For the first time in Empire State Wrestling (ESW) history, Western New York’s premier independent wrestling promotion sold out its last event held at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall in North Tonawanda, N.Y. prior to the show day. At its next event at the St. Johnsburg, ESW will look to build upon that strong showing by bringing in a global wrestling superstar, as Empire State Wrestling present Brawlfest.
“We are gearing up for our huge springtime traditional event ‘Brawlfest’,” said ESW owner Brett Mednik. “This is also said to be one of our two biggest shows of the year. This year we are showcasing Ultimo Dragon who is known literally all over the world along with what I believe might be the best line up of pure, hungry, independent wrestlers we have ever had under the same roof at the same time in North Tonawanda.”
Ultimo Dragon will be featured in a six-man tag match. The former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) star will team with To Infinity & Beyond (ex-WWE star Colin Delaney and ex-Ring of Honor star Cheech) against Two Butchers & The Blade (ex-Impact Wrestling star Pepper Parks, West Coast independent wrestling veteran Tyler Bateman and Every Time I Die guitarist Andy Williams).
This will be To Infinity & Beyond’s second consecutive St. Johnsburg Fire Hall show that they headlined, after facing off against the Lucha Bros in April.
Empire State Wrestling Present Brawlfest
After beating Puf in April, All-Elite Wrestling signee Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) returns to ESW at Brawlfest and will attempt to capture the ESW Interstate Championship from Frankie Feathers. This comes off the heels of Feathers’ successful title defense against Tonawanda, N.Y.’s Jerk Cockins at ESW’s Albion event earlier in May.
“After I walk out still your ESW Interstate Champion, I’m gonna tell MJF what he’ll already know – that I am better than him,” Feathers said.
In the battle of a new breed of ESW stars versus the old guard, ESW Tag Team Champions Vince Valor and James Sayga will team with viral star Anthony Gaines against “Mastiff” Will Calrissian, Chris Cooper and ESW Commissioner The Caesar.
“Remember this – classics never make a comeback. They wait for that perfect moment to retake the spotlight from overdone, tired trends. It’s time I fought alongside my friends instead of just standing on the outside. We’re taking it back.”
After defeating Sean Carr in Albion, ESW Heavyweight Champion Brandon Thurston will defend his title against yet another impressive challenger in Major League Wrestling star Fred Yehi.
A slew of Beyond Wrestling stars will be making their debuts in ESW. North Tonawanda’s own Kevin Bennett will square off against the debuting “Retrosexual” Anthony Greene. In the battle of the big men, “Big Time” Bill Collier will face the massive Josh Briggs. Thirdly, Portland, Ore. native Kate Carney will look to continue her recent win streak against Davienne.
Puf will look to get back in the win column when he takes on Cleveland, Ohio’s Atticus Cogar.
“At Easter dinner, my 11-year-old nephew Ryan came running up to me with a big grin on his face,” said Cogar’s manager Brother Christianson. “He tells me that Puf is his favorite wrestler and he will be rooting for him when he fights Atticus at Wrestlebash. Years of trying to steer that boy in the right direction were gone in an instant. I get it though, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the realities of this world and let yourself be distracted by a clown. I’m not ready to give up on him yet though. When he sees Puf laying in a heap when Atticus is done with him, he will realize how big of a mistake he made by ignoring my teachings. I only have so much control over Atticus’s actions. What do you think will happen to Puf when I choose not to use that control?”
Pre-sale general admission tickets are $15. Tickets increase $5 day of the event. Front and second-row tickets are sold out. Doors open at 5 p,m, with bell-time at 6 p.m. “Brawlfest” will be aired live on Twitch and recorded for Empire State Wrestling and its streaming service partners such as Powerslam TV.
