Deaf Wrestlefest
Deaf Wrestlefest is a professional wrestling supercard, produced annually in late April or early May by Lord Zoltan, a longtime wrestler and sports promoter based in Western Pennsylvania. It is considered a major fundraiser for the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and has raised, on average, between $3,000 and $4,000 per show. Proceeds from the event benefit Pennsylvania school programs to educate Deaf students.
The event was first produced in 1994, originally as part of the Steel City Wrestling promotion, and produced six editions until the promotion closed in [|2000], and two more independently. The school, according to Zoltan, then decided to discontinue the event due to the increasing violence and adult content associated with professional wrestling during the late-1990s. Two of his sons, both Deaf, attended the school during this period. Following a seven-year hiatus, it was revived for the school's 140th anniversary in [|2009]; the highlight of the show was J.J. Dillon who, in his first in-ring appearance since 1989, teamed with "Beef Stew" Lou Marconi and "Handsome" Frank Staletto in a six-man tag team match against "Franchise" Shane Douglas, Dominic Denucci and Cody Michaels.
The event is a staple on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit. Unlike standard wrestling events, however, an interpreter is provided to sign for the students during promos and for other parts of the show. Among the promotions represented at the event are the International Wrestling Cartel, Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, National Wrestling Alliance and UCW Wrestling; the arrival of the North Carolina-based G.O.U.G.E. Wrestling at the [|2010 Deaf Wrestlefest] marked the organization's debut in Pennsylvania. The event has featured a number of stars from Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment including:
- 1995: Demolition Ax, Big Bully Busick, and Cactus Jack
- 1996: Cody Michaels, The Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, Koko B. Ware and The Iron Sheik
- 1999: Cody Michaels, Robert Gibson and Tom Brandi
- 2000: Doink the Clown and King Kong Bundy
- 2001: The Patriot, Doink the Clown, and B-94 FM Radio's Bubba the Bulldog
- 2002: The Patriot and The Honky Tonk Man
- 2009: Cody Michaels, Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake, J.J. Dillon, Dominic DeNucci, Shane Douglas and Missy Hyatt
- 2010: The Blue Meanie, Bubba the Bulldog, Dominic DeNucci, Shane Douglas, David Sammartino, Larry Zbyszko and Mick Foley
- 2011: Doink the Clown, Shane Douglas, Tony Atlas, and Zach Gowen
- 2012: Bushwhacker Luke, Ryan Mitchell, Gregory Iron, Shark Boy, Joker, Bruno Sammartino, Dominic DeNucci, Zach Gowen, and Big Bully Busick
- Others: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Show results
Deaf Wrestlefest (1994)
1994 in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (1995)
April 9, [|1995] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (1996)
April 21, [|1996] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (1997)
April 22, 1997 in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaVince Kaplack vs. Barry Kohlhoff ended in a draw.
Deaf Wrestlefest (1998)
April 26, 1998 in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaBombSquad defeated Dennis Gregory & Barry Kohlhoff.
Deaf Wrestlefest (1999)
April 18, [|1999] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest Y2K (2000)
April 12, 2000 in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest 2K1 (2001)
April 29, [|2001] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest 2K2 (2002)
April 21, [|2002] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (2009)
May 3, 2009 in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (2010)
May 2, [|2010] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (2011)
May 1, [|2011] in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaDeaf Wrestlefest (2012)
April 29, [|2012] in Edgewood, Pennsylvania| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1 | Jason Cage and Jock Samson wrestled to a ten-minute time limit draw | Singles match |
| 2 | Lou Marconi and Frank Stalletto defeated The Gambino Brothers | Tag team match |
| 3 | Ryan Mitchell defeated Ashton Amherst | Singles match |
| 4 | Patrick Hayes defeated Trevor Lowe | Singles match |
| 5 | Preston Steele, Dennis Gregory and Johnny Mercury defeated Ali Kaida, Nasty Nick Crane and Sniper | Six-man tag team match |
| 6 | Gregory Iron defeated Bobby Beverly | Singles match |
| 7 | Dynamite Dean defeated Terry Ring | Singles match |
| 8 | Shark Boy defeated J-Ru | Singles match |
| 9 | Zach Gowen defeated Jason Gory | Singles match |
| 10 | Bushwhacker Luke and Justin Sane defeated The VIP's | Tag team match with Big Bully Busick as the special guest referee |