Manther

This half man, half panther is turning heads in ECCW, and hopes to entertain fans for 72 hours at Wrestling with Hunger.

In one of the most interesting characters in ECCW since Abbadon, MANTHER has come onto the scene in ECCW like a cat on fire and he loves every second of it.

April of 2009 marks his one year in wrestling and what a way to celebrate than to help the community with Wrestling with Hunger! “It matters a lot to me. The reason that they are without could be out of their control. I want to ensure that if they need that food that it’s available.”

When approached to do Wrestling with Hunger, MANTHER jumped on the opportunity. “I am taking part of this amazing event for the opportunity to give back. I am a fairly new wrestler in the Pacific Northwest and want to try and give back as much as I can, while I am doing this great thing called Pro Wrestling. My friends and family think it’s fantastic that I am giving back to the community. Especially while doing something I love so much.”

MANTHER will be joining 19 other top flight ECCW superstars and he should prove to be one of the most energetic and charismatic of the bunch! If you have never seen this man live, it’s something special.

Five Questions with MANTHER

Q: What has been your favorite arena to wrestle in and why?
A: McLaren Park Arena, Penticton, BC. I was given the chance to wrestle on the NWA 60th Anniversary Show Tour. I wrestled Tony Baroni in front of 1,800+ fans. It was such a great experience.

Q: What’s your most memorable match?
A: The Halloween Hell Costume Battle Royal. I was dressed as a banana, I was Manana. (Manther + Banana = Manana… get it? Ha!) I handed out bananas on the way to the ring. I was that guy that everyone hates at Halloween handing out fruit to everyone. I was in the final three and was outsmarted by the Grinch. He gave me a present! But it turned out to be a ball of yarn and tossed it over the top rope. The ball of yarn got the best of me again.

Q: What is your biggest rival and describe your history with him?
A: I’d have to say Tony Baroni at this point. He came up through the Slam Academy a few months behind me. Now we’ve been in the ring together three times this year. I have been victorious two out of the three times!

Q: Who was your wrestling hero growing up?
A: Macho Man Randy Savage. He has so much pizzazz and flair. Always entertaining to watch and listen to.

Q: What do you wish to achieve in the next 12 months in your wrestling career?
A: I hope to be able to travel and wrestle around other parts of Canada and eventually venture into the United States.

Tony Baroni

Even though his wrestling background is fairly short and sweet, this rookie is becoming a household name!

Tony Baroni is a hot head and is as mouthy as the day is long, but he is really making a name for himself in ECCW. Wrestling with Hunger is another big opportunity for him to shine. “I am taking part in wrestling with hunger for two reasons. To help the food banks and I want to test my body and abilities. Wrestling for three days will do that, as well as improve my game.”

Since being trained by such ECCW superstars as Kenny lush, Nelson Creed and Artimus Spencer, Baroni has been looking forward shine in a big show.  “Everyone I have told about Wrestling with Hunger thinks it’s a pretty cool event. I am really looking forward to this.”

Baroni understands that giving back is really important in the grand scheme of things. “You never know whose help you might need in the future, so help people out when you can. It’s Karma, you know?” Baroni has roughly 20 matches under his belt, and looks to more than double that over the three day world record attempt!

Five Questions with Tony Baroni

Q: How are you preparing for this world record attempt?
A: I am preparing by training. Training some more and then more training! Its two to three days in the ring as well as four to six days lifting weights and doing cardio. I will be at my absolute best for this!

Q: What has been your favorite arena to wrestle in and why?
A: My favorite arena to wrestle as thus far is easily the new Penticton hockey arena. It was the biggest arena and largest crowd I have ever wrestled in front of  and it was truly amazing!

Q: What is your biggest rival and describe your history with him?
A: My biggest rivals thus far have to be those big goofs Bubba and Junior. I’ve squared of with these two in tag team contest on three separate occasions and each time I have come up short. Only if I ever get either one of them in a one-on-one contest the shoe will be on the other foot and Tony Baroni will be the victor. I also faced Kenny Lush in Abbotsford, and would love to get a rematch with him!

Q: Why did you get into wrestling?
A: Pro wrestling has been an obsession of mine ever since I watched Royal Rumble 1990 and decided that pro wrestling is most likely the coolest thing ever. Whether it is Macho Man Randy Savage, Razor Ramon, Ultimo Dragon, Jushin Liger or Great Muta; I just loved everything about wrestling.

Q: What do you wish to achieve in the next 12 months in your wrestling career?
A: In the next 12 months I’d like to get my hands on more top contenders in ECCW and leave ever one of them laying in the ring after being destroyed by the Baroni Sandwich or the Baroni Buster!

Wrestlers put hunger in a headlock

Giant men with giant hearts.

That’s how Heather Scott of the SHARE Family & Community Services Society describes a group of wrestlers who will stock the food bank’s shelves while trying to set a new world record.

The fundraising initiative Wrestling With Hunger will bring together 20 athletes for a 72-hour round-the-clock wrestling marathon at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre from April 2 to 5.

Food and cash donations will be collected at the event, which aims to earn ranks in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest wrestling show ever.

“What an incredible group of guys to do this. I’m honestly blown away by this event. It’s so unique and exciting,” said Scott, SHARE’s director of development.

“And we’re thrilled that they want to pin down the issue of hunger in the Tri-Cities. We invite everyone in the community to go watch them, night or day, and just bring a can of food with them. This will help us fill the shelves in the food bank, where we’re getting an increasing demand for help.”

The timing couldn’t be better, Scott added, since requests for food from the non-profit organization have recently spiked by 14 per cent.

Between April 2007 and March 2008, SHARE provided food to 5,598 people from 1,142 households through its three food banks, and that number is on the rise. Forty-five per cent of recipients were under 19 years old.

“I think we’re really starting to see the impact of the recession. Anecdotally, what we’re hearing at the food bank is that people are being laid off,” Scott said.

“With the recession, of course, people find it difficult to donate so our food bank donations are down. Unfortunately now more than ever, we really do need the community to come forward.”

Event organizer Dave Teixeira said he hopes local businesses, schools, churches and other organizations will set up food drives to help out with the fundraiser, which he has been planning for the past two years.

“We encourage people not just to come out and watch, but also to bring some food for the food bank. Next year what we’re hoping to do, if this goes well, is to help other wrestling promotions around the world put on similar events in their own backyard and make it an annual event over WrestleMania weekend,” said Teixeira, owner of ECCW Pro-Wrestling since 1996.

“We had so many wrestlers want to be part of it. I think it’s a real tribute to these guys. Some have used the food bank. Others want to be involved in their community. Everyone has a reason for wanting to do this.”

For Port Coquitlam wrestler Jamie Diaz, the main motivation is to show his support for a good cause in the community.

“Hunger is a thing that’s always been around and what better way to fight it than by doing something I love, like wrestling,” said the 19-year-old.

“It’s a great cause. The economy’s down and people are finding it harder and harder to get something to eat and put food on their own tables. I hope we can make a difference and help people not be hungry.”

Coquitlam resident Nicole Matthews plans to referee a portion of the event, squeezing in the volunteer work between study sessions for her kinesiology exams at SFU.

“I just think it’s really important to give back to the community. All the wrestlers who are participating are very lucky to have what they have,” said 22-year-old Matthews, a wrestler for the past three years.

“It’s a tough time for a lot of people and I think it’s really important to give back when you’re not suffering as much as other people.”

Local wrestler Ray Brooks has volunteered at food banks in the past and finds it sad that the shelves are so bare.

“This is just a really cool way for us to help refill them because it’s going to be so much fun. I’m going to be doing what I love and doing it for a good cause at the same time,” said Brooks, better known in the wrestling world as Southern Comfort.

The 31-year-old anticipates he’ll participate in about 30 matches throughout the three-day event, each lasting anywhere from five to 45 minutes.

“I think the most I’ve ever wrestled in three days has probably been four matches, nevermind 30. I think there’s probably going to be a lot of catnapping and a lot of energy drinks,” he said with a laugh.

“The night shift is going to be interesting, I think. I figure ’sleeper hold’ might bring about a whole new meaning at four in the morning. So if I lose that way, then so be it.”

Wrestling With Hunger will run from 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 2 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 5 at Hyde Creek Recreation Centre, 1379 Laurier Ave. in Port Coquitlam.

After hours, the back doors will be open for spectators to drop by throughout the night. The largest crowd is expected during the last two hours of the world-record attempt. Non-perishable goods and cash donations can be dropped off at the event or brought directly to SHARE, which is also hosting its annual Just Desserts gala fundraiser on April 2.

For more information, visit www.WrestlingWithHunger.com or contact Teixeira at dave@dave.ca or 604-418-9177.

Jennifer Mcfee - Coquitlam Now

Media Advisory - March 20, 2009

CITY OF PORT COQUITLAM TO PROCLAIM APRIL 2ND TO 5TH “WRESTLING WITH HUNGER” WEEKEND
March 20, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Port Coquitlam, BC - On Monday, March 23, 2009, The City of Port Coquitlam will proclaim April 2nd to 5th “Wrestling With Hunger Weekend”.  This is in recognition of the “Wrestling With Hunger” event where 20 wrestlers will grapple for 72 consecutive hours to set the world record for the longest wrestling match while raising food for the local food banks.

Representatives from SHARE Family and Community Services (who operate the food banks), Dave.ca Communications Inc. (who is organizing the event ) and wrestlers from ECCW Pro-Wrestling will he on hand at the ceremony at City Hall.

Immediately proceeding the proclamation, the above representatives will be available in the foyer on the third floor outside the Council Chambers for interviews and photos ops.

Date: Monday, March 23, 2009
Time: 7pm - Power Point Presentation to Port Coquitlam City Council by the Wrestling With Hunger contingent
7:05pm - Proclamation to Wrestling with Hunger, photo op with Mayor and Council in Chambers
7:10pm - Interview and photos op with SHARE, Dave.ca Communications Inc. and ECCW wrestlers outside Council Chambers

Location: Port Coquitlam City Hall Council Chambers
2580 Shaughnessy Street, Port Coquitlam, BC
Third Floor

For more information on Wrestling With Hunger please visit www.WrestlingWithHunger.com.

- 30 -

For media inquiries please contact:
Dave Teixeira
Wrestling With Hunger
(604) 418-9177
Email: dave@dave.ca
www.WrestlingWithHunger.com

MR2

This seasoned veteran in the ECCW rings really understands the greater good with Wrestling with Hunger!

MR2 debuted in late 2001 and is a former two time ECCW Tag Team Champion and a former NWA Canadian Junior Heavyweight Champion. He has proven success in ECCW’s rings and is applying that work ethic and determination into Wrestling with Hunger.

“Right now I am getting as much rest as I can now and doing loads of extra cardio. About one week out I will start sleeping in cycles to prepare for the long nights and days. When I am not doing that I am bugging and harassing as many of my contacts/business associates as much as possible to pony up and donate some food or money for SHARE’s food banks.”

MR2 is very aware what Wrestling with Hunger can mean to someone. “In today’s tough economic times, I can’t think of a better way to help those in need. Most people forget that the food bank runs all year not just at Christmas. Hunger doesn’t end at the holidays, it never stops.”

Five Questions with MR2

Q: What do your friends and/or family think about your involvement in Wrestling with Hunger?
A: My family and friends think it is great and are behind me and the charity 100%. They also say that they will be thinking about me while they are sleeping in their warm comfy beds. These are my friends! They also think I am completely nuts for wrestling for 72 hours even if it is for charity but more so because it’s for a world record.

Q: What was your most memorable match?
A: I have two and I lost both of them! On Nov 25, 2006 in Nanaimo BC, I defended my NWA Canadian Jr. Title in a Triple threat Ladder match! The match featured myself, ICE, my brother Memphis. I also got a “great” pep talk from the Honky Tonk Man for the match! My second would be on Dec 6, 2008. I faced Scotty Mac at the Russian Community Centre in Vancouver for the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship. This match was a good match but from a fans perspective I doubt it had anything that really stood out. However, I picked this match for very for personal reasons.

Q: Who is your biggest rival and describe your history with him?
A: My biggest rival is my brother Memphis. We are both extremely competitive and we both hate losing. So growing up together we were natural competitors and as all brothers do, we fought. Wrestling is no easy business and even though we are supportive of each others accomplishments, we both enjoy taking shots at the others successes and defeats.

Q: Who was your wrestling hero growing up?
A: Like all kids, I was a Hulkamanic!! However I was also a big fan of Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and secretly the Ultimate Warrior.

Q: What has been your favorite arena to wrestle in and why?
A: The Russian Community Centre in Vancouver, hands down. The atmosphere at the RCC is unmatched by any other venue.

Callos

Professional Wrestling rookie Callos is looking forward to the biggest opportunity of his short career, Wrestling with Hunger!

Callos’s professional wrestling career is just getting started as he has been training for just over a year now.  This event is really something special and he knows it. “You can see people in need everyday and people can do all sorts of things for them. This is our way of giving something back by doing what we love and enjoy.”

Everyone around Callos is really supportive, and boy does he appreciate it. “My friends and family are behind me on this. I’ve even visited my old high school to talk to the Principal about advertising for this event. They all seem to enjoy the idea of it.”

Giving back to the community is something Callos is very grateful he has a chance to do. “Everyone should try to give back what they can to the community. Not everyone can be privileged enough to have basic necessities that most of us do and take for granted. Some days I find myself buying extra food for some people on the street cause that’s what they need the most.”

Five Questions with Callos

Q: Why they are taking part in Wrestling for Hunger?
A: Three days of wrestling, how could you turn that down? Plus a world record and the chance to help people out. You put those three things together and I don’t know any other way I would like to spend my time. I’m in the gym a couple hours in the morning, doing more cardio workouts as well. It’s not an easy task wrestling for this long and without upping the training sessions I wouldn’t see how it would be possible.

Q: What your best match? How about most memorable?
A: Best Match I would have to say is Nicole Matthews for the SuperGirls Title. We just clicked really well I thought and the crowd reaction was great. Most Memorable would have to be against Scotty Mac round two. To get the chance to stand across the ring with the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Champion and last over 5 minutes with him was something special. Plus I had a few 2 counts in there.

Q: What is your biggest rival and describe your history with him?
A: Azeem the Dream. It seems wherever I go this guy is running his mouth about me saying how great he is and he beat me before I knew it. Yet he continues to just stand outside the ring and watch me. Maybe one day he will find the guts to get in the ring and face me.

Q: Why did you get into wrestling?
A: I got into amateur wrestling in high school and ended up injuring myself for a couple months and during that time I was channel surfing and came across a John Cena vs. Eddie Guerrero on Smackdown! and since that one match I’ve been hooked ever since.

Q: What do you wish to achieve in the next 12 months in your wrestling career?
A: Well one is to get bigger. I’m slower getting there but there is still a long way to go and in 12 months hopefully I’ll be big enough that people will stop looking past me. Continue to be a small pain in the butts of Azeem and Scotty Mac. Hey maybe I’ll even wrestle the Prophet for that Slam Academy title of his. But anything can happen in a year so I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

Photo shoot at the food bank

Just getting back from the Food Bank in Port Moody where three wrestlers - Scotty Mac, Cole Bishop and Jamie Diaz - along with referee Robert Mitchell posed with volunteers and staff while the two local papers took photos.

Everyone had a blast.  I mean, it is not that often when guys in spandex wander into your place of work, pick up the the boss (in this case SHARE Family & Community Services Society Chair, John Wolff), toss him around a bit and take photos.

We will have copies of the news stories up on the site once published.

More photos will be up soon - including one of the volunteers (Beth) who took great pride in pinning both Scotty and Cole.  I think we made some new fans today.

Download a mini-poster

We just uploaded a PDF of an 8.5″ x 11″ mini-poster you can use to help promote your food drive.

The true goal is to get the community involved with organizing food drives at your schools, churches, businesses and organizations so we can fill the food banks. Hopefully this poster will help you get the word out.

Use the white space at the bottom of the poster to put in the details of your food drive.

If you are organizing a food drive, let us know at info@wrestlingwithhunger.com so we can help promote on our website.

Media picking up on Wrestling With Hunger

Since putting out our first press release two days ago, we have received a lot of attention from the media.

Yesterday, three interviews.  Today, two photo ops.  Tomorrow three more interviews.  Next week setting up many more.

This is exactly what we need to be successful - exposure.  The true goal is to get the community involved with organizing food drives at their schools, churches, businesses and organizations so we can fill the food banks.  Hopefully this media coverage helps.

We just uploaded to the website a PDF of an 8.5″ x 11″ mini-poster you can use to help promote your food drive.  If you are organizing a food drive, let us know at info@wrestlingwithhunger.com so we can help promote on our website.

Just two weeks until Wrestling With Hunger begins - April 2nd - 2pm!

Alex Plexis

Calgary’s own Alex Plexis is traveling from Province to Province, all just to be in Wrestling for Hunger!

Alex made his wrestling debut in October 2005 and moved up the ranks in Stampede Wrestling and all over Alberta.  He has had such memorable matches with now WWE Diva Natalya Neidhart before winning the Stampede Wrestling Young Lions Cup in November 2007.   Alex made his ECCW debut in January 2008, and continues to frequent the Western Canada’s premier wrestling promotion.

Alex realizes how much it matters that he is Wrestling for Hunger. “To me, Wrestling for Hunger is an opportunity to what I love and compete with some of the best wrestlers in Canada and the world while helping a great cause. Where’s the downside?”

Seventy two hours in a row is going to be tough, and Alex knows it. “My friends and family have been very supportive which I appreciate because my training must be driving them insane. They understand the importance of this cause and have been an incredible asset in my preparation for the record attempt.”

Five Questions with Alex Plexis

Q: How much does matter that your helping people in need for Wrestling With Hunger?
A: It’s very important to me to be able to help local food banks, they do very valuable work in their individual communities and need all the help they can get. There aren’t many thing I’m good at so I’m very thankful to be able to use wrestling to do my part.

Q: What your best match? How about most memorable?
A: My favorite and what I would consider my best match was my Young Lions Cup Triple Threat Match in which I beat Brandon Van Danielson and Carrot Adams to win the cup in November 2007. However, my most memorable match which is still (unfortunately) brought up to me by many fans would be another Triple Threat in which I wrestled Ravenous Randy and Dusty Adonis. The match ended while I was incapacitated having been hung on the ring post in an atomic wedgies by Randy so he could finish Adonis off.

Q: Why did you get into wrestling?
A: I’ve loved wrestling for as long as I can remember. The spectacle and athleticism has always drawn me to it. So when I moved to Calgary I immediately was drawn to the local wrestling scene where I met Chucky Blaze who told me about the local training. I saw the opportunity to take a shot at my dream and joined him training with Randy and Kidd and the rest is history.

Q: Who was your wrestling hero growing up?
A: My wrestling hero growing up was Shawn Michaels. He epitomized the athleticism and spectacle that drew me to the sport.

Q: What do you wish to achieve in the next 12 months in your wrestling career?
A: In the next 12 months my goal is to prove to everyone, not only in the crowds but in the locker rooms, that I am one of the top Junior Heavyweights in Canada!

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