Wrestling Returns To Mercer County Fair And Horse Show Saturday, July 26
Samuel Warren
Herald Staff
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Many Harrodians recall the scenes at Pioneer Days in 2021, as Mr. Pectacular clobbered his opponent Luscious Lawrence, successfully defending his Ohio Valley Wrestling national heavyweight title at the bottom of the steps leading to Old Fort Harrod State Park. Prior to OVW’s performance at Pioneer Days, it has been nearly 20 years since Mercer County last hosted professional wrestling at an event. The Mercer County Fair and Horse Show attempted to host the United Wrestling Federation in 2012, but were unfortunately rained out. The return of wrestling to the fair marks the first ever performance by the United States Wrestling Federation (USWF) at the Mercer County Fairgrounds, and the first wrestling show at the fair since the early 2000’s.
USWF owner Jimmy Walls spent over 20 years in the ring, and made a name for himself throughout the 90’s and 2000s as “Rated X.” He has wrestled with just about every wrestling organization in Kentucky, but made a name for himself with a dominant run in the Mountain Wrestling Association, claiming the heavyweight title 19 separate times, more than any other wrestler to step in the ring at a MWA event. Even more than legends like Cousin Junior, a member of the Hillbillies in WWF, Dale “TNT” Mann, a Kentucky legend and many others. Walls has wrestled throughout Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee as well. Nowadays, USFW and Ultimate Championship Wrestling, which often show together, host performances at more fairs and festivals in Kentucky than any other organizations. Walls has dedicated most of his life to the sport he loves, and even after stepping out of the limelight, the Kentucky Wrestling Hall of Famer is just as passionate about putting on a show as he has ever been.
“It takes a wear and tear on your body, but I tell everyone that asks me, ‘would you do it all over again,’ heck yeah. I’m 58 years old now, but if I could still lace ‘em up I would,” said Walls. “Wrestling gets into your blood, and once it’s in your blood, it’s kind of like the mafia,” said Walls, who finds his calling in spreading the joy of wrestling to its dedicated fans.
“We enjoy bringing it to the kids; to see the kids light up when the guys come out, or when their favorite wins–just to watch the glow on their face is a deal,” said Walls, who aims to put on a family-friendly show each night, “but we can’t control the crowd, that’s a totally different subject,” he joked.
USFW boasts several veteran and up and coming wrestlers who know how to put on a show. Amazing Maria is currently a USFW Champion, features in WOW and is the women’s coordinator for OVW. It is not confirmed whether she will wrestle in Harrodsburg, but other top wrestlers like Marvelous Marcus Johnson, Chris Michaels, Masked Superstar, Ricky Morton, Kash Jackson, Reverend Ronnie Roberts and so many more may fill the card in Harrodsburg.
While in Harrodsburg, USFW Heavyweight Champion Stan Sierra is scheduled to battle with challenger Marty Clay. Sierra is one of the most successful wrestlers in Kentucky, and has been for quite some time. He has held the USFW Heavyweight Title for over two years, and previously held the belt at the Appalachian Mountain Wrestling for a modern-record of 1,238 days, a record which is only outnumbered by the great “TNT” Mann. Sierra has had a passion for wrestling from the moment he piledrived out of the womb. He was inspired by greats like Jerry “the King” Lawler and the Superstar Bill Dundee, but the wrestler he models his style off most is none other than the Mongolian Stomper–Archie Gouldie.
“When my dad would take me up to the armory, I was literally really scared of the guy, because he looked like he was gonna kill somebody the way he acted,” said Sierra. “I pattern a lot of my in-ring stuff after watching him. He’s a guy that doesn’t care, just shows up and whips ass,” said Sierra, who prides himself on being the bad guy each time he steps in the ring. Sierra has never been more motivated to defend his undisputed status than he will be at the Mercer County Fair and Horse Show, when he faces Clay, an uprising star who recently took Sierra’s heavyweight belt away in the AMW. Clay finally got the better of Sierra in April of this year and has successfully held onto his title belt since, but Stan isn’t worried about Clay’s challenge in the USWF.
MWA Heavyweight Champion and USWF Challenger Marty Clay plans to defeat Stan Sierra for the second time this year in Harrodsburg, on Saturday, July 26.
“I’ve whooped that kid up and down every corner of the state,” said Sierra. “I hate his guts and I can’t stand him.”
A dangerous tension remains between the two after Clay’s upset over Sierra, and Clay believes the belt will be his in both organizations, given Sierra doesn’t “cheat.”
“I’ve beaten Stan before, and ended the longest reign in modern Kentucky wrestling, and I know I can do it again whenever I need to…He’ll do anything and everything to walk away with a win,” said Clay, who is hoping for a fair shot at the title on Saturday, July 26. “If you can keep him from cheating, you’ve got him.”
