Synergy Pro Wrestling Welcomes Fans Back
For The First Responders takes place July 11.
Synergy Pro Wrestling owner Colin West worked harder than ever during the COVID-19 lockdown.
While other promotions (independent and national) went dark, Synergy continued engaging with fans. The New Jersey-based promotion presented a “Best Of” stream on FITE TV, as well as a collaborative compilation stream with H20 Wrestling. There was a Twitter tournament where followers voted on their favorite Synergy entrance themes. Then, there was #PromoMaster, a series of promo battles on social media that raised funds for three wrestling schools. West also hosted watch-a-long parties of previous Synergy events, as well as a series of in-depth, out-of-character interviews with TJ Crawford, Joey Silver and Anthony Gangone as part of the Synergy podcast.
A modern-day version of The Ant and the Grasshopper, West’s hustle during the spring has prepared him for a bountiful summer.
Synergy presents two live events in July: For The First Responders on July 11 and the second Garden State Invitational on July 25. Both will take place at Synergy’s home – the Polish Falcons Nest in Hillsborough, NJ. Because of state-sanctioned restrictions, the venue is limited to running at 25% capacity (only 40 tickets can be sold for each event). As of June 29, less than 20 tickets were left. Both events will also be streamed live on FITE TV.
A safety protocol has been put in place: mandatory masks, temperatures taken at the door with non-contact thermometers, group seating spread out and the ring will be disinfected between matches.
“We’ve all seen some shows come back with a whole bunch of people packed like sardines,” West told The Wrestling Estate. “It’s deplorable and has nothing to do with if fans are okay with it. I’m not shaming anyone and I’m not politicizing, but if there’s still a chance that people can be infected, why wouldn’t we just follow guidelines for the time being?”
“You guys are too nice to succeed.”
— Synergy Pro Wrestling (@synergywrestle) June 29, 2020
#1 on the https://t.co/XFvbAIxOvq homepage for pro wrestling this afternoon. Because of YOU.
Enough negativity in this business. Let’s go. pic.twitter.com/TxNTKk8WRr
For The First Responders is a collaboration between Synergy and Wrestling News World, who pitched the show to West because of his pre-Synergy days organizing charity wrestling events. All proceeds will go to the American Nurses Foundation.
The event is headlined by a 30-minute Ironman match between Alex Zayne and Blake Christian, a couple of up-and-comers who have made a name for themselves in GCW over the past year. When asked if these athletes will have the stamina for such a long match after months away from the ring, West wasn’t worried, going so far as to say they’re in better condition post-lockdown after having time to heal and rest up. The last time Synergy had an Ironman match, Matt Macintosh interfered and no winner was decided. West guarantees there will be a clear winner this time; if someone interferes, he’ll fire them.
Macintosh will compete in his first match back since losing the Synergy Championship in November, taking on Francis Kip Stevens. Also scheduled is a triple threat between Alex Reiman (formerly known as Aaron Bradley), Mike Del and Kit Osbourne. Jason Sinclair will team with MV Young to battle former brethren Apostles of Chaos. There will also be a No. 1 contenders match, as Brandon Kirk takes on Eric Corvis. The winner will get a title shot against either Frightmare or Desean Pratt, whoever leaves the Garden State Invitational with the Synergy Championship.
The champion and challenger, partners turned arch nemeses, have already had a confrontation that will be shown during For The First Responders. It’s Synergy’s stab at cinematic wrestling. “One thing that will come out of this era is people have tried things,” West says. “If we didn’t have this pandemic, we would have never gotten the Boneyard match or the Stadium Stampede. We’ve made our attempt with a Frightmare on Pratt Street. I hired an award-winning independent horror film director and we just went for it.”
Two other matches are connected to the GSI: Tony Deppen meets J.D. Drake and LSG clashes with Jordan Oliver to earn the last two spots in the one-night tournament. “I wanted to have a qualifier of two guys who don’t always get a chance to work here (Deppen vs. Drake) and one that has a lot of Synergy feel to it (LSG vs. Oliver),” West says. “Both LSG and Oliver have expressed to me that they want the ball. They’re both always grateful and happy to be part of the pro wrestling business, but neither one is ever satisfied.”
The winners of GSI qualifiers will join KTB, Simon Gotch, Gregory Iron, Matt Cross, Gary Jay and MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed. The way the brackets are laid out, we could see Injustice members collide in the first round. The Wrestling Estate will have a full rundown of the tournament on July 20.
For The First Responders takes place July 11 at the Polish Falcons Nest in Hillsborough, NJ.
For tickets and more information, visit www.synergywrestling.com
Watch For The First Responders at 7 p.m. EST on FITE TV.
You can watch all of Synergy’s past events on independentwrestling
Follow Synergy Pro Wrestling on Facebook and Twitter.
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