By Jake Beleski
Visit Masterton Intermediate School hall this weekend and you will see plenty of suplexes, choke slams and piledrivers.
No, it’s not a fight between students that got out of hand, but rather an organised fundraiser to help the school’s kapa haka group.
Jeremy McLaughlin has been a professional wrestler for about nine months, but admits he has been a fan much longer than that.
“I’ve been a fan since about 1988,” he said.
“All my kids have gone through MIS, and Mr T (school principal Russell Thompson) was my teacher when I was at school.”
Mr McLaughlin coaches one of the school’s softball teams, and heard the school was looking to fundraise for a kapa haka trip to Wellington later this year.
He decided his interest in professional wrestling could give him a chance to give something back to the school.
“I spoke to a bunch of people and they said they’d love to bring a show over so we bit the bullet and decided to do it.
“We’ve got Chad Howard who’s the current WPW (Wide Pro Wrestling) heavyweight champ coming over and he will defend his belt.”
None of the wrestlers get paid to come to the event, but were turning up at their own expense, Mr McLaughlin said.
The show was designed for people of all ages, and not just wrestling fans.
“We try to put on a bit of everything, not just wrestling.
“There’s comedy in it as well and there’s no smashing people over the head with chairs and stuff like that . . . so there’s no blood and gore.
“It’s all PG but it’s pretty much the same as what you see on TV, just on a smaller scale.”
Mr Thompson was thrilled the event would help his kapa haka group.
“Our group is about 200-strong and in November about 50 will go to Wellington for a week-long trip.”
The principal was an avid wrestling fan growing up, and said bringing the event to Masterton was an honour.
“We’re certainly looking forward to it as a form of entertainment, and the kids are excited.
“We’re hopeful of getting a crowd of 200, and anything over that would be a bonus.”
The show at MIS will run from 7pm-9pm on Saturday night, with pre-sale tickets priced at $10 and purchased at the MIS office.
Door sales will be available on the night with adult tickets priced at $15, or $10 for children under 14.
