World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling are the powerhouse companies of the wrestling world. However, they are not the only places where you can get a fill of professional grappling. Independent circuits around the country put on countless shows that have the same action-packed bouts, often with more personality, more community involvement, and a lower ticket price.
Founded in Elyria in 1998, Mega Championship Wrestling is one of these independent circuits, with shows in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. They host around 20 events per year, and their website states they are focused on “family oriented content for individuals of all ages to enjoy.”
Fourth-year Nora McIntyre learned about Mega this past summer and has attended a few of their shows since discovering them. She agreed with the description on their website.
“[Mega] has a very kid-friendly vibe that not all shows I go to do,” McIntyre said. “I really like the vibe there because there’s people selling action figures, and you can go buy $2 slices of pizza and cans of Faygo. It’s very small but exciting. There’s not that many of us, but we’re all really into this thing, and we’re all gonna drink our Faygo.”
The community is one of the most important aspects of Mega and part of what makes it different from more widely-known wrestling circuits. Fostering a good community around wrestling was one of the main reasons that Jeff Traxler, one of the founders and a current operations manager, decided to establish Mega Championship Wrestling 25 years ago.
“I started going to shows and tried to get into wrestling,” Traxler wrote in an email to the Review. “It was a lot more closed off then [in the ’90s]. I got frustrated and decided that I would run my own show and here we are. … Being around [for] 25 years, we have fans who started coming to shows as kids now bringing their kids and grandkids. That’s pretty cool I think.”
Along with their goal to provide wrestling entertainment for people of all backgrounds, they are dedicated to giving back to the community, working with organizations like Toys for Tots and Friends of Murray Ridge. These relationships have been maintained throughout the years, and Traxler indicated that 2023 marked the 11th year of partnership with Murray Ridge.
Mega’s dedication to the community is reflected not only in their work with nonprofits, but also through their school, which offers classes for aspiring wrestlers, managers, and referees.
“The wrestling school started in 2000, initially as a place to have a ring setup for current wrestlers to practice,” Traxler wrote. “Then people started asking about becoming wrestlers, so we filled a need.”
Helping the wrestling community grow is a large part of their mission.
“I like to think we give a lot of young wrestlers a chance to shine where they might not get the same elsewhere,” Traxler wrote. “I love watching them mature in the ring, watching the rookies go to Champions and leaders.”
While they are not connected with Lorain County Community College, they offer their classes at LCCC campuses and host many of their shows there. They host events elsewhere, too, whenever they get contracted by independent organizations. According to their website, they have been booked for events ranging from a “team building day for Mattress Firm” to “Colossal Con anime convention.”
Traxler indicated that these events differ based on what an individual organization has in mind, but that they are always enjoyable.
“I know the talent look forward to [independently booked shows], as they get to break out of normal roles,” he wrote.
Matches that extend past the boundaries of traditional wrestling offer a lot more creativity, but being part of an independent circuit in general provides a similar level of freedom. Wrestlers can be more creative with their personas, as there are fewer large corporations pulling in the reigns.
“At Mega Championship Wrestling, there’s a guy named Alex Daniels who is really into Star Trek, and he comes out wearing a Star Trek uniform,” McIntyre said. “And I know that he also does cosplay wrestling at cons as Captain Kirk. So, I’m a big fan of him. And Star Trek.”
That creativity is just one of the aspects that makes independent wrestling special.
“Indie companies in general are kind of more fun,” McIntyre said. “[At] big company shows, people are also very nice, but when it’s like, ‘well, there’s 50 of us and we’re in this field house,’ people are very close, people are very vocal and loud, and at indies you get a lot more interaction with the wrestlers.”
Going to shows hosted by independent circuits like Mega Championship Wrestling also is a great way to start being involved in the wrestling community.
“I would encourage people to go see professional wrestling, especially because we have professional wrestling at the community college that happens pretty regularly and it’s pretty cheap,” McIntyre said. “If you don’t know anything about wrestling, you will learn … from the crowd who you’re supposed to like, who you’re not supposed to like. Who are we booing? Who are we cheering? So I think it’s very fun and something you can enjoy, even if you don’t know anything about it going in. You will learn enough about it by the end that you will hopefully have fun.”
Mega’s next event is their Night of Champions, which will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Lorain County Community College Field House at 5 p.m.
