Now THIS is a promotion!

Minor league franchises in all sports are legend in their imaginative use of promotions to bring fans to the stands. It is in this vein that we salute the AHL's Peoria Rivermen, who have a special treat for fans following their game against the Iowa Stars on March 22nd...

...wrestling.

Whoa, buckos...not just "wrestling," and not even the WWE brand of the sport. We're talking a triple-header of "midget championship wrestling." Let's let Dave Eminian of PJStar.com tell it...

"There will be three bouts in a WWE-style ring, billed as regular; hardcore with trash cans; and everything-goes World Tag Team Midget Championship, with Little Kaeto.

I kid you not. There's a video sample of Little Kaeto and his cohorts on my blog, Cleve's World, at www.pjstar.com.

"I think we're, um, tapping into what has been a strong professional-wrestling market in Peoria over the years," Rivermen president Bart Rogers said in his best deadpan. "These guys are, um, some of the best athletes in the world. We're going to have three big matches, something never done in Peoria.

"It's not often central Illinois is host of a world-championship bout."

Hardcore with trash cans...sounds like a hockey kinda night.