New Westminster’s mayor jumping into the wrestling ring at the Royal City Rumble
Posted March 5, 2019 11:04 am.
Last Updated March 5, 2019 12:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – The mayor of New Westminster will be ditching the suit and getting into costume at the end of the month for a wrestling match!
Jonathan Cote — aka “Johnny X” — will make history at the Royal City Rumble.
“Apparently, the first sitting Canadian mayor to enter a professional wrestling ring there. I would have never guessed in a million years I would find myself here, but here we are!”
The Royal City wrestlers is a local community group putting on shows in New Westminster for a few years. Cote was a guest referee at a past match.
New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote at the TransLink Mayors’ Council on Nov. 15, 2018. (Lasia Kretzel, NEWS 1130 Photo)
So what’s with the name “Johnny X”?
“My middle name initial is ‘X’ so I think that’s where the name came from. We’re actually in a tag team — the Royal City Defenders. Mr. India is a local business owner who’s been very involved in this. I’m teaming up with him to take on Team USA in the ring.”
Cote admits he’s a newbie to the sport. “I’ll be perfectly honest — I don’t have a lot of wrestling experience. I did watch wrestling a little bit, as a kid. So I’m familiar with some of the moves … I’ve got a month to get myself into wrestling shape.”
“I’m the rookie in the ring, but you never know what’s going to happen. After training all month, I’m hoping to put on a good show,” he added.
And yes, there will be a costume.
“There’s a costume in the works. I’ll be honest, I’m a little bit nervous as to what is going to show up,” Cote said. “But you know what? I’m being a good sport and I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Tickets for the March 30th event at Royal City Centre are free. You can register online.
