The West Coast Wrestling Connection- An Oregon Based Independent Wrestling Organization That Puts on One Hell of A Show!-Fitz of Horror

Written by Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) March 26, 2018

>>>>>The WCWC YouTube Channel (Link)<<<<<

I grew up watching WWF with my dad and brother, it was the glory days of larger than life Wrestlemanias featuring Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, I witnessed the arrivals of The Undertaker, The Ultimate Warrior and rooted for The Macho Man Randy Savage and other established veterans. Gathering with my dad and his friends for these Wrestlemania events was the equivalent of the best birthday party my young mind could have imagined, it was everything.

As the years went by I got into my teens and wrestling was the last thing on my mind. In my early 20s I discovered the WCW and saw that wresting had changed. The good guys were now bad guys and the bad guys ruled the roost. N.W.O quickly became my favorite faction and wrestling pay per views were part of my life again.

Fast forward a few more years, the UFC came into prominence and all of the sudden wrestling seemed really fake and silly to watch so basically I quit watching (now) WWE and WCW and became a devoted follower of the UFC and all of its stars. Every once in a while I would check in on WWE Smackdown or RAW and I just didn’t know any of the stars so my desire to watch wrestling entertainment had seemingly, in my late 20s-mid 30s, officially died.

Now I am 39 years old happily married, the manager of one of Oregon’s largest and most successful pawn shops (Capital Pawn also a WCWC sponsor) and run a very successful horror social media brand, Fitz of Horror. Enter The West Coast Wrestling Connection.

As it turns out, the pawn shop I manage is only a few blocks from the Scottish Right center in Salem, Oregon where the WCWC holds their monthly promotions. Since they’re old school, they had guys hitting the streets and handing out flyers and tickets to the events and they would come to our shop every month like clock work and hand me the promos. Months went by and I still could care less about what the WCWC was or going to one of these shows.

Finally we were approached by one of the guys about doing a “meet and greet” with some of the wrestlers at the pawn shop. I was hesitant about the idea because that meant more work for me but as I mentioned the idea to customers I began to see that these wrestlers were beloved in this community and after meeting some of them and the owner (Jeff Manning) at the event I could see why. The Meet and greet was a success and now Capital Pawn is a proud sponsor of the organization.

About the West Coast Wrestling Connection-

The West Coast Wrestling Connection (WCWC) is a professional wrestling organization based in Salem, Oregon. The WCWC has a monthly television taping in Portland, Oregon. These shows are broadcast Saturday nights at 11 p.m. on KPDX-TV (KPDX 49/Comcast 13).

The WCWC was founded by Jeff Manning and Pat Kelley in 2005

The WCWC had its inaugural show in Salem, Oregon on March 20, 2005. Shows are held across western Oregon, with a monthly live event in Salem.

The WCWC on PDX-TV debuted on May 24, 2014

It wasn’t until Father’s Day in 2016 that I finally attended a live show in Salem. I went with my father in law who was excited to go and my very reluctant wife, daughter and mother in law. The show was amazing and even the skeptical girls had a great time because of the show they put on.

This was something. Wrestling entertainment was all of the sudden back in my life and this time I was a part of it. I now sponsor them via my Fitz of Horror brand and my banner hangs proudly on the side of the ring at their live tapings for their Portland show, prominently displayed on TV every Saturday at 11pm PST. They are also sponsored by several Portland and Salem area businesses that the make ingeniously absurd commercial spots for so it makes the entire hour a time when you can put your brain on auto pilot and just sit back, relax and have fun.

What makes the WCWC so great?

There aren’t many professions that require so much dedication and personal sacrifice as independent wrestling. These guys put their bodies on the line doing what they love for very little pay, in fact most of these guys wrestle for multiple independent organizations and continuously travel the United States collecting checks for pushing their bodies to the limit week in and week out for sometimes 20-30 fans.

There are currently just shy of 400 independent wrestling organizations operating in the United States at the moment and very few have successful televised shows. The WCWC has been around for 13 years now (4 on TV) and they only appear to be getting better. 2018 in particular they seemed to have crossed a threshold into true week to week “must watch” TV. The storylines have become more prominent, the matches are almost always built up to the point that you really want to see these guys wrestle each other and the execution of moves along with the pace of the matches make for an exciting hour of television (or YouTube episode) that makes you want to watch the next weeks episode to see what’s next!

They feature a few former WWE superstars currently on the roster, namely, Matt Striker and Gangrel the Vampire Warrior that are big draws but they have an abundance of talent that WWE should be keeping an eye on-Mike Camden, Alexander Hammerstone, Remmy Marcel, Marcus Malone, Eric Right, Matt Xstatic, Mikey O’Shea– to name a few, that are electric performers and make these shows a true event.

The fans at these events are amazing as well. From fans and signs mocking the bad guys and the bad guys firing insults right back, the shows are 100% interactive and fun. There are several fans with special needs that attend these events and you can tell that every show they are having the time of their lives and the wrestlers (good and bad) acknowledge them and make them feel like family, honestly it’s one of my favorite parts of the live events.

It is well known that I am a huge supporter of independent horror and recently have become a supporter of this independent wrestling promotion because I fell in love with their work ethic, showmanship, their genuine respect for their fans and now as an “adult” it has given me something to look forward to every Saturday night.

These athletes and all involved with The West Coast Wrestling Connection have a passion for what they do and it shows week in and week out. When fans take their time to attend a show, they are rewarded with performances they will never forget-every time. They are even so passionate that they are well known for giving free tickets to families just so they can fill the seats, They even give away cash and tickets to future events at the beginning of every show. If you’re on the fence about going then come see me and I’ll go to a show with you but you’re buying the drinks;)

Here is the latest TV episode from March 24, 2018 to give you a taste of what you’re in for and pay close attention to the announcing team of Blake Chadwick and Christian Cole (and sometimes the diabolical Morty Lipschitz), these guys are just as entertaining as the wrestlers. Remember to subscribe to their YouTube (The WCWC) channel where the newest episode is available every Monday!

Follow The West Coast Wrestling Connection on Facebook, Instagram (TheWCWC) Twitter and subscribe on YouTube

Follow me on Facebook at Fitz of Horror and Instagram at fitz_of_horror