Tickets go on sale during Valentine's week for next month's Relentless Wrestling 24: Monumental event.
This will be the first time Relentless emanates from Northern Quest, and the promotion is pulling out all the stops in hopes of making this an annual big-time show for local fans to enjoy.
Headlining the show will be former WWE superstar Mustafa Ali — one of the most talented athletic high flyers in the industry and arguably the hottest wrestler on the indie scene currently. Monumental will also feature the Relentless debuts of Alex Zayne and other yet-to-be-announced talents from top promotions like All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. And that's in addition to Relentless mainstays like current Relentless Heavyweight Champion and New Japan star "Filthy" Tom Lawlor, former WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJP, the West Coast Wrecking Crew, and (of course) Relentless co-founder/booker/wrestler Chase James.
"Northern Quest was actually interested in working with us for quite a while," says James. "And we felt like it's time — with how much wrestling has been booming — that we take the show to a whole 'nother level. So with this Northern Quest move, it's not going to just be the Relentless show that we've always had, it's going to be that and more. With Northern Quest teaming up with us, we're going to be able to bring in much bigger talents that we've never brought in before."
For a sense of how much Relentless is scaling up, the promotion has been running recent shows at Spokane Valley's Players & Spectators, which has about a capacity of 300. In Northern Quest's Pend Oreille Pavilion, the capacity will be around 1,000, and there will also be a much higher level of production value with Titantron entrances, lasers, screens,and more. Relentless and Northern Quest are also planning a VIP Meet & Greet before the show on March 30 for those fans who want to pay extra for autographs and photos with their favorite grapplers.
While many indie promotions head to the city WrestleMania is taking place for their own big blowout shows — which Relentless did last year — James felt like having the big show away from the core Relentless fanbase was kind of missing the point.
"Last year, we took our Mania show to LA. And we felt really bad because a lot of our local fans missed it," says James. "So this year, we want to bring WrestleMania to Spokane. We're trying to put on the biggest, best WrestleMania-esque vibe that we can. That way people that are here can still see it and be a part of it."
There's also an increased risk inherent in doing a blowout show. James says they're spending three times as much to bring in talent for Monumental as they do for a normal Relentless show, so ticket prices are expected to be slightly higher than the typical Relentless rate. And while Relentless won't run full-time out of Northern Quest (returning to smaller venues for most monthly shows), James is hoping the casino gig gamble will pay off and lead to having bigger shows more often.
"If it goes well, then we're going to try to make it more of an annual thing. Maybe we do big shows at Northern Quest shows two or three times a year," says James. "Our goal is really just to make Spokane the destination for independent professional wrestling."
Tickets for Relentless Wrestling 24: Monumental go on sale next week. Tickets for Northern Quest Camas Club members will go on sale via northernquest.com on Thursday, Feb. 22, while the general ticket sales start Friday, Feb. 23.
Relentless Wrestling 24: Monumental • Sun, Mar. 30 at 7 pm • All ages • Northern Quest Resort & Casino • 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • northernquest.com
