Photo credit: @ajsmall37
The Runway are one of the most entertaining and fashionable tag teams in professional wrestling. They would say that comes with a lot of jealousy, so therefore they are also one of the most hated tag teams. The Runway is made up of Tyler Klein and Calvin Couture. They have put in years of work as a tag team and have recently gotten a lot of momentum behind them. They’ve won the Ryse tag team championship and recently defeated former GCW tag team champions Bussy at Enjoy Wrestling. They are also one of the tag teams that is entered in the first ever ECWA Tag Team Super 8 tournament.
I asked the commentator for Ryse Wrestling, Jim LaMotta for his thoughts on The Runway and he said, “On the independent scene, you can have wrestlers of all experience levels on the same card. Some are still learning their craft through experience of working the live crowd. The Runway is an example of a polished act and they standout on events because of it. Calvin and Tyler are two serious professionals that understand pro wrestling beyond just a clip on social media. They know their characters and understand the goal of pro wrestling on a bigger level. Plus, they can go in the ring. Quite simply The Runway checks all the boxes and are a team that I think could already be on TV.”
The Runway first debuted as a team in 2019. I asked Calvin how they met and became a team and he said, “We actually became friends online when we mutually followed each other. You would be surprised at how often that happens. You become familiar with someone online then meet them in person at a show but you feel like you already know them. It was kind of one of those situations. We have similar styles and it just kind of clicked so we rolled with it. I guess you could say the red carpet was rolled out and The Runway was born.”
Calvin had been in some other tag teams in the Pittsburgh area, but none which have had as much success as The Runway. I asked Calvin about being a tag team wrestler and he said, “I never wanted to be a tag team wrestler to be completely honest with you. I quickly grew to love it. Tag team wrestling actually made me come more into my own as a performer than I thought it would. I never realized how much I loved tag team wrestling until I started doing it more and more.”
Tyler had been living in Massachusetts and says that he was not really happy living there and wanted a fresh start to pursue wrestling more. He goes on to say, “Before I moved, I had only really wrestled in a small amount of matches. Most of the time I worked Saturdays and couldn’t make time to network due to the hours. I did a few weekday shows and a benefit show where I dressed as Robin but that was about it. My trainer was super sad to see me move as he saw a lot of potential in my character as well as being an lgbtq wrestler. He told me I was a great representative for gay wrestlers.”
Tyler says that Calvin is the reason that he moved to Pittsburgh stating that he had visited him a few times and really got to take in the wrestling scene in the area.
Outsports put out it’s inaugural list of top LGBTQ wrestlers in 2020, this was called the QWI100 and included both members of The Runway. By just the next year there was so many amazing LGBTQ wrestlers the list was expanded to 200 and The Runway were numbers 65 and 66 on that list. The Runway made two appearances at Effy’s Big Gay Brunch and made quite and impression as they typically do wherever they go.
While these crowds and locker rooms are very accepting of everyone, I asked Tyler if he has faced any obstacles in the locker room or from fans at any other promotions that he worked at. He says, “I’ve only had my sexuality come into play one time when I was first starting out. The company doesn’t even run anymore in MA so it’s not relevant. I’ve never actually experienced anything in a locker room with being gay. When I’m back there I’m just me and I’m just myself. As far as fans go you know you will always face those types of issues. I thrive on it being a heel. I turn those words into energy and throw it back at them 10 fold. But for that one person there is 100 more that will give you the love.”
The Runway has had some pretty big matches in the last couple years. Not only have they been on Effy’s Big Gay Brunch shows, but they also teamed with Effy at one of MV Young’s PolyAm Cult Parties. They also teamed with Eddy McQueen at Chad Spectacular’s Soiree 2: Throwdowns And Pronouns to take on three of H2O’s biggest stars, Chris Bradley, Kristian Ross and Marcus Mathers.
I asked Tyler what is his favorite match that he has had as part of The Runway, besides the huge victory over BUSSY. He said, “TME for sure. That match was a real test. Obviously, Duke and Gannon are huge stars and it was our debut there. And we hung with them.“
The Runway are known for their style and the different outfits that they wear to the ring. It almost seems like you never see them with the same look more than once, whether it is their hair, the glitter or the gear, they will always make sure that all eyes are on them. I asked Tyler how many sets of gear they have and how they pick what they will wear for each match, and he said, “Too many to count. It’s an amazing problem to have though. We argue about what to wear all the time. Our looks are unique and even preshow outfits are killer. I had a cape in Chicago for goodness sake.“
The Runway will be making their debut at ECWA as part of the first Super 8 Tag Team Tournament. The Super 8 tournaments have a history going back 26 years. The winners of past tournaments have included the likes of Christopher Daniels, Paul London, Tommaso Ciampa, Xavier Woods, Wendy Choo, and Deonna Purrazzo.
This year’s tag team tournament will take place on September 17th and will also include The Goons, The REP, GummiBoar, The Outfielders, The Mane Event, The Hispanic Mechanics and Primal Fear. I asked Tyler if there are any teams that he is looking forward to facing and he said, “All of them are awesome but let’s face it The Runway is gonna take it. After this last Ryse show we know we are getting Primal Fear in October. I own the Outfeilders after a few Camp Leapfrog scuffles. And I wanna fight the ‘Big Man’ Erica Leigh and Boar.
I’ve asked Tyler if he would like to add anything additional about The Runway or himself and he said, “Honestly if I can talk about me hahah. I am such a big nerd and it’s my favorite part of my personality. I could talk Marvel, dinosaurs, Power Rangers, and D&D for hours. HahahHa there are multiple sides to Tyler. Oh, and I get asked a lot about ideal vacations. For me hands down Disney or the beach. I could not do a quiet weekend getaway it would drive me nuts. Oh, and last I just became an uncle for the first time on labor day so I have to brag about my new niece. Lol.”
Make sure to check out The Runway at the ECWA Tag Team Super 8. If you cannot be there in person, it will be streaming on the ECWA YouTube channel on September 17th at 4pm. They will also be making their debut at Summit Pro in Greenfield, IN on October 9.
You can find the Runway on Twitter at @RunwayWrestling and on Instagram at therunwaywrestling.