“WRESTLING SHOWS NEVER start on time,” Tom Dickinson said with a laugh as the clock struck 7:01 p.m. on a Saturday night at Eagles Hall in Stockton.
Dickinson, a vlogger, was waiting with his camera along with nearly 140 other viewers gathered around a boxing ring inside the venue for the Total Wrestling Federation championship games — a two-hour event that would help raise money for charity.
Proceeds from ticket sales for the live event went toward Franklin High School’s wrestling team.
Daniel Torch goes airborne as he jumps toward Drake Frost during their TWF Pro Wrestling Championship match at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Drake Frost warns another wrestler that he would get back at him in the next fight during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Viviana Basilio (left) and Isabel Layton react to a fight during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Audience members rise from their seats as they watch a fight between Prince Gabriel (left), CJ Dirt (top) and Landon Ramos during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
“Angry Dragon” Mike Hayashi pins down Paras Singh during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Paras Singh pins down “Angry Dragon” Mike Hayashi during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Brendan McKenzie gets up on his feet screaming “two” as he demands near-fall points for Singh during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
“Angry Dragon” Mike Hayashi attempts to pin down Paras Singh during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Wrestler CJ Dirt (center) makes a grand entrance during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Audience members record a fight on their phones during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Geonny Cabral waves a shark in support of wrestler Jayme Shark during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Chucky D screams in pain as Jayme Shark tackles him in a fight during the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News) 
Drake Frost meets his fans and supporters before his fight at the TWF Pro Wrestling Championship at Eagles Hall in Stockton on Jan. 6, 2024. (Harika Maddala/Bay City News)
“One of our wrestlers, David ‘Asesino’ Martinez, is the head wrestling coach at Franklin High School,” said Jacob Schuerman, founder of TWF. “We’re giving all the money made to him so their wrestling team can have a good season.”
TWF is a pro wrestling company that started in 1998 in Tracy and does live events across Stockton, Manteca, Modesto and Sacramento.
The Jan. 6 show in Stockton consisted of seven matches, including the TWF Championship match between Drake Frost and Daniel Torch, which ended in a double disqualification after the members of the 209 KLIQ attacked Frost and Torch.
TWF raised $1,740, all of which the company donated to Franklin’s wrestling team.
TWF’s next show is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Eagles Hall in Modesto, 126 Camellia Way, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children. More information is available online.
Harika Maddala is a photojournalist based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. They are a Report for America corps member and a CatchLight Local Fellow.
