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Match to benefit Alzheimer’s group

Dave Parsons of Jadat Sports, right, interviews wrestler Brad Armstrong. Jadat Sports is promoting Clash for the Cause All-Star Championship Wrestling at 7 p.m. June 3 at Parkersburg Catholic High School to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. Parsons was diagnosed with dementia, caused by a dozen concussions, in October. Photo provided

PARKERSBURG — A professional wrestling match to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association rumbles close to home for the promoter.

Dave “Rock” Parsons of Jadat Sports was diagnosed with dementia in October and has earmarked the proceeds of the Clash for the Cause All-Star Championship Wrestling at 7 p.m. June 3 at Parkersburg Catholic High School to go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Parsons was a professional wrestler after he was the quarterback of the Wood County Raiders in the late 1970s, having sustained 12 major concussions in his career. He’s also had 17 knee operations.

“The damage done to me will not be fixed,” Parsons said.

It may be too late for him, but Parsons is optimistic researchers will find a cure in five to 10 years.

“I’ve donated my brain for research after I pass,” Parsons said.

Among the wrestling greats scheduled to appear are Lord Zoltan from Pittsburgh; Maria Manic in a woman’s match; World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas; former WWE World Tag Team Champ Demolition Ax; former WWE World Tag Team Champion Brian “Grandmaster Sexay” Christopher, the son of Jerry “The King” Lawler; and Jim Cornette, “The Louisville Lip,” manager of the Midnight Express.

Cornette, a former wrestler, will be the emcee of the match and is known for whacking people with a tennis racket, Parsons said.

“He’s going to hit a couple of people with a tennis racket before the night is over,” Parsons said.

Demolition Ax, a West Virginia University graduate who played football for the Mountaineers under Bobby Bowden, is retiring and the Parkersburg Catholic match will be his last, Parsons said. Ax’s real name is Bill Eadie.

Popular wrestlers from the Philadelphia area also will appear at the show, including Dasher Hatfield, Mr. Touchdown, Bulldozer and The Clown.

Advance tickets are available at People’s News in Parkersburg, Belpre and Marietta. Ringside tickets in advance are $18 and general admission tickets in advance are $14. At the door, ringside tickets are $20 and general admission is $16.

Children under 12 pay their age.

Clash for the Cause will donate 40 percent of the ticket sales to the Alzheimer’s Association, Parsons said.

The share for the association is one of the highest if not the highest for a benefit match, he said.

The show is for everyone in the family, Parsons said.

“It’s a good clean show, a family show,” he said. “There’s no cussing or slapping women.”

It’s also for a good cause, said Parsons, who has spoken with former National Football League players suffering from the aftermath of concussions. The movie “Concussion,” which stars Will Smith and is about a doctor researching the impact of concussions on players, did much to create awareness of the problem, Parsons said.

He hopes to complete a series of interviews about the problem with Warren Bankston, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and finished his 10-year career with the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s. Bankston, too, was diagnosed with dementia caused by concussions. The hope is the interviews will shed more light on the problem and save someone from a future with dementia, Parsons said.

“We’re going to try to do an interview while we can still talk to each other,” Parsons said.

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