Next Saturday, almost all of Mississippi’s college football teams are either on the road or play early in the day. That leaves your evening wide open for the perfect night of family fun — watching a bunch of sweaty men (and women) throw each other around a wrestling ring.

Bayou Independent Wrestling makes its return to Vicksburg on Saturday, Nov. 11, with a show called “Courage & Sacrifice” at the Ardis T. Williams City Auditorium. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available at 601 Sports.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show at 7:30. A special $5 ticket is available for veterans with a proper ID.

It’s the third BIW show in Vicksburg this year, and the West Monroe, La.-based promotion already has two more planned for March and November 2024.

Promoter Josh Newell said the first two shows in Vicksburg did well, and he’s hoping to nail down the city’s potential as a market for live wrestling this time around.

“The third, fourth show is about when you start to see is it working, not working, what’s going on. The first two you’re trying to get your foot on the ground, get word of mouth going for you, make sure people like your product,” Newell said. “This one and the March one are very big for how often we’ll continue to do Vicksburg. I’ve got high hopes.”

While big-name stars occasionally ply their trade in Bayou Independent Wrestling — Matt Taven was in the main event at the Vicksburg show in July and is now getting lots of TV time in All Elite Wrestling — it’s a step removed from the bright lights of bigger promotions like WWE or AEW.

And that’s not a bad thing.

There’s an odd, down home feel to BIW and small promotions like it. It’s part wrestling show and part flea market. Wrestlers themselves sell merchandise and pose for photos at tables scattered around the arena. At the July show, a few other vendors sold wrestling books and action figures.

“That’s a big part of what makes these shows fun,” Newell said. “You can get an autograph, you can talk to the wrestler, you can get to know him, follow him on social media, they interact with you. That’s not something you get at the WWE level. It’s that little touch that, especially kids, makes you have that much more fun at the show.”

The cozy confines of places like Vicksburg’s City Auditorium also allow fans a level of interaction that you don’t get with other forms of entertainment. Hecklers are heard and reacted to. In July, the main event between Taven and Rey Fury started with a brawl through the crowd that fans enjoyed but didn’t seem to expect as the two wrestlers climbed through the seats around them.

At the same time, BIW makes a point to keep its shows family-friendly. The bad guys do mean things, but don’t work blue. It’s a good night of entertainment that Newell said is designed to create a new generation of fans.

“We keep it family-friendly, but we want that interaction to where the bad guy is telling you to shut up and sit down and you have something to say back. That’s what’s creating the moments that make you a wrestling fan forever,” Newell said.

Next weekend’s show will include some familiar faces to fans who were at the ones earlier this year, as well as three championship matches.

The 450-pound Angel Camacho will put his BIW Southern Championship on the line against Bam Bam Malone; Camacho’s sister, Emmy, will defend her BIW Women’s Championship vs. Alejandra Lion; and Deep South Heritage champion Rey Fury will open the show by facing international star Adam Priest.

Jeremiah will face Gio Savage, as both wrestlers return after being on the July show.

Newcomers include Chase Stevens, who also wrestles in the larger Impact promotion, against Hunter Law; and the tag teams Best Picture and Horse Power.

“My goal is, every show I want to bring in at least one new person so we’re at least seeing somebody new and I can gauge if they’re popular here, or just giving (fans) a different taste,” Newell said. “But they want to see a couple of their favorites and they can say, ‘Rey is coming back,’ or ‘Bam Bam is coming back, Angel is coming back.’ You definitely develop that rapport and you get it to where the fans are sad that somebody is not on the show. And then word of mouth is huge. We want you to have fun, and then we want you to go tell somebody. That’s the easiest way to grow.”

If you’ve never been to an independent wrestling show, or are just looking for something to do with the family on a slow Saturday night, Bayou Independent Wrestling might be for you. Give it a whirl. If you’ve already seen your favorite football team take a beating, you might as well watch someone else get one.

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com