By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Tri States Wrestling returns to the Bethany Community Gym for its second annual Christmas show, the Rumble for the Rescue Dogs.
Shows will be held on Friday and Saturday.
Promoter John Rockhold says Friday's event will feature an event familiar to wrestling fans, a Royal Rumble.
"Two people start in the ring, every 90 seconds a person joins them, you have to be thrown over the top rope and both feet hit the floor," Rockhold explains to KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "The winner of that match gets a title match that night against the Iceman who's our US Highway champion right now."
The main event on Friday will have current TSW champion Franco Varga in a title match.
On Saturday, the winner of those two title matches will face off, in a winner take all Christmas Street Fight
"Which is our special match, last year we had somebody go through a Christmas tree and a table, and there was cookie sheets and a trash can, and a bowling ball involved, so it was pretty awesome," Rockhold says.
Rockhold says Santa Claus will also be at the show, giving photo opportunities after the doors open, but he'll also be doing something else.
"He'll also be wrestling, and in Santa matches presents are legal, so in the matches Santa is wrestling this weekend it's not no disqualification, it's just if a present gets involved, that's legal," Rockhold says. "So any brass boxes are allowed or wrapped gift bags are allowed, but you know they can't use a chair or anything, unless they wrap it in a box, I guess then it would be legal."
Doors open at 6pm both nights with the show starting at 7pm.
Proceeds from the event will go towards the All Odds Animal Shelter in Hamilton, a cause that Rockhold has been passionate about since starting his own wrestling promotions.
"Everybody loves dogs, everybody cares about animals, and it's just a nice thing that if somebody wants to go to a wrestling show they have that little added incentive, well I want to go a wrestling show and I can help the dogs
Several adoptable dogs will also be featured at the event.