Wrestling company bars performer for ICE getup during Edmonton match

EDMONTON — A Canadian wrestler has been dropped from a company after he dressed up as a U.S. immigration officer for a match in Edmonton on the same day the agents shot and killed a protester in Minnesota.

The owner of Real Canadian Wrestling, Steven Ewaschuk, says the company doesn’t support or condone the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — or ICE — officers.

“Real Canadian Wrestling is not a promotion that supports this kind of violence,” Ewaschuk said in an interview Tuesday.

“We feel for the families that lost loved ones. It’s … a terrifying world we live in right now.”

Stewy Seunnapha, under his nickname Kato, walked into the ring Saturday at a Royal Canadian Legion hall to the song “Ice Ice Baby,” wearing a black vest with ICE spelled out with duct tape on the back.

Ewaschuk said he didn’t think Seunnapha, who has been in the wrestling scene for nearly two decades, meant any harm by wearing the vest.

He described Seunnapha as a “fun-loving” competitor, and pointed out that he never wins his matches. Ewaschuk said that in recent months, Kato’s gimmick has involved dressing in pro-American clothing and sometimes even donning a rubber mask resembling U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The Canadian always beat him,” Ewaschuk said, adding that fans always approve of the result. “But the ICE vest was too far, and that’s what got him removed from the company.”

Real Canadian Wrestling’s Facebook page says Seunnapha lost Saturday’s match.

Seunnapha has since apologized for his costume, saying on social media that he also doesn’t support ICE and that he didn’t tell promoters about his plan ahead of time.

“I sincerely apologize for my actions and take full responsibility for them,” Seunnapha wrote. “These actions were my own and do not reflect the views or values of Real Canadian Wrestling.”

Seunnapha did not immediately respond to social media messages requesting an interview.

The company has faced criticism from fans who questioned how the costume or walkout music wasn’t caught beforehand.

Ewaschuk said he didn’t want to make excuses, but said in the future he planned to be more of a presence in the locker rooms before matches. He also said the sound system on Saturday was being run by a young volunteer who was just trying to make sure everything ran smoothly.

“It was an isolated incident,” he said. “It was a foolish stunt, and now he’s got to suffer the repercussions.”

ICE has been the focus of widespread demonstrations in the United States and most recently in Minnesota, where tensions have only grown stronger after officers shot and killed two protesters in recent weeks.

Alex Pretti, 37, was shot and killed on Saturday. Renee Good, also 37, was shot and killed on Jan. 7.

The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions has denounced ICE over the killing of Pretti, who worked as an intensive care nurse.

“The violence, injustice and plain cruelty we are witnessing in the United States is unthinkable,” the federation said in a statement Monday.

“The over 250,000 union nurses of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions are proud of Alex’s actions and stand with his family and colleagues.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.