Deaf Wrestlefest

Deaf Wrestlefest
Event poster for the 2009 edition of Deaf Wrestlefest
Information
Promotion	Steel City Wrestling
Date	1994-2002; 2009-
Venue	Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
City	Edgewood, Pennsylvania

Deaf Wrestlefest is a professional wrestling supercard, produced annually in late April or early May by Lord Zoltan, a longtime wrestler and sports promoter based in Western Pennsylvania. It is considered a major fundraiser for the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and has raised, on average, between $3,000 and $4,000 per show. Proceeds from the event benefit Pennsylvania school programs to educate Deaf students.

The event was first produced in 1994, originally as part of the Steel City Wrestling promotion, and produced six editions until the promotion closed in 2000, and two more independently. The school, according to Zoltan, then decided to discontinue the event due to the increasing violence and adult content associated with professional wrestling during the late-1990s. Two of his sons, both Deaf, attended the school during this period. Following a seven-year hiatus, it was revived for the school's 140th anniversary in 2009; the highlight of the show was J.J. Dillon who, in his first in-ring appearance since 1989, teamed with "Beef Stew" Lou Marconi and "Handsome" Frank Staletto in a six-man tag team match against "Franchise" Shane Douglas, Dominic Denucci and Cody Michaels.

The event is a staple on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent circuit. Unlike standard wrestling events, however, an interpreter is provided to sign for the students during promos and for other parts of the show. Among the promotions represented at the event are the International Wrestling Cartel, Keystone State Wrestling Alliance,National Wrestling Alliance and UCW Wrestling; the arrival of the North Carolina-based G.O.U.G.E. Wrestling at the 2010 Deaf Wrestlefest marked the organization's debut in Pennsylvania. The event has featured a number of stars from Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment including: