Alexander Shaw
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Camden, S.C.) — Last month, South Carolina wrestling fans turned out in Camden for an independent wrestling show that aims to rival the popular shows presented by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The “Super Smash Brawl Galaxy” show, hosted by Palmetto Championship Wrestling (PCW) April 25, brought fans a taste of big-time wrestling on a smaller, more intimate stage at the Old Armory Gymnasium in Camden.

“Listen, I love AEW, I love WWE, I love TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling); I love all of wrestling, but the indies man…I just don’t think there’s a better bang for your buck than a PCW show,” said Shane Dorr, the founder of PCW.

The group, which was created 12 years ago, is one of dozens of independent wrestling promotions that operate across the country.

“Being able to do what we do and be able to keep it friendly on the pocketbook. You’ll see most of the talent on our shows are actually graduates of the training academy we partner with out in Chapin, the Starlab,” Dorr said.

Ticket prices for the show ranged between $16-$32.

“It’s kind of addictive, once you go to (a show) you can’t really go back,” said Joiya Blake, a professional wrestler from Los Angeles who competed in the event. “It’s like a community, it’s like a high when you go (into the ring) and the adrenaline rush, there’s nothing like it.”

Blake, 26, said she first got into wrestling while watching with her future husband when she was in college.

“He would make me watch AEW every single Wednesday and I thought it was the stupidest thing ever,” she said. “I watched a couple of matches and made a little off-handed joke that ‘I could totally do this.’ He said, ‘yeah sure you could’ and I took that as a legitimate challenge. Now I’ve been doing it for two years.”

Blake won the PCW heavyweight championship at the Super Smash Brawl Galaxy event.

“Women’s wrestling is like kicking ass. Obviously, there’s going to be the people who like disregard it or whatever, but who cares what they think,” she said.

The next PCW event will be held May 23 in Camden and will feature Nick Nemeth, who performed in the WWE from 2004 to 2023 under the stage name Dolph Ziggler.