Editing Independent circuit (section)

===Japan===
{{see also|List of professional wrestling promotions in Japan}}
Until 1984, no independent [[puroresu]] promotion per se existed in Japan; potential talent went directly into the training dojos of either [[New Japan Pro-Wrestling]] or [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]]. ([[International Wrestling Enterprise]] also was a third-party promotion until 1981.) The advent of the [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan)|Japanese Universal Wrestling Federation]] offered a long-sought third alternative.

From 1986 to 1988 the Japanese system went back to the two-promotion system, but then the UWF was reformed and another promotion, Pioneer Senshi, was started. Because of Japanese societal [[mores]] which implied that a wrestler was a lifelong employee of a company and thus identified with it wherever he went, neither AJPW nor NJPW made an effort to acquire wrestlers trained in other promotions; wrestlers from the major promotions who left, such as [[Genichiro Tenryu]], [[Gran Hamada]], [[Yoshiaki Fujiwara]], [[Akira Maeda]], [[Atsushi Onita]], and [[Nobuhiko Takada]] had to start their own independent promotions in order to keep themselves in the limelight ([[Wrestling Association "R"]], [[Universal Lucha Libre]], [[Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi]], [[Fighting Network Rings]], [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]], and [[Hustle (professional wrestling)|Hustle]] respectively) .

As the 1990s ended, though, things began to change. Independent promotions began gaining more prominence as they were featured in major specialized media such as ''Shukan Puroresu'' and ''Shukan Gong'' magazines. With the death of [[Giant Baba]] and retirement of [[Antonio Inoki]], which effectively broke their control over the promotions they founded, the major promotions began looking to the smaller promotions for talent.

In 2000, the first major signing from an independent, [[Minoru Tanaka (wrestler)|Minoru Tanaka]] by NJPW from [[BattlARTS]], took place; soon after NJPW stocked the [[cruiserweight (professional wrestling)|junior heavyweight division]] with independent talent such as [[Masayuki Naruse]], [[Tiger Mask IV|Tiger Mask]], [[Keiji Takayama|Gedo]], and [[Shoji Akiyoshi|Jado]]. On the same year, following the [[Pro Wrestling Noah]] split, AJPW was forced to fill its ranks with independent talent; [[Nobutaka Araya]], [[Shigeo Okumura]] and [[Mitsuya Nagai]] signed up (Araya is the only one who remains, but other signings since then have been [[Kaz Hayashi]], [[Tomoaki Honma]], [[Hideki Hosaka]], and [[Ryuji Hijikata]].)

Noah admitted one wrestler from the independents, [[Daisuke Ikeda]], to its ranks as well (Ikeda has since left, but other wrestlers from the independents that were signed included [[Akitoshi Saito]], [[Takahiro Suwa]], and [[Taiji Ishimori]]). Although AJPW, NJPW, and Noah remain committed to their dojos, the reliance on independents is growing as obscure talent is recognized for its ability.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%;"
|+Top 10 most-attended shows
! No.
! Promoter
! Event
! Location
! Venue
! Attendance
! class=unsortable|Main Event(s)
! class=unsortable|
|-
|bgcolor=lightgrey|{{center|—}}
|bgcolor=lightgrey|[[Tokyo Pro Wrestling#New Tokyo Pro Wrestling|TPW]]
|bgcolor=lightgrey|[[Tokyo Pro Wrestling in Atami]] <br> {{dts|1996-07-23}}
|bgcolor=lightgrey|[[Atami, Shizuoka]]
|bgcolor=lightgrey|Sun Beach
|bgcolor=lightgrey|65,000
|bgcolor=lightgrey|[[Abdullah the Butcher]] and [[Daikokubo Benkei]] vs. [[Kishin Kawabata]] and [[Takashi Ishikawa]]
|bgcolor=lightgrey|<ref name="TPW-1996">{{cite magazine |last1=Meltzer |first1=Dave |author-link=Dave Meltzer |last2=Alvarez |first2=Bryan |author-link2=Bryan Alvarez |date=August 5, 1996 |title=Major changes to WWF syndication, Herb Abrams dies, Kobashi wins Triple Crown for the first time, more |magazine=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]] |location=Campbell, California |quote=Several of the groups this past week have run free shows as part of fireworks festivals or country fair type of events. The biggest was Tokyo Pro's show on 7/23 at Atami Sun Beach which was reported as being viewed by more than 65,000 fans.}}</ref>
|-
| 1.
| [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]] 
| [[FMW 6th Anniversary Show]] <br> {{dts|1995-05-05}}
| rowspan=2|[[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]]
| rowspan=2|[[Kawasaki Stadium]]
| 58,250
| [[Atsushi Onita]] (c) vs. [[Hayabusa (wrestler)|Hayabusa]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Barbed Wire Massacre|No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch]] for the [[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship]]
| <ref>{{cite magazine |last=Meltzer |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Meltzer |date=May 15, 1995 |title=WCW taping policy update, real-life pro-wrestling shoot fight booked for UFC, an early "too many shows" story, tons more |magazine=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]] |location=Campbell, California |quote=Onita's much-ballyhooed final match on 5/5 at Kawasaki Baseball Stadium drew a sellout of approximately 50,000 fans (announced at 58,250) which would be a gate in the $2.5 million range and tons more in merchandise}}</ref>
|-
| 2.
| [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]
| [[FMW 5th Anniversary Show]] <br> {{dts|1994-05-05}}
| 52,000
| | [[Atsushi Onita]] vs. [[Genichiro Tenryu]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Barbed Wire Massacre|No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch]]
|<ref name="PWInsider-FMW">{{cite web |url=https://www.pwinsider.com/article/24244/this-day-in-history-the-final-wwf-show-fmw-anniversary-a-wwe-star-debuts-that-we-still-havent-seen-wrestle-on-tv-and-more.html?p=1 |title=THIS DAY IN HISTORY: THE FINAL WWF SHOW, FMW ANNIVERSARY, A WWE STAR DEBUTS THAT WE STILL HAVEN'T SEEN WRESTLE ON TV AND MORE |last=Woodward |first=Buck |date=May 5, 2007 |website=PWInsider.com }}</ref>
|-
| 3.
| [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]
| [[FMW tournaments#Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament|Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament]] <br> {{dts|1991-08-17}}
| rowspan=3|[[Tokyo]], Japan
| [[Torisu Stadium]]
| 48,221
| | [[Atsushi Onita]] vs. [[Sambo Asako]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Barbed Wire Massacre|no rope barbed wire]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|death match]] tournament final
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadspin.com/japanese-wrestlings-bomb-loving-cult-hero-is-coming-to-1797498762 |title=Japanese Wrestling's Bomb-Loving Cult Hero Is Coming To New Jersey |last=Bixenspan |first=David |date=August 3, 2017 |website=[[Deadspin.com]] }}</ref>
|-
| 4.
| [[UWF International|UWFi]]
| [[UWFi Pro Wrestling World Championship: Takada vs. Vader]] <br> {{dts|1993-12-05}}
| [[Meiji Jingu Stadium]]
| 46,168
| | [[Nobuhiko Takada]] (c) vs. [[Super Vader]] for the [[UWFI World Heavyweight Championship]]
|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cagesideseats.com/2018/10/5/17940754/the-final-fall-of-the-uwf |title=The Final Fall of the UW |last=Rohan |first=Jim |date=October 5, 2018 |website=CagesideSeats.com }}</ref>
|-
| 5.
| [[All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling|AJW]]
| [[Big Egg Wrestling Universe|Super Woman Great War: Big Egg Wrestling Universe]] <br> {{dts|1994-11-20}}
| [[Tokyo Dome]]
| 42,500
| | [[Akira Hokuto]] vs. [[Aja Kong]] in the V*TOP Woman Tournament final
|<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Meltzer |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Meltzer |date=November 28, 1994 |title=Akira Hokuto and Big Egg Wrestling Universe, first Clash post-Flair retirement, ECW vs. NWA war, tons more! |magazine=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]] |location=Campbell, California |quote=The figures were more than just record-breaking, they were astounding. It was more than just the 42,500 fans, which more than doubled the all-time record for a woman's wrestling show that held up for 53 years (19,000 fans for a match between Mildred Burke and Elvira Snodgrass in 1941 in Louisville).}}</ref>
|-
| 6.
| [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]
| [[FMW 4th Anniversary Show]] <br> {{dts|1993-05-05}}
| [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]]
| [[Kawasaki Stadium]]
| 41,000
| | [[Atsushi Onita]] vs. [[Terry Funk]] in a No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Timebomb Death match
| <ref name="PWInsider-FMW"/>
|-
| 7.
| [[Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi|PWFG]]
| [[Tokyo Dome Show]] <br> {{dts|1992-10-04}}
| rowspan=2|[[Tokyo]], Japan
| rowspan=2|[[Tokyo Dome]]
| 40,800
| | [[Masakatsu Funaki]] vs. [[Maurice Smith (kickboxer)|Maurice Smith]]
|<ref>{{cite book |last=Wall |first=Jeremy |date=2005 |title=UFC's Ultimate Warriors: The Top 10 |location=Toronto |publisher=ECW Press |page=46 |isbn=1550226916}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan=2|8.
| [[Super World of Sports|SWS]] / [[World Wrestling Federation|WWF]]
| [[Super World of Sports#Working relationship with the WWF|SuperWrestle]] <br /> {{dts|1991-12-12}}
|rowspan=2|40,000
| | [[Genichiro Tenryu]] vs. [[Hulk Hogan]]
| <ref name="Cawthon-1991">{{cite web |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/91.htm |title=Yearly Results: 1991 |last=Cawthon |first=Graham |date= |website=TheHistoryOfWWE.com |publisher= |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>
|-
| [[Michinoku Pro Wrestling|MPW]]
| [[Sendai Television Broadcasting Festival: Happy!! Juni*Land]] (Day 2) <br> {{dts|2006-11-05}}
| rowspan=2|[[Sendai, Miyagi]]
| rowspan=2|[[Sendai West Park Open Space]]
| | [[Jinsei Shinzaki]] and [[Shinjitsu Nohashi]] vs. [[Yoshitsune (wrestler)|Yoshitsune]] and [[Rasse (wrestler)|Rasse]]
|<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.purolove.com/misc/mpro/results/results06.php |title=Michinoku Pro-Wrestling Results: 2006 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Purolove.com }}</ref>
|-
| 9.
| [[Michinoku Pro Wrestling|MPW]]
| [[Sendai Television Broadcasting Festival: Happy!! Juni*Land]] (Day 1) <br> {{dts|2006-11-04}}
| 37,500
| | Jinsei Shinzaki and Shinjitsu Nohashi vs. The Great Sasuke and Yoshitsune
| 
|-
| 10.
| [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW]]
| [[FMW Summer Spectacular|Summer Spectacular]] <br> {{dts|1993-08-22}}
| [[Nishinomiya, Hyogo]]
| [[Hankyu Nishinomiya Stadium]]
| 36,223
| | Atsushi Onita vs. Mr. Pogo in a No Ropes Barbed Wire Exploding Cage Deathmatch for the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship
| 
|}