Barrie Wrestling and Smash Wrestling are coming together to bring wrestling to Orillia.
“It’s one of those things where if we are going to do it, we are going to do it right,” said Barrie Wrestling owner Shawn Gibson.
Gibson began running his Barrie promotion in 2014, and has been working on expanding his wrestling operations to Orillia for almost as long.
“This has taken so long because we want to make sure it’s done right, and we wanted to make sure this won’t be just a one-off.”
Gibson reassures wrestling fans who have seen promotions come and go that he is committed to Orillia for the long-term.
Smash Wrestling is the premier wrestling organization in the province and, arguably, in the country. Smash is home to some of the best wrestling talent in the world and they will be bringing their star power with them to Orillia.
Smash Wrestling broadcasts most of their shows on The Fight Network, and although Gibson couldn’t confirm, he implied that there is a potential for the Orillia shows to be televised as well.
Gibson did confirm that the Orillia promotion will showcase current Barrie Wrestling Women’s champion Jody Threat, and heavyweight champion Tyson Dux, who had a brief stint with the WWE competing in their Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016.
Gibson’s confidence in the promotions success is sky high; he says Orillia has been hungry for wrestling for quite a while.
“Orillia has been starving for wrestling. I can’t think of a city that wants wrestling more than Orillia,” Gibson said.
The inaugural show in Orillia is being billed as Mariposa Mayhem. It is slated for March 23. Bell time is 5 p.m. at the Orillia Christian School on Gill Street.
For ticket information, visit the website.
