RVA Pro Wrestling Featured in RVA Magazine
RVA Pro Wrestling received extensive local media coverage Wednesday in an RVA Magazine feature examining the promotion’s growth and connection to Richmond’s music and arts communities.
Written by RVA Magazine publisher R. Anthony Harris, the story traces Richmond independent wrestling back more than 20 years while explaining how RVA Pro Wrestling has developed into one of the city’s increasingly popular live attractions.
Harris reported that the promotion has held nearly 20 events, with all but one selling out. Its formula is straightforward: Keep the show around two hours, book five matches instead of 15, incorporate local music, give the audience someone to cheer and someone to boo, and then allow the crowd to help shape the experience.
RVA Pro Wrestling co-CEO Tim “Timmy Danger” Stewart said the promotion stopped focusing exclusively on attracting established wrestling fans and began presenting its events as an entertaining night out for a broader audience.
“We sell more like a party and like a fun night out,” Stewart told RVA Magazine.
Stewart said that atmosphere draws new people through the door, while the wrestling itself gives them a reason to return. The performers also adjust their work based on the audience’s response, continuing with ideas that connect and moving away from those that do not.
“The crowd really is as much a part of the show as the wrestlers are,” Stewart said.
The RVA Magazine story also examines the promotion’s ties to Richmond’s music scene and highlights heavyweight champion Leo Kirby, Jordan Blade, Sledge Gibson and Terry “The Flip” Sequoyah.
The coverage comes ahead of RVA Pro Wrestling’s free Summer Block Party on Saturday, July 25, at Dogwood Dell in Richmond. The event is part of the 69th annual Festival of the Arts and will include a performance by Richmond hip-hop artist Nickelus F before the wrestling begins.