UWA Elite Celebrates 20 Years
Setting the Standard takes place April 17.
UWA Elite has endured talent departures, an oversaturated market, loss of venues and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, the New Jersey-based independent wrestling promotion marches on, kicking off its 20th year on April 17 at Setting the Standard. The outdoor event at the South River VFW will feature favorites, such as Eric Corvis, “Explosive” Eddie Thomas, The Stepdads and more. In a qualifier for the Territory Championship, KTB will collide with Robbie Roller and Matt Vertigo. Fans will also have the chance to say goodbye to the retiring TJ Blade, former UWA Elite Champion and a member of the beloved Brotein Pack.
“Everybody that wrestles loves the business, so when they leave, it’s for a pretty substantial reason,” says Dave Swan, founder and owner of UWA Elite. “TJ Blade has been a cornerstone of the company for a long time. Losing a key piece of talent sucks, but I’m also proud when they go to greener pastures.”
Several well-known names have cut their teeth in UWA Elite, including Jay Lethal, Jordan Oliver and Brandon Kirk. Built on family-friendly, episodic storytelling, the promotion allows young talent to experiment and develop their personalities. With a background in indie film, Swan prides himself on conceiving storylines that run several months long, allowing his performers and audience to get invested. With content consistently shown on the UWA Elite Network (for $6.99 a month, you get every show since 2011) and the company’s social media accounts, it’s easy for fans to follow along.
“We have a roster that genuinely cares about the company and the product,” Swan says. “People don’t wrestle UWA Elite because they have dates open. We try to make sure that everybody on our shows has stuff to do. Nowhere else on the indies is somebody going to walk up to you and say ‘we’re doing a nine-month storyline.’ Luckily, we have the structure to do that.”
Similar to ECWA and the Hardy Boyz’ OMEGA promotion, UWA Elite’s origin is backyard wrestling. From 2001 until 2011, Swan invited his friends and even established pro wrestlers over to his house for matches. This was before YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, so indie guys could easily fly under the radar taking bumps in the backyard before wrestling on a show that night. “My family thought I was crazy, but they went along with it,” Swan says, adding that they’re amazed at what UWA Elite has become.
He never fancied himself a wrestler; he was more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect. Once his friends were properly trained and started getting regular bookings, it was easy for Swan to tag along and fill supplemental roles like referee, ring announcer and commentator. However, the goal was always to run his own company.
“I was the kid rooting for Mr. McMahon against Stone Cold,” Swan laughs.
In 2011, he transitioned UWA Elite from his backyard to the historic Darress Theatre in Boonton, NJ, where he had previously hosted a couple of indie film premieres. Because most of the talent booked was already respected on the indie scene, Swan didn’t face much criticism for segueing into a full-fledged promotion. Within three years, he landed a deal with The Sportsplex in Metuchen, NJ, running monthly events and taping weekly shows for YouTube. “It was a good deal until Pro Wrestling Syndicate came and destroyed the building, and then all pro wrestling was banned,” Swan says.
Since then, South River has been UWA Elite’s home. Before the coronavirus outbreak, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church hosted the action. The company’s last show in the building was two weeks before everything shut down. From spring until fall, matches without spectators were streamed on the UWA Elite Network and YouTube. In October, the company resumed in front of a crowd with its annual Brawl For It All, considered its biggest show of the year.
“I can’t remember the last show I had gone into with so much uncertainty,” Swan says. “At any point, the governor could have announced we’re rolling back outdoor events and the show would have been canceled. We hoped the fans would willingly abide by the CDC regulations so we didn’t have to make any scenes, which we were prepared to do. Luckily, everybody was on board and we drew right around what we were drawing pre-pandemic.”
Swan is very proud of Brawl For It All, his company’s version of the Royal Rumble. “Everybody says the Royal Rumble is one of their favorite shows of the year, but nobody was ever excited to see that type of match on an indie show,” he says. “I always thought that was weird, but I realized the indie shows throw guys out there without stories. When we book it, we break it down into 30-second intervals, really deconstructing the match and then putting it all together.”
UWA Elite ran another event in November before taking a break due to the wintry weather. “You can safely bring 150 people outdoors right now, so we’ll be running outdoor shows in April, May and June,” Swan says.
Setting the Standard takes place April 17 at the South River VFW in South River, NJ.
For tickets and more information, visit https://www.uwaelite.
You can watch all of UWA Elite’s past events on the UWA Elite Network.
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