A piledriver of emotions Winnipeg Free Press [Video]

It’s known as the “Death Tour” among professional wrestlers.

The tour is a two-week winter road trip spent travelling on ice roads to perform in remote northern Manitoba communities. For decades, the physically and emotionally demanding trek — organized by local promoter Tony Condello — has been a proving ground for wrestling greats and hopefuls alike.

In a celebrated new documentary, the tour’s ominous moniker takes on a different meaning.

The Death Tour — co-directed by Stephan Peterson and Sonya Ballantyne with support from executive producer and tour alum Chris Jericho — follows a diverse group of wrestlers as they battle each other and their own demons. However, the focus quickly shifts beyond the ring.

“I was really struck by the exchange between the communities and the wrestlers,” says Peterson, a filmmaker from Montreal who happened upon the tour while shooting …