AUSTIN, Texas — An unprecedented event in Texas pro wrestling is taking place this weekend — an 8-man tournament that will see eight pro wrestlers representing the various regions of Texas compete to prove who the best in the state is.
The TX8 State Tournament is being held by New Texas Pro Wrestling on Sunday, April 6, in Austin. This is the first year of the tournament and the first of its kind in Texas independent wrestling.
One of those eight men, who will be representing the Dallas wrestling scene, is Exodus Prime. One of the biggest local wrestlers, Exodus Prime, whose real name is Ma’Gayle Starks, has appeared several times on national TV for All Elite Wrestling, working with names like Claudio Castagnoli, Wardlow and Hook on shows across Texas.
Starks, who is from the Oak Cliff neighborhood, said it means the world to him to represent Dallas in TX8.
“I feel the hotbed of Texas wrestling is in DFW,” Starks said. “It’s a great honor.”
Wrestlers from all over Texas and other parts of the country have been wanting to work around Dallas, Starks said. The metroplex has multiple promotions running as often as weekly or semi-weekly.
“The quality of wrestlers that DFW turns out is just phenomenal,” he said.
Starks will be competing against Jak Calloway, who will be representing Central Texas. He previously teamed with Calloway in a multi-man match last year, but this will be the first time the two face off against each other one-on-one. He said fans can expect plenty of high-flying, technical wrestling and hard-hitting action in the match.
“I’m very familiar with his skillset and I’m very excited to work with him,” Starks said.
❗️THIS SUNDAY❗️New Texas returns to @EmpireATX for the first ever TX8 State Tournament!! We’ve announced 8 Matches that you will not want to miss!! Grab your tickets TODAY!!Q/StarboyVert/Maggie/KalieExodus/CallowayOrion/OrionDavis/BlackroseEpy/HunterTAILGATE:… pic.twitter.com/Qotvaw9Sqh
— New Texas Pro Wrestling (@NewTexasPW) March 31, 2025
Kiefer Bartek, the owner of New Texas Pro Wrestling, said this tournament is something the company has been working on for a few years, and said the idea was partially inspired by high school state wrestling tournaments.
“Texas is such a big state that there’s so much wrestling going on in all these different markets, so to bring people from one place to do a statewide tournament, that was really the crux of why we decided to do this,” Bartek said.
Bartek said they spoke with promoters and trainers from across the state and also sought fan input to determine the eight wrestlers who would compete in the tournament. The eight regions comprising the tournament are: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Central Texas, West Texas, Laredo/Rio Grande Valley and El Paso.
“I’m trying to do my job to unite all these different cities from across the state and showcase them in one place,” Bartek said. “I think it’s important that we continue to try to do that and bring everyone from all parts of the state together. We’ve got so much talent in the state, it’s ridiculous.”
Cosmo Orion, who will be representing El Paso, has spent most of his time only wrestling in El Paso and Arizona in his nearly four years as a pro wrestler. He wrestled a few matches for New Texas Pro Wrestling in the past and was approached by Kiefer about competing in the tournament.
“It means a lot because it really feels like El Paso is so separated and almost isolated from the rest of Texas,” Orion, whose real name is Mario Valle, said. “I get to show the rest of Texas exactly what we’ve been doing the last four years.”
Ever since 2021, Valle said the El Paso wrestling scene has been culminating a niche blending American wrestling and lucha libre that he’s looking forward to showing the rest of the competitors.
“I really want to show that, even through we’re from El Paso and even though we’re so separated from the rest of Texas, that we are just as much part of Texas independent wrestling as anywhere else in the state,” he said.
For anyone who will be in Austin, tickets for the show can be bought here.
The show will also be livestreamed starting at 5 p.m. on Independent Wrestling TV, and will also be viewable on demand afterwards. IWTV is available on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire. For more information visit independentwrestling.tv.