MEGA Wrestling to mark 20th year

Fans of professional wrestling can celebrate the MEGA Championship Wrestling’s 20th anniversary at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 inside the gym of St. John Lutheran Church, 1140 W. River Road in Elyria.

The wrestling organization is celebrating its anniversary with matches, mustsee moments and special guests in attendance, according to Jeff Traxler, promoter and co-founder of MEGA Wrestling.

Traxler, 45, of Elyria, also is known as Darren Davenport or “The Captain,” when he wrestled with the organization.

There will be about 40 trained and professional wrestlers battling and a few title matches.

Guests can participate in raffles benefiting Toys for Tots.

The evening will include a special tag-team match with WWE Hallof-Famer Ricky Morton, known for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express tag team, alongside MEGA co-founder Jim Nagy, also known as Mad Dog Manson, who will come out of retirement to wrestle.

Traxler said this show is the first time MEGA had a WWE Hall-of-Famer perform with the organization.

The anniversary show not only will celebrate the organization’s growth in 20 years, but many of the wrestlers involved.

Traxler said he is looking forward to celebrating the MEGA Wrestling team alongside the fans who have cheered them on for the last two decades.

“I never thought it would go this long,” he said. “But anything that goes through peaks and valleys and rides out those low points, can make it.”

Twenty years ago, Traxler said he was interested in getting involved in pro wrestling, but had no idea how to.

After meeting other pro wrestlers and those who shared the same interests as he did in chat rooms, a young Traxler put on his own show.

He recalled it was a “backwards way” of putting it all together because he put all of his own funds into it.

Traxler claimed the show didn’t go as planned with only 31 fans in attendance.

But that helped him and others learn from those moments to get where there are today, he said.

Today, their matches are performed at St. John’s gym, Lorain County Community College’s field house in Elyria and in other surrounding states.

Their wrestlers perform for over 350 fans, and sometimes reach numbers of 1,000, also, he said.

MEGA’s success couldn’t have been attained without the wrestlers, Nagy and current member of MEGA Charles Bruce, also known as Brandon Xavier, Traxler said.

It helped that the interest in the wrestling industry has grown as more people are discovering there is more than just WWE, he said.

Admission is $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show.

For front row VIP tickets in advance, tickets cost $20 and the day of show VIP tickets are $25.

However, VIP is filling up fast, Traxler said.

As a VIP guest, one can receive an event poster and two raffle tickets.

There are five Elyria locations to purchase tickets: Keith’s Comics, 394 Broad St.; Loco Pie Pizza, 516 Cleveland St.; Circle K, 402 E. Broad St. and 705 Oberlin Elyria Road; and Powerhouse Gym, 419 Broad St.

Ticket sales will go toward MEGA Wrestling’s operations, advertising and wrestlers.