By 11 a.m. sharp, the furious thuds of eager combatants slamming the mat could be heard campus wide.
On September 20th, 2023, the Larimer Campus of FRCC became a battleground of epic proportions. Primos Premier Pro Wrestling put on a Lucha wrestling live event, free of charge.
As the mat was being set up earlier in the morning, I was able to speak with personal coach and veteran wrestler, Tyra Russamee.
Upon even the first words spoken, it was clear how passionate she was about the sport and image surrounding it.
Russamee is not only a Lucha wrestler, but a Deathmatch wrestler, a style using many weapons and more violent move sets.
When asked what Lucha wrestling means to her, and why Denver was a good place to work in the wrestling business, Russamee explained that Colorado houses an exceptional amount of Hispanic wrestling fans.
Not only do many of the fans mentioned love watching pro wrestling, but are eager to perform it themselves.
When asked what the most important thing about pro wrestling is, Russamee had two responses: there is always room to learn and grow, and the product should always be able to entertain an audience, as well as distract them from real life woes.
This was a theme that carried throughout the entire show, especially other members of the roster.
Another champion wrestler I spoke to was Ezra Menagerie Tinker.
Tinker explained how she had been a fan of wrestling for years, and had been on the fence about training, until she saw an episode of AEW Dynamite.
On February 12, AEW Dynamite saw Nyla Rose, the first trans wrestler to join a major promotion, win a belt. This was shocking to Tinker, and the wrestling world as a whole.
After seeing how triumphant Rose was, Tinker made many life changes, including a location, moving to Colorado to train.
Ever since, she’s been tearing the indies up, spreading a powerful image with her.
I asked what she would want women on the fence about wrestling to know, and her response was more emotionally moving than I could have prepared for.
The industry is majority male, but as a woman, “there is empowerment and independence in claiming your right to wrestle. While it’s male-dominated, you aren’t competing, you already are a wrestler at the pro level. You’re already there.”
I asked Tinker to describe how the world of women’s wrestling has evolved over the past 20 years.
“While we’ve grown away from bra and panties matches, there are definitely fans who still want that, stuck in that mindset. We had a show in the South, and a promoter came back and told us the fans were chanting for it. Most fans however are growing past that,” she said.
As 1:30 p.m. hit, attendants were treated to a heavyweight title defense, with
none other than our own mascot at the champ’s side.
Tinker’s match at the event was against a man, and the audience loved it.
This wasn’t too surprising, however, as everyone in attendance was eager and thirsty for more.
After an incredibly well fought bout, our school mascot entered the ring, almost as an ambassador for Front Range.
Not only were each of the 4 incredible matches free to watch, food and drink too were provided fresh on the spot.
The turnout was fantastic, and even those who did not stay for much wrestling still left pleased and full from tacos.
Thankfully for fans craving more, Primos will be putting another show on October 15th, at the Roxy Denver.
If you weren’t able to see the pulse pounding action here on campus, don’t miss out again. Primos isn’t playing around about wrestling.
