James Enoch (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — Higher Passion Wrestling will introduce itself to the community Saturday as part of the Parkersburg Homecoming Festival.

“It’s pretty much a dream come true, to be honest with you,” said L.B. Stalnaker, owner/promoter of Higher Passion, which was formed last year. “I’ve always wanted to do something at the Homecoming, and here’s our opportunity.”

It may be Higher Passion’s first show, but Stalnaker isn’t new to professional wrestling. He’s performed with the National Wrestling Alliance, West Virginia Wrestling Federation and Legends Pro Wrestling, and tried to form his own venture years ago.

“The funds and the resources just were not there,” he said,

But with changes in life and different opportunities, he decided to give it a go in 2024, along with James and Beck Hamilton and Jessica Mercer Powell. Powell’s father, Bob Mercer, is the president of the Parkersburg Homecoming Board, which led to them being asked to participate this year.

Phoebe Harper (Photo Provided)

“We said sure,” Stalnaker said. “We were very blessed and lucky.

“I enjoy giving the fans a good show, telling them a good story … and being able to take them away from reality for a few hours.”

Spectators will be treated to multiple matches, at no charge, from 6-8 p.m. Saturday under the train tracks by the floodwall. There will be regular bouts, women’s wrestling and a street fight — “two guys going at it with no rules,” Stalnaker said. Like the rest of Homecoming, it’s intended to be appropriate for all ages, he said.

“We want to show them, not just one or two things, but just kind of show them a little bit of everything that we have,” he said.

Stalnaker himself will step into the ring as his alter ego, The Promise, Sean Steel.

“He’s cocky, arrogant,” Stalnaker said. “And anytime he talks, he ends everything with ‘That’s a promise.'”

Afterward, the wrestlers will stick around for autographs and photos.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.