Pasqua First Nation wrestler makes AEW debut in Oregon match | CBC News

Sebastian Wolfe, a member of Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan, made his All Elite Wrestling debut on the Jan. 10 episode of AEW Dark, the company’s weekly YouTube show. 

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is the newest competitor on the global wrestling market, with a comparable roster size and budget to WWE. It currently sits at number two in North America after having been founded in 2019. AEW made its Canadian debut in Toronto in 2022 and continues its international expansion with an event in Winnipeg in March.

Wolfe was born on the West Coast before moving with family back to Saskatchewan at the age of three. Twelve years later, the family returned to British Columbia. Wolfe would eventually get his wrestling start at Surrey’s Lion’s Gate Dojo in 2018.

While the Cree grappler is not yet contracted with the company, getting a match on AEW Dark, during the company’s first trip into the U.S. Pacific Northwest, is one of the major avenues for new talent to get in the door. 

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the AEW tapings that Wolfe found out that he would be actually performing in front of the crowd in Portland, Ore. Wrestlers wait in limbo as “extras” on show day, until an opportunity is given to be in a match or televised backstage segment. Wolfe was lucky enough to have made it to a match. 

“As cliché as it sounds, it’s pretty surreal.” Wolfe said of the bout.

“I felt imposter syndrome a little bit.”

Nation Extreme Wrestling promoter Rob Fai believes Wolfe is ready for the big time.

“I think he’s always had the look and I think he’s always had the skill, I think he just needed to believe that he was able to put that all together to be marketable to someone like AEW or WWE,” he said.

Wolfe’s match on Dark was a Trios match, meaning a three-versus-three match, against one of his wrestling idols. 

“When my name got written on the board, and I saw Matt Hardy was in the match, that’s when things really became almost unbelievable,” said Wolfe.

Hardy, a former world heavyweight champion, has been wrestling on the big stage since the mid-90s.

“I’m 33, I’ve been watching that guy since I was eight years old and a big fan,” said Wolfe.

Wrestling veteran, author and historian Vance Nevada sees big things on the horizon for Wolfe.

“Sebastian Wolfe’s got a world of potential and a number of opportunities that if he’s able to capitalize and strike while the iron’s hot, the potential for him to be signed by a major company definitely exists,” he said.

When wrestling at independent shows across B.C. and the Pacific Northwest, Wolfe can be seen in a tag team called State of Emergency with partner Miles Deville and manager Tara Zep.

The trio met at their wrestling school, Lion’s Gate Dojo, training under wrestlers Artemis Spencer, Tony Baroni and former Shimmer Wrestling Champion Nicole Matthews.

In December 2022, State of Emergency was ranked number 79 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s top 150 tag teams list, an accomplishment for a tag team not contracted to AEW or its largest in-ring competitor, WWE.

When asked if the AEW appearance was going to lead to a full time contract, Wolfe was hopeful.

Wolfe’s next brush with the big time continues with a match for American independent wrestling company DEFY Wrestling pitting State of Emergency vs. AEW stars Dark Order on Jan. 20 in Tacoma, Wash.