After a highly lauded recent event, Empire State Wrestling sets its sights on debuting in a new city for a great cause. Spring Smash will take place on Saturday, April 15 at Medina High School, 2 Mustang Drive, with proceeds from the event going toward the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Co. This fundraiser returns for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a paused in wrestling events. Previous events were held at the Lartz Building on the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds in 2018 and 2019. However, hosting the event at Medina High School will allow for better amenities such as an increase in seating, higher ceilings and more parking availability.
Spring Smash will feature many of the best pro wrestlers based in Western New York, including some with ties to Medina and Orleans County. The scheduled card for Spring Smash includes the following:
• Former ESW Heavyweight Champion and Albion native “The Aesthetic Crippler” Kevin Blackwood will be in action. Now based in Los Angeles, Blackwood will take on To Infinity and Beyond’s Cheech one-on-one in his homecoming match.
• ESW Tag Team Champions High Seas (Cloudy and Nick Ando) will defend their titles against the debuting Greed (Lotto and Albion’s Big Budget).
• “The Queen of the Silver Screen” Katie Arquette will face the debuting Haley Dylan.
• Medina’s own “A Cut Above The Rest” Gavin Glass and “Filthy” Maxx Cannon are set for matches.
• ESW Heavyweight Champion “The Remix” Kevin Bennett will defend the belt.
• One of indie wrestling’s most unique characters, Space Monkey, will appear.
• ESW regulars such as “Invincible” Vince Valor, Frank Feathers and more will be in action.
Front row tickets are sold out. General admission tickets are $20. A four-pack online exclusive of GA tickets are $60. Grade school students tickets are $10 while children three years old and younger are free. Tickets can be purchased at ESWTIX.com where service fees apply. Ticket prices increase by $5 on event day. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the opening bell set for 6 p.m.
Founded in 2002, ESW is run by Brett Stymus. Over half of ESW’s performers reside in the Western New York area. ESW runs regular shows throughout the year that draw several hundred fans, with some events being attended by up to 1,000 people. For more information, please visit http://eswwrestling.com/.