Sean Henderson Presents Is For Fans, By A Fan
The South Jersey-based promotion celebrates three years on Feb. 18-19.
Sean Henderson achieved his dream of becoming a pro wrestling promoter in February 2020, perhaps the worst time in history to launch a business built on live events.
Weekend at Sean’s House featured back-to-back shows at the H20 Wrestling Center in Williamstown, NJ, which has since become the home of Sean Henderson Presents (the promotion’s name was inspired by Joey Janela’s Spring Break). 2 Cold Scorpio was the biggest name on the cards, which primarily consisted of familiar faces to East Coast independent wrestling fans. Proud of his debut shows, the New Jersey native looked forward to booking more matches that would interest fans and wrestlers alike.
“I thought it was perfect timing to start a promotion, considering I was so young and lucky to have a lot of connections,” Sean Henderson, 23 years old, told The Wrestling Estate.
Of course, you know the record scratch comes a month later. Large gatherings were suspended beginning in March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Although WWE and AEW continued operations albeit without live audiences, indie promotions didn’t have that luxury. Henderson says a friend predicted that pro wrestling wouldn’t resume for at least two years, but the rookie booker remained optimistic, filling notebooks with potential matches and storylines.
By the summer, government-imposed restrictions had loosened in some parts of the United States. Two months after H20 returned, Sean Henderson Presents held Step By Step in August 2020. “It’s our most underrated show,” Henderson says. “We had a hot crowd and we fired on all cylinders. Dyln McKay vs. Jimmy Lloyd is still one of the craziest matches I’ve ever seen.”
Since then, Sean Henderson Presents has run events almost every month before taking a hiatus this past September. The month before, the promotion drew its smallest crowd (30-40 people) for After Laughter. Henderson says when business is doing well, shows draw around 100-150 fans.
“The South Jersey/Philadelphia area is the perfect place for wrestling – it’s a hot spot with the best fan base,” he says. “On the other hand, there are a lot of options, which is great for fans and wrestlers.”
Those not in the tri-state area can still watch Sean Henderson Presents on IWTV, which streams events live and hosts the company’s back catalog. Even though the “superstitious” promoter claims to not read the viewership reports emailed every month, he says that WrestleCup II, his version of CZW’s Best of the Best tournament, is the promotion’s most-watched show on IWTV.
“I feel I’m in tune with what wrestling fans want to see,” Henderson says. “I’ve been going to shows since I was 10 years old. I loved On Point Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Unplugged and CZW. SHP is genuine and authentic. I want to take what I like and blend it into what I currently have.”
His childhood passion led him to pursuing a career as a pro wrestler, sitting under Matt Tremont’s learning tree as a teenager. Of the nine students in H20’s inaugural class, Henderson was the only one that didn’t drop out. In June 2017, he made his official debut at H20’s Anniversary Show, taking on his trainer before the match was thrown out due to interference.
“Humility and hard work go hand and hand when speaking of Sean Henderson,” Tremont told The Wrestling Estate. “He already had these tools before coming to me to train him. Sean was the only one that stuck it through and to this day, because of that hard work and humility, he has done so much in just a short time. The biggest thing is that he, at a young age, continues to give back to all that have given to him because he is just that good of a young man.”
Henderson’s in-ring career is currently on ice after sustaining an injury at the first WrestleCup in September 2020. Battling Orin Veidt in a doors match, Henderson was gorilla press slammed through a door, which jacked up his right arm. He proceeded to wrestle for another year, but he’s undergoing physical rehab now after the pain finally caught up to him.
“I’m excited to heal up and return to the ring,” Henderson says. “It’s awesome to watch everybody else have fun, but I want to get in on it, too.”
There will be plenty of fun Feb. 18-19 at Weekend at Sean’s 3. Both Friday night and Saturday afternoon have stacked cards, headlined once again by 2 Cold Scorpio. On Night 1, the legend will meet veteran Drew Blood, who has Scorpio at the top of his bucket list matches. (Henderson takes pride in booking matches that wrestlers want to have.) On Saturday afternoon, the former WCW, WWE and ECW star will face Marcus Mathers, the most popular competitor in Sean Henderson Presents.
“Sean is one of my best friends,” Mathers told The Wrestling Estate. “We both have such a love for this business and it’s great to share that with someone. Sean has told me many times he doesn’t book me because he’s my friend – he books me because he believes in me and he’s one of my biggest supporters. SHP has turned into one of my favorite companies to work for. The next two shows are the biggest opportunities he’s giving me: facing 2 Cold Scorpio for the first time and Alex Colon for the second year in a row.”
In other exciting action, Cole Radrick will clash with Jimmy Lloyd for the first time in almost five years. Henderson says that Lloyd was originally scheduled to meet Addy Starr in her debut with the promotion, but she won’t be able to travel from Canada in time. Of course, that’s if Radrick can survive a Toy Story match with Veidt the night before.
It’s also a big weekend for Colby Corino, who Henderson considers to be “pound for pound, one of the best wrestlers in the world.” On Saturday, he’ll take on Tye Hyll, the self-titled “high-flying lowlife.” The night before, the former Catalyst Champion will face Billie Starkz. “Starkz is a wrestling prodigy,” Henderson says. “Once she becomes of age, she’ll be offered a contract and on TV.”
With these being the first Sean Henderson Presents events of the year, the young promoter has high hopes. As for the rest of 2022, he’s considering creating a SHP World Championship, the first title belt in the promotion.
“Originally, I didn’t know if SHP would be an ongoing thing,” Henderson says. “I just wanted to try it out, say that I could and add it to my resume. I didn’t think it would get to where it is now. But now I want to keep the same vibe of being a product you can rely on for fun, excitement and something special.”
Henderson has a special talent you can’t teach, Tremont says, and whatever trait that is, it oozes from him and reflects tenfold onto others. “Proud is a strong word, but I’m damn proud of Sean Henderson, the student, the worker, the promoter, the friend, a son I’ll never have and a great human being,” Tremont says.
Weekend at Sean’s 3 takes place Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19 at the H20 Wrestling Center in Williamstown, NJ.
Night 1 Doors @ 7:30 p.m., Bell @ 8 p.m. Day 2 Doors @ 2:30 p.m., Bell @ 3 p.m. Tickets $25 per show.
You can also watch live on IWTV.
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