It was one final hurrah in the career of longtime wrestler Matt Evans at Selkirk Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 7.
Matt Evans aka “Bring the Pain” Matt Fairlane def. “Hotshot” Danny Duggan in the main event of Canadian Wrestling’s Elite Matt Fairlane Retirement Match card on Saturday, March 7 at Selkirk Memorial Hall
The 46-year-old Selkirk native, known in the ring as “Bring The Pain” Matt Fairlane, returned to the sport after an eight-year hiatus for the final match of his career, taking on “Hotshot” Danny Duggan in a Canadian Wrestling’s Elite bout.
Evans’ road back to wrestling began a year ago when he was lying in a hospital bed after suffering a heart attack. He had spent the past few years bodybuilding at Iron Image Barbell Club, the gym he owns and operates in Selkirk.
Following a bodybuilding show, Evans suffered the heart attack, with doctors discovering a 95 per cent artery blockage.
After recovering, Evans received the opportunity to wrestle once again in the town where he made his name when Duggan, who also promoted the event, asked if he wanted to be part of the card.
Evans jumped at the chance, insisting on a one-on-one match against Duggan for old times’ sake.
“I didn’t want any what ifs left on the table in my life,” said Evans. “Wrestling was a big part of my life for over 20 years. I started wrestling when I was 16, got trained by the same guy that trained Roddy Piper how to wrestle, and I wrestled some of the greats, and with some of the greats over the years from the ‘80s, ‘90s, early 2000s — guys that are in WWE now and AEW. I had a really terrible match in my last match that I ever wrestled, and I wasn’t happy with it. It just felt like it was something I wanted to check off my bucket list.”
When Saturday arrived, Evans and Duggan were the main event of the evening, which featured six earlier CWE bouts.
Having fought previously in their careers when Evans played the villain, he and Duggan reversed roles in Selkirk, with Evans getting to play the hero in front of the 350 fans in attendance.
Despite next to no preparation, Evans delivered a performance for the ages, pulling out signature spinebuster and Widow Maker moves.
He then claimed victory with a flying top-rope elbow drop — the finishing move that will go down as the last of his career.
“After the match was done it was just one of those things where it’s like I remember, I just tapped him on the chest really quick and said, ‘thank you’,” said Evans. “Just hearing the crowd, seeing the crowd, and everybody coming up to me afterwards, and then the ring being surrounded by all the wrestlers from the back to have a send off for me was nice as well.”
Evans was seen giving a “goodbye kiss” to the mat at the conclusion of the match, signifying the end of his career. Afterwards, he mingled with fans — including those who grew up watching him wrestle and others who were seeing him perform for the first time.
Many in attendance had followed his career since his days as champion of Steeltown Pro Wrestling, where he held the title for an extended period before suffering a sudden defeat in one of his bouts.
He recalled that moment as one of the most memorable of his career.
“It was like as if Hulk Hogan lost the belt,” said Evans. “It was just like all the kids that loved me and thought I was unbeatable — I finally got beat by a cheat, and a bad guy. The crowd went completely dead silent to the point where I was laying in the ring thinking, ‘oh crap, what happened? What happened to the crowd, did something happen really bad?’ Then I realized they were just upset that I lost.”
The crowd’s reaction was a prime example of their support for Evans, and his win on Saturday received an even louder and more enthusiastic response.
“It means a lot. With the gym that I run now, a lot of the kids that grew up watching me are now members,” said Evans. “Some of them are in the boxing club that’s run out of there and they still look at me and finding out that they’re still deep down fans of me as a wrestler, it’s one of those things where you’ve got to take a step back and realize you made an impact on people.”
Evans now looks ahead to the next stage of his life, beginning with recovery from his retirement match. He hopes to soon earn his professional bodybuilding card and continue helping clients at Iron Image.
As for wrestling, Evans says the curtain has now closed on his career.
