Professional wrestling is a sports phenomenon that’s been hugely popular since the late 1970’s or earlier, and shows no signs of slowing down. Local wrestling fans have some very good news: pro wrestling is coming to Wetaskiwin this summer.
The Prairie Wrestling Alliance is coming to Edmonton International Raceway this August 5 in cooperation with the racetrack, noted EIR spokesperson Loretta Thiering May 31.
Thiering says she and husband Ron are friends with one of the PWA’s main organizers and do cross-promotion between the two organizations. “We’re kind of a partner with them,” she said.
Thiering said they’ve noticed a lot of the EIR stock car fans are also fans of PWA’s pro wrestling.
Thiering said she’s attended one of PWA’s cards and it’s very exciting, with lots of interesting characters, storylines and action. She said PWA fans really get into the atmosphere of the event, and raceway fans will get a chance to watch wrestling right after races are completed that night. “We’re really excited about that,” she added..
According to Wikipedia, “The Prairie Wrestling Alliance (PWA, formerly Prairie Wrestling Association) is an independent wrestling promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, since 2001. The PWA is owned, operated, and promoted by Kurt Sorochan. Lance Storm is a former booker with the promotion.
“The PWA was established in March 2001 by Kurt Sorochan, Tex Gaines, and Hercules Ayala. Their first shows were outside of Edmonton due to the difficulty of getting a promoter’s license. Their first show in Edmonton drew over 700 people.[2]
“In 2003, they put on monthly events, which got mostly good reviews. The following year in 2004, however, they put on fewer shows due to scheduling conflicts. The company re-launched its shows in October 2004 with Night of Champions.
“The PWA currently runs shows monthly in Edmonton at the Northgate Lions Senior Recreation Center and Calgary at the Century Casino. On January 20, 2014, the PWA announced that they would start running shows in Red Deer on May 22, 2014 On May 31, 2014 the PWA ran its first show in Lloydminster Saskatchewan and Alberta.”
Thiering said the pro wrestling will be held after the Aug. 5 races are completed. A portable wrestling ring will be set up in the track pit area and organizers estimated there should be about five matches held.
Admission may be slightly more Aug. 5 to reflect the extra action.
Find more information about the PWA on their website, http://pwawrestling.ca, on YouTube or Facebook.