Pro Wrestling Africa looking to bring pro wrestling back to the limelight in Africa

“Pro Wrestling Africa (PWA) set to restructure continental Professional Wrestling” – Olukoya

For many years now, professional wrestling, which was once rated as one of the most popular sports in Africa after football, has been fighting for recognition. Not only are wrestlers living in penury, with many of them dying uncelebrated, lack of sponsorship has made many good fighters to look for another means of livelihood.

Not only did the game suffer from the bad economic situation facing many African countries, Nigeria inclusive, but has made the sports go into near neglect with scanty crowds watching wrestling competitions.

Continentally, the situation seemed not to have any remedy in sight until the establishment of Pro Wrestling Africa (PWA) which is gradually turning the tide and making people believe once more in the mats game.

The body, according to its Secretary General, Olusesan Olukoya, was established with the vision of creating a Mecca of exciting world class modern day professional wrestling within the second largest continent in area and in population and is now becoming a million dollar reality which he said is not a joke but a vision of hope of changing the face of African professional in particular and the wrestling world at large.

According to him, Pro Wrestling Africa was an idea he conceived in 1999 while lodging at the Hotel Africa, Monrovia, Liberia while on a pro wrestling promotion, managing and promoting De Stubborn Headache of Liberia. The independent pro wrestling promoting outfit was officially set up on the 4th February, 2015 in Yaoundé, Cameroon after a continental Pro Wrestling Summit of some stakeholders and representatives from Nigeria, Mali, Benin, Congo DR, Egypt, Ghana, Central African Republic, and Cameroon, the host nation, with the sole aim of advancing, promoting and rebuilding the mats man sport in the African continent to what is obtainable in other parts of the wrestling world.

The continental wrestling body was established with the sole aim of filling the vacuum in pro-wrestling so as to showcase the abundant talents and resources that abound in the mats man game in the African continent and in line with the corporate objectives of the organization, the body has organized many pro wrestling tournaments in Cameroon, Nigeria and Ghana since inception and now is focused on Liberia, Kenya, Congo DR, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa soon, as all these are set to revive pro wrestling to what is obtainable considering all the exploits of the organization of recent.

Olukoya, who saw the destiny of African pro wrestling in a singularly horrid vision over three decades ago, is seeing to the growth and advancement of professional wrestling in Africa, a continent blessed with wrestling superstars, and he has taken steps to change that destiny with the creation of “Royal Sports World,” a sports promoting outfit founded in 1990 and registered in 1996 to cater for the development of potential African wrestling champions.

This vision for a new generation of African wrestling is so vivid that Olukoya, an African pro-wrestling crusader, researcher, columnist, activist, manager and promoter has been working relentlessly towards actualization of this vision which he is convinced will be a huge success.

“As an indication that our vision for African wrestling is taking shape, we have gone international by promoting international talents in Africa. We showcased “The Golden Boy” Dr. Jimmy McDowell in Cameroon in July 2023 and we will be showcasing and featuring other African champions under the PWA banner during international events as we have able and qualified African champions in all weight categories who can favorably compete with notable grapplers from all continents of the world, be it in Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Australia,” Olukoya explained.

He stated that having been striving hard to bring a change to pro-wrestling in this part of the world, the body’s vision that will revolutionize the African pro wrestling industry includes: promoting better relationships, mutual understanding and learning in the wrestling world, doggedly researching into the origin, historical background and the development of world wrestling, building, equipping and maintaining a world standard pro wrestling library in Africa for research purposes, initiating contacts and maintaining close harmonious relationships between African stars and their foreign counterparts; building and maintaining the African Hall of Fame thus creating more pro wrestling awareness; holding an annual wrestling convention and bestowing awards on African and world notable wrestling superstars so as to recognize and encourage outstanding achievements in Africa and the world at large.

It will be recalled that the PWA promoted the first ever noted African wrestling heavyweight championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon in Central Africa tagged the Battle of Yaoundé in September 2015 as many notable championships has followed that epic making debut championship. Olukoya, in an interview, said efforts are in place to collaborate with national wrestling federations in some nations all in an effort to promote and support the sport.

“The organization, in collaboration with Golden Wrestling Federacy (GWF) Based in Florida, USA will be training over 40 athletes from Togo and Benin Republic in six months’ time in an effort to establish pro wrestling federations in those two French speaking nations. We sincerely have to spread our tentacles to other African nations. We would also be discussing with the Ghanaian sports authority on the need to have Ghana Pro Wrestling Federation. Other countries, like Liberia, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia, are on the list to be visited before the next year,” the secretary explained.

Executive members of the Pro Wrestling Africa (PWA) are: Dr. Moagi Sharp from Botswana as the President, Air Force Commodore Emmanuel Ndo of Cameroon is the 1st Vice President, Walid Mohammed of Egypt is the 2nd Vice President, Olusesan Olukoya from Nigeria is the Secretary General, Tapiwa Ray Masinire of Zimbabwe is the PRO, Technical Directors are Augustine Okafor of Nigeria and Michel Noudem of Cameroon, our international adviser is Robert O’Sullivan from USA while Kenneth Okonjo is our USA Representative.

Power Lee of Nigeria was the first PWA Heavyweight champion while the current PWA Heavyweight champion is Michel Nudem of Cameroon. De Wolf NDA the PWA Middleweight champion is making waves in Texas, USA while Buffalo of Cameroon is the PWA Super heavyweight champion and L’Animal (Cameroon) is the current AIWF – PWA World Heavyweight champion and titleholder. Other weight categories will be contested for in the coming months.

Olukoya said twenty two African wrestling organizations are currently under the auspices of the PWA adding that it is a plus to add more feathers in the cap of the organization. He attributed the non-popularity of the sport as it used to be, to lack of sponsorship adding that in the late 70s and early 80’s the sport used to attract large crowds. He emphasized that the sport will be revived again to regain its lost glory if provided adequate funding, attention and support from the concerned quarters. He, however, called on African nations to support the PWA plans and projects in an effort to take professional wrestling to the next level in Africa, the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both aspects.

From top: Pro Wrestling Africa Secretary General Olusesan Olukoya with Belgian pro wrestling talents; Olusesan Olukoya and “The Golden Boy” Jimmy McDowell during McDowell’s recent trip to Cameroon to compete for Pro Wrestling Africa; the aftermath of the Animal vs. Jimmy McDowell AIWF-PWA World Championship match; flyer for McDowell and Animal’s showdown