By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Rod Bollenbacher was a “character.” A lovable, warm, fun-loving character. If you met him, you were his friend.
Tragically, with stunning surprise and shock, Rod (photo) recently left the Earth. He was laid to rest on July 7.
This well-known extrovert was every bit the hard-working, astute businessman. He also was a guy who dearly and deeply loved his family. And he enjoyed life!
After all, how many of us do professional wrestling? And who among us goes to Punxsutawney to see Phil the groundhog do his thing? And talk with Bill Murray?
To demonstrate how widely this guy was loved, here is what Jim Blaze, a professional wrestler and the owner of POWW Entertainment had to see about Rod in a Facebook post: “I am in complete shock and heartache hearing about the passing of someone who was so awesome from wrestling, to family and friends and I’m sure his employees at Wendy’s are as well.”
Several years ago we wrote the following about Rod:
“People get their enjoyment in a multitude of ways. Some like to climb mountains (scary!) while some like to run marathons (ouch!); others like to attend hockey games (guilty!), and still others can’t get enough of movies (relaxing!).
“Rod Bollenacher, a Berne native, fits into the latter category. And one of his favorites is “Groundhog Day.” In fact, it’s led him to Punxsutawney, Pa., and a guy named Murray and a groundhog named Phil.
“’I’m a movie buff and I’ve met Bill Murray several times,’ Rod recently said. Murray, of course, is the star of the movie “Groundhog Day.”
“Rod calls Punxsutawney “a fun town.” He says he’s ‘visited there several times. Got to know the town officials. Punxsutawney has a great following during Groundhog Day. Phil, the groundhog, can be seen year-around at the library.’
“The South Adams grad offers up this piece of trivia: ‘The movie was filmed in Woodstock, Illinois, as Bill and his brother were caring for their father and didn’t want to leave the state.’
“Bollenbacher was in Punxsutawney a couple of days this year for the Feb. 2 Groundhog Day. ‘Great experience!’ he exclaims.
“So did you attend the ceremony as the groundhog leaves his nest? ‘No; too many people for me. That park had thousands and thousands of people. (I bussed) only to the hill’
“Rod is a resident of Cedar Lake in northwest Indiana. His mother, Sandy Wellman, and her husband, Larry, reside in Berne. His father, Denny, is pastor at New Beginnings Community Church in Atwood and resides in Pierceton, both in northwest Indiana.
“Rod, a member of South Adams’ first Sectional championship basketball team in 1986 (before class basketball) has led a diverse and interesting life.
“He formerly was head hoops coach at Hanover Central in Cedar Lake and his son, Nick was a standout performer for four seasons for the Wildcats, racking up over 1,000 points. Rod resigned in March of 2012 after posting a 62-47 record (57%), second best in school history, and a 17-5 season which was an all-time best for the school.
“The basketball bloodline is long and strong: Rod’s father, Denny, was the only 1,000-point producer in the history of Decatur High School basketball.
Take it to the mat
“But there’s been a lot more than basketball and movies in Rod’s life. A number of years back he was known as Lightning Rod, Rod Bell, Hot Stuff, etc. – a professional wrestler. His career spanned much of the 1990s and early 2000s.
“While Bollenbacher knocked around in the lower levels of pro wrestling for some time, he also became PWI heavyweight champion one year, as Lightning Rod. As Rod Bell, he got into several matches in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the sport’s big league, going up against – and losing to, of course – big-timers like The Undertaker, Bam Bam Bigelow and King Kong Bundy.
“In January of 1998, Rod was the subject of a piece on wrestling by Al Hamrick which appeared in the Hammond Times.
“’You’ve got to love professional wrestling, if for nothing else, its complete lack of self control,’ Hamrick began. ‘In what other sport can you have a guy named Hot Stuff (Bollenbacher) working at a Northwest Indiana McDonald’s and going up against New Wave Wrestling Association favorites Bam Bam Bino, Ax Murdock and J.T. Sexy. From flipping burgers to flipping bodies. It’s the kind of transition headline writers love.’
“Later in the article, Hamrick wrote about WWF bossman Vince McMahon hiring Mike Tyson to referee a major match and wind up taking on Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring: ‘Vince is probably the greatest marketing genius in the world,’ said burger man Rod Bell, whose real name is Rod Bollenbacher. ‘That (Tyson-Austin confrontation) made the front page of every newspaper around,’” Hamrick added.
“’One wonders, Hamrick continued, ‘if McMahon could talk Tyson into a scripted match with Austin.’
“‘A lot of it is entertainment,” Bollenbacher said. ‘But myself … I’ve had six broken noses, internal bleeding, broken bones here and there. To say pro wrestling is just a joke, those people obviously haven’t been in the ring. It’s a rough business to be in.'”
“’So rough,” Hamrick closed, “that Hot Stuff runs a wrestling school in Lake Station (at the time of the article) that has 21 students. The number is (219) 641-5914. Bring your own first-aid kit.’”
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