Wrestling in the Paper

[Tyler Gadzinski]

Around Wisconsin people only seem to know about NWA Wisconsin, Mercury 1 Wrestling, and ACW. But, none of them were in this Friday's Post Crescent. FOWL Entertainment's Undisputed Champion Timothy Mecca was asked to conduct an interview with the Post Crescent. Now I know he's not the brightest guy in the world but we all love him.. here is a video blog from Post Crescent.. check it out. [url]http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/APC0803/306030002[/url] and here is the article Dan Powers wrote about Tim & FOWL. [QUOTE]Professional wrestling has a long and colorful history. For many, it brings back fun memories of the American Wrestling Association and stars like Verne Gagne, The Crusher and Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon. And who doesn’t remember Hulk Hogan of the World Wrestling Entertainment? For 26-year-old Timothy “Mecca” Loderbauer of Appleton, however, wrestling goes way beyond the fame and wealth collected by the colorful casts of the past and present. Timothy is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Fowl Entertainment Pro-Wrestling, and for him, it’s about hard work, pure entertainment and family. On a recent Monday, Timothy arrived with a few fellow wrestlers for an event at Skaters Edge in Grand Chute. It was obvious that these guys were here for the pure love of the sport. Unlike the WWE, show time starts with everyone assembling in the wrestling ring to collaborate. And yes, in this group, even the champ has to carry his own weight and pitch in. Heck, Timothy was like the foreman on a construction site. Guess that happens when you’re the big dog. It comes with the belt. “I don’t do it for the money. If I did it for the money, I don’t think I would enjoy it because I would be doing it for the wrong reason, ” Timothy says. “People always ask me why I do it. Because I love it, that’s one. Number two and the biggest reason is family. It’s like a second family when you all get together.” Second family, indeed. During the preparations for the event, the last wrestler arrives and there’s a light-hearted group hug before it’s time to get down to business. It’s like watching a bunch of buddies hanging out on a Saturday afternoon. They’re there because they want to be there. Just a bunch of regular, hard-working guys who share a love for a unique escape from the weekly 9 to 5. Backstage, the banter and antics elevate as Timothy and his friends prepare for their performance. Tonight’s show will include everything from masked characters such as the Latin Lover and Yellow Lightnin’ to charisma-invoked players like Platinum Rapper and L.A. Hollywood. But the main event belongs to “Mecca,” who waits patiently backstage. So, what type of crowd do we have tonight? A bit small, perhaps. Maybe even a little disappointing to some. But they really don’t seem to care that much. In fact, whether there are 20 or 200 people waiting for the show to begin, Timothy and the group are ready, willing and eager to get out there and perform. “I’m doing it for the people and I want the people to cheer and come out to our shows,” Timothy says. “It’s a good show and it’s cheap entertainment.” As the time for his match arrives, Timothy is backstage and is waiting to make his entrance. He says his personality doesn’t change when he’s in the ring. He just goes out there and does his thing because he’s been doing it for eight years and he feels like himself all of the time. But the Timothy backstage and the Timothy “Mecca” you see performing stretch the gamut of personalities. Maybe that’s what makes a great wrestler a great performer. The announcer, “Bizzo Blaze,” begins the introduction as the music begins to rock the house. And in an instant, Timothy bursts through the curtains and struts across the venue, championship belt in hand. He moves to the crowd and high-fives each fan he passes. He is on fire and at his best. “It feels good to walk out as the champion and it feels good to walk in as the champion. It feels really good,” he says. “It means a lot to me.” His opponent is “Damon Knight” and the match starts out with verbal antagonism and circling of the ring. Soon after, the first move is made and the chess match begins. Make no mistake, Timothy is a big guy. But in the ring, he’s quick and tough. The match goes back and forth, and at one point, he’s tossed from the ring. But as a true champion, he finds the inner strength to persevere. He digs deep. He even launches a barrage of high-flying moves that prove too much for his opponent. After about five or 10 minutes of non-stop action, Timothy pins his opponent in spectacular fashion to retain his title. He leaves the ring and fans with the same grandeur he entered with, and they love every moment of it. He even manages to give a kiss to his girlfriend, Allison Van Handel, before raising the belt in victory for the final moment of the night. “My girlfriend Ally, I believe she supports me 100 percent,” Timothy says. “She gets mad at me sometimes for doing stupid stuff, but you know, that’s what makes a good show, I guess.” Some people question the authenticity of professional wrestling. One thing for sure is that the bruises and injuries that Timothy and his crew receive are the real deal. And there’s no question that their passion and love for the sport is true. The best way to find out is to check out an upcoming show. But whatever you do, don’t tell Timothy that his sport is fake. He may just finish you off with his signature move … The Meccanizer. [/QUOTE]