Munhall’s T-Rantula Goes For Gold At “Brawl Under The Bridge”

By Thomas Leturgey

David Younkins may just be the only elected official currently moonlighting as a professional wrestler, and he will bring his significant and sizeable self to the 8th installment of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA) Brawl Under the Bridge on Saturday, July 15.

Younkins, a first-term Munhall Borough Councilman, has wrestled for nearly 30 years as the icon T-Rantula and has taken on the likes of Swissvale’s Dennis Gregory, Glassport’s Lord Zoltan, Munhall’s Robert Parker Williams and the late Devil Bhudakhan. He’s been on television battling The Big Show and Lex Luger, among others. At 6’7,” and more than 350 pounds, the Harley Davidson-loving wrestler is best known for heavy overhand chops, as well as delivering cardboard boatloads of nachos and cheese into opponents’ heads.

Last year, Younkins was unable to wrestle, but did make an appearance. He had been struck by a car in a real-life hit-and-run and was recovering from a shoulder injury. He has also since retired from his long-time job as an Allegheny County Jail guard.

A Homestead native who has called Munhall home for years, T-Rantula will face Johnny Norris for the now-vacant Brawl Under the Bridge championship. Yinza, the Pittsburgh Luchadore, had to relinquish the Brawl Under the Bridge title due to injury. The KSWA Championship Committee signed Norris, an impressive athlete in his own right. Several athletes, including Brownsville, PA native Bill Eadie, who many fans know as “The Masked Superstar” and WWE’s “Demolition Ax.”

T-Rantula first competed at Brawl Under the Bridge by surprising his opponent and fans alike by riding his motorcycle to the ring. At the same evening in 2016, ABC news was there to cover the political atmosphere between the Democratic and Republican Nation Conventions. Younkins won his match, rode up to the television reporter, told him who “Bikers” would vote for and rode off, all to the elation of the massive crowd.

T-Rantula isn’t the only wrestler from the near Mon Valley. Anthony Drake, who wrestles as the face-painted, Appalachian Mountain brute, “The Ram”, lives in Lincoln Place. This will be his third match at Brawl Under the Bridge. He will challenge Sin Born for the promotion’s Five Star Championship in a Fatal Four-way contest. “Just like all of my family who worked at the Homestead Steel Mill, The Ram will work harder, no matter the risk,” he wrote in an email.

West Mifflin's Mark Charles III, Springdale's Shawn Patrick and Penn Hills' Jimmy James make up the referee ranks.

Monroeville’s “Rev” Ron Hunt, who has appeared on Ring of Honor and WWE television over the years, teams with Uniontown’s “Regent” Joshua Kavod to defend the KSWA tag team championships against local, long-time veterans Super Hentai and “Big Boss” Glenn Spectre.

The Mon Valley has really taken to Brawl Under the Bridge, making it one of the highlights of the area’s summer season. In a subsequent year, then-Mayor Betty Esper rode on the motorcycle with T-Rantula as part of a Mayor vs. Mayor showdown with villainous manager Mayor Mystery.

Crowds have grown each year, as food trucks and vendors help make for a most unique experience. Approximately 800 fans spanned the entire venue space from W Sixth to W Seventh Streets under the Homestead Grays Bridge.

Brawl Under the Bridge routinely features something for everyone in the world of professional wrestling. In his last regional appearance, WWE Hall of Famer Nickolai Volkoff’s boisterous rendition of “God Bless America” reverberated from the steel undercarriage of the Bridge in 2016, and he wrestled to an adoring crowd. Volkoff, who started his career in Pittsburgh as one of Studio Wrestling’s “Mongols,” passed away in 2018.

There have been Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches, a Homestead Street Fight and contests that ended when one wrestler was tossed into an ambulance. Over its history, Brawl Under the Bridge has become a talked-about event that fans ask about all year ‘round.

A “An Un-Civil War” match with KSWA Champion Lou Martin, KSWA Owner Bobby O and Shane Starr, will take on four men who make up the “Dynasty” stable--"King" Del Douglas, Shawn Blanchard, Kris Kash and Anthony Alexander. In all, 7 matches are scheduled with a 5:00 p.m. start time.

But in Homestead and Munhall, we will see if Brawl Under The Bridge is T-Rantula’s day.