LEWISTON, Maine —Randy Carver, the state’s most successful, homegrown professional wrestling promoter, is a big guy. Still, he looked small standing at center ice inside the dark, deserted Colisee last week. The sports and entertainment venue can hold almost 4,000 people, but Carver had the silent space all to himself.
He’s hoping for a different vibe come Aug. 17.
That’s when Carver will try and fill every seat with rabid, rowdy wrestling fans eager to watch the greatest grappling spectacle he’s ever staged. The Colisee is, by far, the largest arena Carver has ever tried to fill, and the biggest business gamble he’sever taken.
Professionally and financially, it’s the equivalent of a wrestler leaping off the top rope, hoping to nail an outstretched opponent lying helpless on the canvas. If Carver lands the stunt, it could lead to even bigger events and more success.If not, he could take a financial bath and lose the momentum he’s built up in recent years.
“This is going to be the biggest risk I’ve ever taken with this organization,” he said of his company, Limitless Wrestling. “We’ve gotta fill the place.”
Carver, 27, who also runs a wrestling training school in Brewer, started his sports entertainment empire at age 18 with a savings account and $700 borrowed from his mom and dad.
Since then, the Lagrange native has built his business on high-flying, professional-quality wrestling extravaganzas.
Carver said trying the Colisee feels like a solid next move since Limitless Wrestling has sold out its last seven shows in a row, dating back to August 2023. However, Carver’s usual venues, the AMVETS hall in Yarmouth and the Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon, sell out at about 380 and 350 tickets, respectively.
The Colisee has released an initial batch of 1,400 tickets for the August show, at which Limitless Wrestling’s Vacationland Cup is on the line. More tickets may be released if the first group sells out.
“I’m not worried at all,” said Jim Mercier, assistant general manager at the Colisee. “We’ve already done some great ticket sales. We sold about 300 tickets in just the first 10 days.”
In fact, it was Mercier who approached Carver about putting on a show at the historic Colisee, which saw Muhammad Ali’s iconic defeat of Sonny Liston for boxing’s world heavyweight championship in 1965 with what is still known as the “phantom punch.”
“At first, I thought he just wanted us to do some kind of wrestling-themed night at a hockey game,” Carver said of Mercier’s initial email.
The Colisee hosts the Maine Nordiques of the North American Hockey League most of the year. It’s also seen its share of big name musical acts come through, including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1977. Bob Dylan has played the Colisee three times since 2000.
Mercier said he and his kids enjoy pro wrestling on television, and he’s often been asked by Colisee patrons to host such events. Thus, hosting Limitless Wrestling seemed like a no-brainer mix of audience demand and personal enjoyment.
“And, like Randy and his business, we’re trying to get back to pre-pandemic times when we were cranking,” he said.
Mercier said ironing out details with Carver is easy compared to working with some national wrestling promoters he’s dealt with in the past. Mercier is giving Limitless Wrestling the Colisee’s full technical support, including local beer, fancy lighting, entrance ramp staging, a powerful sound system and use of the video screens on the huge, four-sided scoreboard.
“We’re going to dress it up real good,” Mercier said. “I’m pumped.”
The spectacle’s main contest will be for Limitless Wrestling’s Vacationland Cup, which is an annual tournament crowning the number one contender for the Limitless World Championship title. Carver, who hasn’t released the full lineup yet, is flying in several well-known wrestlers from around the country, which isn’t cheap.
But if all goes well, Mercier said, he’d already like to host the tournament again next year.
Carver is all for that, and he’s imagining what the big hall might mean for growing his live audiences, exponentially.
“The goal is to get as many existing wrestling enjoyers in there as possible, and maybe make some new fans,” he said.
After that, who knows?
“My dream is to take this as far as I can,” Carver said. “It’s already been a beautiful ride.”
