Apparently the booking took hard work and persistence, but All Star Wrestling will return “home” to Surrey’s Alice McKay Building this month.
The Cloverdale Fairgrounds hall is where a family-friendly “New Blood” night of matches will happen Saturday, Feb. 24, 6:45 p.m. start.
It’s a chance to see “the best new stars of B.C. take on the legendary ASW veterans of the past,” according to the hype on vtixonline.com, where tickets are sold for $30 (front row), $20 (general admission) and $12 (kids under 12).
All Star comes back to Alice McKay for the first time in five years, according to promo boss Parm Singh Athwal, a Surrey electrician who wrestles as The Thunder from Jalandhar.
“That’s where it all began, at the best venue in Surrey,” Athwal raved. “It has the history. We tried Sulivan Hall (in 2022) but Alice McKay, it feels like home and wrestling fans want it, everybody does.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
On Feb. 24 in Cloverdale, two legendary stars of BC pro wrestling will be live!
— ASW CANADA (@ASWCANADA) February 9, 2024
One Starr is @gmstarr!
The other furious star is Disco Fury!
Come for the nostalgia at ASW New Blood!https://t.co/5DgJ1DFPcZ pic.twitter.com/krrNAUkTSH
How's this one for an opener at ASW New Blood?
— ASW CANADA (@ASWCANADA) February 7, 2024
The debuting KB6 crosses the Rockies to take on Pacific mainstay @CodyTKOSmith
In order to face TKO, KB6 will be travelling to the ring in a 'Dynamite" package with @Dynamitedoll84!
Fireworks!
See it live!… pic.twitter.com/VkJ81gtKVS
All Star, or ASW, has been a B.C. wrestling fixture dating back to the 1970s, when matches were televised locally, from BCTV studios in Burnaby. The promo evolved over the years to deliver only in-person displays of bear hugs and sleeper holds, including wrestling events at Cloverdale Fairgrounds in years prior to the pandemic.
Matches on Feb. 24 will have Todd Quality battling Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the main event, tag-teamers Thunder from Jalandhar and Red Denero fighting Fabulous Fabio and Vance Nevada, Surrey’s Liiza Hall wrestling Cheerleader Melissa, plus women’s and “hardcore” championships, and more, seven matches total.
• RELATED STORY, from 2023: Wrestling is in the blood of Surrey sisters Bambi and Liiza Hall.
For added star power, B.C. wrestling legends Gorgeous Michelle Starr and Disco Fury (Mark Velios and Nathan Burke) will also attend at the Cloverdale hall, which has room for more than 300 ticketholders.
Athwal expects a capacity crowd for an event he says required plenty of paperwork, permit applications and meetings involving city hall.
“A lot of work went into getting this show to happen – countless emails, countless requests, meetings,” he explained.
“It’s a change of staff at City of Surrey and they don’t really know what we’re about, but they will find out what this is about because they’ll be attending that night, too. Maybe after a show or two they’ll understand that this is something good and positive for the community. Especially with the way things are now, it’s something positive in the City of Surrey.”
Parking is free, and space will be reserved for a food truck outside Alice McKay Building, 6050 176 St., Surrey.