Mat Maverick was crowned the VIPW heavyweight champion following a six-member tables, ladders and chairs match on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Beban Park's Centennial Building. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

increasingly popular

‘We definitely proved them wrong:’ VIPW celebrates 10 years of high-flying entertainment

Sep 27, 2023 | 5:58 AM

NANAIMO — A standing-room-only crowd at a recent show is the latest of many signs Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling (VIPW) is rumbling with popularity.

Opinions of many independent wrestling observers figured VIPW would fizzle out within months.

All these years later the popular promotion of putting on regular action-packed events is drawing increasing attendance figures, capped by well over 500 people at Nanaimo’s Centennial Building for VIPW’s tenth anniversary show on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Co-owner and established wrestler BJ Laredo admits he wasn’t sure his indie wrestling dream would be sustainable, telling NanaimoNewsNOW the focus was ignoring the doubters and lasting at least one year.

“We definitely proved them wrong. Hitting this 10-year mark is a monumental thing, not just for Island wrestling, but companies in general, a lot of them don’t last,” Laredo said.

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BJ Laredo, along with fellow VIPW wrestler The Cremator (Cody Washington) own the company. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

A day removed from a gruelling six-person tables, ladders and chairs match, Laredo reminisced on the successful show and the past decade.

He said consistently putting on shows is critical in building up a brand to attract quality wrestlers and a loyal fan base.

“How can we build a return? That’s big in the wrestling world because if you don’t have that story then all you’re doing is having these spot fests and nobody is invested and entertained for a long time,” Laredo said.

VIPW is booked solid with shows just about every month through next year, Laredo noted.

After further exposing the VIPW to fairs on the Island and a highly attended show at Ladysmith Days, Laredo said he’d like to stage a pinnacle event at a place like Nanaimo’s Frank Crane Arena at some point in the future.

He said they’re always looking at different markets and venues to expose their product, which features a range of different kinds of wrestlers and characters, along with comedy and entertainment.

“I think we do really well with our production value, in-ring stuff, story-telling — we have the right keys and the right qualities to have that massive show,” Laredo said.

If working a full-time job and putting on wrestling shows wasn’t enough for a family man like Laredo, he established a training centre in 2021 to hone talent to hopefully graduate to the VIPW roster.

Scotty Mac, 44, is considered the most decorated professional wrestlers in the Pacific Northwest, having won countless titles with numerous promotions over the course of a nearly 24-year career.

Along with wrestling, Mac has trained talent and owned an independent wrestling company.

He, like many others, didn’t think VIPW had a future.

A current VIPW tag-team champion, he said strong character development and engaging storylines are evident throughout the promotion.

“The consistency to putting on great shows, bringing over the talent needed and raising their own home-grown talent on the Island has been a recipe for success for them, clearly,” Scotty Mac told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Despite the physically demanding nature of the business, Scotty Mac is determined to make many more trips in and out of the ring.

He said the wrestling business means everything to him.

“I can’t stop, I’ve been doing it longer than I haven’t, its always been my favourite thing to do is be a wrestling villain and I’ll continue to do it for as long as I can, for as long as my body holds up.”

Only three months into his pro wrestling career, ‘The Class Act’ Ty Cordova said VIPW is punching well above its weight class.

The Nanaimo resident serves as an agent who manages Scotty Mac and his tag-team partner Drayco.

Drayco (L) and Ty Cordova (R) during the recent VIPW 10th anniversary show at the Centennial Building in Nanaimo. (Dylan Phillips Photography)

Cordova, who dons a blazer and carries a suitcase undoubtedly containing important documents, said he long dreamt of being in the pro wrestling business.

He, like many teenagers, was into backyard wrestling along with his younger brother while growing up in Winnipeg, MB.

“Interestingly enough the character that I’m portraying now was a character I portrayed 25 years ago in my backyard. For me it’s kind of just my normal personality I think, times a hundred,” Cordova said.

The former comedian said the entire VIPW family, led by a strong group of veteran wrestlers, has positioned the promotion strongly for the future.

“With them at the helm, VIPW is flourishing and there’s no reason why we can’t get bigger and bigger for the next 10 years.”

More information on VIPW, including upcoming shows, can be found here.

The next VIPW event in Nanaimo, ‘Headlocks for Hunger,’ takes place at the Centennial Building at Beban Park on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 25.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes