In show of resiliency, pro wrestling returns to Ukraine
Despite ongoing war, live pro wrestling events have resumed in the country and are now taking place in Kyiv
“Nothing is easy right now. But we are finding a way.”
That was the message from the Ukrainian Wrestling Arena during a recent chat over Instagram.
After being forced to suspend operations and having to cancel their last event in Odesa that was scheduled to take place two days after the Russian offensive in Ukraine was formally launched in February 2022, pro wrestling is back in Ukraine.
Official poster of December’s Unbreakable event
On December 9th, the UWA made their return to the ring in front of a sold out crowd, no less, of over 100 spectators at Universal Studio in Kyiv. The event had the title of Unbreakable, a fitting description of both the Ukrainian people and the UWA, who, despite an ongoing war, have resumed holding live pro wrestling events. On January 20th, following the success of December’s event, the UWA moved live operations into a larger arena for Power of the People.
It’s been a long road for the UWA crew to this point. In 2022, their top champion Poison! was defending the UWA title across Europe when given the opportunity, making their belt a true World Title by defending it internationally (Poison! has since vacated the title due to being out of the country at present time). UWA mainstay Andrew Reed was called into combat to help defend the country and remains in active duty today. In the midst of the war, UWA relocated their base of operations from Odesa to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Despite all of this, the UWA has found ways to persevere, train regularly and even get a few new faces involved in the action.
Former UWA World Champion Poison!
UWA regular Andrew Reed is now an active member of the Ukrainian military, fighting the battle against Russia to preserve his homeland of Ukraine
Obviously the future still remains a little uncertain for the Ukrainian Wrestling Arena but the promotion is planning to keep pushing forward. They’ve got plans for a February show in the works already, which will see a brand new UWA World Champion crowned, and would like to resume a monthly event schedule if they are able to.
But business as of now is beginning to move along. UWA has already uploaded their December event to their YouTube page and plans to do the same for their January event shortly.
The official poster of January’s Power of the People event
The first match of Unbreakable definitely sent out notice that UWA was back in a big way. It was a truly insane hardcore triple threat match between Toxic Nick, Alex D. Sin and Hantry to determine the number one contender to the UWA Extreme Title that included wrestlers landing in fans laps in the crowd, powerbombs onto boards of plastic forks, table spots, some blood and a raucous crowd. Hantry would win the match, lining up his title shot at the soon to be released Power of the People (no spoiler here!). The middle of the card saw some talented, high paced wrestling on display, especially for competitors who have been out of action for over a year as Lord Vane vs. La Mascara De Velocidad and Ranger Leonid vs. Skella both delivered.
A still shot of a second rope Canadian Destroyer performed during the Ranger Leonid vs. Skella match
The night’s main event saw more hardcore action as UWA Extreme Champion Russell Cross defended his title against Kenny Rivera. This bout featured some chairs and blood but didn’t go as hard in the extreme direction as the opening bout but the crowd was still fully on board. Following the match, Hantry came face to face with Russell Cross, who he challenged at Power of the People, results of that match will be held from this article due to the upcoming YouTube release of the show.
Russell Cross and Kenny Rivera face off and deliver blows during their UWA Extreme Title main event match
Despite being faced with uncertainty and a dangerous environment in their country due to an ongoing war, the UWA has successfully brought pro wrestling back to their country, giving wrestling fans and wrestlers some entertainment and a reason to smile during otherwise uncertain times.
Be sure to subscribe to the UWA YouTube page now so that you can check out both December’s Unbreakable and January’s Power of the People. For fans in Ukraine for whom it is safe and they are able to travel, consider checking out the February UWA event which will see the brand new UWA World Heavyweight Champion crowned and be sure to follow Ukrainian Wrestling Arena on Instagram to keep up with the latest updates.
