TNA wrestling tour brings its blend of chaos to town

Kim O’Brien Root
Correspondent

Part Fight Club, part soap opera and a touch of acrobatics, Spike TV’s Impact Wrestling is coming to town – and at the center of the chaos will be a polite, soft-spoken man named Robert F. Roode Jr.

He’d rather you not know that, however. Because when the TNA world heavyweight champion enters the ring Friday, he’ll be Bobby Roode, the “Leader of the Selfish Generation” – 6 feet and 240 pounds of brawn squeezed into tight shorts, flinging his opponents into the ropes.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” promises Roode, repeating his latest mantra. “Anything to keep the world title.”

The Canadian-born professional wrestler is just one of the superstars appearing at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as part of the TNA Impact Wrestling World Tour.

Roode will join Olympic gold medalist and wrestling veteran Kurt Angle, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy and “The Cowboy” James Storm along with a bevy of female wrestlers called the TNA Knockouts.

Despite such dramatic moves as diving knee drops, spinning spine-busters and double-knee backbreakers, the event is billed as a family-friendly affair. Fans of all ages are encouraged to bring signs, dress as their favorite wrestlers, cheer loudly and, yes, even boo.

“The fans love it,” Constant Center marketing coordinator Sara Webster said of what in previous years has been a well-attended show.

TNA, short for Total Nonstop Action, began its world tour Jan. 23 in Belgium before traveling to England, where the wrestlers did some television show tapings at Wembley Stadium in London.

“Impact Wrestling” – the TV show – can be seen at 9 p.m. Thursdays on Spike TV. But according to Roode, who hit the pro wrestling scene in 1998, “until you’re there live, you won’t get the real experience.”

Even people who don’t generally care for wrestling tend to change their minds once they see a live show, said Chris Thomas, public relations manager for Nashville-based TNA Wrestling.

“There’s nothing like pro wrestling live,” Thomas said. “It’s action-packed. When people come to see it, they get stuck. You have so much respect for these guys when you see it live. They’ll fall in love.”

The experience is also one that allows fans to meet the wrestlers, get autographs and follow the ring announcer on Twitter (@JeremyBorash) to find out secret “Tweet & Greet” locations of the stars the day of the show.

“We put on a great show,” said Roode by telephone, shortly after landing in Columbia, S.C., last week for another leg of the tour. “It’s a bit of a soap opera, but there’s a lot of athletic ability that goes into it.”

Roode, whose mild-mannered speaking voice sounds nothing like his larger-than-life persona on TV, was born and bred a hockey player in his native Toronto. Also a huge wrestling fan, he realized at age 19 that hockey wasn’t going to pay the bills, so he put on the tights and got in the ring.

Professional wrestling, with its mix of sport and play-acting, hit its stride in the 1980s and has produced such big names as Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and The Rock. The Rock, also known as actor Dwayne Johnson, issued an endorsement to Roode on Twitter just last weekend.

@REALBobbyRoode: “I dig your work. Keep movin’ the crowd …”

For 35-year-old Roode, a married father of three boys who love hockey just like their dad, performing in front of crowds can’t be beat.

Roode’s goal since the day he began pro wrestling was to be a world champion, which he did in November when he defeated Storm by hitting his former tag-teammate with Storm’s own beer bottle.

Come Friday night, the pair will go up against each other again.

Kim O’Brien Root, kimberoot@gmail.com