READY TO RUMBLE: Summer Heat brings pro-wrestling fans to Ocoee

West Orange Times & Observer
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RANDY WENTWORTH

Age: 23
How did you choose your nickname: I just wanted something that fit me and had a nice ring to it. I like to shorten it to “The Boujee Brawler” from time to time because that’s who I really am, high class but still down to throw hands and get down and dirty to get the win.
Years pro-wrestling: I first started training for pro-wrestling in 2018 and haven’t stopped since.
How you got into pro-wrestling: I loved wrestling as a kid, but stopped watching because it became “lame” as I was growing up through middle and high school. I then focused on going to school to be a doctor. … While at college, I re-found my passion for wrestling and couldn’t ignore it. That’s when I decided to drop everything and at least give this wrestling thing the ole college try instead of college.
Broken noses: No broken noses or … anything.
Concussions: I’ve had a couple of concussions, (none during a match).
Worst injury: I’m more of a wrestler that capitalized on opportunity to get wins rather than brutally damage my opponent. To me, it’s more of a chess match where I’m the only one who bends the rules.
Won matches: I do know is that I’m undefeated
Who do you hope to defeat tomorrow? I’m going to keep that streak alive when I defeat the entire local pro-wrestling roster. Then everyone will know what it’s like to #WinWithWentworth.

Ocoee is getting ready to rumble.

The city is welcoming local pro-wrestling fighters for its Summer Heat event Friday, July 22, at the Jim Beech Recreation Center.

Former pro-wrestler and promoter Les Allier and a friend, Eric Holingsworth, came up with the name of the event in 2019.

“We do a family-friendly show where everyone can come out for two hours,” Allier said. “Once you walk into the building, for those two hours or so, everything outside that building doesn’t matter. Everyone is escaping the reality that they need to get away from. They get lost into a live event.”

The idea of hosting the event came after Allier — who fought under the name Bonez The Cutthroat from 1999 to 2007 — realized he wanted to start running shows again after taking a 15-year sabbatical after the birth of his daughter.

Summer Heat will start with a Battle Royal, where about 20 contestants will fight with everything they’ve got to become the last two men standing. The two will face each other to determine who will be crowned the first local pro-wrestler champion.

According to Allier, wrestling provides “an outlet to get energy out, to be boisterous. … If I’m not 100% me, wrestling gives me the ability to be me 150%. … It’s about (controlling) the environment that you are in, being the center point and, I guess, having all eyes on you, to be able to express myself freely as a wrestler.”

The show has been three years in the making. First, it was hosted in Clermont, where it attracted about 150 people. Then, it was moved to Groveland, but that event was canceled because of COVID-19.

“I was itching to put out a show,” Allier said.

After things began to open up, he spoke to staff at Stormy Hill Harvey-Davidson to host a free event on Halloween.

“The way I was thinking was, the kids weren’t going to have a Halloween,” he said. “So we ended up putting an event 100% free with food trucks, vendors, and then we did a wrestling show as well.”

That event attracted around 1,000 people.

After that, Allier hosted a fundraising event to support veterans that raised more than $5,000. This year, he decided to move the event to a bigger venue, and the Jim Beech Recreation Center was chosen.

author

Andrea Mujica

Staff writer Andrea Mujica covers sports, news and features. She holds both a bachelor's degree in journalism and an MBA from the University of Central Florida. When she’s not on the sidelines, you can find Andrea coaching rowers at the Orlando Area Rowing Society in Windermere.