ANNISTON — The Knox Foundation's revival of the Knox Concert Series opened Friday evening at the Anniston High School Performing Arts Center before an audience of approximately 340, marking the first programming in the venue under the Knox name since the series concluded its 74th season in 2019.
Nine of the fourteen subscribers who renewed their memberships following the Foundation's June announcement were present. Two left at intermission. One subscriber, who identified herself as having attended Knox events for more than forty years and asked that her name not be used, said she had "no comment at this time" and walked to her car.
The evening was presented in partnership with Southeast Championship Wrestling, a Gadsden-based regional promotion. The card consisted of six bouts. The Foundation's pre-event materials described the evening as "a study in athletic choreography and narrative tension." The promotion's materials described it as "an action-packed night of hard-hitting professional wrestling."
Both descriptions were accurate.
The main event, a championship contest between a performer billed as "The Oxford Destroyer" and a challenger identified in the program as "Bad News" Barry Finch of Talladega, lasted approximately twenty-two minutes and concluded with what one audience member, an apparent wrestling enthusiast seated near this reporter, described as "a completely clean finish, actually." The Oxford Destroyer retained the Southeast Championship Wrestling heavyweight title following a pinfall. He declined to be interviewed after the match.
One folding chair belonging to the Anniston City School District sustained damage during the fourth bout. It was the second folding chair damaged at a Calhoun County community event this calendar year.
Knox Foundation board chair Brenda Colquitt, reached by phone Saturday, called Friday's event "an important first step" and said the Foundation was "encouraged by the energy in the room." Ticket sales for the remaining season dates were "tracking ahead of projections," she said. She declined to specify the projections.
Kettle corn was available in the lobby. A representative for the vendor confirmed sales were unaffected by the main event.
The Knox family was not in attendance.
The Green Tomato will continue to monitor the Knox Foundation revival season. The Just Elvis performance is scheduled for October 31. Tickets remain available at the Foundation's website.
