Edmonton to consider dropping professional wrestling as combative sport

Promoters in Edmonton say they are conflicted when it comes to a recommendation by the city's administration to drop professional wrestling as a combative sport.

The entertainment form of wrestling is currently lumped together under city bylaw with other combative sports,such as mixed martial arts and boxing, which are then overseen by the Combative Sports Commission.

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Steven Ewaschuk, owner of Edmonton-based Real Canadian Wrestling, called the recommendation a "catch-22."

"It gives us more freedom to present events as we see fit, as many as we want," he said.

"But it's also not good because it opens the doors for outlaw, untrained, unprofessional promoters to just come in and run shows as they see fit."

Ewashuck said the current relationship between the commission and the city's three wrestling promoters isarms-length: the commission approves events and offers guidelines, while they pay an annual $700 licensing fee.

If the changes are approved by council, promoters would require a straightforward business licensing fee and would no longer be governed by the Combative Sports Commission.

The argument to change the bylaw took centre stage earlier this year when professional wrestling was included in a city-wide moratorium on all combative sports following the death of fighter Tim Hague during a boxing match in June 2017.

The city lifted the moratorium on wrestling before boxing and mixed martial arts, in part because the moves are staged and the outcome is predetermined.

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A report outlining the recommendation to exempt professional wrestling from the existing bylaw will be presented to councillors at the community and public services committee on Wednesday.

Kurt Sorochan, co-owner and promoter for Prairie Wrestling Association, said the proposed changes "don't really change much," but could prove troublesome without any kind of oversight to replace the Combative Sports Commission.

"For us, being under them and having some kind of governance kept out bad competition or poorly run groups that would come in," he said.