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Who knew that real pro wrestling in the school gym could be so much fun?
About 120 wrestling fans of all ages were swept into the hijinks and hilarity of modern day wrestling when the Pacific Lions Club hosted a Summer Sizzler last Saturday in the St. Bridget of Kildare School gymnasium that brought Dynamo Pro wrestlers to Pacific.
“It’s phony as can be and it’s all made up but it was so much fun,” said Lion Pam Manual. “Even the little kids in the audience were squealing and laughing as sweaty men were flailed all around.”
The unexpected fun evening was the brainchild of Pacific Lion TJ Everhart, who operates TJ’s Pizza and Fundraisers and serves as a part time referee for Dynamo Pro wrestling matches.
“TJ told us that it was not only a good fundraiser but was a lot of fun,” Manual said. “And boy was he right.”
The Pacific fans didn’t know any of the wrestlers that took to the Dynamo Pro ring last Saturday to pound, pummel their opponents and sneak in an occasional dirty blow but that didn’t matter. A group of Dynamo Pro fans that follow the wrestling matches from one location to another were quick to identify the bad guys with a series of hisses and boos.
“When they booed, we just went with it,” said Lion Pam Manual. “It was so much fun. And another plus what that it brought people to Pacific who had never been here before.”
As fun as the theatrical exhibitions that modern pro wrestling has grown to be, it turns out that wrestling is the oldest of all spectator sports. It was a real fighting match and the ultimate competition in the very first Olympic Games in 708 BC Greece when shiny young men bathed in oil showed off their strength and athleticism. And all they won for their prowess was the prized laurel wreath that identified them as a super stars. The leafy crowns have long since been replaced in modern pro wrestling with ever more extravagant championship belts.
Wrestling is still part of the Olympics today. But it wasn’t the history of the sport that attracted the Pacific Lions to wrestling as a hometown event. It was the excitement of seeing athletes lifting and throwing each other through the air in orchestrated and seemingly death defying maneuvers before slamming them to the mat in the ultimate take down. It’s a match of athletic showmanship that even first time fans get.
Saturday’s event was the first time the Pacific Lions Club asked DynamoPro Wrestling of St. Louis to bring their star wrestlers to Pacific for a Summer Sizzler but if Manual has her way, it won’t be the last.
“I hope we bring it back and make it a yearly event,” she said.
Following the two-hour session to set up the 15 foot by 15 foot ring, the first match started at 7 p.m. Following a total of eight matches, including two of Dynamo Pro’s popular tag team matches, the final bell on the final match rang at 9:15 p.m.
Pacific Lions staged the event to raise funds for their eye care and other charitable work. Six members of the Pacific Lions sold food – brats, burgers, nachos, pop corn and drinks.
Some fans went home with DynamoPro tee shirts and jewelry which were offered by the wrestlers.
“A lot of people had fun,” Pam Manual said. “They were really into it.”
