Editorial: “Abducted for a Cause?”, a non-profit wrestling promotion in Everett, Washington
What is wrestling outside of the ring? Strip down the mat, the ring post, the apron, everything. What is left of wrestling when there isn’t a ring?
You have entertainment.
And that is exactly what UFO PNW would like to do.
They call themselves a wrestling- adjacent event promotion called Unconfined Fight Offerings (UFO). They are based out of Everett, Washington owned and run by Max Zaleski. If that name sounds familiar, you probably know about the Pacific Northwest Wrestling scene where he was co-owner of two promotions: Peak Wrestling and its predecessor, now defunct, Without a Cause.
In October, I sat down with Max to discuss his plans for this promotion. While it sounds interesting, wrestling-adjacent entertainment, something else caught my attention: this promotion’s goal is to become a non-profit.
You heard that right… errrr um, read that right. UFO PNW’s goal is to support the community by becoming a non-profit. They will not be pocketing the funds. This wrestling-adjacent promotion’s goal isn’t to make a bunch of money or exploit their audience.
Now that… that is out of this world.
But let’s start from the beginning. Max is from the gaming industry but has been part of the local wrestling scene for about a decade across nine different promotions. He was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest currently residing in Everett, Washington. He has a passion for his community and also, wrestling… more specifically, hardcore deathmatch wrestling.
“I love hardcore wrestling, that’s kind of the wrestling that I have always liked and I’ve always gravitated towards. And because of the weird laws, like wrestling kind of being illegal in Washington for the longest time, wrestling became cool to do, especially in the eyes of the law.”
Believe it or not, yes, professional wrestling was basically illegal in the state of Washington until 2019.
How is that possible?
Well, back in 1911, the first ban was put on wrestling. It was amended shortly after the state mandated that wrestling had to have the term “exhibition” in the name. Cool. Sounds easy enough. The entire wrestling history in Washington state then was held in limbo in 1940 (before kayfabe was known) after Laverne Baxter lost to John Katan. Baxter fought the ref’s decision and the crowd revolted by throwing things into the ring. A scuffle between Baxter and the ref ensued and Baxter accidentally pushed the ref, subsequently falling into a ring post falling on his head. He died later in the lockeroom.
Wrestling was over in Washington State as the restrictions on wrestling events put local wrestling companies into bankruptcy. Wrestling had to adhere to the same regulations as boxing and other combat sports. The state even went to the lengths of demanding these local promotions to pay 6% of the total money made plus $1 of each ticket sold to be paid to them. These regulations put so many local promotions out of business, it was obvious the only wrestling promotion to survive these stipulations in the Washington areas were companies like the WWF/WWE.
Around 2010, a wrestling group in the Seattle area named Lucha Libre Volcanica started advocating for change. And nine years of fighting lead to the Washington State “Lucha Bill” (known as House Bill 1420) to be put into law. The new law states that “any licensed theatrical-wrestling school would be allowed to schedule a certain number of public performances and must have an emergency aid present at events. Trainees or students are exempt from obtaining a license.”
During this time, Max was working with now-defunct promotion 3-2-1 Battle! based in Seattle. He had dreams of doing matches and shows unlike what was being done before. That’s where Without a Cause Wrestling Promotion began as it was located in Everett, just north of Seattle, inside of a local VFW with a space big enough for a wrestling ring, audience, and working liquor licence with a bar attached. However, the itch to do more was still not scratched… and the hardcore deathmatch desire still lived inside. And a need for a more inclusive community space was needed.
Max came out as pansexual a few years ago and instantly knew more had to be done in the wrestling industry outside of the performative Pride Month show. “I think now more than ever, you should be loud and proud about who you are and who you support.”
It’s not to say that the defunct Without a Cause and the current promotion, Peak Entertainment, isn’t inclusive, but that isn’t their goal. Their goal is to put on a wrestling show for monetary gain. That is not what UFO’s vibe or goal is going to be. And Max is personally donating his own money to supporting the nonprofit they will be featuring each show. For the first few shows, Max said that they will be donating their proceeds to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ folks.
Starting a new promotion while the previously owned wrestling promotion, Peak Entertainment, is still active only a few blocks away from where UFO’s first show will be is interesting.
Tony V’s Garage, where UFO’s first show will take place December 28th, is well-known in the area for being inclusive while putting on any type of entertainment under the sun. “I understand the optics are tough so making sure that people are very aware that I’m around and, (if there is a problem), I will make sure there’s no longer a problem like that.” Which, honestly, is worth the time and energy to make it out to a local show.
“By supporting us you support causes that support the LGBTQIA+ community. There are a ton of people in the community who are also within the wrestling industry who do not feel safe to be themselves or only showcase them during a certain month. That sucks and is no bueno.”
It’s evident even by this conversation that this is important to Max and the audience.
So I asked him, why leave Peak Entertainment to make something new? Isn’t that more work to make something new… and Max didn’t hold back.
He said that Peak’s primary focus is not inclusion and not community focus. He feels that the previous co-owners do not share the same desire or beliefs for the community. He continued on that the reputation of those in management should align with keeping the show safe and beneficial for the community. Now, more than ever, knowing where your money is going to support local promotions matters. It has been long enough of keeping quiet and keeping LGBTQIA+ folks out of the picture like a special attraction.
That is worth being abducted and taken to a safer yet violent adventure.
If you are in the Western Washington area, UFO PNW’s first show, “First Contact” is December 28th at Tony V’s Garage in Everett, Washington. You can get tickets at Brainbustertix.com or at the door. If you can’t make it then, their next show advertised as “No Ring – No Rules – LGBTQ+ Owned”, “Abduction” will be February 22nd, 2025 at Tony V’s Garage at 6 pm in Everett, Washington.
Tickets are $21.22 and proceeds go to The Trevor Project.
Follow them on social media here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UFO.PNW
X: https://x.com/PNW_UFO
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ufo_pnw/
