A professional wrestling promotion is bringing the sport to Airdrie this winter, with monthly performances at the Airdrie Town and Country Centre.
CanAm Wrestling will offer another high-octane show at the Airdrie Town and Country Centre on Feb. 19, after holding two earlier performances in January and December. The live spectacles provide attendees the chance to watch World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)-style wrestling in person.
Otto Gentile, CEO of CanAm Wrestling and the Alberta Wrestling Academy, said the Airdrie shows are part of CanAm's regular touring schedule, which has been taking the wrestling promotion throughout southern Alberta this year.
“The growth we’re hoping for is going to be across Canada, which we were doing 25 years ago,” he said.
CanAm's wrestling roster includes the likes of 'The Mystic' Jordie Taylor, 'Big Business' Sydney Steele, 'Headline' Shaun Martens, 'the Canadian Crusher' AJ Sanchez, 'the Heroic Headbanger' Jordan Aries, and others who Gentile noted have been in the wrestling business for multiple decades.
“A lot of these guys have been in the business for 20, 25 years,” Gentile said. “The talent is just incredible.”
The first two shows in Airdrie this winter attracted several dozen attendees, according to Gentile, who added he hopes to see more wrestling fans out this weekend.
He said their January show coincided with a severe cold snap in Alberta, but despite the frigid weather, around 40 fans still braved the cold to come out and cheer on the wrestlers.
“It’s starting to grow and the attention is starting to spread, he said, adding local sponsors of the Airdrie shows include the Funky Petals flower shop, Supplement Kings, and the Airdrie Legion.
Wrestling is currently on an upswing in terms of popularity, according to Gentile, thanks to the television rivalry between the WWE and All Elite Wrestling.
“It seems wrestling has a seven-year-up, and then a seven-year-down,” he said. “Right now, we’re just catching that seven-year-up again, so I’m hoping it’s going to continue growing in popularity like it has been.”
Professional wrestling is a great form of live entertainment, Gentile said, and is suitable for people of all demographics.
“People love wrestling,” he said. “It’s not an age thing, it’s not a male thing. It’s an entertainment for everybody.
“If you like drama, there’s drama. If you like comedy, there’s comedy. If you like action, there’s action.”
Tickets to the Feb. 19 show range from $13 to $34. They can be purchased online at Canamwrestling.ca or by calling Gentile at 403-369-3677. He added Funky Petals also sells tickets in person.
Community outreach
According to Gentile, CanAm Wrestling is about more than just entertainment. He said the organization is also focused on community outreach in the form of partnerships with anti-bullying organizations and support groups that battle addiction and substance misuse.
“When we come into these communities, we’re not just an entertainment company,” Gentile said. “We’re a company that brings a message.”
He noted CanAm is partnered with Oxford House, which is a housing facility for people recovering from substance addiction.
Another organization CanAm is partnered with is Bikers Are Buddies Canada.
“I saw what they stood for and did for kids, and I wanted to help,” Gentile said. “These guys want to try eliminating bullying one community at a time. To be partnered with people like this is absolutely phenomenal. They back us 110 per cent, have been to every single event we’ve done, and we’re starting to go to every single one of theirs as well.”
Gentile said CanAm created a program called the AWABAB, which is a double-meaning acronym that stands for both 'Alberta Wrestling Academy Bikers Are Buddies' and 'Alberta Wrestling Academy Battling Against Bullying.'
He added CanAm and Bikers Are Buddies also have an adopt-a-buddy program, which subsidizes tickets to CanAm wrestling shows for youth from low-income homes.
“We want to come into these communities and help as much as we can,” Gentile said. “We know there’s bullying going on at schools, on social media, at home, and in the public eye. It happens and we know it’s there, so we want to try to deliver our message, give them the education, give them the outreach and support they need, and just let these kids know there are adults that do care about what happens to the youth coming up behind us.”
