A staple of the Columbus pro wrestling landscape is closing its doors after 22 years.
Promoter Jerry Wilson and Hoosier Pro Wrestling had planned to retire in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those plans. Wilson announced last week that HPW has put on its last show.
HPW has held its shows the first Saturday of each month for the past 21 years at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds. The organization usually filled much of the 250-seat facility, but with Gov. Eric Holcomb’s order to limit crowd sizes, Wilson did not think it was feasible to continue.
“That’s why we shut it down,” Wilson said. “Twenty-five percent at the Fairgrounds is 60 people. You have 20 wrestlers and the referees. You just couldn’t do it.”
For the past 16 summers, HPW has put on an outdoor show at J.D. Byrider and Aaron’s to garner food donations for Love Chapel, Salvation Army and Shiloh Baptist Church. Each fall for the past 16 years, HPW did a show for Firemen’s Cheer Fund, raising more than $50,000 in bicycles and toys.
“The fans at HPW are so giving,” Wilson said. “It breaks my heart that we’re not able to do it this year. The thing that really bothers me the most with shutting down is, we didn’t get to do a cheer fund show.”
HPW had about 25 wrestlers, roughly 20 of which were used per show.
Jillian Hall, who was known as “Mercedes,” wrestled with HPW and later became WWE Ladies Champion. Columbus native Jason Ayers started with HPW as a referee at age 16 and now is a referee in the WWE.
Wilson, who turned 68 on Saturday, sold the ring, music equipment, speakers and U-Haul truck that stored the ring.
“I’m pretty much going to retire,” Wilson said. “It gets tougher every year, with setting up the ring and tearing it down, and we were planning on giving it up in 2021.”
He looks back at HPW’s 22-year run as a successful and charitable one.
“It’s been a good thing,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of great fans who have provided a lot to the community. HPW wrestling was made to help the community, and we feel like we satisfied our goal. We helped the Cheer Fund, and we entertained our fans.”
