Sat 6/10 @ 7:30PM
Contemporary professional wresting is known to most people as the glossy, star-studded entertainment most widely popularized by the WWE and such late 20th-century personalities as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant and the Road Warriors. The roots of the televised spectacles of today, almost universally understood to be staged and not real competition, go back to the 1980s when Vince McMahon took over his father’s wrestling business, then called the World Wrestling Federation. His aggressive business tactics largely wiped out the network of regional federations that until then had dominated this sport-based entertainment.
But where did that regional circuit, whose matches were a fixture on TV in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, with its own outsized personalities such as Gorgeous George, Lou Thesz, Bobo Brazil, Killer Kowalski and Fritz Von Erich, come from? Unsurprisingly, its roots are in early 20th century carnivals; by the 1920s, it was being promoted on its own as a stand-alone draw.
That’s the era that Olde Wrestling is trying to re-create, as it brings a card of its distinctive personalities to the Beachland Ballroom. Among the performers are the Shoeshine Boys, The Judge, The Pastor, Grease & Grime vs. Hatfield & McCoy, and Matthew Cross vs. Dan Champion.
“See the greatest wrestlers from across the country; world champions, crooked judges, throwback luchadors, moonshiners, strongmen, grizzled grapplers and more!” they promise. “Heck, you might even spot U.S. Secretary of Slams and former President William Howard Taft try to keep order inside the rambunctious ring.
In addition to six matches, Wizbang Theatre owners, vaudeville duo Pinch and Squeal, will be adding their offbeat performances to the proceedings. Get tickets here.
Cleveland, OH 44110