---

Pro wrestling came to town Thursday night to raise money for the Asbury Park Toy Drive.

Held at Johnny Mac House of Spirits on Main Street, the Rockin’ Wrestling show featured the Ocean County Pro Wrestling Syndicate and their theatrical moves.

Ten members of the local wrestling circuit battled as Jeff Luke and The Battery Electric played.

“I think this is awesome,” said city resident Alex Soto. “I came here yesterday and after watching them set up, I knew I had to be here.”

So, Soto and his friends paid the unwrapped toy entrance fee to see such battles as Mikey Midnight’s surprise overtaking of Corey Dillinger, among others.

“I’d say it was a show of what it takes to chop down a tree,” Dillinger said after the bout.

Behind the scenes, wrestler Tom Oriole of Old Bridge said there’s to wrestling than meets the eye.

“Not only do you have to stay in shape so you are not gasping when you are out there, but you have to stay in shape so your body doesn’t get hurt,” he said. “You have to be able to connect with an audience. It’s not just you show up and wrestle.”

Oriole, who’s been wrestling for four years, said there are just some things that can’t be taught.

“You can never really train on how to take a punch or a fall but there are things you can do to learn how to protect yourself,” he said. “But, a hit is a hit – the only way to avoid a hit in the face is to duck or block it.”

But for the over 100 crowd in attendance, the event was simply about the fun.

Erica Blaes said she loved the event’s high energy.

“The atmosphere is an adrenaline rush,” Blaes said. “It’s better that fun. I think it’s pioneering; something no one has everyone done before.”

Johnny Mac’s owner John McGillion said this is the first time the local wrestling syndicate has been able to compete for a wider audience. He partnered with Asbury Park Toy Drive’s Connie Breech to bring the one-of-a-kind event to the city.

“It’s something different,” Breech said. “You have to keep it interesting in Asbury; you have to keep up with the Asburians.”

Just a little over a week away from the annual toy giveaway, the 2015 drive may surpass its record of 1,500 kids served, Breech said.

“At this point we are probably at 1,300 to 1,400,” Breech said. “We might actually break our record this year. The fundraising is going well too, which allows us to this stuff all year round.”

The Rockin’ Wrestling show and the over 200 Easter baskets given our earlier this year were new initiatives to help the nonprofit serve the needs of the city’s youth.

They also sponsors local kids’ camp fees and specialty programs like trips for the basketball team to attend NBA games in New York, and donated clothing and coats are distributed to families in need.

For more information about the Asbury Park Toy Drive, call (732) 32-7359, email asburyparktoydrive@aol.com or visit  www.asburyparktoydrive.com. Donations may be sent to: Asbury Park Toy Drive, PO Box 1469, Asbury Park, NJ, 07712 or via PayPal from the website.

——————————————————————–

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---