麻豆AV

Wrestling fans will have the chance to be entertained and help support a number of worthy children鈥檚 charities this weekend in the Okanagan.

Invasion Championship Wrestling returns with wrestling cards planned for Friday, Oct. 20, at Rutland Centennial Hall and Saturday, Oct. 21, at Vernon Recreation Centre.

This will be the fifth annual children鈥檚 charity fundraiser staged by Invasion Championship Wrestling, past events having raised more than $100,000.

At the event announcement in 麻豆AV, donations were announced for the Okanagan YMCA Strong Kids program ($2,500); NONA Child Development Centre in Vernon ($2,500), Mamas For Mamas ($4,000) and Okanagan Boys and Girls Club, $4,000.

The boys and girls club were also the recipient of donation from the Gateway To Kids charity supported by Lake City Casinos.

Invasion Championship Wrestling is the brainchild of 麻豆AV residents Mike Rizzo and Mike Chisholm.

Rizzo is the general manager of Costco in 麻豆AV and has a past connection to the B.C. wrestling scene which carries on with Invasion Championship Wrestling events, while Chisholm is a senior marketing director for Costco and one of the managing partners of World Financial Group鈥檚 麻豆AV office.

Chisholm says the event began with the driving idea to help raise money for children鈥檚 charities, an old-fashioned wrestling card held in Rutland Centennial Hall, a smaller venue operated by the Rutland Park Society that places the crowd intimately in the midst of the action inside and outside the ring.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great venue for us to get established and the Rutland Park Society has been a big supporter of ours from day one,鈥� said Chisholm.

The star wrestler for the upcoming event will be Ted 鈥淭he Million Dollar Man鈥� DiBiase, a former American professional wrestler and manager, who is now an ordained minister.

DiBiase plans to meet with a men鈥檚 group Man Up during his visit to the Okanagan on Friday at Willow Park Church.

鈥淲e asked him what he would like to do during his time in the Okanagan between matches and his suggestion was to meet with a church men鈥檚 group so we worked to make that happen,鈥� Chisholm said.

Wendy Swarbrick, treasurer of the Rutland Park Society, said the wrestlers invading Centennial Hall reinforce what the society鈥檚 intent behind building the hall back in 1939 was all about.

鈥淭his is a community event that brings people out to watch a fun night of wrestling while at the same time raising money to help children鈥檚 charities,鈥� Swarbrick said.

She noted the event will also showcase improvements made to the hall this year including a new floor, interior painting and updated air conditioning system, with the next phase to be an extension to the facility with a new hall entrance accessible from Roxby Road.

Tickets are available online to the 麻豆AV or Vernon wrestling events at .