My name is Anthony Garibai and I am the owner of the first and only professional wrestling company in the entire state of Idaho, known as Wrestle Club.  The main reason why I am the only owner in the state of Idaho is highly due to the regulations on professional wrestling by the Idaho Athletic Commission.  The Idaho Athletic Commission classifies professional wrestling as a combatant sport, placing professional wrestling in the same category as Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing.  This placement can be found on the State of Idaho under the provisions of Title 54, Chapter 4, in which charges $150 per wrestler on our roster.  The Idaho Athletic Commission is highly uneducated when it comes to professional wrestling, due to the fact that professional wrestling never existed in this state until Wrestle Club was founded in August 2015.  One has to ask, how can The Idaho Athletic Commission regulate professional wrestling if professional wrestling never existed until 2015?  The Idaho Athletic Commission has automatically placed governance on professional wrestling without any knowledge. Also, there is nobody working for The Idaho Athletic Commission that has knowledge on professional wrestling.  Therefore, as a professional wrestler for over 10 years and an owner of a professional wrestling company managing 30 people for 3 years; I will give a brief description of professional wrestling.  Professional wrestling is not a sport and is a form of entertainment that is a performing art.  This form of wrestling is not practiced in high school or college and by definition is not recognized as a sport.  Therefore, professional wrestlers should not be forced to acquire an unarmed combatant license.  If that is the case, then ballet should also be subjected to obtain an unarmed combatant license as it is considered a performing art.  Professional wrestling includes referees, managers, bookers, promoter, and an owner.  The requirements by The Idaho Athletic Commission can never be obtain because the state of Idaho cannot offer any experience in the field for referees, managers, bookers, or promoters because professional wrestling never existed in the state until Wrestle Club that was created in 2015 but yet regulations were placed prior to 2015. 

The Idaho Athletic Commission has placed its governance over professional wrestling since its conception and they did so without evening having a professional wrestling company in the state of Idaho.  Along with that The Idaho Athletic Commission requires professional wrestling to obtain a promoter’s license and a sanctioning permit in order to promote and perform in matchmaking, stated by The Idaho Athletic Commission back in August of 2014.  I personally have been wrestling with The Idaho Athletic Commission for 4 years.  The promoter’s license is  $1,000.00 per year but professional wrestling should not fall into this category because it is predetermined and not a sport.  The sanctioning permit is a $200.00 application fee, a $1,000 per event tax fee, and a security bond to the commission in an amount of no less than $25,000.  Add all those fees up and it is clear that The Idaho Athletic Commission designed professional wrestling to fail in Idaho.  The Idaho Athletic Commission has put forth laws over something that was never created.  Professional Wrestling was created in 2015 in Idaho, therefore The Idaho Athletic Commission should govern through experience and knowledge of professional wrestling; and not place laws upon a non existing form of entertainment.  Please provide me evidence of knowledge and experience in professional wrestling, as I believe to be the forerunner of professional wrestling in the state of Idaho.

To reiterate, professional wrestling is a performing art and not a combat sport.  My definition has been shared to The Idaho Athletic Commission for over 4 years and many people believe it is time to change the way professional wrestling is categorized in Idaho. Professional wrestling is a performing art and it should not be held to the same standards, rules, or regulations as Mixed Martial Arts or Boxing.  Mixed Martial Arts or Boxing is aimed to inflict damage or knock an opponent out to achieve victory.  Professional wrestling is strictly predetermined and not a blood or knock out or break bones type of sport or entertainment.  Wrestle Club does carry insurance to ensure the safety of our performers just in case accidents happen.

To clarify, I do not wish to abolish The Idaho Athletic Commission but we wish to follow the model of California, Texas, Florida, and other successful states where professional wrestling is not regulated by an Athletic Commission whatsoever.  Idaho Wrestle Club wishes to be removed from The Idaho Athletic Commission from their jurisdiction entirely.

I wish that you sign this petition in order for our future of professional wrestling to succeed in Idaho.  I wish that my children and your children can profit in this entertainment, as my current roster has paid the price in order to wrestle for our community.  I am a blue collar man looking out for our future and I do not want our future to endure the challenges I have gone through as an owner of professional wrestling.  I do not want the extinction of professional wrestling that was placed by The Idaho Athletic Commission, prior to me forming Wrestle Club.  I want Wrestle Club to thrive and exist for the future of my family to yours.  It has been extremely difficult to make any profit from professional wrestling and we hope we can have your support by signing this petition.

Thank you,

Anthony Garibai

Founder of Wrestle Club, August 2015