Over its 116 year history, the Homer Opera House has hosted everything from vaudeville acts to high school graduations. Today it is home to the UWC, the United Wrestling Coalition. The UWC began in the mid-2000’s but relocated to Homer in 2016.  Ross Robinson, UWC Operations Director: “At the end of 2016, the owner of UWC decided he wanted to retire from the business. Myself and several others in UWC didn’t want to see it end, so he allowed us to purchase the ring from him and allowed me specifically to continue to cultivate the brand of UWC.” Now owned by the Creative Dramatics Workshop, the UWC reopened in 2017 in Homer.

That the UWC calls the Homer Opera House its home seems appropriate since an important aspect of wrestling is its theatricality, often expressed in Homeric matches that unfold as overwrought morality plays. Yet nagging critics have dismissed the sport as “fake” for generations. But that dig misses the point. Professional wrestling is as much an art form as it is a sport. (Even the UWC plays with the knock in its slogan: “Life is fake. Wrestling is real.”) And the snub unfairly overlooks the athleticism of the wrestlers, the physical risks they take, and their personal devotion as long-time fans of pro wrestling. For instance, discussing the origins of his daring “suicide dive” Shank Barzini said his signature move from the top rope is a tribute to past pro wrestling stars Harley Race and The Dynamite Kid.