COURTESY PHOTO
Bret Hart (left) will make an appearance at St. Michael’s Hall in Lynn, while Carlito Colon will battle for the BTW Title against Flex Armstrong.
By HAROLD RIVERA
North Shore wrestling fans will have a chance to catch some top-notch action in the ring tonight when BTW Pro Wrestling comes to Lynn. Big Time Wrestling will host an action-packed event at St. Michael’s Hall in Lynn, featuring an appearance from former professional star Bret Hart.
Hart, who was inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2006, has been with BTW since 2007. Fans who attend tonight’s event will have a chance to take part in a meet and greet with Hart and the other wrestling stars who’ll be joining him.
BTW co-owner Stephen Perkins said the opportunity to meet Hart is a special one for any wrestling fan.
“Bret’s a major deal,” said Perkins, who has been with BTW since 2005. “He’s been with us since 2007. He usually makes seven or eight appearances every year for us. We’ll be in Poughkeepsie, New York on Saturday and Connecticut on Sunday, so the way our tour worked out allowed us to bring him to Lynn on Friday. Lynn’s a staple for us, so this is a big deal.”
Joining Hart in Friday’s slate of action is another professional star in Carlito Colon, the former BTW champion. Colon, who hails from Puerto Rico, will take the ring against Flex Armstrong, a Billerica native, in a BTW title rematch.
“To the Puerto Rican population, Carlito’s a big deal,” Perkins said. “ His father (Carlos Colon Sr.) is a huge deal. The Colon family controls wrestling in Puerto Rico, they’re icons.”
BTW has been coming to Lynn since 2005, and usually brings its stars to St. Michael’s Hall twice a year. Lynn has hosted wrestling events since they took place at the old Manning Bowl. The city’s history with wrestling makes Lynn an ideal location for BTW.
“The city has a really good history with wrestling, dating back to shows in the 1980s at Manning Bowl,” Perkins said. “Lynn is a really good city for this.”
Since coming to Lynn 12 years ago, BTW has established a strong fanbase, which is one of its biggest goals.
“We like to establish our towns,” Perkins said. “It makes it easier to establish our fanbases. We always make sure Lynn is on our schedule a couple times a year. The fanbase really appreciates it.”
Thus far, the reaction from fans to tonight’s event has been a historic one for the organization.
“This has been our largest (ticket) presale (in Lynn) ever,” Perkins said. “We’ve had the place at capacity before. Our thrill is drawing a big house, not just about making money, but knowing that you can provide an experience that people won’t ever forget. That’s what we’re doing in Lynn on Friday.”
The event begins with a meet and greet that kicks off at 6 p.m., while the first match of the night begins at 8. Perkins advises fans to arrive at the venue early, as BTW is expecting roughly 200 fans to participate in the meet and greet with Hart.
“The event has a meet and greet beforehand,” Perkins said. “Big shows don’t offer that. It’s a big deal to meet Bret Hart. We expect him to meet 200 people before the show, and we expect the show to sell out.”
Tickets for Friday’s action will be available online on BTW’s website until 3 p.m. They will also be sold at Brother’s Deli and Cal’s News Store. General admission tickets can be purchased at the door.
“Fans will be close to the action, not at the back of a balcony,” Perkins said. “It’s really a different atmosphere. It’s something you need to see. At TD Garden there’s very little interaction. At our events, we’re interacting with the fans. They’re the most important people in the building.”
