The Blanchard Brothers POWProWrestling.com.
When the Blanchard Brothers strut their way to the Eugene-based POW! Pro Wrestling ring, you know you’re in for a treat. Jeremy and Bubba Blanchard look and act the way I imagine pro wrestlers in the “territory” days were like, a time before WWE (then-World Wrestling Federation) took over the wrestling industry in the mid-’80s and injected pop culture into it. Those days were a time when big, burly wrestlers ran the ring, and they didn’t take any guff from the crowd. And the Blanchard brothers fit this bill.
OK, so technically Bubba and Jeremy aren’t brothers. Jeremy says he was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and before he could walk, he was attending live pro wrestling shows, soaking in legends like Jerry “The King” Lawler (famous in the mainstream for the feud he had with comedian Andy Kaufman). Jeremy met Bubba in middle school and they have been together ever since. They’ve wrestled without each other, but Jeremy says the two have the most fun working as a tag team. “It seems like together we’re lightning in a bottle,” he says.
The Blanchard Brothers wrestle as the bad guys, aka “heels.” They’re loud, crass and in-your-face — and that’s what gets the crowd booing. Lately, Jeremy says he just lets Bubba harass the crowd. “It’s a blast to watch Bubba go — it’s magic,” he adds.
Getting the crowd worked up isn’t the only thing the Blanchard brothers do so well. They cruise to the ring wearing bedazzled robes to the theme song of “O Fortuna” from the Carmina Burana cantata, and when they’re beating up the good guys, they howl in joy.
There’s no brother pro wrestling duo like the Blanchards in town. They’ll yell at you and mock you, and you’ll boo them when they somehow eek out a win. That’s what makes them so great. And that’s why I can’t stop loving to hate these guys.