Event at Riverworks is tribute to Anthony Gaines, gay wrestler who died suddenly last year 

Editor’s note: It might seem unusual to find a story on professional wrestling on an arts & culture website, but professional wrestling is at least as much performance art as it is athletics. So here is Jose Gonzalez’s first story for The Buffalo Hive 

By Jose Gonzalez
(Image above: Anthony Gaines, by Joe Hrycych/courtesy of Empire State Wrestling

Empire State Wrestling (ESW) is hosting its second annual Everything to Gaine at Buffalo Riverworks on Saturday (July 26). 

This event is a tribute show to late independent wrestler Anthony Gaines. Gaines (Anthony Nicometi Jr.), a Cheektowaga native, died suddenly last February. at age 30. The cause of death has not officially been revealed. 

To wrestling fans, Gaines went by the nickname of  “None of a Kind”;he was a brash talker, risk taker in the ring  and was a former ESW Interstate Champion who reigned for a year. He went viral in 2018 for being launched over 10 feet out of the ring during a match by a much larger opponent, even making it to ESPN SportsCenter. You can see it here. 

Out of the ring, Gaines was a chef and also proudly came out as gay in 2019. In 2021, he was ranked No. 123 on the QWI 200, a list of the top 200 LGBTQ+ professional wrestlers in the world, including talents both independent and signed to a major televised promotion. The list is an alternative ranking modeled after Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s annual PWI 500 list, though solely focusing on LGBTQ+ performers.

Professional wrestling is one of the most physical forms of storytelling. Heroes and villains face off in a war of words, in addition to grappling and strikes. This choreographed spectacle allows fans to suspend their disbelief in appreciation of the toll these performers go through in a ring made of wooden planks and metal crossbeams on the mat and steel cables as ropes. 

For example, Saturday’s event is not only a tribute to a beloved performer, but also hosts one of ESW’s annual marquee wrestling matches: the Everything to Gaine Rumble, now named after Gaines. Akin to the Royal Rumble held by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), this match starts with two wrestlers in the ring. At timed intervals, a new wrestler will join the fray until all 25 participants have entered the match. 

To be eliminated, a wrestler has to go over the top rope and both feet hit the floor below. The last wrestler standing after all entrants are eliminated will earn a future ESW Heavyweight Championship match. Rumble style matches are adored by wrestling fans for a battle of attrition meeting the element of surprise, as not all entrants are revealed before the match starts.

Among the field of confirmed Rumble entrants is Frank Feathers, a former ESW Tag Team Champion, the longest reigning ESW Interstate Champion in history, and a close friend of Gaines. Feathers was also the man to defeat Gaines for the championship at ESW Wrestlebash in 2018. Feathers would reign for 1,359 days before losing the championship to Alec Price.

“He was undeniably one of the best performers and story tellers of our generation, but more importantly, he was my BROTHER and I miss him dearly,” Feathers said of Gaines.  

Feathers hopes to not only win the Rumble match, but go on to become a Grand Slam Champion in ESW, someone who’s held every eligible championship the company has. 

Among the action outside of the Rumble match, three championships will be decided at the event, the ESW Heavyweight Championship, the ESW Tag Team Championship and the ESW Women’s Championship.  While the ESW Women’s Championship is the newest title in the company, women’s wrestling has been featured for many years. 

Local wrestler Matt McCoy is also in action.  

For ticket information, head to ESWTIX.com. Matches on the card are subject to change.  Doors open at 6 p.m. with a 7 p.m. bell time for the start of the show.