The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in Amsterdam will have their official induction ceremonies the weekend of May 15 and 16, with former champions “Superstar” Billy Graham, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “Chief” Jay Strongbow, as well as legendary manager “Captain” Lou Albano, among the members of the 2009 induction class.
Evan “Strangler” Lewis, Wladek Zbyszko, Antonio Inoki, Donna Christantello and the tag team of Mark Lewin and Don Curtis will also be inducted into the hall of fame, with actor Hank Garrett scheduled to receive the Senator Hugh T. Farley Award.
While tickets for all official induction events are sold out, wrestling fans will have the opportunity to see the hall of fame grapplers and others, including Little Falls native Scott Campione, during the annual wrestling show at Amsterdam’s Wilbur H. Lynch Middle School. The action will get under way at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15, with ringside tickets priced at $15. General admission tickets are $12.
“Induction weekend has grown every year, as has the wrestling show,” said Campione. “The entire weekend is a great time for everyone, but with most of the events sold out, Friday night’s card is the only remaining opportunity for wrestling fans to see some of their idols.”
Campione will be in action at the East Coast Pro Wrestling event, as he is scheduled to compete with Dave the Wave for the North East Championship. Also on the card are former WWE and WCW superstar Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake who will wrestle King Kaluha, former AWA and WCW tag champion The Patriot who will face Prince Akkanatan in a flag match, hall of famer Tito Santana and Jay Santana who will wrestle in a tag team contest against The Repeat Offenders, I.B. Green and Kage who will square off for the Empire State Championship and Andrew Anderson and Brolly who will go one-on-one in a singles match. In addition, a 20-man over the top rope battle royal will be held.
“The doors for the show will open at 6:30 p.m., as ‘Hillbilly’ Cousin Luke, ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, ‘Captain’ Lou Albano, ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff and other legends and members of the induction class will be available to sign autographs,” said Campione. “The night is something the wrestlers look forward to as much as the fans. The wrestlers enjoy getting together and sharing stories about their days on the road, and the fans have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the guys they watched on television. It’s a great time.”
For non-wrestling fans, Jay Santana, Andrew Anderson and Brolly were among the wrestlers cast as extras in “The Wrestler,” and Beefcake had the responsibility of teaching Mickey Rourke how to wrestle. Rourke won the Golden Globe for his performance as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a professional wrestler who was a major star in the 1980s but is now wrestling on the weekends in New Jersey.
Also scheduled to appear at hall of fame events throughout the weekend is “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, who competed against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 25, as well as former champion Nick Bockwinkel, former Four Horsmen manager J.J. Dillon, “Baron” Mikel Scicluna, Red Bastein, “The Destroyer” Dick Beyer, Colin Delaney of WWE and ECW fame, Johnny Rodz, Dick Woehrle and Pete Sanchez.
“‘Superfly’ always looks forward to the show, as do the ‘Wild Samoans’ Afa and Sika, George ‘The Animal’ Steele and Mae Young,” said Campione. “They have a great time every year, which is why they keep coming back. This is the kind of show promotions used to put on. It’s a family event where everyone can come together for a few hours and have fun. It’s wrestling how many people remember it.”
In addition to Friday night’s card, the annual Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Collector’s Convention will be held on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Best Value Inn, 10 Market St., Amsterdam. Wrestlers, promoters, vendors and publishers will be on hand to answer questions, sign autographs and sell memorabilia. The convention is free and open to the public.
“I always look forward to competing in front of my family and friends, and I hope a large contingent of people from the Mohawk Valley will come out and support me, as well as the other guys in the show,” said Campione. “I can’t wait to get in the ring.”
Wilbur H. Lynch Middle School is located at 55 Brandt Place. After getting off Thruway Exit 27, turn right on State Route 30 and then turn left onto State Route 5. From there, keep right onto West Main Street, turn right onto Guy Street, then turn left onto Guy Park Avenue before immediately turning right onto Brandt Place.
Tickets for the wrestling show are available at Campione Water at 405 S. Washington St., Herkimer.