Real Pro Wrestling, today's only authentic professional wrestling league, will begin its second season on Saturday, October 28, 2006, in San Jose, CA, with its Western Regional Qualifier, the first of four qualifying events plus a Super Challenge that will precede league play starting in March 2007, it was announced by former NCAA wrestler Toby Willis and former All American NCAA wrestler Matt Case, the league's co-founders.
The Northern Regional Qualifier will be held in Mount Vernon, IA, on Saturday, November 4, 2006, followed by the Eastern Regional Qualifier on Saturday, November 11, in Aston, PA, and the Southern Regional Qualifier on Saturday, November 18, in Tulsa, OK.
The purpose of the Regional Qualifier Events is to provide an opportunity for any and all wrestlers to compete for a spot on one of the eight RPW teams - California Claw, Chicago Groove, Iowa Stalkers, Minnesota Freeze, New York Outrage, Oklahoma Slam, Pennsylvania Hammer and Texas Shooters. Each team is composed of wrestlers in seven weight classes - 121 lbs, 132 lbs, 145 lbs, 163 lbs, 184 lbs, 211 lbs and 264 lbs. (Wrestlers seeking to compete at a Regional Qualifier must complete an application currently available on the "Wrestler Application" page at www.realprowrestling.com.)
Winners of the four regional qualifiers will advance to the RPW Super Challenge on Sunday, January 7, 2007, in San Jose, CA, where the regional champions from each weight class will compete against the RPW wrestlers who did not advance past the first round in Season One. Each regional champ will face-off with one RPW wrestler in a head-to-head Pro-Am Challenge match with the winner awarded a spot on one of RPW's eight teams. Thus, four (4) spots will be filled by RPW wrestlers and four (4) spots will be taken by the regional qualifier champions. RPW Super Qualifer champions will have a chance to win prize money during the regular season and become the next RPW National Champion.
Real Pro Wrestling is an exciting new sports league that offers an up-tempo form of a hybrid-style of wrestling, combining the classic styles of Greco-Roman and Freestyle, the two Olympic sanctioned sports, along with elements of college and Sumo wrestling. Adapting some of the basic rules of wrestling in order to speed-up the action, the sport has become more spectator-friendly without sacrificing its integrity.
"The RPW provides a form of wrestling that not only is crowd-pleasing, but also very competitive," says league CEO Toby Willis. "Our athletes are some of the top wrestlers in the world and spectators who come to our events, whether they are die-hard wrestling fans or families new to the sport, will have a great time. The action is fast and furious, and the rules are easy to understand."
According to Willis, RPW will change formats for its second season which begins in March 2007. Whereas wrestlers competed in individual tournaments in seven separate weight classifications during Season One, the new season will feature dual meet competitions held regionally in front of live crowds, culminating with a dual meet championship at the end of the season. Each team will have one wrestler in seven weight classifications. Team rosters will be finalized by the conclusion of the Super Challenge in early January.
Explaining the reason for the change, Willis said, "We used the tournament format in Season One because it allowed us to meet the 'made-for-TV' requirements by being able to capture all the episodes in a short time. Our aim has always been team-based competition in a live dual meet format in different cities. This will be the first season that actual competitions will be held in front of live audiences in regional venues."
During Season One, RPW's tournament matches were all taped on a wrestling set built inside a TV studio in Los Angeles, and were subsequently televised as a nine-week series on the Pax and Fox Sports Networks. A new syndicated television show, hosted by Texas Shooter wrestler Aaron Simpson, made its debut on September 22, 2006, and will run for 52 weeks. The first 26 episodes will feature RPW Season One action. When the Season One recap shows end in late February, Season Two action will be ready to begin. In addition, Season Two matches will be made available on Pay-Per-View TV as a 10-week series beginning March 25, 2007.
According to Matt Case, RPW placed teams in states chosen for their grassroots interest in the sport. "They are either top wrestling markets or are showing considerable growth in the sport," he said. "Texas, for example, isn't a traditional wrestling hotbed, but it's growing fast and is a region that could become a strong building block for our league."
Toby Willis, who first met Matt Case when they were wrestling teammates at Northwestern University in the early 1990s, is confident that RPW will succeed. "We've already made giant strides in our first season," he said. "Wrestling is a very popular sport and can support many teams in different regions because of the wealth of its grassroots programs. The sport doesn't require huge football-sized stadiums because of the close-up action. Wrestling also has a long tradition as an Olympic sport, one in which sportsmanship plays a major role. We strongly believe that our athletes can become positive role models for young people in our nation."
Real Pro Wrestling, Inc. was founded in 2002. The company is based in Nashville, TN, with branch offices in New York City and Virginia. RPW is a television production company and a producer of live events.
Other key members of the Real Pro Wrestling executive team include: Rick Korn, General Manager; Noah Goldman, Director of Regional Sponsorship Sales; and Ted Witulski, Director of Grassroots Marketing.
Following is detailed information on the four regional qualifiers and the Super Challenge:
Western Regional Qualifer
Date: Saturday, October 28, 2006
Location: San Jose Convention & Cultural Facilities
Parkside Hall A, 180 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95113
8:30 AM: Doors Open
9:00 AM: RPW Rules Clinic
10:00 AM: Quarter-Final Round (free)
11:30 AM: Semi-Final Round (free)
2:30 PM: RPW Fan Fest ($5/person, $20/family, $30team)
5:00 PM: Championship Finals
Northern Regional Qualifier
Date: Saturday, November 4, 2006
Location: Cornell College, Indoor Arena, 600 First Street W
Mount Vernon, IA 52314-1006
8:30 AM: Doors Open
9:00 AM: RPW Rules Clinic
10:00 AM: Quarter-Final Round (free)
11:30 AM: Semi-Final Round (free)
2:30 PM: RPW Fan Fest ($5/person, $20/family, $30/team)
5:00 PM: Championship Finals
6:30 PM: Awards Ceremony
8:00 PM: After Party - 3rd Base Sports Bar (Cedar Rapids)
Eastern Regional Qualifier
Date: Saturday, November 11, 2006
Location: Tri-State Sports, 63 Concord Road
Aston, PA 19014-2902
8:30 AM: Doors Open
9:00 AM: RPW Rules Clinic
10:00 AM: Quarter-Final Round (free)
11:30 AM: Semi-Final Round (free)
2:30 PM: RPW Fan Fest ($5/person, $20/family), $30/team)
5:00 PM: Championship Finals
6:30 PM: Awards Ceremony
8:00 PM: After Party - McNellie's Bar (Basic Admission -- $5)
Southern Regional Qualifier
Date: Saturday, November 18, 2006
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, 100 Civic Center
Tulsa, OK 74103-3822
8:30 AM: Doors Open
9:00 AM: RPW Rule Clinic
10:00 AM: Quarter-Final Round (free)
11:30 AM: Semi-Final Round (free)
2:30 PM: RPW Fan Fest ($5/person, $20/family, $30 team)
5:00 PM: Championship Finals
6:30 PM: Awards Ceremony
RPW Super Challenge
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2007
Location: San Jose, CA
Venue: TBA
Schedule: TBA
For additional information, please visit www.realprowrestling.com.