Boca Raton is known for its beautiful beaches, upscale shopping and overall lavish living. Now, it can add that it's also the home of pro wrestling.
Matthew H. Maschler, an esteemed member of the Boca Raton community, is not just one of the city's most successful real estate agents, he's a pro-wrestling fan as well. And when renowned wrestling promoter Vince McMahon retired last month, Maschler, co-founder of Boca Raton Championship Wrestling (BRCW) who goes by the moniker "Matthew Mania," saw an opportunity arise.
BRCW Co-founder Matthew Maschler
BRCW Co-founder Matthew Maschler
“I’ve been in Boca for years and I know the community well. Knowing I love wrestling, this is something that community leaders, shop owners and residents are always asking me about. The timing was right, the team came together, and this is something that just had to be done,” Maschler says.
The live wrestling events, which will take place every other month, premiered at Boca Black Box on May 15.
The event featured Florida's wrestling superstars from all the major promotions, including Impact Wrestling’s Steve Maclin, AEW superstar Cezar Bononi, reigning ROH Pure Champion Josh Woods, former NXT superstars Noah Kekoa, Jessi Elaban, Bull James, MJ Jenkins and Santana Garrett and legendary WWE superstar Gangrel, as well as the stars of Coastal Championship Wrestling and WWE Hall of Famer Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, who has been brought on as the company’s commissioner.
Known for its high-end, luxury living, Boca Raton may seem like a surprising choice for a new wrestling territory, but company co-founder Neil Glazier thinks differently.
“I’ve lived in many places and Boca is the greatest city in the country. Why not bring the greatest city the greatest entertainment? You may think of the beaches, country clubs and culture, but Boca Raton is the perfect location for an audience looking to get loud, riled up and rowdy for some pro wrestling,” says Glazier.
As promotion has rolled out for the show, videos have launched featuring former NXT Creative Producer Ryan Katz as the voice of the company. This marks Katz’s return to independent pro wrestling since beginning work for WWE in June of 2013.
“To say I’m excited would be an understatement, I’m pretty much ecstatic. The lineup is incredible, Neil and Matthew have assembled a great team, and I’m looking forward to entertaining the people at this Boca beatdown. It’s going to be fun, flashy and like any good wrestling show, unpredictable. Have you seen the championship belt?,” Katz say
An image of the belt, along with other pertinent information, is available on the company’s Instagram at @BRCWFlorida .
Local wrestling fans will be thrilled to learn that BRCW also launched Boca Vision, a weekly show on YouTube. Each week, BCRW will present a match along with exciting updates of Boca Raton Championship Wrestling and all its Boca-based wrestlers, while checking out some million-dollar homes in the process. The first episode features
Brutus The Barber Beefcake, 7-foot giant Jack Talos and Frank the clown. Jessie Elaban, one of the top female wrestlers, also makes an appearance.
The next live event will take place Sept. 4 at Peter Blum Family YMCA of Boca Raton with former Ring of Honor World Champion, Matt Taven, Renee Michelle and Dirty Dango, among others.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit bocaratonwrestling.com.