Photo Courtesy Brick Savage
A UTRGV student is the promoter and owner of Combat Cult Wrestling and aims to highlight local talent by putting them up against the biggest wrestlers in Texas.
Accounting junior Eddie Garza started off his journey by learning the business side of wrestling when he worked for security at Wrestling Revolution in 2018.
But it was during 2021 when Garza started to put his wrestling business in motion and landed his first show the following year and has been doing at least one show a month since.
He does a lot more than just promoting. He keeps up with finances, puts matches together, contacts wrestlers and manages the social media pages.
He said every other wrestling promotion has “their own kind of flavor,” but he says that what makes his promotion unique is highlighting local wrestlers against bigger talents.
“I try to bring some more experienced wrestlers down here to mix it up with our experienced wrestlers, and some of our newer wrestlers to get them ready for the big stage whenever their, you know, chance comes up,” he said.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Garza received a stimulus check and used that money to buy his own ring.
He wanted to use the ring to have someone train him but he realized he did not have enough time for this. However, he still felt there was unfinished business.
“I took the opportunity, started my own LLC,” Garza said. “Gathered some of the most prominent minds here in the Valley to kind of mentor me and kind of let me know a little bit more of the business side of wrestling.”
Managing finances tends to be difficult. Garza said a big part of that is talent fees.
“We want to pay them fairly ‘cause they’re risking their lives and their bodies here sometimes,” Garza said. “It can be a little hectic, but, you know, you got to find ways to generate revenue so, that way, you can also pay your expenses.”
The first TWL Diamond of the South Champion Criss Austin said wrestling is harder mentally.
“Been doing it for seven years, and there’s always these thoughts of, ‘Maybe I’m not good enough,'” Austin said. “A lot of wrestlers I know, me personally too, you know, we struggle with anxiety, depression. You know, at the end of the day, when you see those fans, those kids that, you know, kind of remind me of myself when I first started wrestling, and their excitement, it makes it all worth it.”
Generally, tickets are a bit pricey per person, but Garza makes an exception for families.
“We do know that, you know, sometimes it’s hard for families to be able to afford a ticket,” he said. “We try to cater to some of those people, you know, bring out the families. It’s a little bit more affordable if it’s, you know, $5 or even free.”
Currently, the business is traveling from venue to venue. In 10 years, Garza hopes to have his own sports auditorium.
“Hopefully in 10 years, you know, we’ll have a facility where we can train, a facility where we can host shows,” he said. “I would like to have my own sports auditorium.”
Thirty-five-year-old Borracho World Champion Brick Savage said his main goal is to leave the wrestling industry better than how he first found it and to create new wrestlers to take his place when he is gone.
“The way the business goes, it’s really rough to get into and really rough to maintain,” Savage said. “Nowadays, there’s a lot of [attempts from fans to get into] wrestling just to say that they do it, and they don’t have the passion that it actually takes to be a wrestler. It’s a big sport that people enjoy, but it’s also a tight-knit community. You want to be able to encourage the younger people that are around you to be better, and a lot of the times, it’s not always like that.”
Combat Cult Wrestling’s next show will be at 4 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Señor Barbas Patio Bar in Weslaco. Admission is $5, and free for children 12 and under.
For more information, visit @combatcultwrestling on all social media platforms.
This is Victoria Gonzalez for Vaquero Radio.
