Mainland European pro wrestling in on the rise. With White Wolf Wrestling in Spain, and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in Germany, certain promotions are leading the charge in growing continental Europe, like PROGRESS Wrestling, Revolution Pro, and Over The Top (OTT) have done in the UK and Ireland. One of those companies leading the charge for the rest of Europe, is Hungarian Championship Wrestling (HCW) based out of Budapest. HCW is one of the fastest growing promotions in that part of the world, and they have their biggest show of the year coming up in less than a month. Last Word on Pro Wrestling spoke with the owner and CEO of Hungarian Championship Wrestling, David Turger.
How long has HCW been open?
David Turger: We started the promotion in 2010.
What was the pro wrestling scene in Hungary when you started HCW?
Before HCW there were only some shows in the 40s but all the regimes banned this art from the country. Since then fans could watch only some highlights and recaps on Eurosport and a local small TV channel (which stopped airing) and on the internet, but that’s all.
Was it difficult getting the company going?
It was difficult and still not easy, but we were very passionate and wanted this so bad. The hardest part was to change the people’s mindset about wrestling. To see it as a show, a performance, and not like martial arts, boxing or etc. Sports entertainment was a very new thing here.
What differentiates HCW from other independent companies?
In HCW we’re focusing on having a colourful roster. Everything is story-based here. I think, our success is because stories can touch the people here, we have drama, we have humor, everything’s happening with a reason.
Now we have 10k+ subscribers on YouTube, and every show in this year was nearly or totally a full-house. In a small country like Hungary, it’s not easy to fill up events like this.
Who are your current champions?
HCW champion is Kris Jokic from Croatia. The tag champs are the Budapest Bastards Tamás Szabó /Nitro & David Turger /Renegade. The Revolution champion is Justin Wylde.
When is your next event?
Our next event is the biggest one every Year: Bloody November, this will be the Bloody November IX at 3rd of November.
How can people watch your shows?
I can recommend our YouTube channel, hcwhungary. We’re uploading every show, and we have a weekly show, from the HCW dojo: the HCW Underground. You can watch for free.
What does the future of Hungarian wrestling look like?
I hope we have a bright future. Lots of our guys from HCW have already wrestled in more than 10 countries, so we’re on the map in the business. We always want to learn and use that knowledge to improve HCW even more. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but the most important thing is to entertain people as long as we can.
Do you see mainland European wrestling on the rise? How much is HCW a part of that?
Yes, everyone can see, pro-wrestling is more popular nowadays then ever in Europe, and I think nearly everywhere in the world, the situation is the same. What we can do is work hard and do our best to make pro-wrestling more and more popular every year.
In your opinion, what’s the greatest match in HCW history?
This is a really hard question… lot of matches, different atmospheres, really hard to pick just one. One of my favourites is the Icarus versus Matt Cross match from 2016, so I’ll pick that one.
Anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
I want to thank all the HCW fans, who come from abroad just to watch our shows. There’s a lot from Croatia, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland: Thank you for the love and support! And for all the wrestling fans who didn’t hear about Hungarian Championship Wrestling, check our shows on YouTube!
