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Published Monday, January 26, 2009 in Close-Up

Photo by Brenda Pedraza-Vidamour

Tiffany Payne and Blixx stage insults and set up their feud before the wrestling begins.

'They're amazingly funny, who doesn't like midgets'

By Brenda Pedraza-Vidamour

The Newnan Times-Herald

They've heard all the short jokes and know most fans are there to gawk or laugh at them, but Micro Wrestling Federation's midget wrestlers are getting the last laugh.

MWF's self-titled midget wrestlers came to Newnan Thursday night once again to a packed house at J.J. Bajas restaurant and concert hall at the corner of U.S. 29 and the Newnan Crossing Bypass.

"They say the nation is in a state of recession and you ------- actually spent money to see midgets kick each other's ----- ," Blixx said to a riveted audience. "That's worse than 80-year-old men watching porn."

Blixx, a 3-foot, 7-inch, 85-pound wrestler, had already mesmerized the crowd by slinging himself across the ring in a series of sprints and bounce-off-the-rope moves. He did push-ups and took jumps off the turnbuckles in between hurling insults -- all to the fans' delight.

The shows, held in 40-60 cities per year across the country, usually sell out. It was no different at Bajas where adults paid from $15-$10 per ticket to stand around a 12-by-12-foot ring to watch them battle it out.

"They're amazingly funny," Nate Hudson shouted above crowd cheers. "Who doesn't like midgets!"

The 30-year-old from Newnan said he attended MWF's show at Bajas last year and wasn't intending to miss the antics again.

"It's like a wild performance. You know it's an act. You know it's all fun, but it's so wild," he said.

Bob Sinram of Carrollton also returned for the repeat engagement.

"The best part is at the end during the midget kissing," he said.

After the show, fans are invited to take pictures with the wrestlers for $10. Last year, Sinram said fans also paid for an opportunity to kiss the show's stars. Merchandise, such as MWF ball caps and "I support midget violence" T-shirts, is also for sale.

Justice, a longtime veteran of sports entertainment, defends the business and all that's politically incorrect about it.

"For me, it's not sports exploitation, it's capitalization," he said.

The 32-year-old's career dates back to his youth. His father is the late Cowboy Lang, a 4-foot, 109-pound midget wrestler who played some of the biggest venues with the World Wrestling Federation, including Madison Square Gardens.

Justice said his father taught him to accept the "midget life" (words he had tattooed on his forearms) including not being dissuaded by pejorative labels about dwarfism. His father also eschewed membership into Little People of America (LPA), a nonprofit support organization that views this type of entertainment and the billing as ridiculing little people and as promoting their objectification, as reported in the Victoria (Texas) Advocate.

"We didn't go to the LPA meetings. Everything that was small to us, like a little bottle of (soda)... my dad pushed that to me and said 'Hey, look at that midget (soda),'" Justice said.

Justice learned the moves, the gimmicks and the business early.

"I traveled around as a little kid with him. At first, as a child I would say 'Don't beat my dad up,'" but the now "4-foot, 4 and hardcore" 150-pound wrestler trains others in the industry.

He wrestled as a minor, being able to get away with it because wrestlers were able to mask their faces back then, thus not reveal their identities or age. Now any masking generally applies to the industry's "kayfabe" or keeping up the illusion that professional wrestling is not staged.

When asked, the divas (term for female wrestlers) wouldn't reveal their real names, but the wrestlers were OK with breaking kayfabe before an outsider's presence in Bajas' green room shortly before the matches. J-Mazing and Justice rehearsed scripted moves. Blixx and Payne focused on creating a sell for their feud -- something that had to be developed quickly because Trixie Dynamite, Tiffany Payne's partner was taken out of the show because of an ankle injury.

The divas were added to the act about five months ago after Payne left a five-year run on The Jerry Springer Show. Affectionately introduced by Bajas' manager, J.J. Madaris, as the "mean one," Payne slid into persona on cue when asked why she was called mean.

"I'm always rough and I'm always tough," she said. Pointing to her chest, she added, "And with these 36DDs, I'll take you to your knees."

In real life, the Texan is a 33-year-old mother of three children. Before working with Springer, she taught pre-school for 11 years.

She changed careers because she was attracted to wrestling's "craziness." "I always wanted to do entertainment," she said.

For the show, she and longtime friend, Dynamite, don sexy outfits and clownish, oversized gloves for "foxy boxing" in the ring.

Dynamite, 26, is also a former pre-K teacher who taught for two and one-half years. Before joining MWF, the Seattle native bartended and worked as a dental assistant.

"I always worked two jobs because I don't like to be bored," she said.

The 4-foot, 3-inch "princess" was introduced to the crowd by MWF's owner, Jack Darrell, as a soon-to-be Playmate.

"She's the sexiest midget alive. We are trying to get her to be the first midget to grace the pages of Playboy," he said.

The wrestlers range in height from 3-foot, 7-inches to 4-feet, 5 inches. MWF's height limit is 5-feet. Justice said the wrestlers are also picked according to their ability to entertain as well as wrestle. Being able to wrestle on their own terms while getting paid and getting the laughs is all part of the act.

"I think it's kind of funny that all the rappers are trying to be midgets now," said Blixx, cautiously trying out new material in the green room. "There's Lil Kim, Lil Wayne, Lil Flip..."

Short Dawg, a 4-foot, 5-inch, 175-pound wrestler said in retribution he may get "Achon" tattooed on his belly after rapper Akon and in deference to the achondroplasia, the most common cause of dwarfism.

Dawg's act, decidedly just as adult-oriented, is punctuated with crude, sexual innuendo -- part of his "half the size and twice the pimp" angle. It's also the point in the show where foreign objects, like metal trays and chairs, enter the fray.

"As far as wrestling goes, it's all a show," Bruce Hudson, a 62-year-old Baja regular, noted.

---

Midget wrestling big audience draw

J.J. Madaris, owner of J.J. Bajas oyster bar, seafood house and concert hall in Newnan said Micro Wrestling Federation midget wrestling may return as early as late March or April because it's one of the club's biggest audience draws.

"It's probably the most diverse crowd we get," he added. "It ranges from college kids to families to retirees."

The restaurant and concert hall, which has a fully equipped stage, has featured some of the area's biggest and most diverse acts since it opened in October 2007.

The acts have ranged from Mother's Finest for the older R&B crowd to Rehab, a huge draw for younger fans of the group's alternative rock/ hip hop performance.

Other big name acts to Bajas have included The Black Crowes, Doug Stone, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Drivin' n' Cryin' and Blackfoot.

The Newnan native said Bajas is his fifth venture as a promoter having mostly opened up concert hall venues in college towns.

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