The Strangest Wrestling Event I Ever Attended
I’ve had the utmost pleasure of attending major PPV’s such as SummerSlam, multiple NXT TakeOver’s, AEW: Full Gear, TNA Bound for Glory along with weekly television programs such as NXT, Raw, Smackdown and ECW among others. While I’ve collected my fair share of fond memories, there have also been a select handful of undeniably strange local events that left me perplexed and scratching my head. Perhaps the most notable example of this was The League’s Wrestlerock debut event on July 14, 2007, in London, Ontario, Canada from the Western Fair Sports Centre.
Setting The Scene
At the time, I was just completing my radio broadcasting program at Fanshawe College and worked for 106.9 The X over the summer months as a way to remain active on-air while honing my craft. This proved to a wise investment of my time as upon graduating less than a year later, I almost immediately landed a gig to host my own mid-day show on an established FM country station roughly an hour away from home.
Being a professional wrestling fanatic, I volunteered to cover the event with my friend and colleague John as we received press passes. I borrowed a portable tape recorder from a journalism colleague to interview a handful of wrestlers in an effort to provide some audio for additional coverage if required.
This Card Is Subject To Change
In the months leading up to the event, I joined a message board dedicated to independent wrestling in Ontario.
An individual under the username “The League” was posting constant updates about the event along with additional pertinent details.
With a date established, the venue booked and an impressive card established, it appeared almost too good to be true, which will become a common theme as I continue to share my experience.
After going through about 3 or 4 iterations of the card, this is what was promoted as of early May.
Classic ECW's The Blue Meanie vs. Tyson Dux
Three Woman Elimination Match (Semi-final for the Lady of The League Title): Jaime D vs. Danyah vs. Tiana Ringer
London's Own Derek Wylde vs. Hayden Avery
Former WCW & TNA Star Norman Smiley vs. Quinson Valentino
TNA's Robert Roode vs. James Alexander
Forest City Tornado Team Title: Andrew & Bruno Davis w/Tiana Ringer vs. Cody Deaner & Jake O'Reilly.
TNA Stars Alex Shelley vs. Eric Young
Main Event Lumberjack Match: WWE Hall of Famers Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs. Tito Santana
At Ringside: The League General Manager: "The Genius" Lanny Poffo, Jason Sensation, and The Wizard of Ontario Wrestling (Official Canadian Agent of The Genius).
A local London band named Bobnoxious was also scheduled to perform until they were replaced by Tommyrot. Suddenly, the band was removed due to “rather extreme PA costs.”
Ticket prices were quite reasonable and set at $15 for a General Admission ticket, $25 for Ringside.
Note: The card listed above was altered again at least once or twice more prior to the event.
First Impressions
We arrived at the venue early and entered with our passes and were never greeted. There were a few tables set up in the lobby for autograph signings and pictures along with a very small number of seats set up which foreshadowed an alarmingly low attendance for a fairly sizeable space.
A wrestling ring is traditionally composed of an elevated steel beam and wood plank stage topped by foam padding along with a canvas cover. I quickly noticed that the foam padding was not completely level and almost seemed comprised of multiple uneven pieces taped together that created a visible bump in certain areas. My immediate thought was the potential hazard it could pose for the performers.
I also noticed there wasn’t any particular entrance area other than a few steel rods, a black curtain and a wooden box for the wrestlers to stand on as they walked out. While it would be unrealistic to expect the traditional bells and whistles of an established promotion, to say the lack of visual appeal was underwhelming would be a gross understatement.
Bobby Roode entered the squared circle to run the ropes and was visibly aggravated at the condition of the ring. He began to stomp on the even pieces of foam in order to flatten them.
Interviews
Prior to the event transpiring, I had an opportunity to meet and interview several performers featured on the card.
Lanny Poffo (who is always on) recited a poem from memory about Canada. I performed a fairly decent Macho Man impersonation, which he noted doing a better job at yet I quickly pointed out how they are related by blood, so he has an unfair advantage, which garnered a chuckle.
Norman Smiley and I discussed his runs in WCW and TNA while also reflecting on some of his inspirations. Norman as every bit as friendly as one would expect.
I’ve been fortunate enough to interview wrestlers from various major promotions, multi-platinum musicians and MMA fighters, but Tito Santana might just have been the most cordial of them all. With Tito, you immediately receive the feeling that you are conversing with an old friend. We discussed his past rivalry with Greg, I asked him about transitioning from football to wrestling and we even briefly chatted about Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit, who had just murdered his family and committed suicide weeks prior. As performers, he held those three in particularly high regard though he struggled to make sense of Benoit’s final days, as most of us did and still do.
Poor Greg Valentine initially asked where the video camera was despite the fact I was holding my audio recorder. While he was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time, Greg did not seem particularly enthused to be there.
The Event
In front of an incredibly underwhelming 180 fans, the performers went out and delivered a fairly standard house show event that was unmemorable. Given the TNA talent involved on the card, I empathized with their assumed disappointment.
During one of the intermissions, a fan-filmed me doing a Kurt Angle impersonation with Jason Sensation that was uploaded to YouTube and received a surprising amount of views at a time where the platform was just rising to prominence. It has since been removed, but I highly doubt you’re missing out on much.
Jason acted as the ring announcer while doing a handful of his famous impressions while Lanny Poffo acted more like the authority figure, but had little involvement.
Alex Shelley and Eric Young delivered the best match on the card while Tito and Greg worked on paper as a nostalgic draw, but lacked in execution as both performers were much older and decades removed from their prime.
Derek Wylde defeated Hayden Avery
The Blue Meanie defeated Eddie Osbourne w/Jessy Jones
Quinson Valentino w/The Wizard defeated Norman Smiley
Danyah defeated Cherry Bomb and Jen Blake in a 3-WAY Elimination match
Josh Alexander defeated Bobby Roode (This was a surprising outcome)
Cody Deaner & Jake O’Reilly b Andrew & Bruno Davis
Alex Shelley defeated “Showtime” Eric Young
Tito Santana defeated Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
Conclusion
I can’t begin to fathom the logistical nightmares involved with promoting a professional wrestling event, but given the low attendance, general lack of attention to detail and ambitious booking of talent that cost them too money (I estimate they only made $2,500 - $3,000 in gate revenue), it’s not surprising that The League quickly fizzled out shortly after their debut. That said, it holds a special place in my memory as arguably the strangest wrestling event I have ever attended.
