For Nick Szalanski, Saturday night in Penticton on Jan. 14 might as well have been Wrestlemania at Madison Square Garden.
After 20 years in the business, the Vernon-based independent promoter finally brought Thrash Wrestling鈥檚 biggest event to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on Saturday, Jan. 14, to a full house of 470 people 鈥� the largest attendance in the promotion鈥檚 history.
Including its many trips to places like 琉璃神社, Vernon and Kamloops over the last two decades, Thrash Wrestling had never appeared at a venue of such a size until Saturday. Better yet, it also never sold out a show as fast as it did last weekend.
鈥淚 went in thinking that we were going to sell 300 tickets and then we surpassed that,鈥� Szalanski said. 鈥淲hat we saw was way more than what we anticipated鈥enticton is definitely a sell-out kind of crowd.鈥�
Demand for Saturday鈥檚 show was so high that the city鈥檚 trade and convention centre changed seating arrangements in order to reach a full-capacity crowd, according to Szalanski.
Thrash Wrestling鈥檚 event in Penticton featured two steel-cage matches and an after-party at the Barley Mill Brew Pub.
鈥淪o far, I鈥檓 proud to say that we reached Everest鈥�.or at least the mountain below it,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e slowly been building our way up and now we just had our biggest event yet.鈥�
A steel cage main event between the champion Jordie Taylor and hometown favourite Braydon Goss headlined the 鈥淐old Blooded鈥� event on Jan. 14. Summerland鈥檚 Goss won the cage match.
If you didn鈥檛 get a ticket to Saturday鈥檚 showcase, you are in luck. Thrash Wrestling is returning to Penticton on March 24. This time, though, it will come to Winnipeg Street鈥檚 Luso House.
鈥淔ans want to see us back soon and there鈥檚 a story to be told, so we鈥檒l be back at the Luso before we build back something bigger for like another Wrestlemania-esque show at the trade and convention centre.鈥�
What started as a backyard wrestling promotion at a North Okanagan home in the early 2000s has since emerged as a bi-monthly form of entertainment for those in Penticton.
鈥淚 remember talking to my friend in Enderby in the backyard, and he said 鈥榦ne day we鈥檒l going to sell out Enderby, Armstrong and Vernon鈥� and I said, yes, but let鈥檚 also sell out Penticton and 琉璃神社鈥ow here we are.鈥�
