Seven years ago, the longtime friends decided to combine their music experience and love of professional wrestling. The results of this union grew into something bigger than they ever imagined with live events and pay-per-view.
Parker and Bradley, hosting a seventh anniversary wrestling match on Friday, Feb. 1, recently discussed the upcoming move from Third Street to a new facility. The venue, renamed Turnbuckles & Brews, will open at 638 Watervliet Ave. in Belmont on March 1, and serve as the new home for Rockstar Pro Wrestling and other events.
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Parker: "Ten years is a real big goal for me, so to have seven years in and the business be successful is amazing. The wrestling has grown from being a little, hometown thing to international."
Bradley: "People watch our product in Germany, Canada, Mexico and Japan. It's been amazing to see the brand grow."
Parker: "We just signed a deal with a European TV channel. They're not in the U.S., but Europe and Asia so there's interest outside of the country in what we created."
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Bradley: "We've always done music. When we were trying to grow and develop the venue and build the Rockstar brand, wrestling was such a small niche thing we really had to build it up slowly. By doing rock shows, one hand washes the other. Both things help promote each other and both things help bring new, different people through the doors. We've seen that crossover."
Parker: "Turnbuckles & Brews will be a full bar with liquor. We're mainly focused on wrestling and music right now, but we've hosted flea markets, movie premieres and comedy acts. We want to serve subcultures like wrestling, indie rock, video games and comic book culture."
Bradley: "It's a big upgrade for us. We're excited because before we were only open for events and, now, it's actually going to be a bar. We'll be open more regularly and be able to fill our calendar with more events."
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Parker: "Our current building served its purpose. It was a very good learning experience, but we've outgrown the space. We definitely needed something nicer and we found it, and this space gives us an opportunity to grow. This is all or nothing for us. We're putting everything we've got into this new venue."
HOW TO GO
What: Rockstar Pro Wrestling seventh anniversary event featuring a Casket Match with Dave Crist vs. "The Baddest Man Alive" Aaron Williams, plus matches with Sami Callihan, Michael Elgin, Alex Colon and other wrestlers.
Where: Rockstar Pro Arena, 1106 E. Third St., Dayton
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1. Bell time is 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $30 reserved front-row seats, $25 reserved second-row seats
More info: www.rockstarprowrestling.com
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