Cole Calcote, also known as “Corvus” in the wrestling world, walked over to his 9-year-old daughter Corliyn, who had a blast witnessing 16 wrestlers fight for the chance to be the winner in front of 200 people at the second annual “Wrestle for Autism” event held at Pico Canyon Elementary School on Saturday.
“I love wrestling with my dad,” she said as her eyes glistened with excitement, hugging her father. “Me and Daddy are going to be a team.”
Corliyn can’t wait to turn 12 years old because that’s when she’ll be able to begin wrestling and one day become a part of her dad’s tag team. Corilyn, who was shy in nature, came out of her shell when speaking about her dad and the many wrestlers she had the chance to see perform for the large crowd, showing how much it meant to her.
Cole and Candice Colcote, Corliyn’s mother, put their efforts into creating an all-inclusive entertaining event for other children and adults who have autism just like her.
The wrestling event was a success, and proceeds were to be donated to the Los Angeles Residential Community Foundation Ranch, a local nonprofit organization based in Bouquet Canyon that aims to help developmentally disabled individuals thrive.
It was like WWE Wrestle Mania with lights, costumes, boos and cheers coming from the excited audience as they witnessed a variety of matches filled with slams, punches and grunts.
The fundraiser also served as a resource fair with local nonprofit organizations so families could learn about programs available to them, said Candice.
Although the event was meant to entertain the children and their families, it was also a rewarding experience for the professional wrestlers sharing their passions and putting smiles on the audience’s faces.
“We don’t do it for the money,” said Petey Salas, who goes by the stage name, “Rebel Storm.”
As a wrestler who began his journey in 2018, Salas continues to perform for many people because “I want to make them forget about all the bad stuff going on and have them live in the moment. I want them to fall in love with wrestling,” he said. “You hear [the children] … the crowds love it … it [feels] good to go out there and see that.”
He happily was greeting children and their families and taking photos despite him being super tired from the energetic performance he gave at the closing of the show.
“I have a number of friends who have family members who struggle with [autism] … so I always try and support this cause and with something we love to do,” said Josh Tariff, a manager for three of the wrestlers. “People are here to have fun and that’s what it’s all about.”
