It’s a crisp Saturday evening and people are impatiently lined up outside the Tribal Center. To kill time, they recap the previous matches and bicker over whether Exile should be allowed to be the Enforcer Referee. The smell of the nearby bay will soon clash with the sweat and struggle of the competitors within. Excitement and anticipation swell and people begin to itch for uppercuts and body slams. Welcome to Tulalip Championship Wrestling.Tulalip Championship Wrestling, or TCW, is the one and only professional wrestling event in the state of Washington. About once a month wrestlers will venture from all over the continent to battle for the championship, many with the hope of someday wrestling in the WWE. Also making the trek are the TCW fans. Traveling from all over the state, clad in t-shirts adamantly promoting their favorite wrestler, they come ready to boo, cheer and have a great time. When the fervor of these fans meets the vivacity of the wrestlers, an event of exhilaration ensues on the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Marysville. Switching off between the Tribal Gym and Pacific Rim Ballroom, the TCW is a little off the beaten path and doesn’t get many people wandering in off the street. Some find this exclusiveness appealing, and as Caden Mathews, current 2- time TCW Washington State Heavyweight Champion, puts it, “If you’re here, you’re here for wrestling.”
Between the screams and chants of the crowd, TCW has been able to create a tightly-knit wrestling community. Demetrius, an avid wrestling fan, is one of the members of the TCW family. He started attending events in January of 2008, when the TCW was still in its infancy, and over the past two years has developed many friendships through this common interest. Like many other fans, Demetrius likes to follow the development of the wrestlers’ careers, and says, “To be able to watch these athletes busting their tails to work their way to the WWE is a sight to see, but to have others to share in this excitement makes it twice as fun.” Of the TCW audience there is a consistent group that attends, but every event brings in new people. There are always new faces to get to know, and Demetrius says that he now runs into fans everywhere. “I’ll see people from the TCW at the mall and around town, and I guarantee that when the WWE comes to Seattle, there’ll be group there repping the TCW,” states Demetrius. A newcomer to the TCW audience, Dollye first attended after seeing the movie “The Wrestler.” Whether it was for the sport itself or the hope of finding a Mickey Rourke, she was intrigued by the idea of professional wrestling. After searching around on the internet, she stumbled upon the TCW and says, “I haven’t looked back.” For Dollye, watching the crowd can be just as interesting as watching the wrestlers. Some are from right there on the reservation, while some are from as far away as Canada. Some yell, holler and pass their favorite wrestlers cooking pans or folding chairs to defeat their opponents. Others silently root for their favorites, and the thrill of the match shines though in their toothy grins. Dollye admits she isn’t quite as vocal as the other fans, but it’s something she’s working on. She says: “It’s funny because you know that it’s phony but yet it becomes so real in your mind. You begin to feel like you really know the wrestlers, right down to their personalities and temperaments.” The crowd cannot help but be drawn in by the intensity of the matches, and, before they realize it, find themselves on the edge of their seats. Dollye says, “People are always shocked when they hear I go to pro wrestling. It’s completely different then all my typical interests, but that’s why I love it. It’s out of the ordinary and takes you to a different world.”
This event not only has the ability to captivate the imagination of adults, but children as well. The TCW strives to be a family event by banning foul language and graphic violence, while providing free admission for kids 12 and under. The presence of kids is a delightful addition, and the energy exerted by the youngsters running around with gelled fohawks, masks and gold belts can be contagious. As wrestlers make their entrance, boys and girls will bolt to their side and, jumping up and down with unmatched zeal, escort their idols to the ring. For many kids in the audience, the wrestlers become role models, superheroes of sorts only an arm’s length away. These athletes represent individuals who are reaching their goals and living their dreams. Demetrius’ son has been to every match with his dad, taking pictures, getting autographs and diving out of the way when someone gets thrown out of the ropes. In these wrestlers he sees a first-hand example that he can be anything he wants to when he grows up. Even if that is to be a wrestler, like Caden Mathews.
Inspired by the professional wrestler “Playboy” Buddy Rose, Mathews has wrestled in the WWE and is a regular competitor in the TCW. Mathews says that wrestlers feed off the crowd’s reactions, and a good wrestler can react to the output of the crowd to cater and adjust his performance. This way, the audience will get the entertainment they came there to see. These wrestlers are not only serious athletes, but masters of improv. Unexpected things can happen at any moment in the ring, and Mathews says: “It’s an art, not just anyone can do this. You need to know how to vibe off one another and make it a good show. It’s not as easy as it seems.” At the TCW, the wrestlers know how to make a memorable show. Each match is teeming with drama and rivalries, and then to tide the fans over until the next competition, the TCW has an interactive website for when the fans return home. An event like this can’t be found just anywhere, and even when WWE comes to town, it can’t provide the up close and personal interactions with the wrestlers like the TCW does. Mathews says that it is the closeness, the involvement and relationships between the wrestlers and their fans that sets the TCW apart. Mathews breaks it down as: “Its two hours action. You could spend ten bucks to go to the movies, or you could come here and get more for your money. This is real.”
To learn more about the TCW, visit the website: http://www.tulalipchampionshipwrestling.com/page/page/6308276.htm
All photos were used with permission from our friends at the website.
To learn more about the TCW, visit the website: http://www.tulalipchampionshipwrestling.com/page/page/6308276.htm
All photos were used with permission from our friends at the website.
