 Johnny Blast will be wrestling at the Minnora Center this Friday with a card of
other players who have been coming to the community the past few months.
He will appear with a dozen or more regional wrestlers at the fundraiser.
Blast always wanted to be a wrestler, even after graduating from college and working in radio in Galax, VA.
"The morning DJ there, Buford Kegley, did ring announcing for wrestlers and two of the guys who wrestled were from Galax - Ron and Don Houk - and they'd come by the station," said Blast.
Buford asked them, "Hey, why don't you teach Johnny how to wrestle?" Blast said "I'd dreamed of being a wrestler when I was a kid, but it was almost like one of those "I wanna be a cowboy when I grow up" type of deals."
Blast estimates he has been in almost 700 matches since he started wrestling in 1991.
"Wrestling has changed. Of course, and you're going the hear this from all the vets, but wrestling really was harder to break into in the old days than it is now."
"Wrestling has changed in the way people watch it. More people watch TV than go to live shows, which by their nature, are shorter and faster paced. Wrestling today is more physical than it was then. Wrestling, of course, always has been and always will be physical," Blast said.
Other wrestlers making the card Friday evening at Minnora include Jack Miller, Scott McComas, Chet Cartwright, T. J. Phillips, the Cuban Assassin, Big Dan Richards, Scotty McKeever, the Lancaster Twins, Dave Scott, Dice DelRay and J. V. Insanity.
The kitchen will open at 6:30 p.m. with wrestling action starting at 7:30 p.m. Adults $7, children under 12 $5, children under 5 free.
For more information call 655-7149.
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