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Wrestlers Face Off For A Good Cause

Posted: Apr 14th 2008 By: CMBurnham

The Suffern Football Touchdown Club's sixth annual Night of Professional Wrestling brought local fans of all ages to watch some of the business' most accomplished wrestlers face off in the squared circle.

The money generated will go to the Touchdown Club as well as the Rockland County Challenger Baseball League, a division of Little League that helps mentally and physically challenged children enjoy the game of baseball in an environment structured to their abilities.

The main event was a six-man tag-team match pitting Team USA vs. Team Russia.

One of Team Russia's members was WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkov, and Team USA had a WWE Hall of Famer of its own - Sgt. Slaughter, the 28-year pro who brought the fans to their feet and ignited chants of "USA, USA."

"I grew up watching Sgt. Slaughter. I used to go to (Madison Square) Garden at least once a month with my dad to see him," said Scott Wright, a Suffern Middle School teacher who also wrestled on the card with the East Coast Professional Wrestling group under the stage name of Scotty Charisma.

"To be wrestling on the same card as Sgt. Slaughter now is just so cool."

Sgt. Slaughter stole the show with his presence and also finished off the match with the old faithful, the cobra clutch, a sleeper hold that gave the victory to Team USA.

"It was a great crowd. There was a lot of people here wanting to see the legends," said Slaughter, who still works for the WWE as a road agent and talent scout. "I still get up for the events. My blood pressure still gets up there. Before tonight's match I had to go upstairs and work out a bit to calm my nerves."

Some of the younger fans still appreciated seeing the legends such as Sgt. Slaughter but also connecting more with modern wrestlers such as Scottie 2 Hotty, who was in the second match.

"I've been following wrestling since (I was) 7," said Mike Krutchick, a 17-year old junior from Suffern. "It was cool to see all the old guys come out. It brought back a lot of memories. Even the new guys like my favorite, Scottie 2 Hotty."

No matter their age, everyone in attendance had a fun time.

"There are second and third generations that come out and watch,'' Sgt. Slaughter said. "I've had grandfathers come up to me with their grandsons and tell them I was their daddy's hero, which is why I try to do as many events as I can and just give back."

The event was organized by Sam and Vicki Goldstein, Phil Tisi, Scott Wright, Lisa Warren, Sue Giella, Bill Devaney, Jeff Parrot, Kathy Masilotti, Elaine Acocella, Sue Aviles and Tami and Frank Cataldo.

"Every year, we've been raising money for the club and each year we pick a different local charity or organization to donate to, and this year we chose the Rockland County Challenger Baseball League," Tisi said. "We had about 1,000 people here, and everyone is here having fun and it's for a great cause."

Tags: WWE, Nikolai Volkoff, Sgt. Slaughter, Scott Wright