Drive-In Wrestling Safeguards Fans During Covid-19 Pandemic

All Star Wrestling in Madison, West Virginia, recently held a drive-in event to ensure fans' safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 50 cars drove up to a ring in the middle of a field behind Lee’s Studio of Dance in Winfield, Putnam County.

Most of the fans wore face masks and the ring was sanitized during matches to protect the wrestlers. ASW owner and promoter Gary Damron, who wore an ASW-themed mask for the event, said that wrestling thrives on the energy from the crowd so it was important to host a live event.

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The promotion, which canceled three events this summer due to the pandemic, had originally scheduled The Return: Out of The Darkness as an indoor show at the Madison Civic Center, but finally decided that an outdoor event would be safer.

WWE and AEW have held numerous events this summer without fans. In late June, several WWE staff members and wrestlers, including Renee Young, Kayla Braxton and Adam Pearce, tested positive for the coronavirus, which led the promotion to temporarily stop production.

At the ASW event, which was attended by AEW manager Vickie Guerrero, wrestlers were screened for symptoms before matches. Fans like Ben Musick and Al Scott drove all the way from Portsmouth, Ohio, to the drive-in. Scott said wrestling in West Virginia is more no-holds-barred than in other states. “It’s sort of like the Wild West. You can do whatever you want,” he added

Musick and Scott were at another show in Milton, Cabell County, from the IWA East Coast Company the previous weekend, which they said attracted twice as many people as usual, adding that people are “stir-crazy” and can’t wait to get back to regularly attending matches.

KC Shingleton, also known as wrestler Kirk Blackman, was also at the event to support his fellow wrestlers, like The Mobile Home Wrecker Bruce Grey. He said wrestling events help take people’s minds off the pandemic and their personal problems like unemployment.

Meanwhile, WWE, which formally announced that it had canceled its SummerSlam live event scheduled in Boston on August 23, has fueled speculation that the event could be held outdoors at a later date.

Source: Scalawag Magazine

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