Sophomore Luke Waters won this year’s Simpson Smackdown wrestling competition as the Raging Bull, but Chair and Professor of English Justin Jackson told Waters he was coming for him next year in a displayed video at the wrestling match’s finale. 

“I destroyed every single one out here on the mat tonight, and if Dr. Jackson or anybody else has a problem with that, they can meet me on the ring next year,” Waters said. 

Simpson Residence hosted the second annual Simpson Smackdown, “an action-packed wrestling showdown featuring Simpson’s finest wrestlers, special guests, and non-stop entertainment” April 4 in the Simpson courtyard. 

Students, professors, and campus personalities staged wrestling fights in the ring, complete with breaking tables, flying cereal, and inflated sumo wrestler costumes.

Junior Jonathan Williams organized the event and junior Paden Hughs created hype videos and story points for the performance. Sophomores Alex Buehrer and Joe Vankat helped write the script. 

Waters played the Raging Bull, complete with a leather jacket, cigar, and temporary tattoos.

“Luke was just an electric personality in Simpson Smackdown last year, so we knew he was going to come back this year,” Williams said. “Then we tried to think of big people we could get to be cameos.” 

Williams said they immediately thought of Gate Guy — Dennis Cooke — and reached out to recruit him. 

“I got his number but Gate Guy was originally on the fence,” Williams said. “But we showed him some videos and roped him into it, and he loved it. He came up with most of the ideas for his match and really bought into it.”

Williams said once they recruited Waters and Cooke, they decided they were missing someone.

“We realized that we should complete the Jodel trifecta and get Max as well,” Williams said. “That was a funny nod to campus culture that we were able to put together.” 

Sophomore Max Cote dressed up in lederhosen with a large yodel horn as the Yodeler.

Williams also recruited associate professors of English Jason Peters and Brent Cline, and Associate Professor of Philosophy Ian Church.

“I knew Dr. Peters and Dr. Cline so I talked to them, and I think the big selling point for them was being able to beat up the other guy because they’re good friends, but also to tease each other,” Williams said. 

Williams said the professors did a great job keeping their appearances a secret to their students.

“We approached Dr. Church because given his large and muscular presence, he was definitely a guy that we wanted to be a part of it,” Williams said.

Church said the Simpson men came to his office asking if he wanted to throw someone.

“I was hesitant at first, but I was assured a waiver was signed, so I was happy to do it quickly,” Church said.

Church also gave out extra credit to any of his students who attended the event. 

The idea for Smackdown began when the Suites Residence offered its excess dormitory money to the dorm with the best event idea in a version of campus Shark Tank last spring, where Simpson won $300 for last year’s event. 

Simpson pitched a combination of World Wrestling Entertainment and campus celebrities and won the event money.

“We didn’t really know how it would go last year, but people loved it and it’s really grown, especially with the professor cameos that we had this year,” Williams said.