Christopher Holt still remembers what he calls the warrior spirit his son, Chase, embodied during his four-year battle with cancer.
Though Chase Holt ultimately lost his battle May 7, 2017, the company Christopher Holt founded – Wrestling For Warriors, named for “(the) child(ren) fighting against disability or life-critical illness, on a daily basis” according to the company’s website – returns to Fort Wayne for the first time in six years Sunday as WFW presents Battle For The Brave: Reborn.
The eight-match professional wrestling event will take place at the PSM Icehouse starting at 6 p.m., and all revenue generated above the cost of the event will be donated to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Tickets are available online starting at $12.51 at wrestlingforwarrriors.com. The organization is also accepting donations for those unable to attend by texting WFW to 44-321.
Wrestling For Warriors ran its first event in 2016, developed out of Chase’s love of professional wrestling. That night’s card featured several wrestlers either newly out of WWE or set to debut with WWE, including Mickie James, Rhyno, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
“He loved it,” said Holt, the executive director of Wrestling For Warriors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and families battling severe childhood illnesses through professional wrestling events. “The card was packed. There were so many kids there that day that got to smile. Watching those kids smile, I knew that no matter how much money I lost on the first one, I had to do it again.”
Several superstars from some of the largest wrestling companies in the country today are scheduled to appear on Sunday’s card, including former Ring Of Honor and Major League Wrestling superstar Matt Cross. He is scheduled to face “Mr. International” Jake Omen, who has wrestled in nearly 50 countries worldwide, for the vacated WFW Children’s Championship.
Holt explained that many of the wrestlers appearing on the card will donate their event pay to the fundraiser or accept a reduced rate to ensure the charity receives as much money as possible.
NWA U.S. Tag Team champions The Hardway (“The Veteran” Jack Vaughn and Dalton McKenzie) will put their titles on the line against “Lord” Mitchell Taylor and Dan the Dad, who is filling in for former NWA TV Champion Carson Drake, and Elijah Eros will challenge Sidney Akeem, the longest-reigning WWE 24/7 champion in history, for Akeem’s Midwest Premier Wrestling heavyweight championship.
“Aside from the charity aspect, one of the things that sets us apart from other wrestling companies is the fact that our production is top level,” Holt said. “My entire life has been spent in the production industry, so I’m very cautious about making sure that whatever product we’re putting out looks like it’s something I would do for my normal job.
“I want the kids that are showing up to feel like they’re at one of the big shows. In that creates that magic that these kids can get immersed into and they can forget about being sick for a few hours.”
For wrestlers such as Josh Blanchard, who will compete on Sunday’s card as Mr. Fitness, the “Diet Coke-drinking, Twinkie-eating ultimate athlete” that wrestles in neon attire reminiscent of 1980s workout videos, Wrestling For Warriors holds a special importance.
“My son has epilepsy, and these kids are fighting daily,” Blanchard said. “I have had to deal with that as a single parent, and it’s rough. This organization makes me want to do what I can.”
Prior to Sunday’s event, several superstars appearing on the card will visit children at Lutheran Hospital. These visits have served as a staple of past Wrestling For Warriors events, and Holt knows firsthand of the impact of these visits.
“We go there to visit the kids that are stuck there and can’t get to the show in person,” Holt said. “Through the four-year battle that my kid had with cancer, we spent numerous days, weeks in the hospital. It gets to be monotonous, because you see the same nurses and the same doctors. When somebody new comes in, and especially someone that has some star power, it reenergizes the parents and the kids and it creates memories that they can hold onto.”
Blanchard has made two hospital visits during his time with Wrestling For Warriors, and when recounting his experience, he remembers being taken aback at the reaction of those he sees that can’t attend the event.
“They loved the colorful outfit that I had on,” Blanchard said. “They reached out to me like I was an action figure or a cartoon character. We can just let them know that they’re recognized and they matter just as much as the ones that are at the events that can attend.”
The Wrestling For Warriors event will cap a full weekend at the PSM Icehouse, as the Fort Wayne Comic and Collectors Con will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
