By conservative estimates, nearly 5,000 fans of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) watched Megastars battle for supremacy and mark historic milestones in 2017.

Entering 2018, the KSWA becomes Western Pennsylvania’s longest-running professional wrestling organization, and its 2017 calendar boasted an incredible 15 events. Buoyed by attendance-shattering events like Battle Bowl IX, the 17th Anniversary event, the 10th annual Joe Abby Memorial Tournament, Brawl Under The Bridge III, and FanFest, an average of nearly 315 Krazies enjoyed all of the action, pomp and circumstance of Pittsburgh’s sole professional wrestling outlet.

Battle Bowl returned to Spirit Hall in 2017, after a two-year-stint at the Teamster Temple, also in Lawrenceville. More fans than ever watched in January as Shane Starr tossed Kris Kash over the top rope in the Main Event at Battle Bowl IX. An enormous crowd witnessed The Jester and T-Rantula retain the tag team championships in February. A blockbuster crowd watched as long-time fan favorite, “The Fighting Cop from Carnegie” Frank Holtz entered the KSWA Hall of Fame in March.

March was also interesting in that the Joe Abby Memorial Tournament marked the return on former KSWA Heavyweight Champion “Double A” Anthony Alexander back into the fold after six years away from the squared circle. Alexander’s year will be detailed later in the countdown.

All of those events (and others) were lead-ups to Demolition Ax returning to the KSWA one last time to face off against Shawn Blanchard in Brawl Under the Bridge III. A 600-Krazy crowd attended that Homestead event, which included a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer snapping photos of T-Rantula and Homestead Mayor Betty Esper riding a Harley to the ring. The event would be immortalized in the pages of Pittsburgh Magazine.

The annual Sam’s Club fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network in New Kensington would pack the biggest crowd to date for that event. The same can be said for the Sharpsburg Volunteer Fire Department fundraiser in November.

In December, once again fans attended KSWA FanFest in record numbers. Fans also donated thousands of toys for youth in Allegheny County who had none otherwise. There, the Rock n’ Roll Express defeated the VIPs—Shawn Blanchard and Lou Martin (unbeknownst to fans beforehand was the fact that Martin was recovering from an emergency appendectomy). Also, Tito Santana defeated Lord Zoltan in a battle of legends and feud that dated back 34 years.

All the while, the Krazies enjoyed an unparalleled series of KSWA Heavyweight title defenses by Mitch Napier, as well as an unlikely, yet extremely successful Golden Triangle Championship reign of Tommy Faime, an ongoing saga surrounding the 5-Star Championship and the rough-and-tumble exploits of tag team champions T-Rantula and The Jester. There were debuts of long-time veterans like Dennis Gregory and Bubba the Bulldog, as well as rookies with success like “Big Country” Matt McGraw and Yinza, the Pittsburgh Luchadore. Others like Remy LeVay, Lucio DeVeere, BROhemoth, MV Young and more new faces than usual appeared in a KSWA ring in 2017.

All of these and plenty more will be detailed in the Top 10 Moments of the KSWA in 2017. KSWA Owner  Bobby O is quick to point out that Battle Bowl X is right around the corner.