Home-grown success SLAMs international competition. Dan Archer Interview
Photo: New Photography
Home-grown success SLAMs international competition.
PW Downunder caught up with ‘The Full Draw’ Dan Archer of SLAM! Pro Wrestling League to talk about the phenomenal turnout at their AIS Arena show in Canberra.
The event was held on Saturday 2 November and drew nearly 2,500 people using only home-grown Australian talent. This more than doubled ticket sales for the WWE NXT event held at the same venue in 2016 featuring international talent.
Dan puts this success down to focusing on the fan experience and presentation, from the moment fans walk into the building until they leave at the end. He told us ‘As a paying customer when you walk into a hall with no presentation it takes you out of the experience. We have SLAM! signage, stations for photos with banners and professional lighting and a merch area that is well-presented. We also have a pre-show presentation with lighting and music as well as a countdown that gets the fans involved.’
SLAM! was founded in 2021 but builds on the experience of promotions that have been running in Canberra for the last 20 years. The SLAM! Board of Directors took the best elements of those promotions to define their vision.
This vision includes catering to a broader audience than just wrestling fans, with events being seen as a good night of entertainment. ‘We keep the booking and storylines as simple as possible so any fan who comes to the show for the first time knows exactly what is going on’ Dan explained. ‘The main point is to keep the fans coming back for more.’
SLAM! also attributes their success to booking the best talent from around Australia. Wrestlers have travelled from locations including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney to partner with Canberra-based talent. ‘We are only going to use the best, no matter where they are from’ Dan told us.
As a head coach at the SLAM! Wrestling Academy, Dan shares his wrestling and body transformation experience with trainees. The academy currently has 40 students who are formed into teams under different coaches and mentors, with each trainee receiving workout plans, personal coaching and nutrition advice.
Dan has come a long way in his own career and health transformation. ‘When I first started wrestling I got on events very quickly and was rewarded even though I didn’t get in shape or get proper gear. I put on some disgustingly bad matches and didn’t look after myself. I peaked out at 110kg of pure blub after having a broken leg. In 2020 I started to slim down using the carnivore diet and reached 79kg. This was mainly through eating red meat, eggs, butter and dairy.’
We asked Dan what it feels like to wrestle in front of such a big crowd. ‘A bit intimidating’ he told us. ‘Being in a room that big with a roof that high. It was a whole other level of what you would experience normally. The fans were rabid the entire time. It was one of the craziest nights of my life.’
The next SLAM! event will be held at the UC Refectory on Saturday 8 February 2025. Tickets are available here https://shorturl.at/4gZ5r
You can watch Rage In The Cage II full event replay here.
Dan was interviewed by Karina Johnson, Publicist and Head of Communications at Red Castle Entertainment.
