Stand Alone Wrestling takes over Atlantic City this summer three huge events. The massive wrestling convention Boardwalk Beatdown, the exclusive Dinner with the Stars (dining with your favorite wrestlers), and it’s third live event, “Breakout.”
I had an opportunity to talk with former pro wrestler, CZW trainer, and S.A.W. co-founder, Preacher Finneus James about the blockbuster Boardwalk Beatdown weekend.
S.A.W. is still in it’s infancy but is already making a HUGE impact on the indy wrestling scene. With two phenomenal shows in the books, and one mega event coming this summer, you guys have come out of the gate running. How did this all come about? Is this what you guys had envisioned?
When Arlene (James), Chad (Minnes) and I started talking, our goal was to start something fun and honest. We have all been in wrestling in several capacities and could all bring different ideas to the table. We knew we wanted every event to be special and so far I believe we have accomplished that. We want people to leave our shows with a smile knowing they had a great time. And we want every show to help the community we are in, so we are always giving back. Not B.S. in any way, it’s what we want to do.
From attending your live shows, I can honestly say that S.A.W. events always have a truly intimate setting. What else sets S.A.W. apart from other promotions?
A lot I think. We all work in fields that involve customer service so we understand how important it is. Having a great fan experience is so important. So we are constantly trying to figure out how to make the show more interactive. We have also searched for unknown or underutilized talent. Our locker room is hungry and talented. We are trying to appeal to old and new fans, but honestly I would love to make as many wrestling fans as we can along the way.
You guys always bring in the stars to go up against your roster. Your debut Event featured Tenille Daswood (fka Emma) and your second show showcased “Cowboy” James Storm.
Now you guys are going completely all out with August 25th’s Boardwalk Beatdown featuring the likes of Goldberg, Sting, The Bullet Club, Lisa Marie Varon (fka Victoria), Ken Shamrock, and James Ellsworth just to name a few. You are now on the verge of delivering one of the biggest wrestling events in Atlantic City’s history. Where did this idea stem from? Was the event intended to be this massive or did it just keep growing?
First off Tenille and James were both an absolute pleasure to work with and Martin Stone as well. I want people to see that just because you can’t see our roster on tv every week YET, doesn’t mean they can’t kill it every time! The live show Saturday night after the convention will feature our current roster and great talents like: Moose, Matt Riddle, Rich Swann, Su Yung, Keira Hogan, Abyss, Doom Patrol (Chris Dickinson and Jaka) and more. The guests you mentioned are only part of the convention. The convention itself was Chad’s  idea, it was something he’s been passionate about. We all had great hopes for it, but it’s growing by leaps and bounds as word gets out.
This is going to be any wrestling fan’s paradise. Tell us about the Dinner With the Stars, Convention Activities, Promo Classes, etc.
Everyone knows wrestlers love to tell stories, especially after a drink or two. Dinner with the Stars allows you to have a meal and interact with them in a casual setting. For everyone’s comfort, however, there will not be any autographs or photos allowed. We will have a professional photographer there taking photos, then all guests will be provided a link to view and download them at no charge. The convention will have areas where you can take a wrestling promo pic, play video games with the SAW superstars, cut your own SAW promo and even take a class and learn some wrestling holds! And so much more. Hopefully this will turn into something people look forward to every year!
The S.A.W. roster has already impressed early and now have the opportunity to compete for the S.A.W. Heavyweight, Lightweight, Women’s and Tag Championships in a tournament setting. Tell us about the tournament and the competitors.
I had the idea of doing a tournament for all of our titles. It will work like this: At the start of the show it will start as a four man elimination match. Once two competitors have been eliminated the match will stop. It will resume later that night with the final two competitors in a match for the title. As of now the women’s tournament will be Su Yung vs. Keira Hogan vs. Brittany Blake vs. Leyla Hirsh.
The Lightweight Tournament will be Brandon Kirk vs. Rich Swann vs. KC Navarro vs. Joey Janela. And the Heavyweight title will be Matt Riddle vs. Ryan Galeone vs. Demarcus Kane vs. Joe Gacy. For the Tag Team Titles we have The Rep vs Doom Patrol. If you’re a wrestling fan these names should have you pretty excited for this insane show. If you’re not, you will be by the end of this night!
What do you think the future holds for Stand Alone Wrestling? Is it a breeding ground for new talent or something even bigger?
Right now we are taking things one show at a time but I believe the sky’s the limit. We hope to introduce you to new talent, remind you why wrestling is the greatest form of entertainment, and help your community along the way. Hope to see you all on Aug 25th and thank you to everyone at The Bob Culture Podcast and The Pop Break for your time and your support!
Catch Preacher Finneus James at Boardwalk Beatdown. For more info and tickets for Boardwalk Beatdown head over to http://www.
-Rob Crowther IV
