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Family of late local entertainer files lawsuit following death at staged wrestling event

Posted: Aug 17th 2019 By: Peyton Yager

Two years after he died in an illegal underground wrestling match at a metro bar, the family of 25-year-old William Ogletree says they’re going to court.

He died of a brain injury while performing a maneuver called the “spine buster” at the Blue Note Lounge.

“I’m not better,” Alex Sanchez said. “It doesn’t go away.”

Friends of William Ogletree are still longing to share one last laugh with him.

The 25-year-old died from a brain injury during an underground wrestling match at the Blue Note Lounge in 2017.

Two years after his death, Ogletree’s family is now asking three different organizations to pay up in a newly filed lawsuit.

Ogletree was a musician turned comedian turned amateur wrestler.

In fact, this was his first time in the ring.

“Since it’s fake you can have a lot of fun with it,” Sanchez said.

But this night at the “Battle of Legends” was no running joke.

The event was put on by B.L.O.W., known as Balthazar’s Ladies of Wrestling.

According to police, Ogletree and one of the wrestlers were doing the “spine buster” move when he landed horribly wrong going into an instant coma.

He died days later when the family made the gut-wrenching decision to take him off life support.

Two years later friends are still trying to cope.

"I don't know if it seems real just yet,” Spencer Hicks said.

The lawsuit claims the event was “unreasonably dangerous” and that the organizers “failed to gain any required licensing, sanction or oversight by the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission” who later confirmed the match was illegal.

The lawsuit also says “The Blue Notes took no steps to ensure the event was in compliance” and named the limited liability company, Wild Rumpus, LLC, for negligence.

The family is now asking each organizer to pay $75,000.

"I don't see how money or a lawsuit or dragging it out can help anyway,” Hicks said.

News 4 reached out to all three organizers named in the lawsuit and didn’t return our request for comment.

Ogletree’s family and lawyers did not want to comment.