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Professional wrestler's the special attraction

Posted: Jan 3rd 2011 By: mikeiles

The renowned Honky Tonk Man will visit Maine for a tag-team match on Friday.

FAIRFIELD - If you knew anything about professional wrestling in the late 1980s, you knew the Honky Tonk Man.

In his heyday, the Honky Tonk Man, whose real name is Wayne Farris, was nearly as recognizable as Hulk Hogan and Macho Man "Randy" Savage.

On June 2, 1987, Honky -- as he's known by fans -- pinned Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat to become the Intercontinental Champion of what was then the World Wrestling Federation, now called World Wrestling Entertainment.

He held the title for 64 weeks -- a record that's yet to be broken.

On Friday, Honky will team up with "Mass Appeal" Jay Jaillet in the special attraction tag-team match of the 3rd Annual Al Biondi Memorial Tournament at the Fairfield Community Center.

"I can't wait for this show coming up. He's one of the legends," said Joey Gleitz, a referee for Independent Wrestling Entertainment, the company that puts on the tournament.

Known for his Elvis-inspired hairdo, sequined jumpsuits and southern twang, the Honky Tonk Man, in his heyday, was nearly as recognizable as Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

"Pretty much everybody knows who he is," said Gleitz.

Honky, whose real name is Wayne Farris, couldn't be reached for comment.

He was a special guest at the tournament two years ago, said Eric Johnson, the event's promoter. Johnson, who's also a wrestler, said he had a chance to hear Honky talk about his old rivals, his greatest matches and his trips to Mexico and Puerto Rico to wrestle.

"Standing there listening to a guy you used to watch on TV tell all those stories just gives you that warm feeling," Johnson said.

Wrestling as "Jimmy Capone," Johnson and his teammate Sonny Roselli will take on Honky and Jaillet in the tag-team match.

Though the Honky Tonk Man will be the event's biggest draw, his match isn't the main purpose of the show. The tournament's champion will be determined Friday, in the final-round match between John "The Bomb" Bryer and Johnathan Alexander Primer. The preliminary rounds of the tournament were in December.

Primer, a 27-year-old from Bangor, said he's met Honky before, but he's nervous about competing in front of one of his childhood heroes.

"I'm still kind of starstruck. I had a dream as a kid of being a professional wrestler, watching him on TV. Now that I get to share a locker room with him is amazing," Primer said.

Like Primer's wrestling persona, the Honky Tonk Man has a big ego, Primer said. Honky's routine is to enter the wrestling ring, belting out his theme song.

"I'm just a honky tonk man. I'm cool, I'm cocky, I'm bad," he sings.

His signature move is to finish his opponent by smashing a guitar over his head or back.

Despite his arrogance, Honky is considered a "good guy" in the wrestling world, where every fighter is characterized as either a hero -- called a face or babyface -- or villain, called a heel. Most matches pit a face against a heel, and the relative popularity of the two fighters usually determines who will win the match, Johnson explained.

A lot of athleticism goes into the sport, too, Johnson said. Training sessions include calisthenics and stretching to build muscle tone. Being able to execute a body slam or hip toss takes practice, he said.

But in the end, it's a wrestler's showmanship that earns him fans. And fans come out to see their favorite fighter win. However, Johnson said, sometimes the unexpected happens.

"Not everything is predetermined. It's still a sport. If you knew the ending of a movie, would you go see the movie?" he said.

Though the Honky Tonk Man will be the clear favorite Friday, Johnson wouldn't say if the wrestling legend would inevitably win.

But he's fought Honky before, and, imitating his twang, Johnson said, "Honky Tonk Man don't lose."

Tags: Honky Tonk Man, WWF, WWE

Supplemental Information

Spotlight in History

1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title

Week of Sun 10-18 to Sat: 10-24

10-18 2009 Carnage def. Spoiler 2000 for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
10-18 2019 Tego def. Prince Mahalli for the ASP Inter-County Title
10-18 2019 Will Allday def. J. D. Griffey for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
10-18 2024 Luther Zay Diamond def. Brandon Warhawk for the MajCW Flawless Title
10-18 2024 Nashoba became the MajCW Wetumka Indian Community Centre Champion
10-18 2024 Auzzy def. Kari Wright for the TexPro Dynasty Title
10-18 2024 The Strays (Barrett Brown & Izzy James) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the TexPro Tag Team Titles
10-19 1976 Karl Kox & Ken Patera became the TSW United States Tag Team Champions
10-19 2013 Tyson Jaymes def. Brock Landers for the SWCW All-American Title
10-19 2013 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) def. Nasty Swag (Ace Archuleta & Robert Lee) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
10-19 2013 Jon Cross def. Anarchy [2nd] for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-19 2014 Jon Cross def. Robert Lee for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
10-19 2019 Luke Langley became the WFC Hometown Heroes Champion
10-19 2024 Anarchy [2nd] def. Damien Morte for the EPW Internet Television Title
10-19 2024 E-Bone def. Trench Blythe for the EPW International Title
10-20 1969 Danny Hodge def. Chuck Karbo for the TSW North American Title
10-20 1971 Bill Watts became the TSW North American Champion
10-20 1986 Crusher Yurkov def. Steve Simpson for the WCCW Television Title
10-20 2001 The Texas Outlaws (Beau Dalton & Butch Dalton) def. The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
10-20 2001 Amanda St. George became the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
10-20 2001 Big Daddy Moore became the OPW Oklahoma Hardcore Champion
10-20 2007 Chris Fury became the SECW Light Heavyweight Champion
10-20 2007 Impact, Inc. (John Zorthos & Bernie Donderwitz) def. Team Shenanigans (Tyler Bateman & Kenny Campbell) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
10-20 2007 Tyson Armstrong became the SECW Heavyweight Champion
10-20 2007 The Texas Outlaws (Bobby Burns & Dan Wilder) became the SECW Tag Team Champions
10-20 2012 Kevin James Sanchez def. Austin Tacious for the SWCW All-American Title
10-20 2012 The Static Knights (X-Statik & Keith Knight) def. Dynamic Storm (Justin Dynamic & Daemon Storm) for the UWE Tag Team Titles
10-20 2018 Fuel def. Alex Royal for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-20 2018 Galaxy Cruzers (Paul Puertorico & Steven Cruze) became the UWE Tag Team Champions
10-20 2018 Dusty Gold became the UWE Apex Champion
10-20 2018 Anarchy [2nd] def. Dusty Gold for the UWE Apex Title
10-21 1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
10-21 1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
10-21 2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
10-21 2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
10-21 2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
10-21 2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
10-21 2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
10-21 2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
10-21 2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
10-21 2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
10-21 2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
10-21 2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title
10-22 1984 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) def. The Long Riders (Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
10-22 2005 Big Van Vader def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
10-22 2005 Carnage def. John O'Malley for the IZW Hardcore Title
10-22 2005 Ryan Davidson became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
10-22 2005 The Lone Shining Star def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Tri-State Title
10-22 2005 Michael Faith def. Outlaw for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
10-22 2005 The Real Impact Players (Aaron Neil & Se7en) def. The Red Dirt Outlaws (Devon Monroe & Kevin James) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
10-22 2011 Fuel def. Jonathan Cross for the UWE Heavyweight Title
10-22 2022 Justin Lee def. Koko for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
10-22 2022 Dutch Hagen def. Wesley Crane for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-22 2023 Tunnel Vision (Derek James & Logan Knight) became the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
10-22 2023 Luke Richmond def. Brandon Groom for the BPW Oklahoma Title
10-22 2023 Trench Blythe def. El Gallardo for the BPW Lion Heart Title
10-22 2023 The Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) def. Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
10-23 1965 Lee Fields & Bobby Fields became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
10-23 1967 Spoiler #1 & Gary Hart def. Brute Bernard & Mike Paidousis for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
10-23 1968 Manuel Perez & Pepe Perez def. The Blue Demons (Blue Demon #1 & Blue Demon #2) for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
10-23 1988 Jerry Lawler def. Kerry Von Erich for the WCCW World Title
10-23 2003 Payton Scott def. Chris Matthews for the ACW Heavyweight Title
10-23 2005 Matt Garza & Mr. Brown def. Brandon Bishop & John Zorthos for the ACW Tag Team Titles
10-23 2005 Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) def. Matt Garza & Mr. Brown for the ACW Tag Team Titles
10-23 2011 Javi Hernandez became the UWF06 Heavyweight Champion
10-23 2015 Vinny Pacheco def. Buster Cherry for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
10-23 2015 The Creepsters (Buster Cherry & Mr. Barnes) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
10-23 2021 Richie Adams def. Tommy Dean for the WFC Prime Title
10-23 2021 Toxic Masculinity (Johnny Lightning & Johnny Dynamite) def. The Space Age Cowboys (Paul Puertorico & Jason Jones) for the WFC Tag Team Titles
10-23 2021 Luke Langley def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-24 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. Chris Adams for the WCCW Television Title
10-24 1998 The VIP Crew (Rocco Valentino & Vinnie Valentino) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
10-24 2004 Se7en def. John O'Malley for the ACW Hardcore Title
10-24 2009 Xavior became the SWCW Cruiserweight Champion
10-24 2009 Dawn of Extreme (Ty Thunder & Crucifer) def. Texas, Inc. (Tim Rockwell & Bernard Funk) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
10-24 2009 The South Side Soul Assassins (Tyson Jaymes & 3rd Rail) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
10-24 2009 The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) became the SWCW Tag Team Champions
10-24 2009 Rated N (Crisstopher Crow & Shane Sanchez) def. The Good Ol' Boys (Bud Barnes & Moonshine) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
10-24 2020 Sam Stackhouse def. Alex Royal for the WFC Heavyweight Title
10-24 2021 Ryan the Ripper def. Drake Gallows for the EPW Internet Television Title
10-24 2025 Merc def. Riker for the BUW This Is Wrestling Title

10-21

Devan Scott Oct 21st Today!
Bushwacker Butch Oct 21st Today!
Tom Jones Oct 22nd
Porkchop Cash Oct 22nd
George Knight Oct 22nd
Red Eagle Oct 23rd
Bobby Lambert Oct 24th
Bill Dundee Oct 24th
Ray Durán Oct 24th
Daniel Powers Oct 24th
Phil Shark Oct 25th
Sheriff Schultz Oct 25th
Paige Turner Oct 25th
Double D Oct 25th
Halo Oct 26th
Eddie Williams Oct 26th
Anthony Wayne Oct 26th
Troy Graham Oct 26th
Miss Linda Oct 27th
AWOL Oct 27th
Doberman [2nd] Oct 27th
MVP Oct 28th
Jake Boulder Oct 28th
Mike Sharpe, Jr. Oct 28th
Chris Smith Oct 28th
D. J. Hall Oct 29th
Paul Orndorff Oct 29th
Mischief Oct 29th
Jesse Beeler Oct 30th
Debbie Combs Oct 30th
Brandon Bishop Oct 30th
George Wells Oct 30th
Danny McShain Oct 30th
Jayson Boss Oct 31st
Big Daddy Moore Nov 1st
Dutch Hagen Nov 1st
Bugsy McGraw Nov 1st
Mike Davis [2nd] Nov 2nd
Rob Barnes Nov 3rd
Kenny Silva Nov 3rd
Dylan Michaels Nov 3rd
Stephen Nitro Nov 3rd
Michael La Noy Nov 3rd
Korstia Korchenko Nov 3rd

1969 Fritz Von Erich became the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
1985 King Parsons def. John Tatum for the WCCW Television Title
2005 Mitch Carter def. Kenny Campbell for the SRPW X Division Title
2006 J. T. LaMotta def. John O'Malley for the IZW Cruiserweight Title
2017 MVP def. Damon Windsor for the IWR Heavyweight Title
2017 Spirit Squad (Kenny [1st] & Mikey [1st]) def. Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
2022 Tego def. Mr. Wobble for the TexPro Texas Title
2023 Wolf of War def. Martin Justice for the EPW International Title
2023 Johnny Dynamite def. Johnny Lightning for the WFC Prime Title
2023 Native Law (Sheriff Schultz & Nashoba) def. K. O. A. (Caine Carter & Devion Black) for the NCWO Tag Team Titles
2023 Malik Mayfield def. Clayton Bloodstone for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
2023 Dominik Whiteheart def. Luke Richmond for the NCWO United States Title

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