By Madeline Kotzer
When Kathy Roberts accompanied a group of friends to her first wrestling show in Regina in May 2010, she never imagined she would end up owning the wrestling company.
Although reluctant to even attend the High Impact Wrestling show that night, Kathy met her husband and business partner to be.
“I said fine, I would go. But I am going to find the best looking guy there and be his ‘stage girlfriend’,“ recalled Kathy laughingly.
“So, I came to the show, and I picked the best looking guy [a wrestler named ‘King Kash’] and I came and talked to him after the show – and we were going to do this whole ‘stage’ fake girlfriend thing,” she said.
But then I ended up being his real girlfriend and we got married! And [we have] a seven month-old baby,” explained Kathy Roberts.
By day ‘King Kash’ goes by the name Mike Roberts. He works a regular day job at Capitol Ford in Regina, and outside of the ring is soft-spoken. The only indication of his ‘bad guy’ wrestling persona is his sizeable stature.
The truth is, most people never guess about Mike’s alter ego, King Kash, because they don’t know that Regina has had a lively underground, entertainment-geared wrestling scene for the past 15 years.
The monthly shows, held at Regina’s Victoria Club, south off Broad Street on Victoria Avenue, are just that – shows. Fight after fight, larger than life personas face off against each other in the ring. Carrying out every hit, kick and jump of the orchestrated fights with a ferocity and a lively quirkiness that makes the spectacle dynamic.
Until now, the wrestling shows have attracted mostly die-hard fans and followers of the wrestling world. And for the average person, it might be hard to imagine what one of the shows is really like.
“I have been wrestling for 13 years, I am dedicated to the company so it just seemed like the natural next step. The previous owner had sort of lost interest, but I love it still,”Mike said.
“I usually tell people, it is pro-wrestling, and it’s a lot different from amateur wrestling. It’s more like what you see on TV, it is pretty exciting!” Kathy explained.
But Mike and Kathy Roberts are determined to bring this subculture out of the shadows and into the limelight of Saskatchewan’s public entertainment sphere.
The newlyweds bought the promotions company, High Impact Wrestling Inc., in December 2011.
“I have been wrestling for 13 years, I am dedicated to the company so it just seemed like the natural next step. The previous owner had sort of lost interest, but I love it still,”Mike said.
They hope to take the promotions company to new heights, eventually running shows throughout Saskatchewan.
“We do go to Saskatoon and [hopefully] Yorkton right now, but we want to expand and want to go farther. There are no other promotions [companies] like us in Saskatchewan,” Kathy noted.
The night of their first show as the wrestling company’s new owners saw a line-up out the front doors of The Victoria Club.
“I never remember having to turn people away before!” said Kathy.
The sold out show attracted a mix of spectators - old and young, male and female. The large wrestling ring serves as a focal point in The Victoria Club’s main room, and the room filled up fast. With over 240 people packed in to see the show, the night was deemed a success in no uncertain terms.
Beyond ticket sales, and revenue generated from food, alcohol and merchandise sold at the shows, the wrestling company also sustains itself by training new members who hope they too have the chops to wrestle professionally.
As far as High Impact Wrestling Regina’s staying power is concerned – the fans, even new ones, seem intrigued.
“I have two little guys with me who love wrestling, and really wanted to come and watch. I really did not know that this existed in Regina,” said Monique Boyko, who attended the show for the first time.
With plans to grow and bring their brand of professional wrestling to the province, it seems this subculture’s expansion is inevitable.
“Even if you do not enjoy watching the wrestling, you would probably enjoy watching the crowd and how the crowd interacts with the wrestlers! It is worth coming out to see,” said Kathy.
High Impact Wrestling Regina holds its next show in the Queen City on February 22.
Madeline Kotzer is a fourth year Journalism student at the University of Regina, graduating in spring of 2013. Follow Madeline on twitter @madelinekotzer, or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
