Super Atomic ThunderFrog returns to WRESTLEPALOOZA.
WORDS BY PATRICK STRAIT
Everyone needs a superhero sometimes.
On Friday the 13th, the resident superhero of F1RST Wrestling, Atomic Super ThunderFrog, makes his triumphant return to the ring at the annual wrestling/music/burlesque/rager known as WRESTLEPALOOZA.
Not much is known about the intergalactic amphibian grappler, despite the fact that he’s been making waves on the independent scene for nearly a decade.
“I touched down from the galaxies about almost 10 years ago in a little place called Philadelphia, where I learned the great art of pro wrestling at the no longer existing Chikara wrestling school,” Frogger explains through his surprisingly French accent. “I spent a good five years there honing the craft of professional wrestling, and then you begin to change people’s lives. You know, being a rocked up super thunder god and fighting bad dudes from all across the galaxy and bringing the love and beautiful art of pro wrestling to a venue you near you, baby.”
Whether he’s dropping the hammer on bad dudes or teaming up with his fellow warriors like Wildcat or Big O. Possum, Frogger is a WRESTLEPALOOZA staple, no matter who he wrestles.
“The thing about WRESTLEPALOOZA, baby, is that it’s second to none,” he continues, clearly getting more rocked up as he speaks. “I literally feel like I’m going to pass out every time I go there. Stepping through the curtains and feeling the history in that venue, and then remembering all of the wrestlers who have been a part of this, it’s truly magical, baby.”
While ThunderFrog, along with other F1RST Wrestling superstars like “The Anarchist” Arik Cannon, “The Loud Mouth Mercenary” Darin Corbin, or Uptown VFW Champion “Black Sexcellence” Devon Monroe, are always ready for a night of hard-hitting wrestling action, the best part of WRESTLEPALOOZA is that it’s a gigantic party. Even if wrestling isn’t usually your thing, the only requirement to enjoy WRESTLEPALOOZA is that you must like having fun. If you have that, you’re good.
“You never know who is going to show up,” Frogger says. “It’s a big old bash.”
While F1RST Wrestling took a hiatus during COVID, and slowly crept back with socially distanced, limited-attendance events, this past year has been arguably the biggest in the company’s history, complete with packed shows at First Avenue, Bauhaus Brew Labs, and an insanely cool (and very sold out) show at the Mall of America that featured megastars such as Rob Van Dam and Orange Cassidy.
This weekend, however, ThunderFrog says he has his bulging eyes focused on one bad dude in particular.
“I hope that cowboy Renny D stays out of my business,” he warns. “Last time I was supposed to wrestle for F1RST Wrestling he came out and attacked me. I’m walking out and this big old horsed-up, juiced-up looking cowboy from Minnesota is coming at me. I didn’t even know we had cowboys here, but if I see that dude it’s going to be a fight.”
No matter who gets their hand raised at First Ave. this weekend, however, Frogger says the experience of being a part of one of the most prestigious Minnesota independent wrestling events is a win for himself, and the fans.
“It’s all about the people, baby,” he says. “What we do is escapism. It’s allowing people to step out of their reality and step into ours.”
That said, don’t expect Atomic Super ThunderFrog to rest until he’s vanquished all of the bad dudes from First Ave this Friday.
“I’ve loved pro wrestling since I was a little tadpole,” he says, now fully rocked-up. “When you see somebody in the ring and wrestling is the only thing they truly want every single day, you know it. That’s ThunderFrog at his core, you know? You have a choice [in wrestling] to be a shining light or a real bad dude. I choose to inspire the good fight. ThunderFrog always fights for peace.”
WHEN YOU GO:
F1RST Wrestling WRESTLEPALOOZA
First Avenue
Friday, January 13
Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM
18+, $30-$40