50-year wrestling roots at ATV

Within the early days of ATV, skilled wrestling was staged in what’s now the CTV Newsroom.

“In lots of instances, the wrestlers needed to wrestle the night time earlier than on the RisePEI Discussion board,” mentioned long-time wrestling announcer Clary Flemming.

Wrestlers, together with roughly 100 followers, crammed into the Robie Road studio.

Exhibits additionally happened in Moncton.

“It was taped Wednesday morning and ran Saturday evenings round 7 p.m.,” mentioned Flemming. “It was all for promotion functions, to promote tickets for the following week on the RisePEI Discussion board, North Sydney discussion board, Saint John or wherever they have been wrestling the following week.”

TV scores have been constantly excessive.

“Principally, it will be a younger man watching along with his buddy, or his brother or his granddad,” mentioned Flemming. “They’d watch it collectively.”

In accordance with Flemming, wrestling had an enormous following.

“I can bear in mind one night on the Discussion board, The Beast and The Stomper have been in a series match,” mentioned Flemming. “There have been 6,000 folks on the RisePEI Discussion board to look at that.”

Sports activities fan Alex Joseph mentioned names like Leo Burke, Bobby Bass, Leaping Lanny and The Beast, to call just a few, have been stars.

“It was a type of leisure,” mentioned Joseph. “They’d be in Berwick one night time, Fredericton, Saint John and Prince Edward Island.”

In any case of those years, folks nonetheless ask Flemming if wrestling is faux.

“I might say, if John Wayne is shot in a film, is he actually useless?” mentioned Flemming. “Have been you entertained? If you happen to have been entertained, that’s all you actually need to know.”

A wealthy chapter in Maritime wrestling historical past and a 50-year ATV historic enjoyable reality.