• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Handsome Jimmy Valiant to highlight wrestling card in Horse Cave tonight

Posted: Feb 14th 2016 By: Scott Wilson

That?s the signature motto of legendary professional wrestler Jimmy Valiant, who will be part of the wrestling card tonight at Caverna High School in Horse Cave.

Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW) will be putting on an event at CHS as a fundraiser for the school?s athletic department.

?I am so excited to be a part of the show in Horse Cave,? said Valiant by phone from his home in Shawsville, Va. ?I am looking forward to meeting the fans and hugging some necks and taking pictures. I have been, literally, around the world and I know the greatest wrestling fans in the world are in the south.?

The event will begin tonight at 6 p.m. with a Meet and Greet ceremony for fans to talk and take pictures with the wrestlers. The first match of the night will be at 8 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.

Some of the matches on the card include: Chase Stevens versus Stan Sierra in a Grudge Match, Vic ?The Bruiser? will be in a singles contest and Sin-D, the women?s champion, will also be competing.

Valiant and his son, Gary, will wrestle a ?mystery team,? with the main event of the evening being a three-way title match between Jeff ?Bonecrusher? Crowe, Justin Sane and ?The Prodigy? Jon Roc.

At 73 years of age, Valiant said he still loves what he does. In preparation for tonight?s match, he left Virginia at 3 a.m. this morning to drive to Nashville to pick up his son. Then, they will drive to Caverna High School for the 6 p.m. event.

?I have been lacing up my boots for 51 years,? Valiant explained. ?I have had over 10,000 matches and I have traveled over four million miles. No one would believe, at my age, what I go through to do what I love. But God has taken very good care of me and I want to be a goodwill ambassador for wrestling because it has been so good to me. I just want to do something to give back.?

Valiant and his wife, Angel, give back in a big way these days. The legendary wrestler spends most of his time running Boogie?s Wrestling Camp in Shawsville for aspiring professional wrestlers. It could be Valiant?s biggest passion.

?I got started in the business right out of high school. I was working at a health club and the owner was a former wrestler. He told me I should get involved and agreed to take me under his wing,? Valiant said. ?It was the only way, back then, to make it.?

Valiant said he came up through the ranks working with wrestling icons like Dick ?The Bruiser,? and ?The Sheik.?

?I tell the kids if you get in that ring, I feel for you. I have been there and I know what you go through, and I want to help. I?ve had my time. Now, it is their time.?

Valiant said he knows he is very lucky to still be able to get around and perform at such a high level, considering the physicality he put his body through for so many years.

He said he?s broken all of his fingers at least once, and has broken his nose seven times.

?God has blessed me because I have had no major surgeries,? the wrestler said. ?During my career, I was around 230, 240 pounds. But I am older now and I have slimmed down.

?The length of your career in wrestling is up to the individual. Ivan Koloff, God bless him, he can hardly move now. Ole Anderson is in a wheelchair. They?re both big guys.

?(I believe) if you want to see your grandchildren, or even your great grandchildren, you?ve got to take care of yourself.?

Valiant?s career has included time in the United States Wrestling Association, the World Wide Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling and even the World Wrestling Federation, currently known as the WWE.

Valiant likes what he sees.

?Wrestling has changed a lot. I flew on the jets, went to Japan five times. We were in the big time, but now I am back to where I started,? Valiant explained. ?I am back to driving 600 miles, wrestling and then driving another 600 miles the next day. These are my roots.

?I think we did more wrestling back when I started in the 1960s. But in the 1970s, they started coming off the ropes. Wrestling is always changing and you have to keep up. I take my hat off to all the WWE superstars today. They?re amazing.?

When asked if he would still be climbing in the ring when he?s 80, Valiant just laughed.

?I will know when it is over because the promoters will stop calling me,? he said. ?But I have already told them if that day comes, I will sweep the floors, take the tickets, sell the popcorn. I will do whatever they want me to do.

?I just want to be a part of what?s going on. As long as they will have me, I will keep doing it.?