Windsor promoter reviving Maple Leaf Wrestling brand
The Windsor man who used to run Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling is reviving the Maple Leaf Wrestling brand with events Saturday and Sunday at St. Clair College.
Scott D'Amore is calling the new venture Maple Leaf Pro (MLP) Wrestling.
It's been 40 years since Canada had its own national wrestling company, he said.
His goal is to be a "bridge between that unbelievable wrestling history that this country has and the bright future that it can have," he said.
"There was a time when Canadian wrestling was fizzling out in the '80s, and Bret Hart is really the guy who stood up and said, 'We have to be, as Canadians, [helping] Canadians,'" D'Amore said.
Showcasing Canadian talent
"And I think MLP is a perfect way to continue that tradition that Bret Hart started and make sure that there's a platform for Canadians to be seen worldwide, to show that they're world class and to give them those opportunities … to move on to grander stages in the U.S. and elsewhere."
Canadians currently struggle to get opportunities in the U.S. because the threshold to qualify for work visas is extremely high and requires proving that one is as good or better than American talent, he added.
The original Maple Leaf Wrestling was founded by Jack Corcoran in 1930 as the Queensbury Athletic Club, according to Edmonton-based pro wrestling historian Vance Nevada, who spoke to CBC about the business in August.
Its events drew crowds of up to 20,000 at venues that included Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.
It was purchased by John and Frank Tunney in the late 1930s and sold to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF) – later World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) - in 1984.
D'Amore told CBC that, for him, Maple Leaf Wrestling was synonymous with sharing experiences with people he loved.
"Being here in Windsor at Hotel-Dieux Hospital, my grandfather was quite ill, and as a young child, [I was] quite scared," D'Amore explained.
"And the one hour every week that it seemed that I wasn't scared to be there in the hospital was that one hour that wrestling was on Saturdays."
Watching wrestling with his grandfather made the world OK for an hour, he said.
"It gives people a chance to disconnect from all the hustle and bustle and the stress of the real world and get lost in a bit of fantasy and just, enjoy. That's why I've dedicated 30-plus years of my life to trying to provide that to people."
Windsor-based wrestler El Reverso, who is part of this weekend's ticket, said he grew up watching Jack Tunney on the WWF, when Tunney played the role of company president.
He said the opportunity to wrestle for Maple Leaf is a "huge honour," comparable to playing for the Stanley Cup.
"This is what I've worked my whole career for," he said.
"I've been in the gym. I've been at the wrestling school. I've been training constantly. I'm not taking this lightly at all. I'm looking to go out there and show everyone exactly what I can do with that athleticism."
This weekend's bill also includes QPW Qatar champion Classy Ali and wrestlers from New Japan Wrestling, Tokyo Joshi Wrestling and others, D'Amore said.