Ever since WWE acquired the Mexican wrestling promotion AAA, their old dream of establishing the WWE brand and talent development all over the world seems to have returned.
Besides AAA and the well-known purchases of WCW and ECW, WWE made several purchases in the past like the AWA in 2003, FCW in 2008 and Evolve in 2020.
Since day one, WWE has been the driving force of change in the wrestling business, and it does not seem out of the realms of possibility that buying AAA is just the first step in a longer list of acquisitions of promotions in the upcoming years.
All across the planet, there are companies in a strategically intelligent position for WWE to capitalise on. Whether they will be used as a feeder to WWE or closed altogether – time will tell.
Here are some possible companies on WWE’s radar.
6. Progress
Progress is a key player in the British wrestling market.
Several WWE names like Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne and Drake Maverick originated from Progress Wrestling and by 2016 the company would start working with the likes of wXw and WWE.
Their wXw relationship got them names like Walter (Gunther) and Ilja Dragunov, while the deal with WWE saw Progress being the host for Cruiserweight Classic and NXT UK qualifier matches.
In addition, Progress Wrestling content was published on the WWE Network. Naturally, the past relationship between WWE and Progress could be the gateway to the company being purchased altogether.
Progress founder Jim Smallman still works for WWE as a talent scout to this day. Whatever this could mean for DEFY Wrestling, an American company Progress merged with in 2024, remains to be seen.
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5. ICW
ICW remains the only company where Triple H made an in-ring appearance outside of WWE in the last 20 years.
That alone might indicate that the Scottish promotion founded in 2006 is still on WWE’s radar. On top of that, the company has quite a resumé.
Highly popular current stars like Drew McIntyre and Noam Dar made their name in the company, and their ICW matches were published on the WWE Network in 2020.
The Scottish wrestling scene is buzzing, and WWE’s purchase of the company could be a way for them to get a hold of that market.
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4. wXw
wXw has grown to be Europe’s biggest wrestling promotion in the past few years. They have 25 years of experience on the market and are best known for their annual 16 Carat Gold tournament.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, Timothy Thatcher and Ilja Dragunov are among the names that gained popularity or even started out at Westside-Xtreme Wrestling.
Additionally, wXw’s content was seen on the WWE Network for longer than ICW and Progress, and the relationship between WWE and wXw still goes strong today, as WWE talent scout Jim Smallman has visited them at least twice this year already.
WWE purchasing wXw would be a game-changer for the European wrestling scene. It remains to be seen if that theory becomes a reality in the future.
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3. Pro Wrestling NOAH
Compared to the other promotions, the relationship between Japanese promotion NOAH and WWE is still relatively fresh.
The most significant results of that working relationship were Shinsuka Nakamura’s matches there in 2023 and 2025, the visit of Omos earlier this year, and the NXT run of Yoshiki Inamura.
Other crossovers have included NXT stars Tavion Heights and Josh Briggs being part of the N-1 tournament in 2024.
As WWE and NOAH keep building their interesting relationship, it may only be a matter of time for WWE to purchase the company to establish itself more in the Japanese market.
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2. TNA Wrestling
For years, TNA and WWE would be bitter rivals in the market. However, that all changed in 2024 when a talent exchange deal between WWE and TNA was announced.
TNA would send names like Moose, Rosemary, Alex Hammerstone and The Hardys over to NXT, while TNA would receive names like Cora Jade, Ashante Adonis and Fraxiom.
The biggest name to crossover, though, was TNA World Champion Joe Hendry, who not only became a regular on NXT but also appeared at WrestleMania 41 in a surprise match against Randy Orton.
Undoubtedly, the relationship can be described as a success, so there’s always a chance WWE might seal the deal and buy the company completely.
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1. New Japan Pro Wrestling
Unfortunately, New Japan Pro Wrestling is seemingly entering a phase of struggle.
Simultaneously, and definitely completely unrelated, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson posted a picture on his social media, looking down on an unsolved Rubik’s Cube, wearing an NJPW t-shirt.
Whether the board member of TKO, WWE’s parent company, was just making an unrelated post or if he actually plans to purchase one of the largest wrestling promotions in the world remains to be seen.
The late founder of NJPW, Antonio Inoki, is a WWE Hall of Famer, and he used to wrestle for the WWWF.
In addition, he was the company’s first and longest reigning WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion.
Therefore, it is not totally unrealistic that the current partner promotion of AEW could return to its origins and be bought by WWE.
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