Okanagan's Thrash Wrestling returns to Kamloops with a vengeance after COVID hiatus

Cheesy speeches, loud costumes and knee drops from the top ropes are coming to Kamloops later this month. 

A wrestling organization that has been active in the Okanagan Valley for around two decades is making its way the Tournament Capital. 

The push for Thrash Wrestling to expand to Kamloops started a few years ago but was hamstrung by COVID-19 before it could really get going.

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Justin Griffore is a wrestler, promoter and organizer for the WWF-style entertainment. An upcoming event marks the big return of the show to the Kamloops area, and a chance for Griffore to prove himself in the ring.

“Thrash has been around doing monthly shows for years in the Okanagan but Kamloops was always missed,” he said.

Griffore said for the few years prior to COVID-19, the wrestling scene in the area was growing.

“Kamloops is a wrestling town,” he said. “It was pretty steady, we did five shows at Moccasin Square Gardens and one at Cactus Jacks. Some shows brought in 250 people.”

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Griffore does a lot of behind-the-scenes work at the shows, including lighting and sound work, but he is eager to get in the ring himself. He has been training in Surrey for the last three years in preparation.

“Right before the pandemic hit I did my first six matches,” he said. “I’m ready to give this a whole new shot. I am a forty-year-old rookie but it is never too late and I will not regret trying.”

Griffore said he has several sponsors in town to keep costs down and donates parts of the proceeds to various charities.

“Desert Hemp has been onboard helping us sell tickets and Bailey’s Pub sponsors our after parties,” he said. “We’ve hosted auctions in the past and the proceeds are given to charity. Explore Net, Kamloops Satellite, North Shore Business Association and the Holiday Inn are some supporters.

“Lots of moving parts go on behind the scenes,” Griffore said. “We do our best to keep ticket prices down. We are thankful for our sponsors so Kamloops can enjoy our events. We have more wrestling shows coming after this.”

The next event called Thrash of the Champions takes place at Kamloops Christian School at 7:30 p.m., April 29.

“It's a beautiful, big gymnasium with grand stands and a stage. We need 16-foot ceilings to do what we do and venues that meet requirements and are affordable are hard to come by here," he said.

“It's all about story-telling, high-flying moves, special effects and big muscles, just like it was back in the day.”

For more information on the event and to get tickets go here.

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