The marquee outside the Knights of Columbus Hall in West Allis whispers more than it shouts, in modestly small red LED lights: “Brew City Wrestling. Bell 7:30PM.” A kindly older woman collects the $17 general admission entry fee from early arrivers, most of them clad in jeans and T-shirts. A night at the opera, this is not. An air of excitement swirls as the increasingly anxious crowd, made up mostly of men, young and old, files into the single- story concrete building that long has been a mecca for local professional wrestling. Many are toting antsy young kids. A few bring dates.
Just beyond the ticket-taker in the main hall is the square ring framed on each side by the familiar three ropes, where several men in spandex bun-huggers and knee-high lace-ups get limber and work their way into character. Their stomps, slams and grunts reverberate through the building.