March 20, 2008, 6:20PM
KRISTIN2GO AFTER DARK
Championship professional wrestling — the main event for family fun
Gather 'round the ring for knockout entertainment
By KRISTIN FINAN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

When I'm planning a night out, I'm usually not looking for 300-pound men in Spandex shorts barely bigger than Speedos.

And if I'm having nachos for dinner, it's rarely the kind smothered in fluorescent orange cheese and served in a red-and-white paper tray.

But last Sunday, when Bar Rio hosted International Championship Professional Wrestling's first major event, the whole scene was kind of imperfectly perfect, like a really campy musical that has you singing along by the end.
"We all have other businesses and jobs that we do.

That's what pays the bills," said ICPW founder Jeff Evans. "But this is where your heart is. It has to be in your heart and it has to be in your blood because, if not, you won't last."
A former wrestler who remembers getting paid just $20 for his first match, Evans said his hope is that ICPW will provide a jumping-off point for local talent and give families a place to go together.
On Sunday, as about 140 people clustered around the ring to cheer for good over evil, justice over injustice and shiny shorts over plain, 9-year-old Katie Keilers waited patiently for her favorite wrestler, Mr. Destiny, to appear.
"He's big and he's muscular and he's really nice," she said, wearing a signed Mr. Destiny T-shirt. "It's just really cool."

...Continued