A year after making its debut in the Greater Rochester, N.Y. area, Empire State Wrestling will come back to the region with an event headlined by one of the most buzz-worthy names in the pro wrestling industry. Empire State Wrestling (ESW) will return to Village Sports in Fairport, N.Y. on Saturday, February 22 with “Second Coming”. The show will feature current All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Orange Cassidy.
Cassidy is set to face Rochester, N.Y. native “Your Captain” Nick Ando. The match was announced at ESW’s January event, which was named “Shipwrecked on Grando Island” after him, following Ando’s bout with Ring of Honor (ROH) star Danhausen.
A pair of up-and-coming wrestling stars will debut when Beyond Wrestling’s Bear Country takes on ESW stalwarts To Infinity & Beyond. Bear Country will be managed by local comedian Vinnie Paulino while longtime Rochester wrestling mainstay “Big Cat” Lemmer will be in To Infinity & Beyond’s corner.
After squeaking away with the victory over Roscoe Black at the last show, Frankie Feathers will put the ESW Interstate Championship on the line in a four-way match. His opponents will include Medina, N.Y.’s Gavin Glass, “Invincible” Vince Valor and “The Big Bang” Jerk Cockins.
“What, what do you want Jerk to say? Jerk has been looking at the belt since day one,” Cockins said.
“Jerk isn’t scared of a little broken Glass. He doesn’t get tickled by Frankie’s feather and Jerk also isn’t scared of one Invincible Valor.”
After turning on his friend “None of a Kind” Anthony Gaines in January, “The Remix” Kevin Bennett will wrestle his first ESW match with his new attitude. He will lock horns with former ESW Interstate Champion and Rochester native Coconut Jones.
“I’ve known Kevin for years and I’m pumped to wrestle him here in my hometown,” Jones said. “We’ve been friends for years and I plan on having the match of the night with one of the most talented people in the area. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately but hopefully I can either talk some sense into him or knock it into his head.”
Gaines will also be in action. He will face the returning T.J. Crawford who fights out of Chicago, Ill.
Ex-ROH star Cloudy is scheduled to face “The Patron Saint of Professional Wrestling” Brandon Thurston. Both competitors will be looking for their first ESW win of the year after posting losses in January.
Matt Ratcliff and Jeremiah Richter will also yearn for their first ESW wins after being unsuccessful at the previous show. The team will square off against a pair of Rochester, N.Y. wrestling veterans Dewey and Rob Sweet.
“For ESW’s return to Rochester, we’re taking on Dewey and Rob Sweet,” Richter said. “Both guys have been around a while, and we have a lot respect for them, however, we will show them, and everyone else, why we deserve to be in ESW.”
Doors open at 5 p.m. with the action starting at 6 p.m for Second Coming. Front row tickets are sold out. General admission tickets are $20 on show day. Vendor tables will be present at the event for fans to check out. The official after-party will be held at Jimmy G’s Night Owl Grill in East Rochester, N.Y.
“Second Coming” will be recorded for ESW’s live streaming outlets including Powerslam.TV and IndependentWrestling.TV.
