Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Mar 22, 2015 16:46:27 GMT -6
www.fredericknewspost.com/z/content_type/news_article/pro-wrestling-could-become-a-mainstay-in-frederick/article_4e80fc4a-83d4-5e75-b2d5-95589f4e383a.html
Pro wrestling could become a mainstay in Frederick
When it comes to professional wrestling, Frederick County isn’t at the top of many lists, but that may soon change if the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion has its way.
A midsized organization with enough clout to pull big name headliners for its events, the MCW held its first event at the Frederick Indoor Sports Center in October, drawing about 400 spectators, said MCW president and co-owner Dan McDevitt. The promotion returned for round two Saturday night with two title matches and several former World Wrestling Entertainment superstars in its lineup, this time drawing closer to 700 excited fans to the complex off Brookfield Court.
“The people here are great. They’ve welcomed us. Obviously when you get double the attendance from one event to the next that’s a compliment in itself, so yeah; the people are great, the facility is awesome, and we really like it,” McDevitt said as fans poured into the sports center before the first match.
That’s why, looking ahead, pro wrestling fans in Western Maryland may have a newer, much closer to home destination to add to their calendars.
With Matt Hardy and Martin “The Boogeyman” Wright headlining Saturday’s sold-out event, McDevitt and his co-owner, Dennis Wipprecht, will be paying close attention to their next planned event in Frederick, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17.
“We’ll make a judgment after we see how things go tonight and this coming October and maybe, in 2016, we’ll increase the schedule a little bit here,” McDevitt said. “If things continue to increase, we might go into three or four times a year as opposed to twice.”
The possibility of more high action, high drama wrestling events in Frederick County sat quite well with many members of the crowd at Saturday’s event.
Clayton and Alison Burgee bought tickets to Saturday’s match for Alison’s son, Jimmy Clements, 11, who is a longtime fan of the Boogeyman. While the Frederick couple have been to wrestling events in Hagerstown and Washington, they haven’t been to any similar events in Frederick.
“Probably because they haven’t had very many until now,” Alison said.
“We’ll be at every one if they start coming here more often,” Clayton added, smiling at his stepson.
Another longtime fan, Union Bridge resident Conor Dolan, was thrilled to experience his first live show. His father, Mike Dolan, got the 13-year-old tickets in the second row for his birthday.
“Just being that close to the ring is exciting, and now standing here with the wrestlers right behind me? That’s really cool,” Conor said as he stood in line waiting for his chance to meet Matt Hardy, a former WWE wrestler best known for his tag team championship wins with his brother, Jeff Hardy.
Hardy was just as excited to meet the many fans at Saturday’s event. As a young wrestler who came up in similar midsized circuits in North Carolina and even through the MCW’s ranks itself, Hardy said he was pumped to perform for the fans in an emerging market like Frederick.
“They’re just really excited to be here and to see wrestling, you know? Not necessarily to see overdramatic, soap opera angles happening, they just want to see good wrestling and they want to be entertained by athletes and not 20 minutes of talking,” Hardy said.
For Joel Alligood, the sport’s complex’s program director, the idea of future successful pro wrestling events was a huge plus.
“I’ve been handing out all of our pamphlets with camps and programs to everyone coming in,” Alligood said. “... At the very least, I just introduced (600), maybe 700 people to this facility who might not have known about us otherwise, and if one person signs up? It was worth it.”
Pro wrestling could become a mainstay in Frederick
When it comes to professional wrestling, Frederick County isn’t at the top of many lists, but that may soon change if the Maryland Championship Wrestling promotion has its way.
A midsized organization with enough clout to pull big name headliners for its events, the MCW held its first event at the Frederick Indoor Sports Center in October, drawing about 400 spectators, said MCW president and co-owner Dan McDevitt. The promotion returned for round two Saturday night with two title matches and several former World Wrestling Entertainment superstars in its lineup, this time drawing closer to 700 excited fans to the complex off Brookfield Court.
“The people here are great. They’ve welcomed us. Obviously when you get double the attendance from one event to the next that’s a compliment in itself, so yeah; the people are great, the facility is awesome, and we really like it,” McDevitt said as fans poured into the sports center before the first match.
That’s why, looking ahead, pro wrestling fans in Western Maryland may have a newer, much closer to home destination to add to their calendars.
With Matt Hardy and Martin “The Boogeyman” Wright headlining Saturday’s sold-out event, McDevitt and his co-owner, Dennis Wipprecht, will be paying close attention to their next planned event in Frederick, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 17.
“We’ll make a judgment after we see how things go tonight and this coming October and maybe, in 2016, we’ll increase the schedule a little bit here,” McDevitt said. “If things continue to increase, we might go into three or four times a year as opposed to twice.”
The possibility of more high action, high drama wrestling events in Frederick County sat quite well with many members of the crowd at Saturday’s event.
Clayton and Alison Burgee bought tickets to Saturday’s match for Alison’s son, Jimmy Clements, 11, who is a longtime fan of the Boogeyman. While the Frederick couple have been to wrestling events in Hagerstown and Washington, they haven’t been to any similar events in Frederick.
“Probably because they haven’t had very many until now,” Alison said.
“We’ll be at every one if they start coming here more often,” Clayton added, smiling at his stepson.
Another longtime fan, Union Bridge resident Conor Dolan, was thrilled to experience his first live show. His father, Mike Dolan, got the 13-year-old tickets in the second row for his birthday.
“Just being that close to the ring is exciting, and now standing here with the wrestlers right behind me? That’s really cool,” Conor said as he stood in line waiting for his chance to meet Matt Hardy, a former WWE wrestler best known for his tag team championship wins with his brother, Jeff Hardy.
Hardy was just as excited to meet the many fans at Saturday’s event. As a young wrestler who came up in similar midsized circuits in North Carolina and even through the MCW’s ranks itself, Hardy said he was pumped to perform for the fans in an emerging market like Frederick.
“They’re just really excited to be here and to see wrestling, you know? Not necessarily to see overdramatic, soap opera angles happening, they just want to see good wrestling and they want to be entertained by athletes and not 20 minutes of talking,” Hardy said.
For Joel Alligood, the sport’s complex’s program director, the idea of future successful pro wrestling events was a huge plus.
“I’ve been handing out all of our pamphlets with camps and programs to everyone coming in,” Alligood said. “... At the very least, I just introduced (600), maybe 700 people to this facility who might not have known about us otherwise, and if one person signs up? It was worth it.”