Wrestlers to join Myrtle Beach Pelicans in tag team effort to assist veterans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans will be one wrestler short of putting on an official match Saturday.

However, they’ll have just enough entertainers to help a good cause.

Jackie Crockett, author of “When Wrestling Was Wrestling” and a member of the family that started the Crockett Foundation, will be joined by former pro wrestling referee Tommy Young and longtime wrestler Nickla “The Perfect 10 Baby Doll” Roberts for Crockett Foundation Night at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark on Saturday.

The Crockett Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Charlotte, N.C., that raises funds for military veterans, mainly through helping pay veterinarian bills and food costs for service and support dogs who accompany them, according to its website. It also raises funds to train those dogs, and improve the lives of veterans who are “working toward mental and emotional stability after active duty due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).”

The Crockett Foundation’s partnership with the Pelicans came through a recommendation from another minor league baseball franchise, the Charlotte Knights, who have partnered with the foundation the last two years.

“Charlotte gave them glowing reviews and said they were excellent to work with and that they bring good talent in support of a good cause,” said Jen Brunson, Myrtle Beach Pelicans Assistant General Manager, Community Development.

The Crockett Foundation is in honor of Jim Crockett Sr., who was a pioneer of professional wrestling and baseball in the Carolinas, according to the foundation’s website.

Roberts joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate Jim Crockett Promotions in 1985 and went on to manage such greats as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, The Warlord and Larry Zbyszko, according to the Crockett Foundation website. Young worked for NWA and JCP as a referee for 14 years, the website reads, while also listing other former wrestlers as its “Tag Team Partners.”

Brunson said Jackie Crockett, Roberts and Young will sign autographs, throw out first pitches and interact with fans as the Pelicans take on the Down East Wood Ducks at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s a perfect match for us,” Brunson said. “We like to help the area and the community, as well as bring entertainment to the Grand Strand. So when they reached out and said that they are raising funds for a cause that we believe in and also bringing entertainment to our community it was a no-brainer for us to connect with the Crockett Foundation to help raise the funds and bring some fun entertainment to the Grand Strand as well.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Wrestlers to join Myrtle Beach Pelicans in tag team effort to assist veterans."