Professional wrestling coming to Ottawa County Fairgrounds in February

OAK HARBOR - Making their way to the ring, championship professional wrestlers will turn the Ottawa County Fairgrounds into their arena in early February for a special all-ages event.

The Insane Wrestling Revolution will host professional wrestling matches at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds in Oak Harbor on Feb. 7.

It’s all the hard work of Port Clinton business owner Billy Rigoni and professional wrestler Terry “Rhino” Gerin, who are looking to bring family-friendly entertainment to the area during the cold winter months in Northwest Ohio.

Gerin and Rigoni met several years ago and became fast friends, together dreaming of a way to bring Gerin and other wrestlers such as Franchise Shane Douglas, Trey Miguel, Top Notch Jason Hotch and more to the Port Clinton area.

Gerin, lives in the Monroe, Michigan, area and was born and raised in the Detroit area but his family had a houseboat docked in Port Clinton when he was a child.

Gerin has a special spot for Port Clinton area

“I’ve always had a special spot for Port Clinton,” Gerin said. “I love Lake Erie.”

When thinking about places they could host the event, Rigoni was the "boots on the ground" Gerin said, and the fairgrounds fit the bill perfectly.

Gerin and Rigoni are hoping to draw a crowd from as far as to the west in Oregon, south to Fremont, to the east in Port Clinton, Marblehead and Sandusky.

Several years ago, Rhino did an autograph signing at the Rigoni’s shop, with a terrific turnout.

IWR banking on professional wrestling fans in region

“There’s a wrestling fanbase in Port Clinton,” he said.

General admission tickets start at $10 and are all-ages, Gerin said.

The first three rows around the ring are VIP tickets, with varying prices, and will include four exclusive matches, beginning at 6:30 p.m., until the main event for all at 7:30 p.m.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for VIP and 7 p.m. for general admission.

They are planning on six matches, with an intermission, but events are subject to change, Gerin said.

Rhino’s match will be against Franchise Shane Douglas, a fellow WWE professional wrestler.

“He’s an absolute beast,” Rigoni said of his friend Gerin. “People are really excited about it.”

They have a strict curfew of 9 p.m., so families won’t have to worry about being out too late on a weeknight, Gerin and Rigoni said.

Gerin now owns a little marina in the Monroe area and has worked to fix it up, saying it’s important to have a nice place to build family memories like the ones he had growing up.

“It’s a lot like wrestling,” Gerin said. “I talk to people about their childhood, and they remember old matches… the memories are so crisp, like it just happened.”

Gerin said IWR events in Monroe and the Toledo area have been family-friendly entertainment, which is important to them.

“It’s shaping up to be a really good event,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.purplepass.com/pc1.

The Ottawa County Fairgrounds is located at 7870 Ohio 163 in Oak Harbor.

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Insane Wrestling Revolution pits 'Rhino' Gerin against Shane Douglas