Promotional Consideration is an on-going series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling that sheds spotlights on some of the top indie promotions around the world for your consideration, discovering their stories, the struggles, and their triumphs, directly from the promoters and owners mouths themselves. This edition focuses on Denmark’s Copenhagen Championship Wrestling. We spoked with owner Copengagen Hangman
While this decade has seen the boom of the Britsh Wrestling scene, the German wrestling scene, and even the Irish wrestling scene. Despite this, pro wrestling in Europe still has a long way to go to being recognized on the world’s stage and thus must be fuelled by those with a passion for pro wrestling.
Denmark is one such place where pro wrestling is still growing and it is people like Hangman that are at the helm of the scene. Hangman is the owner of Copenhagen Championship Wrestling, a promotion trying to make waves in Denmark. We asked Hangman what his vision was for CCW and his response summed up both him and his promotion to a tee “On a personal level my vision was always to create a legit passionate foundation for pro wrestling from top to bottom. Secondly along that note it was about honoring traditions as well as creating a fellowship and family that understands that you’re only as good as your fellow worker allows. In CCW it really shines through. We have a saying. “Leave the ego at the door. It is the human being first.””
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It is clear from this quote that CCW is built on a foundation of passion for pro wrestling and also a camaraderie amongst the talent. He backed this up further by stating that “… my vision is pretty simple. Make CCW and the boys and girls who work here in Copenhagen. To great individuals who will always have a family here who back them up”.
While CCW aims to grow its own company they are not ignorant of history and those that paved the way for them. It became very clear during our talk with Hangman that he respected the history of Danish wrestling while also trying to pave his own path with CCW. Hangman made sure to mention Danish wrestling trailblazer Chaos during our talk “I have seen my mentor and grand old man Chaos bust his proverbial ass to secure some kind of base for Pro Wrestling to happen in Denmark for so very long.”
https://www.facebook.com/CPHWrestling/photos/a.367303020003208/2543183362415152/?type=3&theater
It is for that very reason that they work with fellow Danish promotion Danish Pro Wrestlin (DPW) “The main focus is definently to cultivate CCW in Copenhagen while always remembering who was the first promotion and what was taught at the DPW training camps.” Working with DPW also provided them with the opportunity to provide storylines that fans of both promotions can enjoy as the two companies have different home territories.
Despite Hangman having high hopes and aspirations for Copenhagen Championship Wrestling he remains very grounded and understands that there is a long road ahead of him. We asked Hangman about promotions like Over The Top Wrestling (OTT), PROGRESS Wrestling and Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) who have all outgrown the European wrestling scene and gained international acclaim. When posed with this question his measured response was “I think every solid step makes a long road. And for that step to be solid you need to focus on your own ball, the CCW family, where we are at and what our next big goal is without compromising our values. Whether it is business or just passion for the Art.”
Hangman reiterated this approach when asked if he believed the talent was there in CCW to have the same kind of impact as the companies mentioned above “… I have no doubt the boys and girls will go far. As long as they keep taking that one solid step down the road. And that in the end will speak for itself.”
BODYSLAM! Pro Wrestling has notably brought imports like Meiko Satomura and Scotty Davis to Denmark for a show but when asked if he would do the same Hangman instead would stand by his roster “That being said giving our locker room, whether local or foreign the necessary spot to keep going is also definently key. Loyalty does not have a pricetag. Neither does respect for the talent busting their asses.”
One thing that kept coming up during our talk was the phrase “art”. Hangman reiterated his passion for the art of pro wrestling multiple times in our conversation with the key one being “And all of us shows respect to the Art of Pro Wrestling”. The tone from the top is an important mechanism taught in business degrees worldwide and it’s clear to see that Copenhagen Championship Wrestling is a promotion that appreciates and respects pro wrestling and that breeds that culture amongst its roster.
What’s next for CCW you may ask? Well “The next step is at our biggest show of the year Ragnarok 2 in 2020, in collarboration with DPW. That goal is to make a legit pay per view. Which is already in the works.”
After hyping up Ragnarok 2 and letting us know that you can keep up with CCW via their FaceBook he signed off as only he can when asked about the possibility of putting their shows for free on YouTube “In the end CCW IS Copenhagen and when and if that ever happens it will have to be done right not as a freebie just to get attention. After all. It is about respect for the Art.”
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