Local wrestler looks to make home town proud

Just trying to do the family proud.

On the day after Canada Day – local wrestler and all-around good guy T.S. Cutler- will enter the squared-circle to grapple with Xander Price – a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada looking to“hit the jack pot by beating the hometown boy,” according to CO of Operations, Mr. Featherstone.

The match is just one of the main events featured at the seven-event Maple Leaf Mayhem at the Sylvan Lake Community Center at 5:45 p.m. The event is being hosted by the CanadianWrestling Coalition, who has been getting hundreds of fans off their seats for over a year now.

“The Canadian Wrestling Coalition is a Central Alberta based company,” Featherstone said. “We are just trying to bring back that old-school style of wrestling.

“We try to make it family-friendly, but we are always trying to push the envelope and make sure we get a reaction and that everyone goes home happy.”

To properly prepare for the event, the performers – including heavyweight champion Shaun Martens and his challenger Johnny Kickass – train over 10 hours per week.

Kickass, who according to Mr. Featherstone is an “up and comer”, is looking to dethrone Martens who has allegedly “lied, cheated and stole” his way to the top of the CWC.

“It’s a classic good versus evil match,” Featherstone said.

The event not only promises to thrill; it also is in support of the MS Society of Canada – where proceeds will be donated to help fund Multiple Sclerosis research.

For pro wrestlers, according to Featherstone, countless hours not only go into physical skills – but also the public perception you bring in from the crowds.

“Some of the guys have been working on it for 20 years,” he said. “We are trying to bring out who people really are. There is no way to make a character – they just become themselves over a long process.

“It really is just figuring out who they are and then just turning it up to 11.”

The CWC has also grown and developed over time, with early shows last year being more intimate settings with 40-50 fans attending – to now where gyms will be packed with upwards of400 people.

“No matter what, we are going out there and trying to get a reaction from fans and get them into our corner,” Featherstone said. “More people and more pressure.”

Other matches of the night include former CWC Heavyweight Champ Jack Pride retuning to the ring after going MIA after his loss to Dylon Stone back in April and a special flag match where competitors have to pull either the American or Canadian flag down from the rafters.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door and more information can be found at cwcwrestling.com.

Featherstone added that they are looking forward to bringing “entertainment and a fun time into the community of Sylvan lake.

reporter@sylvanlakenews.com