Local stars excited as “Wrestling Reality” makes national TV debut

By Kirk Starratt

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

It all started with a pilot taping in Kentville about two-and-a-half years ago and now “Wrestling Reality” (WR) is set to make its national TV debut with a sneak-peak at the documentary portion of the series.

Co-star and co-producer Rick Doyle of Kentville says it has been a terrific journey and he, along with the other wrestlers and performers involved, are very excited.

Doyle, who wrestles as Trash Canyon, said there are two parts to the show, including a documentary or reality portion showing what transpired behind the scenes during the wrestlers’ six-date tour of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick this past spring, and the actual wrestling events.

The debut episode of the reality series, to be aired Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. Atlantic on The Fight Network (TFN) as a special preview of the show, was taped at the first of the six live wrestling events, held at the Kentville Centennial Arena April 30, 2007. TFN will air the series in its entirety starting Nov. 6. TFN is carried by a number of local TV service providers, including satellite services, Eastlink Digital and Cross Country Cable.

Doyle, along with another local personality involved in the show, commentator Darrin Harvey of Lakeville, will host a launch party for the show at Dooly’s in New Minas tonight (Sept. 25). They invite all Valley-area wrestling fans that supported the show concept by attending the live events, recognizing that without the fans there would be no show.

What it’s really like

Doyle said the wrestlers have a lot of fun on the road and this is apparent in the show, but they wanted to show people what the professional wrestling industry is really like. A lot of hard work goes into becoming a successful wrestler and there isn’t always a lot of glamour or glory involved.

“We want to show people we hate that four-letter word ‘fake’ that’s always thrown at us,” he said. “The talent that we have here in Atlantic Canada is top-notch, it’s world-class. The guys we have here travel all over the world to perform.”

Doyle said there was an interesting mix of talent and skill levels represented in the roster of wrestlers put together for the show. He spent time wrestling in England this summer to improve his game and prepare for the taping of the second season of WR, scheduled tentatively for the United Kingdom in November.

Harvey said he feels he had the best job on the tour because he got to enjoy the show business aspect without getting in the ring and experiencing the painful aspects of being on a wrestling tour. He has been a wrestling fan since childhood and getting to be involved in a storyline was like a dream.

He saw first-hand that life on the road for wrestlers isn’t all glory and glamour and he was impressed with how appreciative the wrestlers are of fan support.

“There are probably more Rick Doyle and Peter Smith (Brody Steele) autographs in New Brunswick than Irving-owned gas stations,” Harvey said.

He said that, true to their word, TFN is making WR one of their flagship shows and one big part of the charm is the viewer will get to see both the craziness involved in the wrestling business and the professionalism involved with being in the ring. Whether you’re a wrestling fan or not, he said you’ll enjoy watching the personalities involved and, for wrestling fans, they’ll appreciate what happens in the squared circle that much more.

“You’ll be wondering, ‘how in the hell did he do that?’” Harvey said. “Being on the road with a group of wrestlers is its own metaphor. Being on the road with a bunch of wrestlers is like being on the road with a bunch of wrestlers. It’s craziness.”