For Jacob “Lil Show” Brooks, professional wrestling has been a way of life for more than two decades.

Brooks, who has wrestled for 23 years, will be among the performers bringing Micro Wrestling to the Panama City area on Saturday, Oct. 10, when Micro One comes to Re-Rack Sports Bar.

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The event is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. and is billed as an all-ages show. Brooks will be joined by HotRod, Mr. Nice Guy, Zach Presley, Deuce Perry, Gomez Jr., Disco Dom, Ben Urkel, Jmazing, JJ Reckless and Lumberjack.

For Brooks, the road to Micro Wrestling began when he was 13 years old.

He and his brother got their start with Power Pro Wrestling, where they had the opportunity to work around Jerry “The King” Lawler. Brooks eventually moved into the independent wrestling circuit, continuing to wrestle through high school before hitting the road after graduation.

“I've been on the road ever since,” Brooks said.

Growing up, Brooks said his goal was to make it to WWE. Although he did not receive a WWE contract, his career has taken him to opportunities that few independent wrestlers experience.

Brooks has appeared with WWE and AEW and performed at WrestleMania. He was also part of “Big Little Brawlers,” a reality television series centered around micro wrestling.

“I get to travel the United States,” Brooks said. “Very blessed, having a job that I love to do.”

Brooks said his influences have changed throughout his career. As a young fan, he admired Bill Goldberg and was given the nickname “Little Stone Cold” while he was in school.

As he developed as a professional wrestler, Brooks said AJ Styles became one of his biggest influences. He also pointed to performers like Triple H and The Rock.

Rather than simply imitate those wrestlers, Brooks said he takes elements from different performers and combines them with his own style.

Today, Brooks performs as “Lil Show,” the redneck brawler.

Micro Wrestling, he said, contains many of the same elements fans expect from traditional professional wrestling, including high flyers, powerhouse wrestlers, brawlers, storylines and distinct characters.

Brooks said some people who have never seen Micro Wrestling may not know what to expect.

“A lot of people, when they think of us, they're like, it's gonna be a circus show,” Brooks said.

Brooks described the shows as professional, athletic and driven by characters and storylines. The company also has its own programming, including “Monday Night Micro,” which he compared to WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”

The company has grown substantially since its beginnings. Brooks said Micro Wrestling started in 2009 with 10-12 wrestlers and has grown to nearly 40 performers.

The roster features a variety of personalities. Brooks described Zach Presley as the “King of Micro,” while other performers, including Mr. Nice Guy, HotRod, Deuce Perry and Gomez Jr., bring their own distinct characters to the ring.

For Brooks, one of the biggest differences between Micro Wrestling and other forms of entertainment is the connection with the audience.

“We involve the crowd,” Brooks said. “We let them know that we see them and that they're there with us.”

He recalled one recent fan who told him that despite having attended WWE events, including Raw, the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, the Micro Wrestling show had made a lasting impression because of the way the performers interacted with the crowd.

Brooks believes Panama City fans can expect the same energy when Micro One arrives at Re-Rack Sports Bar.

His message to anyone considering attending is simple.

“You don't want to miss it because you will never forget it," Brooks said.

Micro One is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Re-Rack Sports Bar. The event is all-ages and tickets can be purchased at this link.

Adebanji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiPCSport.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Micro Wrestling's 'Lil Show' previews Panama City show