Mitzvah Mania brings the first Jewish-focused event to WrestleMania weekend

This weekend, WWE’s biggest event of the year takes over Los Angeles for the 39th installment of WrestleMania. While it’s generally viewed as a four-day event that starts with the Hall of Fame on Friday (with two days at Crypto.com Arena

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and two at SoFi, with all likely selling out), every year WrestleMania inspires the entire wrestling world to descend upon the host location to show the traveling worldwide audience all that the modern grappling arts have to offer.

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WWE expects over 75,000 fans for each night of WrestleMania, and that leaves a lot of time for squared-circle-centric tourists to take in an entire week’s worth of wrestling action at conventions and specialty themed unaffiliated independent wrestling shows.

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Each year sees showcases for such international wrestling styles as Mexican luchadores, Japanese “Strong Style” and Joshi (the term for Japanese women’s wrestling), but this time around, Los Angeles plays host to the world’s first Jewish wrestling extravaganza. Enter: Mitzvah Mania.

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Los Angeles’ Temple Beth Am will be home to the Sunday-morning shindig, a full card where every single match spotlights Jewish talent from around the wrestling world.

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Headlined by All Elite Wrestling’s Colt Cabana and QT Marshall, who beam into televisions weekly on AEW’s TBS show “Dynamite,” and former WWE favorites Chris Adonis (formerly known as Chris Masters) and Lisa Marie Varon (who held the WWE’s Women’s Championship under the name Victoria), it will also feature some of the top emerging Jewish independent wrestling talent such as Jack Cartwheel, Chelsea Durden and Royce Isaacs.

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Putting it all together is Chicago-based wrestling promoter and ordained pulpit Rabbi Jeremy Fine.

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Having fallen in love with independent wrestling seven years ago, Fine got his start putting together wrestling shows after encouragement from his then-Minnesota congregants to bring a wrestling show to their synagogue.

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“I loved wrestling and thought it would be a good way to engage young congregants and make the synagogue look like an enjoyable place to be,” Fine said.

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