Late last year I was racking my brain trying to think of Christmas gifts for the people in my life. Lockdown in a small town meant going online was my best bet, but I didn’t love the idea of giving my money to some big corporation for some mass produced crap. I like to think outside of the box when it comes to gift giving, and one day scrolling Twitter I found something so outside the box I could hardly believe it was real. I stumbled across Main Event Candles. A small business making bespoke candles based on pro wrestlers. What a world.

I knew I had to get some of these candles for my girlfriend, who had recently become a wrestling fan. I placed an order for two candles and soon after received an email from Chris, the proprietor of this fine candle establishment. Long story short there was an issue beyond his control, and he was kind enough to add a third candle to the order, and went so far as to add a lovely note for my girlfriend in the package. I love the idea of this business and Chris is a class act, so I reached out to learn more about him and what he does, and he was was gracious enough to answer some of my questions!

I have to know what came first, the wrestling or the candle making?
The wrestling definitely came first! Wrestling feels like it’s always been a part of my life. I’ve got vivid early memories of watching Junk Yard Dog with my grandma on the TV. My mum and dad took me to see Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks when I was very young. The British Bulldog signed my arm cast when I was about ten! 

The candles came much later. About 5 years ago, my amazing partner Becky bought me an essential oil kit. It kinda snowballed from there. I started making up Bath salts and diffuser blends for personal use, then for friends, and finally starting selling through Etsy. (Botanic + Salt is the name of our non wrestling company.) 

I’ve always been looking for creative ways to express my love of wrestling. Over the years I’ve tried writing, music, artwork, but none of it really stuck or kept my interest for long. So, one day, it just hit me all of a sudden. Why not combine the two? I run it past a few of my wrestling friends. They were all really supportive. We already had all the equipment so it wouldn’t have been a big commitment if it didn’t work out. I just kept throwing ideas around and working on scents. Again, my friends were a big help. Ben Emerson came up with the name. I was trying to be too clever; names like Heel Heat or Hot Tag. Ben has a great way of cutting through the rubbish and said “Just call them Main Event Candles” and it stuck straight away. So, yeah, I had experience of candle making before they became wrestling candles!

So what is the process, do you pick a wrestler and think of a scent, or vice versa?
This is probably the worst way to work, but I usually come up with the name first. I love a good pun. I come up with the name and work backwards from there. There’s so many fragrance and essential oils out there, and we work on our own unique blends. I’ve found it surprisingly easy to find scents to match once the name and artwork is in order. We add little embellishments to certain candles too, such as using a green dye for our Green Mist and dried rose petals in our Thunder candle. That all comes together once the name is in place. 

My go to artist Martin Dixon (@BunnySuicida on Twitter) can basically read my thoughts at this point, too, which helps. I give him a few words to work with and he creates a masterpiece.

Have you sent (scent, ha) any of your candles to the wrestler it’s based on yet?
We’ve not sent any to wrestlers they’re actually based on yet but we’re working on a few things I can’t fully disclose just yet. We’ve had amazing fun on Twitter and some brilliant interactions. Big Callux has been a big help. @jethro_roose starred in our promotional advert for the recent GCW Fight Forever event. He’s a phenomenal human being! It’s always a thrill to see wrestlers, podcasts and wrestling fans interact with what we’re doing. 

One thing that’s been really cool to see is the diversity of wrestling fans who have become customers and followers. I love that we’re reaching different countries, different communities. Everyone is welcome!

Previously, you mentioned to me that you have some exciting new projects coming up, including something very big. What have you got in the pipeline?
So, we’ve got three OSW candles ready to launch. We’ve also been working with the Marty and Sarah Love Wrestling podcast to create a candle based on their show. We’ve got the amazing independent wrestlers Billie Starkz and Kimberly Spirit working on candles with us that we’re really excited about.

Now, the big one I promised. We’ve been given permission by AEW’s legal and marketing team to work with former world champion Nyla Rose. Work’s going really well on it, Nyla has been amazing creatively. The samples are currently on the way to her for final approvals so should hopefully launch in the next few weeks.

Who would you most like to make a candle for? The perfect candle-date, if you will? (heheheheh)
I really wanted to make a Carlito inspired apple scented candle but thought it was a bit too niche. Given that he’s back on TV at the moment, maybe I should revisit that one!

I’m currently looking at doing more collaborations with wrestlers rather than candles inspired by them. So if anyone wants to get involved or wants to suggest people we can work with, please let us know!

Amazing stuff! Now, for some fun! If you were to visit the Wrestle Inn, what meal would you order and which two wrestlers would you bring with you for company?
Meal wise, since this is the Wrestle Inn it’s got to be a nice thick steak. Maybe a rib eye. Hopefully you give out jackets like Ribera steak house!

Wrestler wise, I’d bring Gabby Ortiz to thank her for putting her trust in us for our first official candle, ‘Gift of the Gab’. Then, Bret Hart because he was my childhood hero and has a phenomenal wrestling brain.

So there you have it, if you’re a wrestler who would like your own candle, get in touch with @MainEventCandle! More importantly, if you’re a wrestling fan, you should get yourself some wonderful wrestling-themed candles from their store! I can personally attest that they are high quality and made with love. The Main Event Candles crew have big things coming in the future so now is a great time to get involved! Support this small business built on creativity and love of wrestling, it’s a good thing to do and you won’t regret it.

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