The controversial federation of Back Alley Wrestling (BAW) is comprised of un-trained fans in a self-sanctioned, non-professional environment known in the underground wrestling world as "Alleys."  BAW is an underground federation founded by three CIT students in 2004:  Jim Fappel, Billy Baldwin, and Steven Sinclair.  These prodigies created a mathematical formula that would allow underground backyard wrestlers, street fighters, and cage fighters to finance and run their own federations in their respective states.

This genius system requires fighters to pay monthly dues through a system similar to Pay Pal that is linked to a Chairman in each state; the state then sends the funds to BAW.  These funds pay for professionally filmed and produced wrestling shows, videos, and even matches that require travel. Championship belts, promotional items, and winners’ pay purses are also financed by these funds.  In addition, most states currently have their own BAW tour buses.

It was reported last year that BAW earned $14.6 million.   All of the money was provided by BAW participants across the nation. The BAW has become so popular that there is an estimated 9 million wrestlers in the United States and Canada who are registered. This makes for county, city, state, regional, and coastal recognized national champions. The BAW consists mostly  of males between the ages of 18 and 40.  Although back alley wrestling was not unheard of prior to the 1990s, the modern backyard wrestling "craze" lasted from roughly 1996 to 2003.  That’s when the BAW started a new level of underground wrestling by recruiting MMA fighters, bouncers, boxers, gang members, and backyard wrestlers to come together and form a federation in Maryland.  This special federation would refuse to be transformed into merely an artistic form of professional wrestling with fake moves and gimmicks.

The BAW is raw, is real, and is no holds barred. Most matches are set in a discrete location that can vary from state to state.  For example, Tennessee may have a barn match, while Chinatown Champion Le Lu only fights in underground cage matches. Every month, a pay-per-view event brings together champions from across the nation to a secret location for the main event, known as the "Alley Walk.”  Bets are made, titles are awarded, and only the strong survive in one piece. These Alley Walks also determine the ranking system nationwide, as well as help decide who earns a trip to Rumble Land in Las Vegas to represent BAW at wrestling’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year.