Everyone’s heard of the WWE – World Wrestling Entertainment. But what about the WCPW? Or ZOWA?
Windy City Pro Wrestling and the Zen of Wrestling Academy are just two of the organizations scattered throughout the region that not only teach the art of wrestling – they put on shows, complete with the characters and drama you’d expect from “big time wrestling.” Premiere Pro Wrestling in Rockford is another great example of wrestling school/entertainment venues.
For this month’s Under Rocks podcast, we revisit a legendary event that took place five years ago in the back of a sandwich shop in Oregon, Ill. Our own Dan Libman stepped into the ring as “The Librarian,” a book-smart, crowd-shushing bad guy. Enjoy this classic piece of participation journalism where Dan hits the mats – hard! – for the listeners.
Then, Dan gets in touch with ZOWA’s Ryan Zschiesche to catch up with the wrestlers and see how the academy is doing these days.
And what about northern Illinois’ favorite heel, The Librarian? Will he come out of retirement to “Shhhhhh!” a new generation of wrestlers?
Thanks to Ryan Zschiesche, Stephen Wolf, Laynie Luck, Savanna Stone, Lowlife Christian Rose, and The Librarian. Spencer Tritt recorded the original story and Dan Klefstad mixed it.
Got a favorite local wrestling scene? Tell us about it! Or maybe you’ve got an only-in-northern-Illinois story you think would make the next great episode of Under Rocks. Send your ideas to rocks@niu.edu. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Under Rocks is produced by WNIJ at Northern Illinois University. New shows drop every third Thursday!
