ESTEVAN — Professional wrestling fans in the Estevan area can look forward to a show from the Midget Wrestling Warriors (MWW) promotion June 26 at the Power Dodge Curling Centre, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Owner Short Sleeve Sampson (real name Dan DiLucchio), said it will be a "phenomenal show". Ten wrestlers, including men and women, will be entertaining the fans as part of MWW's Reborn Tour.
"It's going to be a great night for wrestling fans to be able to watch it, to be able to see it, to be able to experience it, to … cheer for the good guys, boo the bad guys, and it's an opportunity for fans to be able to come out, to leave everything that's happening in this world behind them for two hours and just to enjoy a great night of wrestling," said Sampson, who stands 4'2" and weighs 120 pounds.
Everyone on the tour has been professionally trained at a wrestling school and know how to safely execute the moves, he said.
"In doing that, I feel that they can provide a bigger entertainment show for the fans," he said.
Sampson has extensive in-ring experience. He said he was a fan from his youngest days, going to live shows and watching it on TV.
"Then, when I got to be an adult, I had a couple of choices to make, and one of them for me was to be a professional wrestler," said Sampson.
During his career, he made numerous appearances for the WWE and other national promotions, and he travelled across the continent thanks to his skills. Sampson said he enjoyed the opportunity to perform in front of the fans, which he called "an adrenaline rush".
"You go into the ring, and then basically you're welcomed into a whole new world, the fact that it's wrestling. It's live. There's no re-dos or no do-overs. You have one shot to basically put a match together that will entertain the fans. I loved that opportunity. I loved that adrenaline. I loved that spectacle. All of it."
In 2014, after a 15-year career, Sampson announced he was retiring from professional wrestling with a 40-city tour of North America so he could thank promoters and fans for their support. During the tour, he was offered the chance to begin his own promotion, and so he launched the Midget Wrestling Warriors.
When he first started the promotion, he said the U.S. was "oversaturated" with midget wrestling, with at least six different promotions. He brought MWW to Canada, which didn't have such businesses. MWW was getting ready to have a tour of Western Canada in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled their plans.
"With being shut down and being at home, I decided to work harder, and I rebranded everything, and in doing that … we got a lot more shows," said Sampson.
Estevan will be the final stop of a Western Canadian tour. Sampson said only one show hasn't sold out, even though they perform in larger venues.
"Where other promotions are a smaller conglomerate because of the fact that they'll do bar shows and smaller entertainment [venues], I'm excited that the Midget Wrestling Warriors, we do much bigger shows. We do casinos, event centres, fairs and festivals."
Knucklehead Promotions 2025 is bringing the show to Estevan. Tickets can be purchased at the Ice Factory, The Tower Café, The Floor Store and Estevan Flower Crew.
