Bluegrass Wrestling Con Back and Bigger Than Ever
Emily C. Roush
The Ashland Beacon
It’s a new venue and new format for Bluegrass Wrestling Con. The event produced by Time Warp will take place at the Boyd County Convention and Arts Center located at 15605 KY-180 Catlettsburg on Saturday, May 6. This is the fourth Wrestling Con and the first one at the Convention Center. Time Warp Owner Earl Mollette is excited to have the event there noting that the venue can accommodate more merchants, “we’re growing vendors for sure.” He also believes its location near I-64 is also ideal because “it’s easy to get to for locals and out of town people.” The Convention Center’s expansive size has also given Mollette the chance to make one of his long-term goals for the event a reality: live wrestling. “We will be having wrestling matches directly after the wrestling con,” he explained.
The addition of matches broadens both the scope and timeline of the event. Mollette explained, “It’s an all-day wrestling event. The con will be from noon to 5 p.m. and the live wrestling will start at 7 p.m. on the nose.” During the con portion of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to peruse and shop dozens of vendors both local and from as far away as Charleston, Columbus, and Cincinnati. They will also have the opportunity to meet a variety of pro wrestling legends. As Bluegrass Wrestling Con has grown since the first one in 2021 so has the notoriety of its talent lineup. According to Mollette, “every time, we try to get a bigger name, and we definitely try to get ones from the WWE Hall of Fame.” The stars who will be at the May 6 event are:
- R.S./Mike Rotunda
- Ted Dibiase
- Kurt Angle
- Jerry “The King” Lawler
- Tito Santana
- Barry Horowitz
- Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
- Jimmy Hart
- Larry Zbyszko
- Bobby Blaze
- Shark Boy
- Shane Douglas
- Gary Wolfe
- Dylan McQueen
Mollette is thrilled with the talent lineup and beamed as described them. Through Time Warp events like Bluegrass Wrestling Con, he has gotten to know and become friends with his childhood heroes. “Me and Jimmy [Hart] have become pretty decent buddies. He calls me sometimes, and I called him for his birthday. I worshiped Jimmy Hart. That dude is amazing. He is 79 and still doing this gig. Shane Douglas and I have become buddies. We went to WrestleCade in North Carolina together.”
Mollette also described the stage personas and why he thinks event attendees will have fun meeting them. “I.R.S. was an accountant named Michael Wallstreet, and Ted Dibiase was the “The Million Dollar Man”. [Dibiase] used to pay people to lose matches to him. He couldn’t win a belt, so he had his own made out of gold and diamonds. They were a tag team named Money Inc. Shark Boy acted just like Stone Cold, but instead of coming out drinking beer, he would pour water over his head. He had a real good gimmick. These characters are amazing,” he laughed. A big draw for this Wrestling Con is Kurt Angle. Before beginning his storied career in professional wrestling, both in WWE and TNA, he was a prolific amateur wrestler in the NCAA and Olympics. “He broke his neck in the Olympics, and he still won. That was his schtick. He’d say, ‘I won with a broken frickin’ neck.’ He actually broke his neck four times wrestling. That’s a tough dude,” described Mollette. While many pro wrestlers create characters with extravagant backstories, others hone their personalities and strengths into a stage presence. “Some of them aren’t characters and are just this person. Like Greg Valentine. He just plays a really tough guy and that’s what he is in real life,” explained Mollette.
All the featured talent at Bluegrass Wrestling Con have storied careers that appeal to literal generations of fans. Mollette noted, “Kurt covers such a large part of wrestling. That is a big era. I.R.S. has two sons in the WWE right now. Lawler, before his stroke, was in his 52nd year of wrestling. Wrestling manager, Jimmy Hart is 79.” He also remarked how much wrestling culture and fandom is engrained in the Tri-State. Mollette and Time Warp regularly host live wrestling events and pro wrestler meet and greets at their stores that draw large crowds of all ages. “[Wrestling] is huge here, partly thanks to Bobby Blaze,” he stated crediting the prolific wrestler and Ashland native. Mollette believes that the multi-generational aspect of wrestling fandom makes Bluegrass Wrestling Con a great event for the whole family. “We want to get not just the older generation like myself, we want to get the younger generation too. During the con, TVs will be set up with wrestling-themed video games that kids can play for free. This is a family-friendly event, even the wrestling. We get a little bit out there, but we keep it reigned in quite a bit. We don’t get too wild,” Mollette joked.
While filled with vendors and stars, the con portion of Bluegrass Wrestling Con is only one component of the overall event. At 5 p.m. the traditional con will end, and Mollette and his crew will set up for the wrestling matches. The doors will reopen at 6 p.m. and matches will begin at 7 p.m. Attendees who purchased tickets for both the con and live wrestling can stay inside the Convention Center during the period between events and listen to podcast recording sessions. “There will be three or four podcasts on site during the downtime. Shane Douglass, Bobby Blaze, and Barry Horowitz for sure, and there may be more.” Then wrestlers from across the region will enter the ring. Time Warp plans to post teaser announcements on their Facebook page leading up to the event. “We’ve got a lot of really good independent wrestlers coming in from out of town. We also have a lot of local talent.” This latest Bluegrass Wrestling Con illustrates an evolution in how Time Warp has expanded programing to become more multifaceted. People attending this event can shop the vendors, meet wrestling stars, play video games, listen to podcast sessions, and watch live wrestling. “It’s about experiences,” said Mollette. He continued, “we just want to have fun. This is about bringing something to our town for everyone. Everybody likes wrestling in one way or another. It just takes you back.”
Bluegrass Wrestling Con is sponsored by Mr. Rogers Collectibles, A Walk in Time, Battleground Wrestling, and Appalachian Championship Wrestling. Tickets for Bluegrass Wrestling con can be purchased online at eventbrite.com or at both Time Warp locations: 222 16th Street in Ashland and at the Ashland Town Center. Guests can purchase tickets for either the con or the wrestling matches for $20 each or get tickets for both components for $30 each. Admission is free for children five years of age and younger. There are a variety of additional meet and greet packages with the featured starts that start at $30. There is also a $375 Ultimate VIP Package that includes admission to the con, front row seats to the live matches, and autographs and selfies with nine of the pro wrestling stars. Attendees who purchase either general admission tickets or VIP packages will receive autographed photos of wrestlers Gary Wolfe and Shane Douglas. In the lead up to the event, Time Warp will announce contests and giveaways on their Facebook page. Additional updates will also be shared on their Instagram, @timewarpashland.
