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“Tears of Joy: Toulon’s First Wrestling Gala in 30 Years a Resounding Success”

“AAt the pace we’re going, we’ll have to open the stands, we won’t have enough chairs!”

Saturday evening, during the first wrestling gala of the Neo Catch Club Var (NCCV), astonishment was present at the entrance to the Port Marchand Gymnasium in Toulon.

About 1,000 people came to attend the company’s first show in Toulon (see our edition of March 24). A figure that no one in the technical team would have imagined.

“I can not believe it! says at the end of the evening Lionel Delaval, founder of the NCCV. There’s a sick craze here for wrestling. I shed my little tear at first seeing all these people.”

Same story for the stars of the evening. “It was incredible, I didn’t expect to make my debut in front of so many people”says NCCV student Arthur Telo.

A long-term future for wrestling in Toulon?

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Wrestling gala at the Port Marchand gymnasium. Photo Frank Muller.

“It’s one of the best crowds I’ve practiced in front of.says Tom La Ruffa, experienced wrestler (1) and one of the main attractions of the evening. People were reacting to everything tonight, even the less spectacular grapples.”

Given the large number of spectators and their reactions, the question is whether there will be other galas to come. “The South has wrestling potential, continues Tom La Ruffa. If the job is well done, we will continue to fill the rooms. For that, we have to continue to do better at each show.”

Lionel Delaval would love “a second act”. For his part “the essay is transformed”. Response to be seen in the coming months.


1. Tom La Ruffa has a 17-year career in the discipline, including 12 in France. He wrestled in famous companies like WWE or Impact Wrestling.

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For nearly three hours the wrestlers animated the evening, under the clamor or the boos of a very involved crowd. Photo Frank Muller.
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Nearly a thousand people attended the wrestling gala at the Port Marchand gymnasium Photo Frank Muller.
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The matador. Photo Frank Muller.

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