ICWF brings professional wrestling to Republic

Hundreds turns out for inaugural sports entertainment showcase
 
ICWF Professional Wrestling Entertainment held their first pro-wresting event in Republic at CrossFit Republic on Saturday, May 15. Called “The Awakening,” the show featured six tag-team and solo wrestling matches, culminating in the final match between wrestlers Justin “Buns of Steel” Fowler and “Double D.” Attendance at the show was estimated at 200.
In each match, the wrestlers, often dressed in flamboyant costumes and carrying props such as barbed-wire wrapped skateboards and rocket launchers, would exchange blows, toss each other on the mat, and make acrobatic leaps from the top of the ring. Sometimes, the action would spill out of the ring as the wrestlers would take the match to the floor area.

Crowd happy to interact
Spectators would often get into the action, cheering or booing at wrestlers during the matches. Wrestler Graham Bell, who also goes by the name “The Merc” in the ring, said such interactions between wrestlers and fans was “the crux” of what they do. He compared the rivalries between wrestlers to the struggle between Luke Skywalker and the Empire in “Star Wars.” Who people chose to side with, he said, depended on how they identified with the wrestlers.“It’s a lot in how you carry yourself, and it goes way beyond yelling ‘You suck’ or throwing your arms up when you come through the curtain,” he said. “Different things resonate with different fans. Some fans like the cheekier fun guys who come out with foam thumbs and challenge people to thumb wars. A lot of people like guys like me who throw heavy strikes that you can hear and know aren’t faked. We’ll hit each other in the chest and we’ll kick each other. It’s a three-ring circus; there’s something here for everyone.”
Not just a TV industry
Charles Ponder, owner of ICWF, said independent wrestling shows like “The Awakening” provide better
entertainment than larger events which they might have to watch on TV.
“Indie promotions are what keep the big boys still going,” he said, “because indie promotions are where
people get entertained more than they do in the bigger promotions. A lot of the time, they can’t go to
those (bigger) events, so they have to watch it on TV. It’s better in person.”
Jackson Kilburn, 15, who came to the event, said he enjoyed “the entertainment behind” the show.
“We’re getting a little laugh out of it,” he said.
Justice Bennett, who heard about the event while working out at Cross Fit, said she found the wrestling
to be “very entertaining” and “hilarious,” adding that her favorite part was watching “a lot of big-bodied
men getting slammed around.”
Macy Mitchell, owner of CrossFit Republic, said he was pleased with how the night went.
“I didn’t even know what to envision,” he said. “I honestly think it went as good as it could have gone, and
I think it’s only going to get better as time goes on. I was really pleased.”
Not just wrestlers, but entertainers
Mike Outlaw, who wrestled in the opening match, said entertaining children was what he enjoys most of
what he does.
“I like performing for the kids,” he said. “I like getting the kids involved, getting them emotionally involved
and taking them on that roller coaster that is professional wrestling and the very finish of the match and
seeing how excited how they get for it.”
Don’t try this at home
Outlaw also had a message for those who were thinking of trying to imitate at home what they saw the
wrestlers do: “Don’t.”
“If you want to do this, it’s like any other sport that you see on TV,” he said. “You can’t just jump off the
couch and go play football in the NFL. You have to get in the gym, you have to get in shape for this. You
have to work for this.”
Bell agreed.
“There’s a lot of training that goes into ... doing it well, because if you’re not safe, it is very dangerous,”
he said. “People get hurt all the time when they’re not trained properly and don’t have years of
experience.”
Running it back June 19
The ICWF will return to CrossFit Republic on June 19 for their Seven Stars Tournament, in which seven
wrestlers will compete to see who will be the first to wear the ICWF Championship Belt. Doors for the

event will open at 6 p.m., and the event will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, go online to
https://www.icwfprowrestling.com or call (417)731-8174.