Skip to content

Wrestling action returning to Yorkton

At Yorkdale Central School Sept. 15
YORKTON - All the action from body slams to full Nelsons and leaps off the top rope is set to return to Yorkton as Canadian Wrestling Elite has a show scheduled for Sept. 15. 

So how does it feel to finally be ‘back on the road’ with the show after months of near total inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic? 

“It has been absolutely electric across the three provinces we have been back to action in since July,” said Danny Duggan, the man behind CWE. “Never in CWE history nor any of the individual wrestler's history have we had this type of time off before so we have returned with an unmatched energy and an extra appreciation for what we do and the support we have from our incredible fans across the country.” 

And the roster of competitors has endured the lay-off and are back ready to go. 

“If any good came from the pandemic it probably extended everyone's career,” said Duggan. “Pre pandemic we are on the road the entire year without an off season. For most this was the first time in our entire career we had forced time off that wasn't from injury so it allowed everyone to rest and recover from the wear and tear and multitude of smaller injuries that come with the job and come back in much better condition than before.” 

But then how do wrestlers, as athletes, train during a pandemic? 

“CWE has a wrestling school based in Winnipeg, which is mainly focused on training the next crop of wrestlers but was heavily utilized for those that wanted it to keep in ring shape with multiple times a week training sessions,” said Duggan. 

Of course there is a business side to the entertainment show, and COVID has meant some new challenges in that regard. 

“It has really forced us to think short term opposed to long term and big picture as we have been unable to plan too far in advance without certainty the event can take place,” said Duggan. 

“At the beginning of the pandemic it was business as usual and we were mapping out our months and year to come but we quickly learned with restrictions changing and changing at the drop of a hat that it wasn't economical to continue to do so. The started storefront business is located in the same place year round and can always forward traffic to that location. In the entertainment business you are advertising and investing money into promoting and producing one night at a time let alone the amount of time and effort that goes into effectively doing so. If an event can't happen or has to change dates you are out a significant amount of promotional materials etc. dated for one date you realistically can't go and correct. You have to invest in a new date and start all over.  

“That added up very quickly in the beginning of the pandemic as we were hopeful events would be allowed only to continue to be postponed time and time again.” 

The Yorkton show, scheduled for Yorkdale Central School is part of a new School Is Back In Session Tour which will produce eight events across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta with four of those events being in Saskatchewan. 

“We at CWE have called Yorkton ‘our home away from home’ for years and we are beyond excited to return to that home for the first time in nearly two years,” said Duggan. “CWE attempts to involve itself in the communities we operate in as much as possible and it runs deeper in Yorkton than any other city for us.  

“CWE has an incredible relationship with Yorkdale Central School and its students that we have personally gotten to know and watch grow up and move on over the last five years from our direct involvement on our stops to partake in athletics and academics during our visits here as well as with other schools and organizations in the community.   

“Yorkton has been beyond supportive of CWE and we are excited to make up for some lost time and restore our relationship with the community.” 

So who can local fans expect to see in the ring on the 15th? 

The card will be officially announced in the coming weeks but a lot of top CWE stars will be in attendance including five-time CWE Champion "Hotshot" Danny Duggan, High Impact Wrestling Legend "The Canadian Rottweiler" Kash, CWE 123Approved.ca Hard-core Champion & Canadian Wrestling Legend EZ Ryder, Saskatchewan born talent Davey O'Doyle, Levi Night, Fil Deadly, and more to be announced.