RuggedMania 5 will be held at the Midnight Ballroom and will feature 40 wrestlers, including Ken Anderson aka WWE’s Mr. Kennedy. During Anderson’s WWE career, he faced well-known wrestlers such as The Undertaker and John Cena.

Austin Fouts, founder of RUGGEDPro, said it is exciting to bring someone to Marshalltown who has wrestled in and won WrestleMania.

“I think it’s a testament to the events we have been putting on in other areas,” he said. “Now we get to bring that hype and excitement to Marshalltown where it all started.”

Kennedy will wrestle for the Heritage Championship title — the “spiritual Marshalltown championship” — and the custom-made belt featuring the Marshall County Courthouse. He said the belt is a tribute to the original location. The special six-man ladder match will return to RuggedMania. The Zach Grigg Memorial Battle Royale will also return with 20 wrestlers in the ring at timed intervals.

Grigg was a good friend of Fouts and was one of the first people to get on board.

“The last event he got to go to was the first RuggedMania, and that was also the year we broke the 13-hour IronMan world record for longest wrestling match,” he said. “He passed away a week later. Every year, we have done a Zach Grigg Memorial Rumble as a thank you to him and his contributions.”

Fouts did not think his wrestling business would get as far as it has in his hometown.

“I did not think I would make it here happily,” he said. “When I started RUGGEDPro, I would be a liar if I said it was not a little bit of doing it to prove people wrong, but five years in, I’m happy to say I’m doing it for me.”

The first pro wrestling event was also hosted at the Midnight Ballroom. Now, RUGGEDPro is attracting crowds of roughly 450 in Marshalltown. In Fall City, Neb., the event brought in just shy of 1,000. Fouts has also taken his wrestling events to Boone, Keokuk, Oelwein and Duluth, Minn.

“I’m hoping to have Marshalltown take back the attendance record,” Fouts said.

The addition of Mr. Kennedy is a result of the work Fouts and his team have put into the events. He had to learn along the way. In the beginning, Fouts said he was close-minded about “his baby,” and had specific ideas as to what events should be. He did not want anyone telling him how to raise “his child,” and was super focused on every detail. Eventually, he learned that other people were necessary to help put it al together.

The help Fouts has now assists with various aspects, such as arranging who will face who in the ring. There might be some weaknesses or strengths in wrestlers he is not seeing.

“Putting the events together, it’s like playing video games all the time. I get to play with my action figures all the time,” Fouts said, laughing. “The fun part is putting the show together.”

Marshalltown Chamber Tourism Director Dylan Does has played a big role in the growth, he said. Does is thrilled to be part of RuggedMania 5, and for the community to be home to RUGGEDPro, “the leading wrestling promotion in the state of Iowa.”

“Professional wrestling is a global leader of entertainment, while being very Marshalltown,” he said. “Our award-winning burger and pulled pork (The Flying Elbow) comes with a full professional wrestling theme.”

There are two more Marshalltown events planned after RuggedMania. The professional wrestlers will be featured at a Cinco De Mayo event and at Oktemberfest.

“We are trying to make sure we have a nice blend with our RUGGEDPro events where everybody can fit in,” Fouts said. “I feel like we do a good job with that, there is something for everybody.”

He has even been able to start a wrestling training school called the EWA outside of Le Grand.

“It’s our way to get the students in the training program ready for the RUGGEDPro stuff,” Fouts said. “We are growing and setting a standard. Now, we’re forming our own talent. We can mold the individuals to exactly what we need, and they can fill the roles.”

In the meantime, he is focused on producing a quality wrestling event for Marshalltonians. Fouts challenges the residents and fans to support professional wrestling. While it took a lot of convincing, he said, to get Marshalltown to accept the venture, there is still a lot of work to do.

“We’re bringing a big, professional event to Iowa, and we couldn’t be happier. What’s fun about coming home is it’s home,” he said.

EVENT INFORMATION:

Location: Midnight Ballroom, 1700 S. Center St., No. 2

Date: March 30

Time: 6 p.m.

Tickets: Start at $6

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.