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Midget Wrestling Warriors coming to Surrey on ‘Game Over’ tour

Dan ‘Short Sleeve Sampson’ DiLucchio and his small army return to Cloverdale hall this month
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New York State-based wrestler Dan DiLucchio, better known as Short Sleeve Sampson, outside Alice McKay arena at Cloverdale Fairgrounds last spring. (File photo: Tom Zillich)

The Midget Wrestling Warriors are ready to invade Surrey again.

The New York State-based company, led by Syracuse resident Dan “Short Sleeve Sampson” DiLucchio, will return to Cloverdale Fairgrounds’ Alice McKay hall on Saturday, March 23, in partnership with the local All Star Wrestling crew.

The event, among dates on the Warriors’ “Game Over” tour, includes a ticket option for a VIP Meet and Greet with the small army of wrestlers.

DiLucchio, a 20-year veteran of the North American circuit, will wrestle alongside Golden Boy Brandon Bowman (Canada), Rob the Giant (Rhode Island), Demus 666 (Mexico), Mascarita Sagrata (Mexico), Mascarita Divita (Mexico), El Loco (Texas) and Tiago Rey (Mexico).

“We have to prove our product,” Sampson said in a release. “There’s a generation of wrestling fans out there that haven’t seen midget wrestling in person. I’m really excited to see that the Midget Wrestling Warriors has the roster depth and talent to really showcase what our sport is all about and the unique element that we bring to the table.”

DiLucchio, whose company has been in business for five years now, spoke to the Now-Leader last spring when the Warriors wrestled at the facility in Cloverdale.

He and other wrestlers are not “little people” in the ring, the four-foot-two DiLucchio insisted.

“No, no, no, we’re doing midget wrestling here,” he underlined at the time. “Here’s the thing: In today’s society everybody tries to be politically correct, you know what I mean. Everybody’s worried about offending anybody, but if you were to say little person wrestling, a lot of people might think that’s going to be kids there, you know? Or we could say it’s a vertically-challenged wrestling, but it misses the mark, know what I’m saying? It’s a brand, it’s a product – it’s midget wrestling, and it’s always been midget wrestling.

“That’s what people know it as and identify it as. I know back in the late 2000s, in around 2008, WWE tried to start a midget-wrestling division, which I was a part of, and they called it the juniors, and it really never took off because they just missed that mark.”

CLICK HERE to see video and read more about DiLucchio in Cloverdale.

Other wrestlers set to appear in Cloverdale include Bambi Hall (Vancouver), J’kaila (Vancouver) and Scotty Sweatervest (Washington). Tickets range in price from $20 to $30, including taxes and service charges, via vtixonline.com/all-star-wrestling, or call 604-710-0872. The Warriors will also wrestle in Chilliwack on Friday, March 22.



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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