Two local wrestlers excited to perform on IMPACT Wrestling pay-per-view in London, Ont.

IMPACT Wrestling returns to London, Ont. IMPACT Wrestling is coming to London, Ont. this weekend for a pair of live pay-per-view events. CTV News London's Brent Lale reports.

IMPACT Wrestling is coming to London, Ont. this weekend for a pair of live pay-per-view events.

“This is huge, it’s a television taping that is going to be seen in 170 countries in 150 million homes worldwide,” said Cody Deaner, a wrestler from Port Bruce, Ont. who wrestles professionally for IMPACT.

IMPACT Wrestling started in 2002, and was previously known as TNA Wrestling. The company was purchased and re-branded in 2017. The promotion features a number of former WWE wrestlers including Bully Ray, Tommy Dreamer, and Trinity and Mickie James.

“They are continuing their career and making a huge splash all around the world with IMPACT Wrestling,” said Deaner. “The fact that I'm in that group of guys that is on this stage seen by this many people is very, very exciting for me.”

The two-night event at Western Fair District’s Agriplex is also an opportunity for a local wrestler to showcase his talents in front of the IMPACT brass.

Tyler Tirva, born and raised in Woodstock, Ont., has been working and living in London as a personal trainer for the past 12 years.

He’s been a champion in a number of independent wrestling promotions, but this is his chance to try out for a professional contract.

“I've been trying for a really long time and I've been at this 15 years,” said Tirva, who has had five previous matches with IMPACT. “These next two days [Friday and Saturday] is going to be the culmination for me of everything that I've been working towards.”

Tirva said his style features a “little pizazz, charisma and athletic ability.”

“I'm going to put everything that I've had in,” added Tirva. “I've been thinking about it nonstop for a couple of weeks now. So it's time to really bring it and show what I can what I can do in front all the live audience.”

Deaner refers to Tirva as an “up and comer,” and is excited to see him featured in his hometown.

It will be a homecoming for Deaner, who is a graduate of Western University. CTV News London first introduced you to him in 2018, in a feature series about a librarian at Saunders Secondary School who wrestled by night.

“We did that story about my crazy life as a father and a teacher and kind of slugging it out as a professional wrestler,” said Deaner.

He added, “Since then, I have signed full time contract with IMPACT Wrestling, so I get to travel all around with them. I also am still going into schools as a motivational speaker, so I'm traveling all across Canada, delivering speeches at schools and telling them about my journey and my quest to get a contract on TV, which I have now succeeded in.”

Deaner hopes that some of the children he speaks to in schools will be at the events this weekend.

He’ll be participating in a six-man tag team match Friday night.

He remembers being a young boy, and seeing an event at the former London Gardens.

“That was the day that I fell in love with professional wrestling,” recalled Deaner.

He added, “I continued going to shows at the Ice House when I got older. So for me the fact that I can say I'm wrestling in my backyard here in London, and there could be a kid in the audience that has the same experience that I had as a kid and falls in love with wrestling because of what I do in the ring this weekend, it doesn’t get any better than that.”