‘Pretty incredible:’ Pasqua First Nation wrestler appears on AEW Dark

While Sebastian Wolfe is reaching new heights in his wrestling career, he keeps his roots close to his heart.

Wolfe, whose real name is Corey Cyr, is a member of the Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan. The First Nation is located 65 kilometres northeast of Regina.

“My dad’s family is from Pasqua First Nation and my mom is from (B.C.). I was about three years old when they moved us back to Regina and I was there until I was about 14,” Wolfe said.

The 33-year-old professional wrestler’s heritage has played a big part in how he presents himself in the ring.

“It’s a pretty big reason why I do this,” Wolfe said. “I’m a third-generation residential school survivor — my dad and grandparents were in those schools.

Sebastian Wolfe’s boots have a red hand on them to pay tribute to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. (Sebastian Wolfe/Instagram)

“A majority of our matches, I have our Pasqua flag draped around me, my wrestling boots have the red handprint for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and it’s something I really try to shine a spotlight on because I know there’s not a whole lot of Indigenous pro wrestlers so it’s something I’m trying to represent a lot more.”

While Wolfe didn’t start wrestling until about three years ago, he has appeared for All Elite Wrestling — the second-biggest wrestling promotion in North America — on an episode of its weekly YouTube show AEW Dark.

“It was an amazing experience (and) an opportunity of a lifetime, it feels like,” Wolfe said. “I had a contact who works at AEW already and they reached out to me and my teammate (Miles Deville) asking if we had U.S. working visas.

“Neither of us do, but there’s this thing called The Jay Treaty between Canada and the U.S., so if you are status First Nations, you can work in the U.S.”

Wolfe was able to go down to the tapings to be an extra — a spot that doesn’t guarantee a match on the card.

“I went out and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I didn’t get anything in Seattle the first night but I went to Portland and sure enough I was booked in a three-on-three trios tag match,” Wolfe said.

That match saw him team up with Judas Icarus and Caleb Teninty to go against Ethan Page, Isiah Kassidy and Matt Hardy – someone Wolfe grew up watching wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Sebastian Wolfe (left) teams with Caleb Teninty (middle) and Judas Icarus during an AEW Dark event that premiered on Jan. 10, 2023. (Sebastian Wolfe/Submitted)

“That was pretty incredible. I’ve been watching my whole life, so I watched Matt Hardy come into the WWE, watched him exit and go all over the place,” Wolfe said. “I’ve been a big fan of him and (his brother) Jeff my whole life.

“Just seeing my name get written on the board next to him and be in the same match with him was so surreal because I never thought I would be in a position like this based on my late start.

“It was their first time in the market so the crowd was already there for the Dark taping. I think there was about 6,000 roughly. That was definitely the biggest crowd I wrestled in front of by quite a bit. Once you get into the ring, it just kind of felt like another crowd with brighter lights and a lot more cameras.”

The match was a big accomplishment for someone who has had dreams of wrestling on a big stage since he was a child.

“I got into being a fan first when I was real young. My nana, she would babysit me and my brother and she was a huge die-hard fan who never missed a show,” Wolfe said. “She would sit us down when it would come on and we were kind of forced into it. But my imagination was captured by guys like Bret Hart, British Bulldog and Razor Ramon.”

Wolfe didn’t start wrestling until he was 30 — an old age for those in the business — but he got his start after an open tryout at an event in B.C.

He has since appeared in shows in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and the States — but he has yet to appear in Saskatchewan.

“(I’m) not sure who runs out there, but (I) have my eyes set on there,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe said people can find his work on YouTube by searching his name or Nation Extreme Wrestling — a B.C. promotion — or Wrestlecore, which is another wrestling show located in the province.