canwrestle's blog
Thank you from WRESTLEFEST CANADA 2024
It has been a couple of days since Wrestlefest Canada ended. While everyone who attended tries to readjust to normality again, on behalf of the Organization Committee, I would like to take a minute to say thanks.
It was an incredible weekend, filled with wrestling and comradery. Life-long memories were made, a few bucket lists were checked, and friendships were born and deepened. It turned out better than we could have hoped and there are more than a few people to thank for that.
First a shout out to our sponsors and partners. Meetfighters, Watchfighters and Meetkink, were generous in their financial support and for providing the platform to promote and organize. Also, thank you to the venues who hosted our official events. Flash graciously hosted our opening singlet party, Jarod at Gigster for providing our venue for the Live event, The Black Eagle for accommodating our closing BBQ, and the Grapplepit for partnering with us at the Birdhaus for the open mat. We appreciate your contributions, and for making space for us.
A thanks also goes to Ry Levey, and Smash Wrestling for providing the door prizes at the Opening party.
Thank you to the wrestlers, hosts, and our referees, who performed at the live event. I won't list you all by name, but your hard work and bravery entertained everyone who attended for three hours.
However, the biggest thank you must go to the attendees, the guys who participated, engaged, and showed up. Without you, this weekend wouldn’t have been what it was. As the organizers we set the stage, but it was you who brought it to life with your energy, enthusiasm, and openness. Thank you to the wrestling locals who welcomed the out-of-towners, and to those that traveled, some from as far as Australia, to partake in this crazy, wonderful weekend of wrestling.
In the next few weeks, we will be posting a feedback survey. We would appreciate hearing your genuine thoughts and experiences. Conversations about what we can do to make next year even better are already occurring and we welcome your input.
On behalf of myself (Canwrestle), LeanMachine, Madeincanada, and Sunny Deleon, thank you. We look forward to welcoming you back next year and to more fantastic times on and off the mats.
SethTheStud (58)
7/31/2024 7:28 PMSuch an amazing and well put together event! Cant wait for next year, its going to be even better! Thank you canwrestle 💪
TobyCarter (109 )
7/31/2024 8:04 PMI'm so grateful for this event, and the wonderful excuse to leave the Florida heat for someplace cooler and less humid. I'll happily complete the survey, but I can't think of anything that would have improved this. The format of the open mats and partnership with GrapplePit was a wonderful treat! I enjoyed mixing in with the locals and even wrestled one of them after finally building the courage to bridge the gap, leaving the comfort of my MeetFighters brothers! I appreciate the passion, dedication, and camaraderie of the event organizers and the participants.
SqueezeNW (68)
7/31/2024 8:11 PMYou guys did an excellent job organizing everything and made my first wrestlefest a memorable event! Looking forward to the next one.
KBlume (7 )
7/31/2024 9:24 PMIt makes me so happy to hear how well the event went. I know you all put so much into making sure it was the best event it could be, and it's clear that hard work payed off. Congrats on such a successful wrestlefest, and I'm excited to finally join you all next year!
mcic (159)
8/01/2024 12:18 AMGreat job to all the organizers. Last year you put together a great event in fairly short time. You took that experience and built on it to make an even better second effort! Can’t wait to see what you do for year three!
Of course the hard work the organizers did wouldn’t matter without everyone that descended on Toronto of all styles, skill levels and size. Getting to hang out with all of you and hit the mats with many of you, made for a great weekend!
synxiec (73)
8/01/2024 8:07 PMI still have a mini-essay in progress for how much I enjoyed this whole thing. Thank you all so much for everything.
osakarob (81 )
8/05/2024 5:52 PM'Bigger' doesn't always mean 'better', but in this case it really did feel more enjoyable than last year's wrestlefest. The opening party at Flash was fantastic. We are all grateful to MF for their financial support.
The Live wrestling show was amazing. I absolutely loved the spacious venue. (Thank you WatchFighters for their support) Everyone who attended appreciated the skill with which the wrestlers performed. So many guys exceeded expectations on those mats and really made it a genuine underground wrestling show. And you deserve big congratulations for making the show diverse - wrestlers of all ages, body sizes, races, and fighting styles. It struck me as truly Canadian the way you incorporated different wrestlers together to put on a cohesive show.
Even folks who didn't attend the show had a great time as I heard about a number of small group meets back at the hotels that were successful.
I know there was debate about hosting the fest in another city like Montreal. But it's really hard to see how any other location could rival Toronto. The proximity to the gayborhood on Church Street made it so easy to grab meals with wrestlers between bouts and plenty to do and see both before and after. Even the BBQ on Sunday was well attended by many weary and tired bodies.
Lxdesign (5)
8/06/2024 2:12 PMSorry I didn’t make it…got hung up in Calgary with delayed flights.