An annual event at Dragon Con, DCW Wrestling is a raucous, rowdy, wild show. Independent wrestlers from all over the country meet here to entertain a thrilled and very involved audience. The Centennial II–III ballroom (Hyatt) was transformed into a wrestling venue with a ring surrounded by chairs. The room was nearly full to capacity, with the largest crowd DCW has ever had. The event moved to Thursday for the first time this year and it obviously did not dampen the enthusiasm one bit. The record crowd cheered, shouted, and chanted.

I have never seen a live wrestling match, and to say that I had no idea what I was in for is an understatement. The sound of the bodies hitting the mat was extraordinary, a resounding thwack that bounced around the room. I found myself swept up in the energy in a way that was totally unexpected. I happily joined in the cheering of the good guys and the booing of the bad guys.

The bouts I watched weren’t limited to the ring; wrestlers threw each other out of the ring with startling frequency, providing a close-up view of the action and a chance for the audience to interact with the wrestlers as well.

One of the keys to the whole thing seemed to be the way each wrestler or group of wrestlers would work the crowd. Some would use the microphone to whip the crowd into enthusiastic frenzy while others would do it just with personality and physicality.

In a moving moment, after Tank and Iceberg won their tag-team match against Logan Creed and Bobby Moore, Tank announced that he was retiring and would not be at Dragon Con again next year. Without hesitation, the crowd got to their feet and showed their appreciation for Tank, applauding, cheering, and chanting his name and “Thank you, Tank!”

In another DCW first, Joe Black won against Adrian Armour by submission in the second match of the night. Both men seemed exhausted at the end of their battle, and again the crowd didn’t hesitate to show their appreciation.

It was all a hell of a show. My take-away is that these men are dedicated performers, putting their bodies through intense physical demands all to entertain the crowd. It’s something you should see at least once.