From Jeff Richards: CHARLOTTE -- The seventh incarnation of Charlotte's biggest wrestling convention, began this year on Wednesday July...
From Jeff Richards:
CHARLOTTE -- The seventh incarnation of Charlotte's biggest wrestling convention, began this year on Wednesday July 22nd and carried through Sunday July 26th. Each year, there are praises and complaints, cheers & jeers on what should have happened, could have happened, etc. However, the University Hilton is always a hospitable but often miniscule event center/venue.
This go round, I decided to attend three of the five days. Scouring for tidbits of information, making conversations with legends past and future seemed the way to go. There were a lot of new names involved with "Rumble @ the Hilton," The Gathering's annual indy show. T-Mart Promotions occasionally likes to one-up itself from previous shows, and the convention brought in some big names for autograph hounds. The hotel's air conditioning worked wonders in some spaces.
There's not enough space to list each individual worker/celebrity/guest. Needless to say, Tmart brings in international names (i.e. Jushin Liger, Juventud Guerrera, Jinsei Shinzaki) and more recognizable ones from Jim Crockett days. Even the head of WCW security, Doug Dellinger, made an appearance.
The fans who attend also make the convention. Whether they are masked, robed, sequined or otherwise, the attendees arrive to reminisce, show out, and occasionally get drunk. Lots more smaller/younger fans were attending this session with mom and dad. That's good to see. Let's get into some of this campaign's stories.....
Manny Fernandez' vehicle was one of six broken into on Thursday night. The Hilton is now requiring guests to register/pay in advance for overnight visits. The "Raging Bull" recalled his arrest in Hickory, NC in November 1988 for an altercation with a paid spectator.... Erik Watts erroneously reported that his father Bill gave the Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) their start in the business. Ole Anderson must have been rolling around in his grave during that speech... Lex Luger was one of many who commented on the loss of veteran worker Chuck Coates. Coates worked as the Russian Assassin versus Luger one night in Galax, VA. Also expressing sympathies for a fallen friend were David Isley, Chris Hamrick, Tony Hunter and Matt Hardy... It would be hard to argue that the Hardy Boys were not the main attraction. Fans lined up for Friday evening's "Hardy Party" ($50) which saw Matt answer questions and Jeff perform with guitarist Jerry Massengill... Hunter has added NASCAR dignitaries like Richard Petty to his steady stream of wrestling legends... Isley, who often worked as Thunderfoot II versus Coates, displayed double knee surgery scars since leaving the business... Stan Hansen has lost all hearing in his right ear but was proud to announce that his biography, "The Last Outlaw," is still in print (in both English and Japanese)... Kane (Glenn Jacobs) has enjoyed his appearance bookings through Hunter and soon will be finishing up his final term as the mayor of Knoxville, TN... Liger was impressed that an eight hour DVD of some of his earliest bouts is still for purchase on highspots.com. He is understanding English much better than his U.S. arrival in 1991, but Liger rarely speaks any English... Psicosis (Dianicio Castellanos) was walking around the Hilton with a crutch. At 55, his most recent gimmick was Nicho El Millonario. He did appear in photographs with his Psicosis mask, but Guerrera was displaying his handsome unmasked looks... Brock Anderson is hopeful for a return to TNA Wrestling. He and his partner CW Anderson had been brought into TNA by Tommy Dreamer (December 2025). Even with Dreamer departing TNA, Brock would not mind a return visit and longer stint... Speaking of TNA, John Skyler mentioned his contract is coming up in a "few months." He is hoping that his body of work in "The Great Hands" will afford him another contract renewal... Stan Lee did not have the late Olivia Walker make any of his 15 ring robes. He used a costumer in the Myrtle Beach area and only had one stolen in his illustrious career... Savannah Evans is looking forward to the initial show for QC Pro Wrestling in Matthews, NC on October 24th. Earlier this month, Evans captured the Old School Championship Wrestling Women's Title in SC and also holds the DCW and VPW Championships as well... Promoters/managers in attendance included Thomas Simpson, Dave Wills and John Collins to name just a few. Collins is planning a Super Star Wars show for Gastonia Ashbrook High School on Saturday, October 3rd. If all goes well, Collins could run an outdoor show @ Ashbrook in the summer of 2027... Now, let's look at results from "Rumble @ the Hilton"...
Bam Bam Bundy won the Tmart Championship in a three-way involving JCW's Caleb Konley and the defending titleholder Court Montgomery... In the night's best bout, Skyler pinned "Psycho Boy" Fodder. Angelina Love, as always, was watching her husband (Fodder) from the doorway... Even though a bell never rang to start the match, Mustafa (Saed) decimated Luke Fury and Pony Johnson, as Shane Douglas sold in a corner. Lots of problems here: Fury and Johnson had worked the opener as babyface and heel. Now they're teaming together? This all started as George South Sr. was warming up the crowd when Douglas' music began playing. Dressed all in black, Douglas sauntered to the ring with eye candy Francine. After several moments of squabbling, South ordered reinforcements from the back to attack. Francine said "The Franchise" had his own help(er). Post-match: Douglas paid tribute to Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido, watching on from heaven... BMI (Big Money Inc.) defeated Amish Country in a clustermess. AC should have left its live chicken @ ringside for comic relief. If there was a Mt Rushmore for greenhorns, David Ali would be one of them. Empty KFC buckets were used as props... Sam Houston returned to the ring in Charlotte's University Ballroom for the first time since 2024. He submitted Keith Mac with a reverse figure-four leglock. Hey, Mac, Willie Mack just called and wanted his gimmick back... Ray Bruce unjustly upset Danny Dollar... Fury accompanied by Hall of Famer Leilani Kei stunned "Carolina Dreamer" Johnson in the opener.
