Indie Wrestlers Suit Up For BasketBrawl
The event streams live on IWTV.
Space Jam 2 isn’t the hottest hoops event of the summer – that distinction goes to BasketBrawl.
This Sunday, some of your favorite wrestlers on the independent scene will step onto the court for a charity basketball game. Forget shirts vs. skins, it’s heels vs. faces with all proceeds going to the Miracle League of Mercer County, which provides fully inclusive baseball programs to individuals with special needs. All funds collected will help maintain the facility, as well as upgrade the baseball field.
BasketBrawl is the brainchild of Shane Fair, ring announcer for UWA Elite, Pro Wrestling Magic, Warriors of Wrestling and other promotions in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Fair was motivated to do something to unite the wrestling community in the wake of Colin West, owner of now-defunct Synergy Pro Wrestling, being exposed as a registered sex offender.
“Everyone involved with Synergy was heartbroken,” Fair says. “I wanted to channel that energy into something positive. We needed to do right by the children.”
Instead of hosting a pro wrestling event, Fair wanted something outside the ring that would be fun, different and exciting for fans. Of all the sports, basketball seemed to be the common denominator amongst local wrestlers. Fair mentioned Steve Scott and Vargas, in particular, as avid ballers.
Launching a GoFundMe in May, Fair reached his original goal of $5,000 by mid-July and with current ticket sales is projecting more than $7,100 for the Miracle League of Mercer County.
“GoFundMe didn’t move for days, so I was constantly coming up with ways to raise those funds,” Fair says. “A big one was having people donate autographed items and we had auctions for them. Our credibility boosted once people saw that the GoFundMe goal was close to being attained and that this was actually going to happen.”
A grassroots effort, Fair refused to use any of the donations toward funding the actual event. Taking out a personal loan to get the participants’ jerseys made, Fair says he’s invested more than $4,000 of his own money into making BasketBrawl a reality. To help defray expenses, wrestling promotions, podcasts and even local companies outside the industry were invited to sponsor participants.
The official Miracle League of Mercer County ambassador to BasketBrawl is Azaliah, a young wrestling fan who would regularly attend Synergy events with her mother. “She’s the only person on the planet to already have their jersey for the event,” Fair says.
Although it’s preferred that fans purchase tickets prior to BasketBrawl on Eventbrite, you can still pay for admission day-of at the Sawmill YMCA in Hamilton Township, NJ. Doors open at 2 p.m. EST to allow attendees to take photos with the wrestlers and tip off is at 3 p.m. EST. If you can’t make it, don’t worry – the event will be streamed live on IWTV.
“People have been DMing me, saying ‘just to let you know, I’m going super hard that day.’ Everybody wants to win and be the MVP,” Fair says.
For a full list of participants, click here.
About Author
