Highly anticipated pro wrestling show nears at Nanaimo’s Frank Crane Arena

“You’re taking out loans, you’re doing what needs to be done to pay for these shows. But hopefully the reward is greater than the risk and then you can continue doing it. If this goes well then who knows, maybe we’ll start planning a WrestleFest 2.0,” Laredo said.

A VIP match starts at 5:30 p.m. for early entrants at an additional cost, followed by the doors opening at 6:30 in advance of the show starting at 7:00.

Potentially the largest independent wrestling show in western Canada in more than 25 years, Laredo expects the event will run until approximately 9:30 p.m.

He said a lot of time planning and money went into this event, which he concedes in a sense puts his reputation on the line.

“This isn’t something that just happens overnight…A lot of promoters dream and want something like this and here we are making it happen,” Laredo told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Government-imposed COVID health restrictions aside, VIPW is nearing its 11th year of consistently putting on shows, a feat many indie wrestling observers thought was a pipe dream.

“To be able to showcase yourself on a scale like this, it’s not very common in the independent scene,” Laredo said, who’s proud to offer a family-friendly product.

Crowds have swelled in recent years, culminating in an over-flowing crowd of more than 500 people at VIPW’s 10th anniversary show at Nanaimo’s Centennial Building late last September.

At that event, Nanaimo’s own Mat Maverick captured his first VIPW heavyweight championship title in a six-person tables, ladders and chair match.

He’s since lost the prized hardware and desperately wants it back.

Standing in his way is insufferable champ Drayco, known as the Hillbilly Hounddog, who crowd favourite Maverick will face in the main event steel cage match.

Bitter feud

Maverick and his father were savagely attacked last month at Centennial Building by Drayco and his underhanded henchman ‘The Class Act’ Ty Cordova.

With his teeth grinding in anger during a phone interview, Maverick guaranteed the shocking and embarrassing onslaught wouldn’t go unanswered.

“They put their hands on my father, Dray is going to get what’s coming to him. It’s redemption time, I don’t plan on holding back at all,” Maverick said.

The popular Nanaimo born and raised grappler vowed to introduce both Drayco and Cordova’s faces to the steel cage.

An established star with multiple championships to his name since making his independent wrestling debut in 2018, Drayco is the VIPW heavyweight champion and lets everybody know it.

“I crush beers, I win championships, I get paid, and I go home,” the obnoxious Drayco said.

Drayco quickly discounted Maverick’s claims that he and Cordova’s beef morphed well beyond the realm of human decency.

“It’s psychological warfare. He’s weak and he’s emotional,” a smug Drayco said, who stated while he owns multiple properties he’s living rent-free in Maverick’s head.

“We’ll see how Mat Maverick behaves when the bright lights are on him and he’s in front of all of his beloved family and people from Nanaimo and the Island,” the Chilliwack product proclaimed.

Tickets to WrestleFest can be purchased online here, with partial proceeds being donated to KidSport Nanaimo.

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

Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

Highly anticipated pro wrestling show nears at Nanaimo’s Frank Crane Arena

More Local News