Susquehanna Wrestling Organization Welcomes Fans Back
More than 100 tickets are already reserved for May 29.
For the first time in eight months, the Susquehanna Wrestling Organization (sWo) will have a crowd this Saturday at the Seven Valleys Fire Company in Seven Valleys, PA.
According to booker Donavan Vallee, there are more than 100 seats already reserved for the unprecedented 10-match card. The sWo faithful are excited to see “All Energy” Breaux Keller, Killian McMurphy (fresh off winning the Super 8), Wolfman and the rest of the wild characters. Plus, Matt Vertigo brings the Territory Championship to sWo for the first time, defending against Suicide Myers.
In perhaps the most anticipated bout of the evening, Van Valley (Vallee’s alter ego) will fight his former partner Ace Dallas in a falls count anywhere match for the sWo Unlimited Championship. If Valley loses, he can never challenge for that title again.
“The Susquehanna Wrestling Organization is this awesome place where kayfabe and work rate are both equally appreciated,” Vallee says. “The fans genuinely care about our wrestlers and can’t wait to see their performances, twists and turns! Anyone that comes for the first time immediately plans a second time. Its where the past meets the future. It’s for everyone.”
Vallee was in eighth grade when the Susquehanna Wrestling Organization launched in March of 2001. There were no long-term plans for the company – its first show was intended as its last. Wolfman’s daughter’s school was trying to raise money for a field trip, so the veteran grappler decided to host a pro wrestling show. He, his daughter and a few other wrestlers such as Stu Leppo and Insane Sam organized the event, which was so successful that the group put on subsequent fundraisers for local firefighters and police.
Twenty years and one pandemic later, sWo is still going strong.
“My brother used to tell everybody, ‘If you don’t like the show, you can ask for your money back.’ So far, nobody has ever asked,” Wolfman says.
Before entering the wrestling industry, Wolfman – no relation to Vilmos Farkas who competed as The Wolfman in the ‘70s and ‘80s – worked the carnival circuit as a fire eater, sword swallower and other death-defying acts. When the NWA came to town for a show in the vicinity, he helped set up the ring. At the time, Earl Hebner was in charge of ring crew and invited him to help out on a regular basis.
After a while, he was encouraged to get trained by local wrestler Max Thrasher and then became The Canadian Wolfman. Honing his craft on the Northeast indie scene, he even worked for Eastern Championship Wrestling before it turned Extreme. “I had a falling out with Paul E.,” Wolfman says. “He said he’d take my real name and make it famous. That’s how the Dudleys came about.”
sWo started two months after ECW’s last show and has become a reputable promotion in Central Pennsylvania. Wolfman credits Vallee with the company’s success after the latter took over booking in February 2016.
“I prefer to be in the background watching the younger guys,” says Wolfman, who’s 63 years old. “I’d rather see a younger guy learn how to book and put a show together. I’ve given a couple guys chances to do that, but Don has been doing it the longest. When I first met him, he felt like one of those guys I could trust.”
Before sWo, Vallee was a pillar of the backyard wrestling community. Meeting fellow fans in an online forum, the New York native hosted shows at his friend’s massive yard, drawing crowds of roughly 100 people from all over the United States, Canada and even the United Kingdom.
“People told me they planned two things for the summer: Warped Tour and NYE – the New York Extravaganza,” Vallee says. “Being in charge of three days of entertainment for that many people was a hell of a challenge, but definitely an early learning experience for steering a company’s ship.”
In the late 2000s, Vallee received proper training and worked for indie companies throughout Pennsylvania, as well as Beyond Wrestling. But the yarding scene was more fun, so he stuck with it until the mid-2010s. That’s when he met Wolfman.
“I hated backyard wrestling,” Wolfman laughs. “I didn’t like the glass and tacks and all that stuff. Ace Dallas asked to use my ring for a backyard show, so I charged them $500 and let them use my building. But the agreement was that if I didn’t like what was going on, I could shut it down.”
Wolfman wasn’t disgusted by what he saw, quite the contrary. He saw potential in these young guns and with some seasoning, figured they’d be a great addition to the Susquehanna Wrestling Organization. So, he offered them one year of training and then they would get booked. In May 2015, Vallee made his sWo debut, immediately making an impact.
He pitched a project called sWo Uprising, which would have been a YouTube show taped at Wolfman’s barn featuring the newest batch of guys, totally separate from sWo’s established core. Wolfman loved the idea and found a building to hold the event. However, only about 20 fans showed up to the premiere. Vallee considers that a crash course in advertising and by the next event drew 96 fans, which was more than sWo was drawing at the time.
Numbers don’t lie, so Wolfman gave him the book.
“I had to cut loose some guys that didn’t believe in my vision for the direction of the company and bring in some that did,” Vallee says. “Before I had the book, the show was very old-school-oriented and every match was hardcore. I wanted a variety show; when you have something for everyone, everyone will come.
I wanted passion and people who are driven and I think I’ve surrounded myself with that crew.”
sWo returns Saturday, May 29, at the Seven Valleys Fire Company in Seven Valleys, PA.
For tickets and more information, call/text (717)324-9350
Follow Susquehanna Wrestling Organization on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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