Texas was once the beating heart of regional wrestling. In the 1980s, pros like Johnny Mantell and the Von Erich clan filled the Dallas Sportatorium with screaming fans, and legends like Jake “the Snake” Roberts and André the Giant had matches at Houston’s Sam Houston Coliseum. If King of Sports Championship Wrestling founder Khyber O’Sullivan has his way, Texas’ reign will return.
O’Sullivan, a North Texas high school theater and English teacher and KOS announcer, remembers those sights and sounds with reverence. He preferred such events to the cheap thrills of made-for-TV WWF. When he went to a few local matches in recent years, though, he was disappointed at the sky-high drama with rock-bottom believability.
“Pro wrestling is a play about a sport,” O’Sullivan says. “The concept behind KOS is a return to the sport of pro wrestling as it was presented from the 1920s to the 1980s.” That means fewer stunts and more immersive narratives, with good vs. evil matchups and real brawling. “Our wrestlers actually hit, kick, and tackle each other,” says Carey Gable, vice president of talent relations.
Established in 2019, King of Sports hosts family-friendly events at high schools from Vernon to Mount Pleasant. Ticket sales benefit schools and other groups. With hundreds of attendees at a couple of events per month, O’Sullivan says KOS has raised thousands of dollars for North Texas districts.
There are a half-dozen matches per card in various divisions: Heavyweight and Super-Heavyweight, Grappler for classic mat wrestling, and Texas Strong for feats of strength. Everyone in the organization has a role, from announcer to writer, and wrestling titan Kerry Von Erich’s daughter Hollie Von Erich even appears as a valet. koswrestling.com
