By Aaron Brand
Texarkana Gazette
TEXARKANA, Ark. - If your tastes for wrestling entertainment include wrestlers who are short of stature, head to The Arrow Bar on Sunday to see Midgets with Attitude.
The wrestling crew for Midgets with Attitude - including Kid Punk, Doomsday, 2Tall, Lil Hank, Bamm-B and Bad Boy B - may be small, but in the ring they're certainly mighty. They're short but pack a punch.
Generally, says Midgets with Attitude owner Harley Anderson, wrestlers stand between 4 feet 2 inches and 4 feet 9 inches. But just as it is with the larger wrestlers who've captured fan imagination the world over, they bring wrestling skills and entertaining antics to the bouts, which include single matches and the ultimate, a "Battle Royale."
It's a sporting event where everyone can see little wrestlers perform, just like the "big boys do in WWE," Anderson said. They're trained in wrestling, just like other wrestlers. A total of four wrestlers, one door greeter and a referee are in the crew.
Expect to see some high flying and top rope moves, which excite the crowd.
"You've got two single matches that lead up to the 'Battle Royale' for the title belt," Anderson said. MWA is based in Florida, but wrestlers hail from all over the country and, for much of the year, tour and compete all across the nation.
At the show, wrestlers do a meet and greet with the crowd, and they hang out with the audience at the end of the night to sign autographs, chat and pose for photographs.
Comparing it to pro wrestling like WWE, Anderson said some of it may be choreographed but the hits and falls are real. You can't fake getting hit by a trash can lid. "It's still a trash can lid," he said, noting the wrestling shows are held day to day. They stay busy on tour.
The four wrestlers include one woman. Who wins? That may depend on crowd support with the cheering and hollering helping wrestlers decide who wants to win that night, Anderson said.
"That sometimes changes it, sometimes don't. It just depends on what they decide to do. I never know who's going to win," the owner said. Match length depends on crowd enthusiasm, in part.
Some of the wrestlers have been with him since he started in the business in 2009. His wrestlers bring varying degrees of experience. "Some as much as one year, some as much as 15 years," Anderson said. For the wrestlers, this is a full-time job. The owner enjoys the energy a crowd brings to the events.
"I saw a show that came through and liked it, and started my own group," Anderson said.
Start time is 8 p.m.
(Tickets: $15 for general admission, $25 for ringside, $30 for VIP with two free drinks. Tickets available at The Arrow Bar, 110 E. 36th St. For more info, call 870-772-1171.)