wrestling (1999–2004, 2013–): Became the top independent wrestling promotion in recent times.
  • Impact Wrestling (2002-): Began to set PPV buyrate records not seen in nearly a decade after AEW World Champion Kenny Omega appeared on their programming.
  • MLW (2002–2004, 2017–)
  • National Wrestling Alliance (1948-)
  • New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1972–)
    • Started the NJPW Strong streaming series, featuring talent from its American dojo, in 2020. Two championships were also created for the Strong brand, the Strong Openweight Championship in 2021 and the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship in 2022. In January 2023, NJPW announced that the Strong brand would be used for all of its future US shows.
    • Unified the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships into a new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 2021.
    • Created the new IWGP Women's Championship, awarded for the first time at the Historic X-Over joint event with Stardom in November 2022. While the title is contested mainly by talent from Stardom, it's defended exclusively at events promoted (or co-promoted) by NJPW.
    • Created the new NJPW World Television Championship, awarded for the first time at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4, 2023.
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH (2000–): Merged into CyberFight in 2020, but maintains its separate identity.
  • Ring of Honor (2002-): Announced a hiatus at the end of 2021. Purchased by Tony Khan in March 2022, but is being kept as a separate entity from AEW.
  • SHIMMER (2005-)
  • World Wonder Ring ST★RDOM (2011-): The joshi puroresu league goes worldwide in 2020 thanks to "No People Gate", no-crowd event transmitted for free via YouTube, and the death of Hana Kimura who was Driven to Suicide for the cyberbullying of her character in TV show Terrace House.
  • WWE (1952-): Sold a majority stake to UFC's parent company in 2023.
    • WWE Raw (1993-)
    • WWE SmackDown (1999-)
    • WWE NXT (2010–): Moves from Wednesday to Tuesday, ending the "Wednesday Night Wars" after mostly failing to put a dent in AEW Dynamite. Later, the brand got retooled as NXT 2.0, giving a multicolored Hotter and Sexier "Sports Entertainment" presentation and returning to developmental format.
      • NXT UK (2018–2022): Went on hiatus in September 2022; the brand will be expanded to include all of Europe and relaunch in 2023 as NXT Europe.

Events

  • Backlash. Reinstated in 2020 after a one-year hiatus. Renamed WrestleMania Backlash in 2021.
  • Elimination Chamber
  • The Great American Bash. Reinstated in 2020 and is held as an annual event for WWE's NXT brand.
  • Hell in a Cell – Discontinued as an annual event after the 2022 edition, following Triple H taking over WWE creative.
  • Money in the Bank – The 2022 edition was originally announced as the first to be held in a stadium*  instead of an indoor arena* , effectively placing MITB on an equal footing with WWE's biggest events. While poor ticket sales led to that edition being moved to an indoor arena in the same city, WWE still treats it as a flagship event.
  • New Year's Revolution. Revived in 2020 for a series of WWE Live shows for Raw and SmackDown titled the New Year's Revolution Tour; this tour was not held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • King of the Ring. Held in 2021 so far. It also introduces the female equivalent, the Queen's Crown tournament.
  • Royal Rumble
  • SummerSlam
  • Survivor Series
  • WrestleMania
  • WWE Fastlane
  • WWE New Era (2016-)
  • Vengeance. Returned as a NXT TakeOver event under the name Vengeance Day in 2021. After the TakeOver series discontinued, it became its annual Valentine's Day event in 2022.
  • WWE Women's Evolution: A period that saw the rise of WWE's female talents.

Miscellaneous

  • Grand Slam Champion:
    • WWE has crowned four female winners so far in this decade: Asuka, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Rhea Ripley. On the men's side, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens joined this club.
    • NJPW retroactively established its own version in 2021, with Jay White and Hiroshi Tanahashi having joined in that year.
  • Triple Crown Champion:
    • In WWE, nine singles wrestlers and two tag teams have so far joined this club in the decade: the WWE Grand Slam Champions mentioned above, plus Drew McIntyre, Big E, Becky Lynch, The Street Profits, and The New Day.
    • Four wrestlers have joined NJPW's version in the decade: EVIL and Kota Ibushi, followed by the aforementioned NJPW Grand Slam champions.

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