Canada

For many years two federations, run by two families, dominated Canada. First, there was North of the Border Pro Wrestling. Based in the Maritimes and launched by Dan Stone in the 1980s, the company was either an incredible place where a roster of the most gifted athletes in the world put on technical masterclasses, or a boring promotion full of soulless wrestling machines, depending who you asked. Built mainly around Dan's sons Dan Jr, Jeremy and Duane, and the heels they feuded with, the federation didn't do the greatest job of building new stars and as the three Stone boys and their major nemeses grew older, things started to go downhill.

Over in British Columbia, another patriach, George DeColt, set up a more sports entertainment based company, again starring his sons and various heels. Things looked good until the first cracks began to show when George retired in 2009, passing control to his oldest son Alex. Alex quickly got into a row with his brother Steve, who would head to North of the Border and become a star heel there, and it became apparent that the pressures of running a federation weren't something that Alex was suited for. Eventually, younger brothers Jack and Ricky took the difficult decision to oust the increasingly paranoid Alex from the company - a move that was followed later in 2017 by the death of their father. An eventful funeral saw Alex's last public appearance to date, while George's long-term respectful rival Dan Stone Sr tragically died while paying his respects. With the two families reeling, and a soap opera type happening which involved Steve DeColt meeting Dan Stone Sr's previously unknown daughter Sarah and going on to marry her, the remaining Stones and DeColts pooled their resources to form the Canadian Wrestling Alliance.

CWA aims to take the best qualities of the two feds it succeeded, putting on a balanced product with ongoing storylines and traditional wrestling - nothing too dangerous, controversial, or bloody, but a variety of styles. After years of the two families being criticised for failing to build up enough other babyfaces, they've done a decent job of doing so - Jack and Ricky have stepped into the tag ranks, Sean McFly (husband of Dan Sr's daughter Victoria, and a main star for many years) is looking like retiring fairly soon, and winding down, and they've been replaced at the top of the card by guys like Aaron Knight, a former white meat CGC babyface under the name Intrepid Ian Identity who received a new lease of life with a heel turn and then a phenomenal boost when Steve DeColt put him over strongly and he turned back face. TV champion Skip Beau, the man Knight betrayed, is another top face at the moment while former CGC midcard stalwart Christian Price was reinvigorated by a heel turn and a hot feud with Knight. There's also a women's division low on numbers but high on talent, including second generation superstar Brooke Tyler, daughter of DAVE legend Eric, Nadia Snow, leader of The Queen's Court, and Snow's Royal Executioner Deborah Young.

Canadian Charisma Championship Combat was the underground alternative to the two bigger feds for years, creating a small but loyal fan base. With the merger, they thought they saw room for a second big federation as well as the CWA and splashed out on some big name stars. Sadly, the gamble failed badly and they overspent, driving themselves to bankruptcy, leaving All Canada Pro Wrestling as the only other fed of any real size in Canada.

Founded in 2009, ACPW were for years a distant 4th in Canada but are now the de facto alternative to the CWA. Focusing solely on wrestlers weighing 230 lbs or less, which now includes women - like the Zone, they've gone integrated - they don't care about faces, heels, storylines or angles, just great high-flying action. With a vocal crowd demanding aerial excellence, they're a tough promotion to work for but many people thrive there, with the incredibly flashy Kamikaze, former CGC star Kenny Callaway, Belfast's muscular bruiser Gram Gorman and Brazilian submissions specialist Mario Da Silva just a few people who've found huge success in the fed.