Disco is alive and well and standing next to the curtain entrance inside the Alice McKay building at Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
Like a proud parent, Maple Ridge resident Nathan 鈥楧isco Fury鈥� Burke oversaw the characters who battled inside the squared circle during a June 9 show.
鈥楧isco Fury鈥檚鈥� pro wrestling career came to an abrupt halt as a result of injuries he suffered from a pair of car wrecks, but he鈥檚 still deeply in the mix as co-owner of ASW, along with his business partner, Surrey resident Mark Vellios (a.k.a. 鈥楪orgeous鈥� Michelle Starr).
Burke and Vellios have 鈥榙ay jobs鈥� as long shoremen but their passion, their baby, is ASW, an independent promotion with shows usually running every two weeks at the Alice McKay building.
They started ASW a decade ago with a family-friendly ideology, and a zero tolerance for alcohol.
鈥淚 learned a lesson 15 years ago when I was wrestling in England,鈥� Burke related. 鈥淚 asked (the promoter) 鈥橶hy don鈥檛 you have more vulgarity?鈥� He answered, 鈥榮ee out there in the crowd? There are 1,200 people and half of them are kids.鈥欌��
The primary audience at ASW shows are kids with families and fans of the traditional, old school wrestling, a tribute to the days of the 1970s incarnation of NWA All Star Wrestling that featured such legends as Don Leo Jonathan, Rick Martel, and the late, greats Roddy Piper, Playboy Buddy Rose, Gene Kiniski, and Master Sgt. Al Tomko.
The philosophy behind today鈥檚 All Star Wrestling is in sharp contrast to World Wrestling Entertainment鈥檚 鈥楢ttitude Era,鈥� which at the time pushes many boundaries, before the WWE switched back to a more politically correct format.
On a similar vein, quite literally: very little to no blood is spilled during ASW shows.
鈥淲e do the very minimal hard core (matches),鈥� Burke said. 鈥淏lood is very minimal鈥� very rare.鈥�
But working within these boundaries doesn鈥檛 take away from the excitement of the matches, Burke notes.
Burke admits that pro wrestling is looked upon as a niche from of entertainment, saying 鈥渟ome people get it and some people don鈥檛 get it.鈥�
But he and Vellios believe if catering to families opens a whole new dimension.
鈥淚f the kids see it and they like it, their parents will bring them,鈥� Burke added. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 too violent or too vulgar or too provocative or too risk茅, then the parents will say, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want my kids watching this.鈥欌��
And the fans, ranging from ones who have been going to ASW shows from their inception to newcomers, are coming out in droves.
鈥淭o be honest it鈥檚 getting bigger and bigger and bigger,鈥� Burke said. 鈥淚n the last year-and-a-half we鈥檝e seen, I would say, a good 40 per cent new fan base coming out. We always see somebody new. We鈥檙e running every two weeks and it鈥檚 not slowing us down. The crowds keep getting bigger.鈥�
Current ASW stars include Trans Canada Heavyweight champion Mr. India, tag team titleholders Devastation (Pain and Suffering), Cruiserweight champion is Cobra Kai, and second generation grappler Bambi Hall, who holds the women鈥檚 belt.
Vellios and Burke also run another company, g!, that includes as many as 20 female wrestlers.
Burke can only see the independent circuit growing, and is steadfast in his belief that the future looks bright.
鈥淢y son is 15 years old and he is already going into the ring,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he future is on his shoulders.鈥�
Marking a milestone
ASW is holding its 10th Anniversary Show on July 7 at the Cloverdale Agriplex.
The show features WWE Attitude star Gangrel, Tommy Dreamer, Rob The Giant, the UFC鈥檚 Tom Lawlor, Loose Cannon Kenny Lush, and others.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Visit or call 604-710-0872.
