Over the last two decades, Empire State Wrestling (ESW) grew from its humble roots running at various halls in the Niagara Falls area to blossoming into Western New York’s premier independent wrestling promotion. It is only appropriate that ESW commemorates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 13 by holding this milestone event at Buffalo RiverWorks — one of downtown Buffalo’s premier entertainment destinations. This special event, simply called “20.” will feature some of the top independent wrestlers from around the U.S. and Western New York’s best locally-based talent.
The matches announced for “20” so far include:
• ESW Heavyweight Champion “The Aesthetic Crippler” Kevin Blackwood will defend the title against former Impact Wrestling star Jake Something.
• ESW Tag Team Champions High Seas will put their titles on the line against the returning Maine-based tag team MSP.
• To Infinity & Beyond will come back to ESW to face the debuting Beyond Wrestling team Waves & Curls.
• Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Tag Team Champion Rachael Ellering will make her ESW debut against Albany’s “Courageous” Christina Marie.
• A special 20th anniversary lumberjack match will take place featuring stars from throughout ESW’s history.
• Several of ESW’s regular fan favorites and villains will be in action such as ESW’s longest reigning Interstate Champion Frankie Feathers, 2021 Ilio DiPaolo Memorial Cup winner “Invincible” Vince Valor, “The Remix” Kevin Bennett, “A Cut Above the Rest” Gavin Glass and North Tonawanda’s Vinnie Moon, among others.
Tickets are available for purchase at ESWTix.com. First row tickets are $35, while second row tickets are $25. General admission tickets are $20. Ticket prices rise by $5 on event day. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the opening bell is set for 7 p.m.
