About 150 wrestling fans in Yorkton were treated to a show they likely hadn't seen in quite awhile and supposedly it will not be the last time they see it, either.
When the Canadian Wrestling's Elite (CWE) took centre stage at the old barn building in behind the Gallagher Centre, all eyes were on them as the pro wrestling association helped to re-acquaint the City of Yorkton with what general manager Danny Warren suggests is one of the best in alternative entertainment.
With the seasons in between hockey and baseball, a group of locals had the chance to take in something that Warren suggests has not been seen in Yorkton, at least not at the calibre his group offers.
"It was a great show," he told the paper. "The crowd had a lot of fun and were very supportive. It was a good, strong start (for us here in Yorkton)."
He told Yorkton This Week several weeks before the CWE came to town that he was so optimistic about things going well that he has already been in negotiations to book another CWE show in Yorkton sometime in the summer.
"There is definitely a foundation for it here. It (tonight) was a very positive response."
The CWE's debut in Yorkton included six matches, one of which included a fight between former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) tag team Road Dogg Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn. For the two, it marked a slight change of audience, going from selling out professional hockey arenas to something more reminiscent of a bar atmosphere in a small town.
Warren said Yorkton ranked somewhere in between but added that the small city has its advantages.
"It always depends on the facility," he replied when asked what the change for the fighters is like. We're growing at a rapid pace, but it's good here because we can be more personal with the smaller audience."
Warren seems more than a little enthusiastic about the CWE's return to town."It makes it enjoyable here," he said.
He added that it was good to schedule a show in a smaller community because there hasn't been wrestling entertainment value around in a long time, he said.
Part of the CWE's goal is to visit as many of the smaller Canadian cities as they can on their tour and hope that interest develops in the process.
Warren and co., have already made stops in Estevan, Weyburn, Regina, Yorkton and were headed out to Winnipeg where they are based, immediately following their Yorkton show.He added that the show will likely change around a bit when the CWE returns to Yorkton; factors will included fighters' schedules and various other commitments so those who experienced CWE for the first time here last week are likely in for another surprise come their next visit."Each town is different," Warren went on to explain. "It depends on wrestlers' availability."
He also suggests that for the group's next visit, there could be some surprises in the mix; he said that the use of pyrotechnics have been out of the question due to insurance purposes, but in time, they may be able to incorporate them.
