GWA and North East Lincolnshire Wrestling

North East Lincolnshire. Not a name or place that you think runs in the veins of wrestling history, but for me it does and hopefully, for a generation of new fans, wrestlers, bookers and performers it will do again for a long time to come. You see the Grimsby Wrestling Academy and by extension their promotion GWA are doing great things. They offer professional classes with a wide ranger of trainers and have brought in seminar specialists like Kid Kash. Just looking at their website will tell you they value high quality production which is essential in the modern wrestling market not just in the UK but world wide. They clearly understand what needs to be done. I should offer a disclaimer here I haven't been to one of their shows or a session this is a first glance look at the promotion but as a long time fan I am very impressed and pleased that this part of the world has a new champion for its strong wrestling heritage. Their next show will feature The Homicidal, Genocidal, Suicidal Death Defying Sabu and marks a return to NE Lincs offering shows of very high quality. A true case of “If you build it, they will come”. 

You see back in the day, when I was a wrestling fan at the beginning of my obsession I was in North East Lincolnshire one Sunday every month. Now GWA offer their shows at Grimsby Central Hall, but it was down at the Memorial Hall in Cleethorpes where I got my first long term fix of monthly pro wrestling. Back in the early eighties, in one of Joint Promotions boom periods, and just before the Crabtrees take over of that particular company, the shows on a Sunday night where immense. I got to see everyone that mattered in the wrestling world and it set my mind on what good wrestling was from a young and impressionable age. The main eventers of the time Dave “Fit” Finlay, Chic Cullen and my personal hero Marty Jones all wrestled there on a regular basis. They where not the only ones, I sadly just missed out on seeing The Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart and Saturo Sayama who also wrestled at that venerable hall. Little did I know I was watching guys who would have a major influence on not just British wrestling in the TV era, but world wide. Dave Finaly became Finlay, now a road agent for WWE and the driving force behind the great Diva's division of the early 2000's. Saturo Sayama went on of course to be Tiger Mask and his matches with The Dynamite Kid reinvented Junior Heavyweight pro wrestling in Japan. He also went on to be a founder of the original UWF which was a massive influence on shoot fighting and was part of the many things that brought us to the MMA world of today. Dynamite and Bret? Well you know what happened there. Marty Jones went on to train William Regal who you hear weekly on FCW programming and is a great influence on the training regime of the WWE. So for a while there Cleethorpes turned out to be the wrestling capital of the world. Maybe not as romantic as the NJPW dojo, or The Businessman's Gym in Saint Louis (Lou Thesz's home gym) or even The Snakepit in Wigan, but just as important to me because that is where my home of wrestling will always be.

However back to the present day, it is great to see a new wrestling business that is taking care of doing the right things and impressing at first glance. They are also at the moment encouraging take up with offers and promotions on wrestling lessons. So if you are in Grimsby go see a show, or take a lesson. This is a great opportunity to build a foundation for wrestling in North East Lincolnshire. With things looking strong nation wide an opportunity that could mean work, and more wrestling for all of us fans to enjoy. Tickets for their EXTREME! Show on the the 30^th of August are £8 for full whack with some concessions and considering what you are getting that is great value. You get to see Sabu for eight quid. You lucky, lucky people.

Have a good time till next time grapple fans.

Grimsby Wrestling Academy on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/grimsbywrestling

and on the general web @ http://www.grimsbywrestling.com/home