Downtown Milledgeville was full of cheers, arguments, loud crashing, and the roars of fans and wrestlers alike as over 200 people gathered to watch five rounds of wrestling hosted by Georgia Classic Wrestling. The event was present by Milledgeville Main Street’s First Friday program.
The bell rang at 6 p.m. with the introductory match of Mr. Milledgeville and Eddie Honcho. In a surprising twist, the majority of the crowd cheered for Eddie Honcho, who easily defeated Mr. Milledgeville leading to a rambunctious crowd calling for an encore and sitting on the edge of their seats for the following matches.
The initial match was followed by four more rounds of Dee Money versus Sweeper Jak Myles, Tyreke versus Benny Bacardi, Zach King versus Johnny Camo, and Bad Company versus Dead Man's Hand.
In each round, Sweeper Jak Myles pinned Dee Money, Benny Bacardi beat Tyreke, and Johnny Camo defeated Zach King.
The final match, Bad Company versus Dead Man's Hand, was a tag-team match between Jay Shaw and Chris Nelms against Chop Top and Jerry Nelms for the Georgia Tag Team Championship.
Though it was a tough match, Bad Company beat Dead Man’s Hand to win the championship.
“We told y'all that we’d walk away champions, and we made good on that promise,” Nelms shared on his personal Facebook pafe following the announcement of their win by Georgia Class Wrestling.
Alongside Wrestle-Mania, First Friday also hosted the debut of the Allied Arts’ September art exhibits, the Milly Market, and multiple vendors who lined the street leading to the wrestling ring.
And moving on from First Friday, Georgia College partnered to host a three-day slate of “ThunderMania” highlighting GCSU’s volleyball and concluding in a concert by Ashes on its West Campus and a fireworks show Sunday evening.
Friday’s highlights included Delta Zeta at Georgia College hosting a “Taste of Milledgeville” to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation and sampling out some of Milledgeville’s “favorite local flavors,” according to Milledgeville Main Street Executive Director Carlee Schulte.
Then, the main “ThunderMania” event was held at GCSU’s Centennial Center on Saturday including a boxing inflatable, “The Prez” versus Thunder photo ops, food trucks, a costume contest, a make-your-own trucker hat and street signs craft, college football on the big screen, and a cornhole tournament.
“This event is a hit each year,” said Schulte. “We’re proud to have hosted so many activities throughout Milledgeville and to show off our city.”