The following press release was sent to PWMania.com:
George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup 2022 – Helitehas, Tallinn, Estonia – May 14, 2022
We are proud to announce the inaugural George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup tournament, promoted and brought to you by SLAM! Wrestling Finland and it’s subsidiary in Estonia, SLAM! Wrestling Tallinn, as we honor the traditions of the sport and it’s first officially recognize world heavyweight champion, George Hackenschmidt himself.
This landmark event will be spread over two weekends, starting with April 15-17 in Helsinki as part of the annual American Car Show at the Helsinki fair and convention center, Messukeskus, where the opening round of the George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup will take place, featuring both select, established international journeymen, as well as the most promising new rising stars in Europe today.
Then, on May 14 at Helitehas in Tallinn, Estonia, the semifinals and finals of the George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup will take center stage, with a full undercard of supporting matches, as we crown the first-ever George Hackenschmidt Invitational Cup champion and trophy holder.
George Hackenschmidt was born in 1877 in what is today known as Tartu, Estonia, back when Estonia was still under Russian rule, hence his nickname “The Russian Lion”. He was a world renowned strongman and wrestler, the father of both the Hack Squat and Bench Press, and the very first officially recognized world champion in professional wrestling back in 1905.
To truly understand the man’s signifigance, Hackenschmidt was so popular as a sportsman in his day that Theodore Roosevelt once famously stated: “If I wasn’t president of the United States, I would like to be George Hackenschmidt”.
SLAM! Wrestling Finland and it’s Estonian subsidiary are run by company CEO, Michael Majalahti, better known in professional wrestling circles as “The Rebel” StarBuck. Michael was brought up in the professional wrestling industry by Lance Storm and Karl Moffat (Jason the Terrible of Stampede Wrestling fame out of Canada), trained in 1993, starting his career in Calgary. Michael would go on to become arguably the most acclaimed and established pro wrestler out of Northern Europe, trailblazing and pioneering the game in Finland, starting in 2003. Michael has wrestled all around the world in 22 countries over his career, holding titles for several promotions including for Yoshihiro Tajiri’s SMASH and Wrestling New Classic, and in addition Michael has been a pro wrestling coach in eight countries. Michael is still active as a professional wrestler to this day as he nears his 49th birthday.
For more info, co-op and/or interview requests contact [email protected] or call +358 44 273 5503.
