Athens pins down big-name wrestling stars

Swinger, Steiner, to wrestle Saturday at Cain Center

By Jayson Larson Editor

If you remember sitting up late on Saturday nights watching the best wrestling in Texas televised live from the Sportatorium in Dallas, then you’re in for a real treat this weekend.

Miami-based Universal Championship Wrestling will bring “The Great American Bash Tribute Show” to the Cain Center on Saturday, July 4 — bringing with it many of the best wrestling has had to offer over the last two decades.

The show will be a live television taping that will be aired on Fox Sports Net and CSS Sports South.

“This is wrestling back from when wrestling was good,” event promoter Michelle Gossett said. “These are the big boys you remember from watching on TV, or on Monday Nitro or WWE. We feel like we’re the next big thing on the rise.

“Our goal is to bring wrestling back to grass roots, smaller towns. Over the last 10 years, wrestling has went away from the smaller areas and to the larger venues for profits. Our show, even with the big stars, are more affordable for the working guy in this economy versus going to the WWE show. We want everyone to be able to come out here and have fun and not be broke when you get through with it.”

Paying attention to the grass roots audiences is something Gossett said the bigger associations — including the granddaddy of them all, World Wrestling Entertainment — have been ignoring more and more over the years. But, as evidenced by the list of stars set to head to Athens this weekend, that view isn’t shared by the wrestlers themselves.

Consider the faces you’ll see Saturday: Big Poppa Pump Scott Steiner (formerly associated with TNA, WWE, WCW); Chavo Guerrero (WWE, WCW); The Barbarian (WWE, WCW); Universal Champion Johnny Swinger (ECW, WWE); Hardcore Champion The Shooter (ECW); Diablito (Mexico); Mini Diablo (Mexico); The Ugandan Giant Kamala (WWE); George South (WCW); and General Skandor Akbaar (WCW). UCW plans future events here, as well, and plans to bring to Athens Ric Flair, managing his sons Reid and David; The Ultimate Warrior (known as the Dingo Warrior in his Sportatorium days); Buff Bagwell; Diamond Dallas Page; Mr. Kennedy, who was recently wrestling with WWE; Sid Vicious; Sting; and Disco Inferno.

“Not since the days of Fritz Von Erich and World Class Wrestling has there been an event like this in the area,” Gossett said, noting that this event will be the first of its kind in nearly a decade in Athens. Gossett said UCW chose Athens for this event because organizers’ research showed wrestling events more than a decade ago here had been well received.

Advance tickets begin at $12 and can be purchased at The Cain Center (915 South Palestine); Lonestar Western Wear (1115 East Tyler); and at Adams Surplus (6360 State Highway 19 North).

For more information, call 903-677-2000, or to charge by phone call 903-677-1593.

UCW’s Web site can be found at www.ucwtv.co.nr.