It ’s a risky Saturday night inside Minneapolis ’ famed First Avenue nightclub . Roughly 1,000 rowdy fans are hollo , drinking , and watching a guy rope dressed as a click wrestle a hombre dress as a cat in one of the opening move matches of a local event that ’s become a favorite for wrestling fans . A little subsequently on , some of the field ’s finest burlesque performers will take to the pack to bring some sexual activity appeal , followed by nationally far-famed tinder rockers Masked Intruder , who are certain to render a virulent readiness that ’ll get the crowd even more riled up than they already are . While Ric Flair , Dusty Rhodes , and Verne Gagne may not have approved of this type of bacchanal , tonight ’s crowd , well … they ’re corrode it up . In fact , they ’re going apeshit .
It ’s these weird matches and unique performances that have bestow the play back to Minnesota ’s professional wrestling man and restored its legacy . This isWrestlepalooza .
The bi - yearly spectacle has become the pinnacle of sovereign grappling here in Minnesota , showcasing the very good from all across the state ( and country ) along with burlesque and live medicine , thus introduce a unexampled generation of sports fan to the next chapter in the illustrious story of our wrestling community , while also attracting non - wrestling fan at the same time . But it ’s far from the only show in townspeople ; places throughout the state host upshot nearly every weekend in bars , VFW halls , and even churches , demonstrating a combination of assure wrestling natural endowment and weekend warriors living out their dreaming .
Darin Kamnetz
From the day of the American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) back in the seventies and ' fourscore , Minnesota has been creditworthy for develop some of the greatest pro wrestling talent of all meter . The Road warrior , Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig , Rick Rude , Hulk Hogan . They ’re all names of legendary status , and they ’re all former members of this local clan .
During those days , it was easy to see the same tone wrestling in local locale statewide as you would on television set ( this was before pay - per - view ) . But as televised pro - wrestling uprise to prominence , the idea of regional territories had fallen by the wayside . And once the 2000s arrived , there was really only one show : the WWE . Sure there were still smaller ones that would pop up throughout Minnesota , but the reality was the view had fallen on dark days .
That is , until the youth movement began .
Darin Kamnetz
Arik “ The Anarchist ” Cannon has become synonymous with independent grappling , namely in Minnesota . As a 15 - year ringing veteran , he ’s the mad scientist behind Wrestlepalooza , and one of the men creditworthy for the rebirth of the local setting in the North Star State .
" The Anarchist " has traveled up and down the country , and even wrestled in Japan , perfecting his craft and aid the mutation return to the leave era of move from territory to territory to ramp up an organic buzz with fans , and a popularity that comes from Christian Bible - of - mouth . But before he was spilling blood in front of sell out crew , he was a adolescent getting his ass kicked in a service department .
" The first place I drive once I got my license was to a wrestling schooling where I started training , " he recalls . " The ‘ school ’ was just a ring in a garage in some industrial common . I call up thinking , ‘ Am I really about to hand over my graduation money for this ? ’ But it ’s what I wanted to do and ultimately I ended up being happy I did it . "
Darin Kamnetz
Over the next several years , Cannon would work the local circuit , paying his dues in front of belittled crowds for little money , hoping to make his mark . Admittedly , the journeying was n’t without its challenges . " Locally there was a very honest-to-god - schooling mentality , " he claims . " There was kind of a drastic drop-off - off in terms of gift . You had a set of these big , Brobdingnagian guy wire before I bulge out who await like wrestlers but were kind of dim and boring to watch . ”
Not long after , however , the new coevals of stars began to dominate the public eye . dead the country of giants started to wince . " perhaps there was something in the water , " he joke , " or maybe it stopped being in the water , but all of a sudden there were cat who were smaller in stature that were just doing crazy thing . I think promoter were slower to grasp that modification , but eventually it was impossible to brush aside them and there was a shift . "
In reality , the change was add on by the fact that fans had grown tired of the days of former football role player and bodybuilders lumbering around the gang , and were looking for a more fast - paced , exciting alternative . This pave the way for local breakout wiz like Cannon , Sheik Ariya Daivari , Darin Corbin , and “ Playboy ” Pete Huge – all Minnesota - bred performing artist who were acrobatic , entertaining , and full of personality – to catch fire with crowds and showcase the novel “ feeling ” of Minnesota ’s autonomous wrestling prospect .
Flickr/Jenni Konrad
And the trend was n’t just happening locally . In addition to regional wrestling show pull in fresh gift and bombastic crowds , new national leagues like Ring of Honor and Chikara began to found a major footprint with smaller , more gymnastic grappler performing moves that no one could have dreamed of 20 years ago .
Around this same time , MTV decided to get into the grappling game themselves by creatingWrestling Society X , a show that would follow the acrobatic , heel counter - culture course that was beginning to take hold throughout the country . One of the cornerstone stars of that experimentation : Arik Cannon .
While the show would fold after just one season , Cannon was capable to gain worthful exposure and bank some hard currency that he could invest to ramp up up the hand-to-hand struggle industry in his family state .
F1rst Wrestling/Youtube
" When I started wrestling , my goal was to be able to pay my bills as a wrestler , " he return . " I did the MTV thing and made some money , and decide at that point that I wanted to total back [ to Minnesota ] and do something unlike that was n’t being done in wrestling . "
The thinking would eventually lead him to embark on promoting show under theF1RST Wrestlingbanner , before finally taking the leap and creating the circus that isWrestlepalooza .
“ I knew there was something missing [ from traditional grapple ] . I desire to find a way to convey in wrestling fans and non - wrestling fans likewise , which is when the approximation came about to initiate include live euphony and burlesque into the display . "
The normal work , and soon Wrestlepalooza became a must - see event for both wrestling junkies and casual observers , with the retiring three outcome selling out in betterment . Cannon managed to restore the " cool " divisor to a once - dying form of local entertainment , and once again make Minnesota the trendsetter for pro - wrestling .
Today , the influence of show like Wrestlepalooza ( and the MN grappling world as a whole ) has spilled over into other organizations looking to give their show a guess in the arm .
“ Thanks to societal media , there is unquestionably a buzz that we ’re doing something special here in Minnesota , ” he says . “ You ’re seeing more and more hoi polloi incorporate the non - wrestling aspects of the show like we do , but you ’re also seeing wrestlers create their own steel and showing it ’s potential to be a full - clip grappler without being signed to the big leagues . "
With a nimble glance atMinnesota Pro Wrestlingyou’ll find a host of events adopt place nearly every weekend throughout the state , give people from all over the chance to experience the magic of live wrestling standardised to the honest-to-god daytime .
As for Cannon , he ’s just hoping to uphold blaze a trail and building bothWrestlepaloozaand the Minnesota wrestling bequest for years to amount .
" We want to give masses a cause to keep coming back and are making the display bigger and better . " With that in thinker , he and his local maven continue to tour across the country , spreading the gospel of pro rassling to fan and performers alike .
Darin Kamnetz
The main event of Wrestlepalooza is about to get underway at First Avenue , as Cannon and Arya Daivari prep to go to war in a match that ’ll include tables , ladder , chairs , and even a few Pabst Blue Ribbons ( Cannon is actually the first wrestler in chronicle to be patronize by PBR ) . The locale is galvanic , as the momentum has been building all night towards the final encounter . Cannon and his circle of misfits wait behind the drape for the chance to relish in the frenzy alfresco and evoke the crowd ’s passion .
There ’s only one matter they can hear right now : cheers .
“ I still ca n’t trust this is my Book of Job and that I get to do this for a living , ” he tells me . " I finger very fortunate to be reach back to the Minnesota wrestling panorama since it has given so much to me . ”
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