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Pro Wrestlers Converge on Watauga High School Saturday in Benefit for 11-Year-Old Brady Bakken

By Paul T. Choate

Nov. 15, 2012. A star-studded lineup of professional wrestlers will battle it out on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Watauga High School in a benefit event to help Brady Bakken, an 11-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare type of cancer and one of the most aggressive cancers in the world, on January 27.

The event is being organized by April Smith, assistant track coach at Appalachian State University, and her husband Bob. April Smith’s sons go to school with Brady and she said she felt compelled to do something to help. Then she discovered Brady enjoyed watching wrestling. 

“Brady, like all 11-12 year old boys, loves wrestling,” she said.

Her husband recently started wrestling professionally himself under the stage name William “The Hammer” Roberts, so he talked to his promoter and the idea for a special event come to fruition.

In the main event Boone’s own Brad Attitude goes one-on-one with Ring of Honor’s Roderick Strong. This will be a homecoming for Attitude and no doubt the “brash and obnoxious” (as he is billed) Strong is looking to spoil it. These two have met many times in the past but never in Attitude’s hometown with his fan base behind him.

Another local, Boone area native and wrestling legend “Mr. Number One” George South will be squaring off against Al Snow. 

In other matches, Caleb Konley faces ROH World Television Champion Adam Cole for the PWX Championship. In the PWX Tag-Team Championship Corey Hollis and Chip Day face Jake Manning & Grizzly Redwood. In a star-studded tag-team match, Lodi and Hurricane Helms face off against Steven Walters and John Skyler. Cedric Alexander will take on Bobby Lashley in a match pitting the lightning fast strikes of Alexander against the raw power of Lashley. Lastly, in a special women’s match, Amy Love battles Amber O’Neal.

Tickets are on sale at Mellow Mushroom of Boone and available online at highspots.com. The ASU sorority Phi Mu will also be selling tickets this evening in the Plemmons Student Union from 5 to 7 p.m. and tomorrow in the student union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ringside seats are just $15 which includes a special event poster and early admission to meet and greet. General admission bleacher seats are $10.

For more information, call 828-719-0549.