Advertisement

Pro wrestling column: APW brings local wrestling back to Saturday night TV

gary fauber, the register-herald, beckley, w.va.
·3 min read

Apr. 4—Saturday Night Wrestling on WOAY was an institution in southern West Virginia for over two decades. Loyal fans tuned in to live broadcasts from the studio at 11:30 p.m. every week to watch the likes of the Cuban Assassin, Gypsy Joe, Jan Madrid, Black Diamond, announcer Shirley Love and many more.

Unfortunately, the local phenomenon that began in 1954 had to cease production when the WOAY studio burned down in 1977.

It's been 47 years since local wrestling had a weekly presence on television, but that will change this weekend.

American Pro Wrestling will break the streak when it begins airing its show on WVNS Fox 59 this Saturday night at midnight.

"The goal for me as a promoter the last 25 years has been to bring back the type of wrestling that was here, Saturday night wrestling, on TV locally. The same type of territory wrestling that was done in the studio," said APW booker Joe Brody. "I have always come close, but I've never really reached it.

"This time, I have."

The shows will be taped every Thursday at the Bradley-Prosperity Fire Department, the home of APW that is now affectionately known as the Mountain State Sportatorium — a nod to the famed arena in Dallas that for years was home to World Class Championship Wrestling.

Admission to the Thursday shows is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Belltime is 7:30 p.m.

Thursday shows run in the neighborhood of 1 hour, 45 minutes. The WVNS broadcasts will be one hour in length.

"It's going to be a classic pro wrestling studio television show, for the first time produced right here in southern West Virginia, in our own studio on a weekly basis, just like the old Saturday Night Wrestling WOAY show," Brody said.

Brody said the desire was to get that same 11:30 p.m. time slot, but WVNS had other obligations that prevented that from happening.

"But we got the closest time possible to that," he said. "We just hope that fans that remember classic wrestling the way it used to be will give us a chance and check us out, come out to some events.

"I'm really looking, once the show hits the air, into doing more live events in the broadcast area, which includes parts of Virginia and West Virginia. WVNS covers pretty much half the state of West Virginia and that's great for us."

Shows were already being broadcast in Virginia and North Carolina, and can also be seen in New York, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nevada, but this will bring an old-school feel back to southern West Virginia.

"Things are really picking up as far as the TV production," Brody said. "A lot of the stations like our show quality and what we're doing. We'd been working on a deal. I worked with several stations here in West Virginia and Fox 59 gave us the absolute best deal."

The names, of course, are different.

"Bam Bam" Lance Erikson is the current APW American Heavyweight Champion. The top contender is "Mr. Everything" Victor Andrews. The tag team champions are Devine Dynasty — AC Devine and Dynamite Jackson. Murphy Costigan and Crash Cassidy are embroiled in a rivalry for the Southern Championship. Mega Destroyer and Cuban Assassin — the son of the legendary WOAY heel — make up the Foreign Legion. "Bad Luck" Bobby Yela, "Dragon" Scott Lee and "USA" Tony Ray are among the regulars.

Also, former Concord University football player Blade Brown made his APW debut last week.

The commentator will be Dallas Danger.

Fans who want to catch up with what's going on in APW can go to apwstream.com. Subscriptions are available for $5.99 a month.

Sites for future APW shows include Rich Creek, Va., on April 12; Meadow Bridge High School on April 26; the Fayette County Memorial Building in Fayetteville on May 17; and Baileysville on May 18.

The Fayetteville card will feature the return of hometown favorite Jeremy "Flex" Tolley.

Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on X @gfauber5