Bartlett bar owner wants 'Half Pint Brawlers'

A year after a plan for mixed-martial arts fights failed, a Bartlett bar owner wants to host professional wrestling matches to help boost business.

But there's a little catch. The wrestlers are stars of the cable television show, “Half Pint Brawlers, which features little people soaring through the air, performing the same moves as full-sized professional wrestlers.

“I just wanted to do something that's different, said Murray Friedman, owner of Bannerman's Sports Grill, off Rt. 59 and Stearns Road.

Friedman plans to have the brawlers fight on Nov. 23 at the bar, with the Spike TV cable network bringing their camera crews to record the night's events.

He's asking the village of Bartlett for a permit would also allow him to host 12 events per year, including the wrestling event, as well as a live remote broadcast from either the Score 670 AM or ESPN 1000 AM.

Bartlett's Plan Commission will hear the request Thursday night. The measure eventually will go before the village board.

Bannerman's requested a similar permit last year with the intention of hosting MMA bouts. Some residents objected, claiming the violence reflected poorly on the village. They won out, and the plan failed.

Friedman said he has zero plans to host any MMA bouts if his latest permit request is granted.

Rochelle Prybylski, who lives around the corner from the bar, led a petition drive last year that gathered 66 signatures opposing the MMA plan. A second petition opposing the wrestling plan has made its way though the village, gathering more than 66 signatures, she said.

Prybylski claims Bannerman's sold neighbors a false bill of goods before the bar opened in July 2007. She envisioned a family style restaurant, and instead she said Bannerman's has changed for the worst.

“I don't know what he's thinking for the future, Prybylski said Wednesday. “I certainly don't want that strip mall being turned into a seedy place where there's going to be wrestling, where's there's going to be girlie shows, where there's going to be whatever.

Prybylski said the thought of wrestlers bleeding or sweating in a place that serves food and beverages disgusts her. She opposes anything that would bring in extra traffic to her neighborhood and make parking spaces scarce.

The little people who perform in the shows don't consider themselves seedy.

Among them is 26-year-old “Turtle from Elgin. Turtle who said his real first name is Jake but he wouldn't provide his last name, on the TV show, along with wrestlers with names like Puppet “The Psycho Dwarf and Beautiful Bobby.

“It's an entertainment-performance company, said Turtle, who derives his income from wrestling. “I hate to use the word ‘staged,' we already know the outcome.

While mixed-marital arts athletes are fighting for a victory, Turtle and his colleagues know who is going to win a match. They're trying to entertain and have fun.

“It's nothing like Ultimate Fighting, Turtle said.

The Brawlers have performed in venues in DeKalb, Joliet and Peoria. Over the summer they threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a White Sox game. The stars of the show have toured the country, though most of their bouts aren't televised.

The content of each show depends on the venue, Turtle said. The Bartlett performance won't include the more over-the-top antics, like striking opponents with beer bottles and creative use of a staple gun.

“Every show is different, Turtle said.

Friedman hopes to sell 500 tickets priced at $12 for the event, as well as special $90 tables for four.

“You have to be creative to fill your place up as much as you can, he said.

The Little People of America, a California-based advocacy group for people of short stature, opposes the used of the word “midget, calling it derogatory. Some members equate it with an offensive term used to describe African-Americans.

LPA spokesman Gary Arnold said the group supports little people in finding jobs, especially in this economic climate. However, midget wrestling comes with concerns.

“By highlighting the word ‘midget,' the person of short stature becomes the focal point of the entertainment, Arnold said. “This reinforces the dehumanizing, objectifying stereotype of people of short stature as entertaining simply because they are different in stature.

Turtle and his fellow brawlers disagree with the LPA's assessment.

“We use it as marketing, we're the one saying it, he said. “When you say ‘midget wrestling,' you know exactly what you're getting.