All Caribbean Wrestling (ACW) promoter JB Cool says having shows in Jamaica and the greater Caribbean featuring people of colour will boost the region’s tourism.

ACW returns for its third show in Jamaica on July 6. Following on from Welcome To Jamrock last September in Kingston and Mobay Bash in Montego Bay last November, ACW will host Jam Slam at the Alfred Sangster Auditorium on the University of Technology, Jamaica’s campus.

ACW has toured the Caribbean for several years and has booked events showcasing wrestlers who have not only wrestled for more mainstream promotions but originated from the region or have Caribbean heritage.

During Welcome To Jamaica, local tag team the Kentish Brothers defeated the Bollywood Boyz to take the ACW Tag Team Championship in front of their own fans. Joseline Navarro, another Jamaican wrestler, also defeated JC Storm in the show’s main event.

Cool says it is important to have a cast of wrestlers that are predominantly of colour to have more relatable characters for the spectators.

“It’s not that we’re not allowing other people of other cultures to come on board, but this is the primary showcase,” he said.

“Just seeing the experience and the blessing and the love that we experienced in Kingston and Mobay, people like to be a part of this. They like the concept of it being All Caribbean Wrestling because it’s historic in professional wrestling. The majority of all the minorities in the WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment] were from the Caribbean, some island somewhere – whether it be Puerto Rico or Ezekiel Jackson from Guyana. JTG from Cryme Tyme would say he’s from Brooklyn, New York. That’s because that’s what the WWE wanted, but actually, he’s from Trinidad. Lio Rush’s family is from Antigua.

“Here in the States, it’s a marketing thing. They don’t want you to be from somewhere else that’s not here. At All Caribbean Wrestling, we want you to represent where you’re from, because we believe if you bring that culture of where you’re from, it’s going to make our brand much stronger. And when we do our live events, it’s going to increase tourism because people will start coming to scout and want to know who could be the next star from the islands.”

Unlike the previous events which just focused on the eight-match cards, Jam Slam will be presented as a whole-day carnival featuring various activities, such as a “kids zone”, aimed at whole-family entertainment.

Cool told the Jamaica Observer that several notable wrestlers have been confirmed to attend and compete. These include WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry; Vix Crow, more popularly known as WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox; Patrick Clark Jr, more commonly known as former NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream; Elijah Burke, known for his time in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) as Pope D’Angelo Dinero; former TNA X Division Champion and former Ring of Honor Television Champion Kenny King; as well as former WWE 24/7 Champion Lince Dorado. NXT’s Kaylia Capri, ACW’s Nu Nation, and Vanessa Kraven are also confirmed.

Cool says there will be a meet and greet featuring former WWE superstars but would not mention names, saying he wanted it to surprise the patrons. He said that his card is set for three women’s matches and four men’s but has left a spot open for another men’s match should these special guests want to have a match.

Reggae artiste Christopher Martin will also have a musical performance on the day.

Welcome To Jamrock was deemed a success by ACW despite having an attendance of only 200. Cool, however, said that the small crowd allowed for a more interactive and engaging experience for the audience, but now he is hoping for a crowd five times that size.

“Now the people are gonna help spread the word that pro wrestling is in Kingston,” Cool said. “The last time there was a scale of scepticism that, ‘Is this really happening?’

“Now that the people got to witness it with their own two eyes I firmly believe they will have more assurance and believe in the product and the brand because someone they know already went to the live event.”

Jam Slam will be a 12-hour event starting at 10:00 am. Tickets start at US$25 (around $4,000) at eventbrite.com. Cool says the tickets will be offered as buy one, get one until the week before the show to increase the turnout. Tickets for children 10 years and under will cost US$5 ($800).