What: C.M.W.’s Grandbattle: All Out War When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m. doors open, show starts at 7 p.m. Where: Greenwood County Fairgrounds, 317-US 221, Greenwood Cost: $10 per ticket, youths wearing Halloween costumes get in free, Lander University students’ tickets are 50% off.

NINETY SIX — Ever feel like you would feel better if you could body slam some jerk, then clothesline him, spear him, deliver a Superman punch and then follow up with the People’s Elbow?

That’s not saying anybody would do it, but many people might admit they have the whole thing planned out.

Performers with C.M.W. (Carolina Main Event Wrestling) could deliver those moves with every show. They will resolve their grudges Saturday night at the Greenwood County Fairgrounds.

Several members of the promotion converged Sunday at Erin’s Crafty Creations in Ninety Six for a meet-and-greet session with fans. Attendees got plenty of one-on-one time with the holders of championship belts.

The seeds of C.M.W. were planted nearly 15 years ago when owner Octavius Conway got involved with backyard wrestling growing up in Clinton. He wrestles as One Man Army. He has worked in wrestling off and on and based the promotion in Greenwood last spring, with hopes to open a school next year to give potential grapplers a chance to get into the ring.

The goal is to teach people how to be wrestlers, managers, valets or referees, or learn the business, Conway said. It’s a way to give back to the community. There aren’t a lot of places where people can learn about the business.

“You have to have a heart for it, the heart, the discipline for yourself, work ethic and a willingness to learn and to listen,” he said. “Listening is one of the first lessons you learn.”

Audience reaction has been good and crowds have been steady with a fair amount of returning customers, Conway said of the promotion’s shows. The storylines definitely are a good draw in addition to the action. The season is winding down with a Toys for Tots event that Conway hopes to arrange for December. By the spring, he expects to present at least two shows a month.

Coming together

The big thing for Rickey Haynes is bringing families together. He recalled watching wrestling as a child with his parents and grandparents. He wasn’t out in the streets, said Haynes, who performs as the Carolina Cyclone and is half of a tag team known as Category 7. Some of his T-shirts were on sale at the store.

Wrestling, he said, is something for families to see, do and love.

Establishing a school is a big deal, he said.

“It’s a chance to be something you could never imagine you could possibly be. It’s all about imagination and dreams coming true.”

Dreams are part of the attraction for Alicia Love, the promotion’s women’s champion. She made her debut at 23 after years of interest in professional wrestling. In high school, she was a thrower on the track team and performed on the cheerleading squad, but even then, her love of wrestling was evident in her fashion attire and devotion to John Cena, whom she watched on television. Her brothers teased her about that.

“Brothers are hard on their sister, but they support me,” she said.

Before finishing high school, Love got involved in promotions, with permission and support of her mother who continues to help, appearing as Mama Love, and helping with her merchandise.

She said she was socially awkward in school, even as a cheerleader. Love recalled a woman commenting on her WWE T-shirt and who talked about wrestling professionally.

“I let them know I had no experience,” Love said about when she first got into the ring. Apparently, people saw her passion. “The first day I took a bump and it was kind of scary, but I got hooked.”

Love often performs as an intergender wrestler. Not a lot of women stick with wrestling, she said.

“It’s not intimidating. It pushes me more,” she said of wrestling men. “You can do it; you can hang with the guys.”

Love’s classmates who hear about her wrestling work say: “You’ve stepped up a bit,” or “You’ve stuck with it.”

Why the ring

Everyone has a different reason for being in the ring. Haynes said he was a fan of Bill Goldberg and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

“At the end of the day, it’s not a paycheck for me, it’s a day to get a smile on a kid’s face, or to look up and see crowds going ‘Ooh’ and ‘Aah,’” he said.

Haynes goes to the gym all the time. He would hit the bicycles and treadmills and sometimes wonder: “Why am I gassed out?”

“Now I’m good. I still feel like I can’t get out of bed the next morning sometimes, but hey it’s great. It’s a great feeling,” he said. “It’s a sacrifice for doing something you truly love.”

Cardio, stamina and consistency are keys to staying in the ring, Conway said. Keep with the work and the body will build stamina and can take on things wrestlers do.

“If you got compassion and the heart for it, you can do anything that you put your mind to,” he said.

A lot of the young audience members get into the action and the story, Conway said. Often smaller kids are practically jumping off the roof. Some want to jump into the ring as well, he added.

Interacting with young fans is a highlight for Love. She recalled working in North Carolina and being called up for an appearance. She was nerve-wracked and didn’t do as well as she wanted.

“A little girl came up to me, and her mom told me that as soon as I came out, the little girl said: ‘She looks just like me’ and she cried and hugged me. That stood out to me more than how many matches I’ve had,” she said. “You never know who is watching when you go out there. ... I was once that little girl watching those women on TV and being like: ‘Hey I want to be like that.’”

She is a bigger girl, and such experiences have stuck with her, Love said.

“You go out there and make the moments count.” Love said she sent the girl a signed jersey and has seen her at other matches. “It’s not about the money or the sales, or ‘Oh, I have fans.’ It’s the memories.”

“I just want to keep running with it,” she said. “Making a connection with the audience is the best part.”