News

Fans of professional wrestling in Thurston County and surrounding regions will finally have their fix of local action as Oblivion Wrestling is set to debut on Saturday, May 25, at the Thurston County Fairgrounds.

Cole Wright, a Yelm resident, professional wrestler and local representative from Oblivion Wrestling, said the debut show at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, will be the first of five events at the Thurston County Fairgrounds, 3054 Carpenter Road SE, Lacey. The four remaining dates will be Saturday, June 22; Friday, Aug. 23; Friday, Sept. 20; and Friday, Oct. 25. 

“Oblivion came across the Thurston County Fairgrounds, and they were wonderful people to talk with and work with and had no problem setting up the dates this year,” Wright said. “It feels good because the fairgrounds, to any community across the country, is a big part of the community. To do shows at the Thurston County Fairground feels like we’re representing everything. We are a homegrown promotion and one that cares about its community.” 

So far, two matches for the Oblivion Wrestling card have been announced, including Chris Masters vs. Bryce Saturn and Lio Rush vs. Travis Williams. Masters and Rush were each featured on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years. Rush has also appeared on All Elite Wrestling (AEW). 

“We’ll have Chris Masters, who wrestled for the WWE in the mid- to late-2000s. He’s worked with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena — night in and night out, in front of 10,000 people. He’s someone with a world of experience and has been wrestling for over 20 years now,” Wright said. “Another wrestler that I’d say is a big deal is Lio Rush. He was on WWE TV within the last few years and was teamed up with Bobby Lashley. Lio is someone that might not be as big in stature as Chris Masters but is so athletically talented and could go toe-to-toe with just about anybody.” 

Williams and Saturn have appeared on AEW television, while Saturn has also competed on AEW’s Ring of Honor. 

Wright raved about what Williams will bring to the Thurston County Fairgrounds. 

“Travis Williams will be going one-on-one with Lio Rush. Honestly, in my opinion, as far as athletic performances go, that will be the match to watch of the night,” Wright said. “I’ve wrestled (Travis) multiple times, and I can’t say enough about how good he is in the ring. He beat me both times, so obviously that says enough right there.”

More matches will be announced as Oblivion Wrestling’s debut show grows closer. Wright said a majority of the talent featured will be from Vancouver, Canada, or Arizona. He added that a showcase with competitions from a pro-wrestling school in Portland, Oregon, will also take place at the event.

Wright, who attended high school in Arizona, began training to become a professional wrestler after he turned 18 years old. He traveled to Mexico three times a week and was taught and trained in the Lucha Libre style of wrestling. 

“For about the last two months of my senior year, I’d wake up around 6 a.m., go to school, get off from school and go to work for a couple hours. There was a promoter, who was from my small town in southern Arizona. He was the one who got me my training. So I’d go with him into Mexico, train for three hours, and he’d do his thing,” Wright said. “It was such a cool experience, and for me, it’s so funny to think about because Mexico was the closest wrestling to me.”

Wright said that Oblivion Wrestling will feature a family-friendly product and will refrain from using blood or profanity. 

“We’re working with a family-friendly product because we want to be a part of the community. We want to create an environment where people can come in with their families. Whether it’s young kids, high school teenagers or grandparents, anybody can come in and sit down for a fair price to watch an entertaining show to get lost in the moment for a couple of hours,” Wright said. “I’m a big believer that professional wrestling, and Oblivion Wrestling specifically, is open to all people. We’re not here to discriminate against anybody. If you want to come in and have a good time, this is the place to go and we’ll have you.

“Something that’s super important to Oblivion is that we put on a show that’s worth people’s hard-earned money,” Wright added. “There is never going to be a time where Oblivion is going to charge money as a way to scheme people out of their money. We want people to feel like they got their money’s worth and more.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased online at http://OblivionWrestling.BPT.me and cost $20, before fees. 

Oregon State running back Damien Martinez, Miami running back Henry Parrish and Pitt defensive end Dayon Hayes entered the transfer portal Tuesday as the 14-day spring window opened for college football players.

Read more...