BY PAUL PRADO
For the Gazette des Records
On August 19, Banning Market Night came to life with Pro Wrestling Lucha Libre, sponsored by the Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF).
The outdoor event showcased the wrestling talents of Tio Chulo, CJ Thunder, the Trailer King, the Breeze, Black Metal, Juan Roman, the Bad Wolf, Benji XIII, Wicked Wickett and Malvado.
“The EWF has been around for at least 26 years,” said promoter Jesse Hernandez.
Hernandez runs a school that teaches wrestling in San Bernardino called School of Hard Knocks.
“Some of these wrestlers are from our school,” Hernandez said. “We bring in wrestlers from other areas and out of state. Our goal is to entertain people.
Kris Lopez brought his family to enjoy the excitement in the ring.
“I’ve never seen a wrestling match like this before,” Lopez said. ” I hope it’s ok. It’s nice that Banning organizes events like this for the family to see.
“That kind of stuff also helps the small businesses that are here.”
Tio Chulo, from El Paso, Texas, was one of the wrestlers featured.
“I’ve been wrestling for 20 years,” Chulo said. “If you notice, there is no generational gap between wrestling. It is a sport that each generation passes on to the next to enjoy.
