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"The King" Will Wrestle Up Money For Streator Unlimited

Posted: Jul 26th 2009 By: CMBurnham

One of them is a Coca-Cola salesman and another works in retail. One is even a nurse.

These three men and others share one thing in common: they wrestle for Dreamwave Wrestling of La Salle.

Dreamwave is a wrestling company that made its debut in April and already, on Friday, July 31, at Streator High School, will put on its first fundraiser show, "Fighting For Our Friends."

The fundraiser is for Streator Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that has served the mentally and physically handicapped since 1965, said Jenny Preston, day service supervisor there.

Preston, a wrestling fan herself, said she contacted Dreamwave in May to talk about the possibility of putting on a fundraising event. The two figured out a deal where 100 percent of the proceeds go toward Streator Unlimited. They also came up with a way to draw in more devoted wrestling fans.

According to Dreamwave CEO Jay Repsel, Jerry "The King" Lawler will be in the house to wrestle, as he will be this event's special guest wrestling legend.

"We always fly in a WWE legend or name to help draw people in," Repsel said. "We put a name out there to make it a little more serious about people coming out."

Some legends who have already made it to a Dreamwave show include the Honky Tonk Man, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Kamala.

Repsel said wrestlers on the Dreamwave roster are folks from all walks of life, including a nurse and a Coca-Cola salesman.

The fundraiser will feature a match between Lawler and Dreamwave wrestler Prince Mustafa Ali.

Lawler currently announces for World Wrestling Entertainment's Monday Night Raw program and was previously a wrestler, starting back in the 1970s, Repsel said. Dreamwave will also debut a new tournament for a new title ?the Alternative Title.

Dreamwave will also auction off a logo Lawler created for the event with those proceeds also going toward Streator Unlimited.

"He's here to help us out," Repsel said. "The exposure level he brings to the table, it's going to peak the most interest for the casual fans."

He also thinks Lawler's presence will help draw in more than one generation of wrestling fans, as he has been a highly recognizable wrestler and commentator for a number of years.

"Dad knows who he is and so do the kids," Repsel said. "The kids will come anyways, but it might get Dad off the couch."

The kids Repsel referred to are those anywhere from 4 years old up to high school. The Dreamwave brand of wrestling is more family-friendly, without blood or cussing typical of wrestling shows on TV today, which Repsel thinks is what makes it so successful toward the younger audience.

"We wanted to bring something back to safe and friendly," he said. "It's been unbelievable. It's been a humongous success."

The biggest crowd the wrestling group saw was about 550 people, a number Repsel said he would like to see doubled at the fundraiser show. It's so successful because those who like wrestling but can't afford to see the WWE often will like this, he said.

"I'll put our product up against anything the WWE is doing," he said.

Repsel said he was happy to help Streator Unlimited and thinks this is a win-win situation for both groups.

"It's good to be able to do something for a good organization in the community," he said. "Hopefully we'll gain some new fans out of it, too."

Preston said the funds raised for Streator Unlimited will help pay for supplies, activities, and community outings such as going to parks or local restaurants. She said that though this isn't the first fundraiser for the organization, it is the first of this magnitude, and she couldn't be happier with the way things have been going so far.

"Dreamwave has gone above and beyond to help me in any way possible and they have been very supportive in everything thus far," Preston said.

Repsel and Preston have discussed making this fundraiser an annual event, set to help Streator Unlimited each time.

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at www.dreamwavewrestling.com or at the door the night of the event. Lawler will be available for autographs and photos after the event.

Cutlines both provided: Jerry "The King" Lawler will appear at Dreamwave Wrestling's event, "Fighting For Our Friends" at Streator High School Friday, July 31. In addition to wrestling at the event, Lawler will auction off a logo he created for it, and will sign autographs after. Lawler is an announcer for the WWE and began wrestling in the 1970s.

Members of Dreamwave Wrestling. CEO Jay Repsel said a core group of about 12 to 15 wrestlers rotate each show to "keep things fresh." Jerry "The King" Lawler will be in house to wrestle Prince Mustafa Ali.

Tags: Jerry Lawler, The Honky Tonk Man, Kamala, WWE