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Erica Leigh (left) wrestles Leah Night during RVA Pro Wrestling’s November 2025 show. (Photo by Ash Daniel)

Main Event

RVA Pro Wrestling delivers pulse-pounding action in and out of the ring

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Features

‘Boom’

Erica Leigh falls hard on the black padded flooring of the ring, the impact echoing to the ceiling of the venue. Leigh, the current women’s champion, is fighting to keep her title, to keep her name on the golden plaque of the fire-red leather belt she proudly hoisted during her ring walk through the crowd. Leah Night is fighting just as hard to take it from her, and it looks like she will. From the turnbuckle, Night taunts her opponent, raising her arms as the crowd erupts into a storm of grief and excitement. To fans, Leigh is the villain of this saga, and tonight the villain doesn’t look like a sure bet. 

It’s the kind of hit that Leigh has taken countless times in her career as a professional wrestler. The Richmond resident got her start in 2017 and has competed in major cities up and down the East Coast; she even went nationwide in televised fights through the All Elite Wrestling promotion (the second largest after World Wrestling Entertainment) in 2024. She sells the blow well, letting annoyance and frustration wash over her fighting spirit, ensuring the audience isn’t expecting what comes next. 

That drama is RVA Pro Wrestling’s forte. The local promotion, as wrestling organizations are called, was launched in 2023 by Timmy Danger (not his real name) and Neil Sharkey (also not his real name). The league’s regular characters face off against each other and touring talent in near-monthly bouts like this one, held at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery on Ownby Lane in November, that pack the house and have garnered attention from wrestling fanatics and skeptics alike. After more than a dozen sold-out shows in 2025, RVA Pro is eyeing its biggest year yet.

To the Mat 

Standing in Hardywood’s barrel room before the match, there’s little evidence of what will unfold that evening. An organized crew, well-muscled and tattooed, sets up a metal frame and hauls equipment from a truck parked out back. Some wear black muscle braces under colorfully loud shorts, tank tops and lace-up boots (one is in shiny black loafers, even). Those are the wrestlers, buzzing with a healthy dose of anxious energy. They chat, stretch and pace the floor, which will be packed wall to wall with Richmonders in a few hours’ time. Their demeanor will change to displays of heroism, villainy and showmanship once the bell rings. 

Danger and Sharkey lead the operation, having brought some 15 shows to this venue since they started RVA Pro Wrestling. Danger leverages his wrestling background (he trained at the Ohio Valley Wrestling Academy, where champions such as John Cena launched their careers) as a charismatic face for the promotion. But behind the kayfabe (a wrestler’s created persona), Danger and Sharkey are a true tag team. 

“You need people you trust in a business like this,” Danger says. “I knew him and I would not screw each other over. We’ve got each other’s backs.” 

Sharkey adds, “Laurel and Hardy. Abbott and Costello. Not Hall and Oates.”

The pair met in Richmond in the 2000s and have similar backgrounds: Both grew up obsessed with the storylines and epic moments of televised and touring wrestling, watching intently with dreams of working in the business. In 2023, after years of running matches from inside and outside the ring in Virginia and beyond, an opportunity to organize a wrestling match for the long-running charity concert series Punks for Presents brought the two together again to permanently form the promotion. 

For decades, professional wrestling in Richmond was pieced together by three elements: local venues such as the former Shockoe Bottom mainstay Alley Katz, which hosted consistent independent events in the ’90s and 2000s; small but dedicated promotions such as Richmond Lucha Libre, on hiatus since the 2000s; and touring shows from national promoters such as WWE (2018 was the wrestling juggernaut’s last visit to Richmond). These days, RVA Pro and smaller outfits such as Capital City Wrestling Alliance and the statewide Commonwealth Championship Wrestlin fill the demand, drawing talent and fans eager for action in and around Richmond. 

As veterans of various independent wrestling scenes, Danger and Sharkey use their experience as a guide to find their own success. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so I saw what a lot of guys did wrong and what a lot of guys did right,” Danger says. “Richmond’s got great fans, but I think wrestling is a very niche thing at the end of the day, so you have to know how to get all these people interested in it.” 

Pacing has been key to the promotion’s survival and growing audience. Matches take place about once a month, mostly at Hardywood, although the group occasionally hosts all-ages shows at outdoor venues such as The Diamond baseball stadium and Dogwood Dell amphitheater. The frequency hits a “sweet spot,” Sharkey says, by fostering anticipation in the audience, drawing a diverse mix of performers, and giving staff and talent time to balance day jobs while prepping storylines.

“There would be promotions that looked like they were on the right track, and then all it took was one bad show and, boom, the doors are closed,” Sharkey adds. “You’re always just one show away from disaster. Slow and steady wins the race.” 

RVA Pro events must meet rigid standards. Along with boxing and mixed martial arts events, wrestling shows are regulated by an advisory board through the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Before every match, Danger and Sharkey coordinate licensure, follow promotional rules, and hire a ringside physician and referees among other logistics; performers maintain their own licenses to compete in the state. 

The management team is also responsible for the intangible tasks — the aspects that turn a bare room into a heart-pounding spectacle. They lean on community, coordinating donations to nonprofits, inviting local businesses to sell merch and bringing in musicians to perform preshow.  

“We’re inviting people to a party,” Sharkey says. “We’ve got music, we’ve got beer, we’ve got wrestling. Let’s lump it all into one big party and have a good time, and people gravitate toward that.” 

Shows are hot tickets, selling out days or even hours after sales open. 

“And that’s what we’ve kind of built the company on, is we’re promoting a fun event, rather than ‘Come see some wrestling,’” Danger adds.

Stage Ready 

A woman of many identities, Erica Leigh has been known as Donna Rama and Emma Lou and nicknamed “The Gummi Bear Kid” and “The Big Girl.” But, legally, she’s Erica Leigh Miller. The South Jersey native has been a resident of Richmond for the last decade. Unlike a lot of wrestlers, she came to the sport as an adult, “which is pretty weird,” she says. 

To start her career, Leigh sought a training school — a specialized gym focused on the kinds of flips, slams and throws that wrestlers make look easy — but struggled to find one in the region. A chance connection with fellow RVA Pro wrestler Jordan Blade landed her a spot training in a barn in Caroline County, a backcountry incubator of sorts for many of RVA Pro’s biggest stars. The experience kickstarted what has become a nearly decadelong career. 

“I fell in love with it,” she says. “I’m not really sure what about it clicked. But, you know, why does anyone choose their hobby? For whatever reason, I was like, ‘Oh, I have to try this.’” 

Leigh and other wrestlers affiliated with RVA Pro are independent contractors who perform at local matches and on weekends travel around the mid-Atlantic, East Coast and as far as California. It’s not enough to pay the bills, but the income, along with the exposure, keeps the dream alive.

“Traveling is just part of the territory,” says Terry “The Flip” Sequoyah, an RVA Pro athlete nicknamed for his impressive handsprings, vaults and hangtime-heavy backflips. “You got to travel in order to make it somewhere.” 

Brand-building is essential to a wrestler’s success. Beyond the physical requirements, wrestlers are actors, content creators and spokespeople for themselves. Catching the audience’s attention usually requires a gimmick — a distinctive character or trait that the crowd can rally behind or boo (if you’re a heel; see the glossary below). 

“It gives me goosebumps, because the audience is what we’re there for,” Sequoyah says. “We’re there to please the crowd, and RVA gave me a platform to stand on. It’s one of the biggest reasons I was able to get comfortable so quickly.”

A lot of people love it so much that it doesn’t matter if they’re going to make it or not.

—Erica Leigh, wrestler

A wrestler’s success also depends on the narratives created by management like Danger and Sharkey. RVA Pro’s roster includes some 20 competitors, each with their own style, who are balanced in the next event’s prewritten matches.  

“We’re a very storyline-driven company; everyone has a rhyme or a reason or purpose,” Danger says. “We want to give people characters they can relate to, and characters they like or dislike for the right reasons.” 

“Just what fits in with the story,” Sharkey adds. 

Sequoyah and Leigh are crowd favorites, even as Leigh leans into her current turn as a villain. They’ve hit the road for shows in cities with larger independent wrestling scenes, including Philadelphia. But, like everyone involved in RVA Pro, they have day jobs and must balance their wrestling ambitions, training and touring schedules with the realities that allow them to keep competing. 

“It’s a constant teeter-totter for most people in the business,” Leigh says. “You might get to the point where you’re like, ‘OK, I can either keep balancing one foot in, one foot out of the wrestling world, basically, or I can focus on the job that pays my bills, or I can be a crazy person and focus on wrestling full time.’” 

Some Richmond wrestlers, including Leigh and Blade, have toured with national promotions, a next-level opportunity to represent RVA while fighting for a shot at a permanent roster position. Leigh’s time touring with AEW didn’t result in a contract, but her passion for the sport didn’t falter. 

“It kind of depends on what momentum you have. If things are going well, you’ve got to be self-aware,” Leigh says. “A lot of people will weigh their options, like, ‘Is it really going to happen for me?’ Because most people are trying to make it, but if you have been wrestling for a certain number of years and you’ve never gotten an opportunity to work for something bigger, you have some decisions to make. But a lot of people love it so much that it doesn’t matter if they’re going to make it or not.”

Tap Out 

Back at Hardywood in November 2025, well before the first bell, Chris “Mac” McWilliams stands ringside in front of the metal barrier sporting a black cowboy hat that makes him unmissable in the crowd. “I’ve been to almost every show,” he says, lamenting one event that sold out faster than he could grab a ticket, his only miss. 

A dedicated attendee, McWilliams is one of many familiar faces on match nights. He’s impressed with the sustainability and talent RVA Pro has fostered in recent years and believes the promotion will continue to find success as it expands across the region. 

“Every show is packed with fans or sold out entirely,” he says. “That says something right there about the product. The fact that a couple of relatively unknown wrestlers now have almost legendary status in a matter of two years, that’s amazing. People want to see Jordan Blade now; say her name and people just show up.”

RVA Pro keeps its plans for 2026 largely under wraps, but fans can expect more of the same high-energy events at Hardywood, along with new faces and partnerships. Next month, the first show of the season will feature two six-person elimination matches, each awarding a championship title. 

Regardless of what the future holds, the organizers and performers still have a show to put on. 

In the ring, Leigh mounts her comeback about 12 minutes into the title match, delivering a punishing lift-and-slam combination to Leah Night that would have hospitalized most nonwrestlers. The crowd erupts; any earlier contempt toward Night vanishes under a wave of boos for Leigh’s preserved legacy. As Night exits the ring, Leigh brushes herself off and takes the microphone. 

“I know you love to hate,” she says. “Whoever is next, whoever challenges Erica Leigh ‘The Big Gal’ for the RVA Pro Wrestling Women’s Championship next, she’s not coming back.”

Terms to Know for RVA Pro 

By Nicole Cohen

  • Face: The hero; most likely to gain cheers from the audience 
  • Heel: The villain; often elicits boos from the crowd 
  • Fall: Ending of a match that determines the winner. Most are achieved via pinning an opponent, but other methods include a tap out, count out and disqualification.
  • Finisher: A wrestler’s signature move intended to end a match, such as Timmy Danger’s “The Silencer” and Sledge Gibson’s “Clapping Them Cheeks” 
  • Powerbomb: A move where the opponent is lifted onto the attacking wrestler’s shoulders and then slammed down onto the mat
  • Powerslam: A move where the opponent is lifted and thrown back-first using forward momentum and the attacking wrestler falls on top

Sledge Gibson

The Cheek Clapper

Sledge Gibson, a pseudonym for Richmonder Nicholas Throckmorton, is no stranger to RVA Pro Wrestling; he’s the current heavyweight champion for the league and hasn’t missed an event since it began in 2023. A fan favorite, Gibson is guaranteed to make the crowd chant, “Clap them cheeks.” It’s a reference to his signature wooden paddle, which he uses to spank the bottoms of unlucky opponents. The prop is a hurling stick gifted to him by fellow RVA Pro wrestler Wes “Danger” Rogers, who also provided its nickname, “The Cheek Clapper 9000.”  

“The gimmick just kind of took on a life of itself. It was purely accidental,” Gibson says. “It was all just one joke that took off with people, and people latched onto it.”  

Gibson didn’t get involved with wrestling until 10 years ago at the age of 24. He had been building muscles at a gym for about six months when he happened to catch “WrestleMania” as his roommate was watching it on TV. “My brain went, ‘I could give that a go,’” Gibson says, adding, “There was no thought behind it. It was just like, impulsive.”  

He trained locally and even received instruction from WWE referee Chris Sharpe. Eventually, Gibson was competing in as many as five events per week. These days, he only travels on select weekends and keeps his ambitions limited to RVA. “Being locally famous is kind of cool, I guess,” he says. “I’m just having fun.” —NC

Jordan Blade

The Martial Artist

Richmond native Jordan Blade (whose real name is Amber Dabney) has appeared in nearly every RVA Pro Wrestling event since the league’s inception. She is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, a collegiate level Ultimate Frisbee player and one of only 11 women from across the country in November 2025 selected to participate in the WWE ID Women’s Championship (a competition offering pathways for independent wrestlers into WWE). With a WWE ID contract guaranteed for the winner, she battled it out in Rhode Island. While she wasn’t the overall champion, she felt honored just to make it there. “It was very validating for me, especially after I’ve been wrestling for eight years at this point,” Blade says.  

Her participation is a testament to her dedication. After competing, she drove from Rhode Island to Richmond, arrived at 6 a.m., slept for one hour and then headed to her nine-to-five job in the real estate industry. She travels the country taking part in wrestling events year-round, even appearing in the annual Bloodsport held in April 2025 in Las Vegas during WrestleMania week. “There’s a lot of traveling, long nights,” Blade says, adding, “I’ll make those sacrifices, because this is what I’ve wanted to do since I was 12 years old.” 

With a background in powerlifting, Blade can hold her own in the ring, even competing in intergender bouts. Her signature style is a blend of her martial arts training and classic maneuvers, and she’s not afraid to leave everything on the mat in pursuit of a submission. —NC

Leo Kirby

The Heel

Logan “Leo” Kirby has appeared at every RVA Pro Wrestling event since the beginning; some as a competitor, others on the sideline, watching the action. As the villain that people love to hate, he’s been known to make unannounced entrances and cause shenanigans (and a convenient referee distraction) during his opponents’ matches. He’s recognized by his signature footwear, which originated from a friend’s suggestion to use unconventional gear. So, he donned a pair of dress shoes he had worn for his wedding (spoiler alert: he’s gone through many pairs since). “I think the first show people started chanting, ‘F--k your loafers,’ immediately. And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a unique chant,’” Kirby says. “I was like, ‘Well, I guess the loafers got to stick now.’” 

Though he’s had to adjust to competing in loafers, his training actually began as a kid, practicing moves on his backyard trampoline. He first formally trained in 2016 at the former GXW studio in Sandston and at a private ring in Caroline County from 2016-2018. He says when RVA Pro co-founder Timmy Danger approached him about joining, he was performing at shows sparingly but was ready to dive in headfirst in Richmond. “Not in a braggadocious way, I guess, but if I’m in character, ‘Yes, I’m the best.’ But I think I’m good at wrestling, at what I do, and I think the crowd responds to me whether positively or negatively,” Kirby says. “People like to hate me or love to hate me.” —NC