Micro Wrestlers take on Panther Paw for audience of hundreds
Little Mario (left) of the Micro Wrestling Federation leans into hear what the trash-talking wrestler The Little Show has to say to him before the beginning of their match at the Panther Paw Wednesday night. The two performers were among six wrestlers all under five-feet tall who fought each other in front of a rowdy crowd.
February 22, 2018
The PA announcer came over the speakers Wednesday night at the Panther Paw and declared “the most outrageous event in the United States is about to take center stage.” Soon after this declaration, the six wrestlers involved with the Micro Wrestling Federation took to the ring and put on a show filled with cussing, brutal action and top-rope stunts that electrified the hundreds of people in attendance.
A performer by the stage name of “Little Show” came out and set the tone of the show quickly by flipping off those in attendance and demanding that the “motherfu**** Yankees” in attendance needed to show the “Redneck brawler some respect”.
He would be serving as the “heel,” a wrestling slang word used to describe the villain of the show, which would explain his obscene gesture and language.
Little Show was 4-foot-2 and weighed 160 pounds. His opponent would be a wrestler by the name of “Little Mario” who was quite a bit smaller at 4-feet and 80 pounds.
The two would begin to fight, using props ranging from “caution wet floor” signs to cooking pans in a bout that did exactly what it intended, send the fans into a frenzy.
Playing the role of the “heel” is not something that bothers Little Show. He said it is something they just get used to.
“As long as you’re doing one (role) or the other, you’re doing your job,” a performer named “E-Money” said.
The crowd jeered, hurling insults and praise at the wrestlers and the performers responded. It was all a part of the show, but having a good crowd is something all the performers agreed makes their job easier.
“You feel a lot more hits and stuff because your adrenaline is not pumping as much if the crowd reaction is not as good as it could be,” Little Show said.
Micro Wrestler Little Show boasts to the crowd at the Panther Paw after tossing around fan-favorite performer Little Mario in the ring.
The performance may be choreographed, but the stunts and wear and tear on the wrestlers’ bodies is very real and accidents do happen the Little Show said. He alone has had five knee surgeries in his career.
If someone does accidentally get hurt during the show, E-Money said they don’t have the luxury of just being able to stop the show and call for medical like the WWE.
The performers come from a wide-range of backgrounds, but all their storylines lead right into the ring of the Micro Wrestling Federation
Little Show, a fan of the sport since he was a child, got his start with wrestling legend Jerry Lawler for a while and then he got trained and before ending up with the MWF.
Little Mario who worked at a nightclub in Las Vegas and was originally hired on as a referee before he says they “threw him in the ring and showed him how to take some slams”.
And there is also Boston native “Flyin’ Ryan,” who got into wrestling after meeting someone through a suggested friends list on Facebook. He says the Micro Wrestling Federation is the best thing to ever happen to him, and he is not sure what he would be doing without it.
The stunts and moves they pull off are something they takes a lot of time to perfect and even then, E-Money said, there is no time limit to learning the way of the ring and that what they do takes a lot of hard work and practice.
“The whole real and fake of this; we know what moves are going to take place, but to pull the moves off the right way, that’s not just something you can get in (the ring) and do,” E-Money said.
MICRO WRESTLING FEDERATION IS COMING TO THE PAW! ??
Feb. 21st 9-11pm! Tickets go on sale tomorrow!
$20 Presale general admission
$25 at the door general admission
$40 VIP Front Row
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One of the things all the wrestlers agreed it took to pull off the stunts was trust.
“Trust is a big one,” Little Mario said.
“In what we do, you have to trust that other person to land you right, mainly land you right,” E-Money added.
E-Money said most injuries that do happen occur in the ring as a result of being landed wrong by an opponent.
The schedule is one of the hardest parts of the job according to the Little Show, but not necessarily because of the amount of time required to pull off the performance, it’s the time away from his family that makes it tough.
The crew does between four and five shows a week and Little Show said their day-to-day routine consists of waking up around 9 or 10 a.m. and then driving to the location of the next show. They then go to their next hotel, put their luggage away and then go to the venue of the night. They set the ring up, go over a couple of spots then they go eat, maybe have time for a shower or nap and then its show time for the performers of the Micro Wrestling Federation.
JJ Bullock can be reached at 581-2812 or jpbullock@eiu.edu.
