MARYSVILLE — The crowd at the Pacific Rim cheered, jeered and flat out set the tone for a night of rowdiness at the Tulalip Championship Wrestling Event, Saturday, July 22.
The 60 or more fans rooted on their favorites and harassed the ones they despised.
“There’s nothing like coming here and rooting and yelling,” longtime wrestling enthusiast Eric Chambers said. “It’s part of the show and that’s what makes it fantastic. We are really a part of the event. That’s why I always show up.”
There’s no confusion which wrestlers belong in the villain corner and which ones don’t.
The overly narcissistic Christopher Ryseck, also known as the Ideal Reflection, comfortably fits in the villain corner. Although he’s disliked for being candidly impressed with himself, Ryseck brings with him a humorous flair that could make the grumpiest of people laugh.
“It’s all about who is popular and who’s not,” wrestler Azul Angel said. “But it has to work both ways, too. I am popular with the crowd now, so I get a lot of cheers. But without the villains we’d be nothing. The more rotten they are the better it is for our sport.”
The scheduled bouts have nothing to do with wins and losses, power rankings or previous victories. There’s a champion and a No. 1 contender. On this night, the heavyweight champion Kellen Raeth squared off against Hollywood Damon James, whose whimsical catch phrase is “Sup Bro.” It’s a popular phrase with the fans, who echoed it each time James belted it out. Raeth defeated James and retained his title.
“I love this guy,” crowd member Adam Laurie said. “He’s has that likeable quality that the crowd can embrace.”
Although James can arguably fill both villain and hero roles, Canadian Cole Bishop is easily king of the bad guys. He is the No. 1 contender in the Can/Am Title, a bout that features a Canadian and an American. Dash Venture is the Can/Am defending champion. The two entertainers have met three times since February. Venture defeated Bishop on May 28 after losing the two previous bouts. In the end, Venture retained his championship belt.
“This is better than the championship bout,” Laurie said. “The fans are patriotic and that’s enough to make him the hero.”
Aaron Bolo is also fan favorite. He’s the quiet, likeable type. But an injury has sidelined him for the past few months. However, that didn’t stop him from charging the ring to back up a friend who was unfairly being tag teamed.
“It is killing me that I can’t wrestle,” he said. “I got injured after falling wrong. It was a fall I’ve done a million times. This type of wrestling is like a soap opera. I love it. We have so much fun, but it can be kind of rough.”
The results of matches were seemingly irrelevant, at least they were to the crowd. The entertainment value alone easily outweighed the overall results of the night. The small Pacific Rim Ballroom allows for an intimate experience for the enthusiastic fans and the high-spirited wrestlers.For more information on future events visit, www.tulalipchampionshipwrestling.com.
