Sammy Peppers, Brian Kendrick lay the smackdown in Portage

Canadian Wrestling’s Elite (CWE) kicked off its Cruel Summer tour in Portage la Prairie on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, packing the Army Navy Air Force Unit #13 and bringing the sport of pro wrestling back to the city for the first time in three years.

The stacked, family-oriented card featured hometown hero Sam “Sammy Peppers” Davidson teaming with former WWE/TNA star Brian Kendrick, high-stakes title matches and a handful of dramatic — and controversial — moments that kept the crowd on its feet.

Packed house, hometown hero and a costly finish

Seats were full and many fans stood as Portagers welcomed live pro wrestling back to the city.

The main event saw Sammy Peppers and the Brian Kendrick defeat Anderson Tyson Moore and Ronnie Attitude, but Peppers left the ring nursing a stiff neck after what Kendrick later described as an illegal pile driver onto a chair.

The final bout was an eight-man elimination tag: Edward, Danny, Anderson and Ronnie on one team, and Robby, Cody, Brian and Sammy on the other.

Under elimination rules, any wrestler who was pinned was removed from the match; the contest ended with Robby, Cody, Brian and Sammy standing tall.

"My neck is a little stiff right now, but you know what, getting dropped on your head a couple of times will do that to you. But to be honest, I'm on a bit of an adrenaline high right now," Sammy Peppers says after the match.

Peppers sat out much of the late card while nursing a stiff neck, but the crowd’s chants drew him back in. "My neck was extremely stiff from getting dropped on my head earlier in the night. I was sitting in the back. I was icing it. I was really debating whether it would be good for my safety or a good idea in general to go out there and compete in that eight-man tag. But I got to tell you, there was at least three or four different times during that match where I could just hear my name getting chanted, 'We want Sammy! We want Sammy!', and after the 4th or 5th time the pain just went to the side for a bit, and I just knew I had to get back out there and finish it," he says.

Peppers came in at the last moment to tag out and save Kendrick, who was reaching his limits by that point, then put the finishing sequence on Ronnie Attitude to bring the match to a close.

"Any day of the week, I will punch Ronnie Attitude in the face and have no bones about it whatsoever," Peppers says.

Brian Kendrick frames Peppers’ return as both heroic and risky. "All I know is I turned around, and Peppers is down. I come to find out later that there was a pile driver on a chair. That's egregious... it could shorten the guy's career. I mean, it could end it right there," Kendrick says, while also noting the importance of the victory to start the tour and build momentum.

"I flew from Los Angeles just after midnight last night, but at the end of it we came out victorious, so that soothes a lot of the pain and makes up for a lot of the jet lag," he says.

Titles, theatrics and a chisel controversy

The evening delivered several memorable matches and a headline-grabbing finish in the championship bout.

Chizzled Chad Daniels retained the CWE Championship over Scott Ripley amid accusations he used a chisel to secure the win — an allegation he strongly disputes.

"The only thing I know is that I am chiselled from head to toe, and at the end of the night, I remain The CWE Championship. I took it, I won, and I did it by any means necessary," Chad Daniels says after the match.

"I don't recall that. I don't recall ever doing that," he adds when asked about the chisel allegation, suggesting anyone who says otherwise was seeing things.

He vows to remain the title-holder, adding, "No matter where I go, I will remain The CWE champion for the foreseeable future. You will see all the passion that I have, all the heart... and all the desires."

A violent Hardcore match saw Edward Wild III fall to "The Pissed Off Pitbull" Robby Royce, and tempers boiled over afterward when Edward briefly brandished a sword and held it toward Royce before the referee and officials intervened.

The crowd — after some early taunting that included chanting “Eddie” to rile the elitist character — gasped as order was restored.

"Horrendous. It was cheating, honestly," Edward says of the drawing of his sword, later insisting, "That is not the point. He blatantly cheated at the end of the match by putting a chair over my throat. I couldn't breathe. That is very different. Very different."

Tag action, grudge matches and local colour

Mentallo and Cam!!kaze delivered an emphatic tag victory over Cannon Corporation, and the grudge match between Canadian "Crude Oil" Cody Mac and American "Hotshot" Danny Duggan drew loud regional reactions - anyone care to guess why?

"Cam and I did exactly what we wanted to do, which was come in, pick these guys apart and send them back home," Mentallo says of the win.

"It's always a good time tag teaming with the Supreme Dream Team on the scene... Mentallo and Kamikaze... we tore the house down. We got the big W. I'm feeling great. I'm adulated. I'm excited. I'm ready to hit the town here in Portage la Prairie," Cam!!kaze says.

Local radio personality Ryan Simpson of Mix 96 joined the show as a guest ring announcer for the title match, adding hometown flair.

"It was kind of neat to get that chance. I've always sort of liked being the announcer, whether it be at hockey games or any type of sporting event. And as a kid, I was a bit of a wrestling fan, so to actually go on a wrestling ring for the first time in my life and get to do the title match and do that here. ‘Here they come, the heavyweight champion of the world.’ Yeah, it was a. It was a neat experience," Simpson says.

The TL;DR:

• Main event: Brian Kendrick & Sammy Peppers defeat Anderson Tyson Moore & Ronnie Attitude; Peppers left with a stiff neck after an illegal pile driver onto a chair.

• Title match: Chizzled Chad Daniels retains the CWE Championship over Scott Ripley amid chisel accusations.

• Hardcore match: Robby Royce defeats Edward Wild III; Edward briefly brandishes a sword before being stopped.

• Tag match: Mentallo & Cam!!kaze defeated Cannon Corporation in a crowd-pleasing bout.

• Grudge match: "Crude Oil" Cody Mac vs. "Hotshot" Danny Duggan drew regional heat.

• Guest appearance: Ryan Simpson (Mix 96) served as the guest ring announcer during one of the matches.

CWE’s Cruel Summer tour moved on from Portage with several regional dates ahead. Sammy Peppers confirmed he was on the next four shows after Portage and teased a return to the city for a Nov. 15 “Rumble to Remember” event.

Kendrick said he had other commitments and would miss the November date, but promised more stops and big matchups as the tour continued.

For now, fans in Portage la Prairie have proven their excitement for the return of the sport and that they're ready for many more rumbles, tumbles, crashes, smashes, and clashes ahead.