Take two dozen men and women, add a wrestling ring and a Hispanic theme with Spanish and modern-Latin roots and what do you get? The Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer promotion. Started in 2011, the promotion is entering it’s third show in four years and will take place on Saturday, September 27 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
An idea that was materialized by Québec Indy wrestler Jorge Morillas, known in ring as Fuego, the masked luchador that entertains the crowd and kicks butt too, Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer is a once-a-year promotion that takes place in Québec and features some of the top independent talent in all of Canada. The catch? Proceeds of the event, including ticket sales, goes towards cancer research. You’ve paid your ticket, you’ve already contributed to a good cause. Of course the promotion has a merchandise booth, a food stand and much more that brings in extra money to be donated to charity.
I caught up with Jorge to learn more about the promotion he is running and we discussed what inspired him to think of this creation, how it is going so far and all the hard work that is put into a show of this magnitude.
Where/when did the idea of Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer start and what/who inspired you to come up with it?
The idea of doing something for cancer research has been on my mind for almost 22 years now. A childhood friend of mine, Dana Alcalde, passed away from leukemia at the age of 13. I was 14, and this was my first experience with mortality. It affected me. But it also sparked a desire to contribute to the cause in some shape or form. It wasn’t until late 2006, about a year since I started wrestling trainings, that I had thought of the idea of putting on a benefit wrestling show. Interestingly enough, in early February of 2007, I went to grab a drink with my best friend, Tony Hallé, one of the first people I told about my idea. He loved the idea, and was open to helping out as much as he could. That conversation also turned around a lump that was found on his neck just before the Christmas holidays… Melanoma. He tried to play it off as if were almost nothing, so I wouldn’t worry. Sadly, he passed in June, 3 days after turning 24… that hit me too hard for me to focus on putting on a show, even though I was more determined than ever to make a change. The idea would come up in conversations with friends here and there, but nothing concrete.
It wasn’t until my dad’s passing in March 2011 that, at this point, I wanted and NEEDED to do something. Tony’s passing destroyed me; I wasn’t going to let this tragedy do the same. A very close friend of mine told me straight out “YOU decide if this is going to beat you down, or make you stronger”. On March 11th 2011, I decided I was going to turn a negative into a positive. The wheels started turning. And 7 months later, we were putting on the first edition of Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer.
What charity does your promotion donate to?
All proceeds go to the Cancer Research Society. I like their approach on funding research specifically.
What does your promotion offer to the people buying tickets to attend?
We offer a great time! The show is all about showcasing some of the best wrestling talent in the province (and trust me, there is a lot of talent), with a twist, something to set the show apart from all other shows, a Mexican lucha libre theme. Though we try to cater to all types of wrestling fans, there is a strong emphasis on masked luchadors and acrobatics. We also add a touch of Hispanic cultures by adding Spanish and Latin-American dishes at the cantina (empanadas, churros, paella, Spanish omelette), and opting with Latin-American live music during intermission (in 2012, we had a mariachi band… keeping the 2014 surprise under wraps for now).
And finally, buying a ticket is also knowing that you have contributed to a cause that leaves nobody indifferent.
How much work goes into setting this all up? (from setting a card to setting up the date and location, to getting everything in place)
Oh boy! I may not give myself enough credit for all the work I put in, but right now, it feels like working a second job.
First off, finding a location to put on a wrestling show in Montreal is next to impossible unless if by chance you know someone with a hall. I lucked out in 2011 when I asked the priest from the Hispanic congregation, Mision Santa Teresa De Avila, located at Eglise St-Arsène, to use their basement hall. He adored my dad, since my dad was involved in the church committee and was always helping out. So he gave me his full blessing. Finding a location for the show is one of the reasons I didn’t put on a show before.
Once you set on a date (I base myself on Les Promotions NCW’s show schedule, since I’m renting out their equipment), then there’s the financing. The absolutely hardest part of the process. Financing comes in two forms: donations and sponsorship. The first year, I lucked out on that too. With my dad’s passing being so recent, people were very generous with their donations, which was enough to put on the first event. After that, you have to work for the money by reaching out to sponsors. Times are hard, not everyone is willing to give without some sort of guarantee of getting return business from the exposure. And with wrestling being a mere shadow of what it once was, it takes some serious convincing with potential sponsors. That’s where you need to become self-sufficient with merchandising.
Setting up a card is another challenge. I don’t go about it alone, because it’s not my forte. André Therrien, who has been booker for Les Promotions NCW for several years helps me out. I basically tell him who I’d like on the show, maybe give him a few ideas of matches I would like to see, or think the crowd would enjoy, and André does his magic. You can’t just create random matches, you need to figure out how to best showcase your talent in accordance with the type of crowd you get. Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer caters to regular fans, casual fans, and first timers… the latter won’t care about the fifty flips performed in a match, but rather the emotion they will feel. Understanding that (and being able to apply it) makes the difference between a booker, and a guy booking a card.
Promoting the show is where you get to have fun. With our limited budget, it’s very word-of-mouth and social media. But every now and then someone with a newspaper, blog, radio show, tv show, get word of it and become interested in getting the word out.
Then comes the show… the easy part! We, members of the Quebec wrestling community, are used to setting up for shows, so presenting the end product is pretty much routine now. And despite the hours spent setting up, it’s also our time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It doesn’t feel like work.
Note, a lot of this footwork I do on my own, partly because I’m a bit of a control freak and I like to micro-manage everything, so it’s hard for me to delegate. In 2013, I was back in school, so I wasn’t able to put in the time and energy necessary to organize a show, hence why there wasn’t any 2013 edition.
How has the promotion grown since the very first show?
More than I could’ve ever hoped for. The first year, nobody really knew about my capabilities in putting on a show. Sure some people wanted to be part of the show for the cause, to help out. By the 2nd year, the word had gotten around, those who participated in the first show wanted to come back, and their friends wanted to come down too.
And in terms of turnout, WOW! In 2011, we had anywhere between 160-180 spectators, which wasn’t too bad for a first time show. But when we topped out at 350 in 2012, I was speechless. Fans come from all over the province of Quebec, and even Ontario. And just from the sheer number of people that keep asking when the next Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer show will be, I’m cautiously optimistic about getting 400-450 people through the doors this year.
Over the years that you have been running it, have you ever encountered any problems that affected your show? (wrestlers cancelling, short-staffed, financial) If not, what do you attribute to your show running smoothly without hitting any hiccups?
If you don’t run into any hiccups, you’re probably doing something wrong. There are so many variables that come into play, you will definitely hit a few speed bumps along the way.
Financing is one of them. You need money to make money. When a potential sponsor pulls out for whatever reason, well that’s money you can’t rely on anymore. And if you can’t finance your show fully, then you have to rely on the gate to cover the balance of your expenses. It’s an added stress, and a piss off since it cuts into the profits that are supposed to go to the cause.
The most stressful however would definitely be in regards to talent booked. Who do you want to book? Are they available? Oh crap, so and so just got injured last week! I’ve had guys unbook for a better paying booking without warning. I’ve had guys just not show up. My most memorable “unnecessary stressful moment”, in 2012, some wrestlers were coming down from Quebec city, two of them being in my show opener… doors open at 7:00, I get a call at 7:03 saying they just got into a car accident (they were fine, car wasn’t though). Had to switch things around in a blink of an eye, while constantly looking at my watch, wondering when they would get to the show (and to be fair, I think they were just as stressed about their ETA). These are things you have to deal with. Expect the unexpected, they say.
LastWordOnSports.com would like to thank Jorge Morillas and the staff running the Lucha Libre Contra El Cancer promotion and we wish them well in yet another successful year.
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