AK Lightning, Sevvyn Sixxx to square off at Wasilla wrestling extravaganza

WASILLA — It’s probably no surprise that when a pair of wrestlers meet up in the same room, the trash talk can get pretty thick.

“I didn’t bring no gold,” says AK Lightning, (aka Mickey Wharton) when he arrives to find his rival Sevvyn Sixxx (aka Joe Brookman) holding the Last Frontier Belt.

“You gotta have some first,” Sixxx shoots back.

You might not know it, but Sixxx and Lightning have been on opposite sides of a bitter rivalry. Sixxx is a bad guy — a heel in wrestling parlance — part of a group of wrestlers known as The Revolution.

Lightning is on the other side and has been taking a lot of what The Revolution has been dishing out. Lightning and his partner lost their belts to Sixxx and one of his compatriots.

“I technically did not lose,” Lightning said.

“He’s been having trouble letting it go,” Sixxx said.

They’ll meet Saturday in the ring to maybe hash some of this out. Alaska Professional Wrestling is staging a show at noon. There will be seven matches, tournament-style, with the finals as the main event.

And then, after the main event is another match featuring Canada’s Gorgeous Michelle Starr facing off against Alaska’s Marko Kaloa.

So how exactly does one get into wrestling?

Clearly for Lightning it’s been a long-time obsession.

“I had the wrestling buddies,” he said. “I still have them.”

He’s also got a backyard where his compatriots train and a ring built in the ’60s for the American Wrestling Association and Verne Gagne. Recently, he wrestled in Juarez, Mexico.

“He’s our only international superstar,” Sixxx said.

“Oh, I’m super,” Lightning replied.

As for Sixxx, he said he first went to a local wrestling event back in July 2012 at Wasilla Middle School. His son’s a big fan of wrestling, always yelling at the WWE in their living room. Afterward, he talked to promoters and thought maybe he’d help write some story lines.

“I ended up friends with these guys on Facebook,” he said. “And I just kind of got to jokingly talking trash with them.”

That led to an invitation/challenge to come train

“I ended up in this guy’s yard,” he said, pointing to Lightning.

Eventually, he wound up in the ring, a series of events that led to him being the current Last Frontier Champion.

So what kind of action are we talking here? Blood and guts extreme-style wrestling?

Not so much, Sixxx said. It’s a family show. With hard hits, blood is an inevitability, but they try to keep it to a minimum. But there is acrobatics and even some weapons.

“I’ve been on the other side of a chair,” Lightning said.

“I narrowly dodged a bat,” Sixxx added.

Injuries are another inevitability. The promotion’s roster of 16 or 17 wrestlers is currently down to 10 or 11 active guys. Some of the missing aren’t injured, though. More like “on hiatus” while they get retrained and their characters get adjusted.

Really, though, Sixxx said there’s always something bothering you; a bum foot or knee. You don’t ever wrestle 100 percent, do you?

Yes, Lightning says. You do.

“Right here,” he said, with a laugh, pointing to his heart.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.

WHO: Alaska Professional Wrestling

WHAT: Tournament to benefit Learning for Life

WHERE: Chris Stringer Memorial Gym, 220 Park Ave., off of Knik-Goose Bay Road behind the VFW post.

WHEN: Saturday, 12 p.m.

COST: $7, special needs kids and kids under 10 free.