‘It’s going to be a brawl in PE’
Nelson Mandela Bay wrestling fans are set for an entertaining clash when Mr Wrestling defends his heavyweight title against Tornado at the Champions of War Pro Wrestling Extravaganza on Friday (from 5pm).
This bout will be one of the highlights of the 10-match event to be held at Hobie Beach on Friday evening and ties in with the Splash Festival to be hosted over the Easter weekend.
Speaking about his upcoming match against Tornado, Mr Wrestling said he was ready to defend his title against the last guy to hold the heavyweight championship.
“It’s going to be a brawl. I am going to brawl him to the ground, get him onto the canvas as many times as possible and tire him out, then 1, 2, 3, go home boetie,” he said.
Another wrestler from the Bay, TJ Tremor, will take on Kyle Ripley in a match touted to set the ring alight.
Tremor said: “Fighting at home is always an exciting thing. There are always nerves before a match but I am relatively calm.
“I know what I have to do and it should be a great match.”
The event is hosted by Champions Pro Wrestling (CPW).
Promotion founder Mark Beale said they had been operating in the Bay for more than 25 years with the show being part of the Splash Festival for the past few years.
“It has grown to a point where we had almost 17,000 people come to see the show,” Beale said.
He said the promotion gave local wrestlers the opportunity to participate in professional events.
“You can see an international wrestler on television, but you cannot touch him.
“But you should see the reaction of the children when we take Mr Wrestling to schools.
“We do bring international wrestlers, but then we also bring in our own local guys and give them a chance to also be part of this,” Beale said.
Another part of the CPW initiative is an anti-bullying campaign, where they visit various schools as well as do roadshows talking about bullying and how to overcome it.
Among matches to look out for will be a casket match between Ananzi and Crow, a tag team match with The Angels going up against Devon Shooter and Blacksmith, as well as a women’s match with debutant CJ Gold and CPW women’s champion Black Widow.