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A West Des Moines nightclub shortchanged the state government last week when it hosted an "extreme midget wrestling" event without a license, labor officials said Tuesday.
Professional boxing or wrestling match promoters in Iowa are required to post a $5,000 bond and pay taxes on admission revenue.
On Friday, the Vieux Carre nightclub hosted the Half Pint Brawlers, a traveling group of dwarfs who do stand-up comedy, stunts and faux wrestling shows.
Club owner Tom Baldwin disputes whether the event should be considered a professional athletic event.
"It's just kind of a carnival-like show," Baldwin said. "It'd be no different than going to the Funny Bone" comedy club.
Nevertheless, the state's labor commissioner, Dave Neil, said the event is considered professional wrestling under Iowa law, which defines it as an exhibition that is open to the public and has paid contestants - no matter their size.
"It's advertised as professional wrestling," Neil said. "Whether it's a show or an exhibition, then we're just splitting hairs."
Puppet the Psycho Dwarf, who performed in West Des Moines, did not return a telephone call to comment for this article.
Neil wants financial information about the Vieux Carre event before any action is taken. The nightclub, 1720 25th St., could be hit with a fine of up to $5,000. The Union Bar in Iowa City is also under investigation for a similar show in December.
Moderators: kylervk, Joe, Hank Fist, inx515xhell
Re: somehow this makes me feel better.
Im not the most sensitive dude....at all. Not really because its exploitation of midgets (lol), but more less the idea of a bunch of bro dudes and whores standing around pointing and laughing made this all a joke to begin with. I hate west side bars with all my guts.
Re: somehow this makes me feel better.
no. it makes me feel betteer because tom baldwin owns the bar. and id like to see him go bankrupt. im all for exploiting, im a capitalist
Re: somehow this makes me feel better.
it's funny, cause the same thing happened to the Union in Iowa City. midgets and all. just read about it yesterday.
Re: somehow this makes me feel better.
hank-last sentence.