But most often you can catch Meatball at bars around the country, performing two or three times a month with other small-statured athletes who form the Micro Wrestling Federation.

The group will make its first appearance Monday at the Texas Hall of Fame.

Meatball, a tattooed 37-year-old heavy-metal aficionado who claims to measure in at 4-foot-6 and nearly 275 pounds, has been with the federation for seven years. He spoke with Spotlight recently while standing outside a concert for all-female group Kitty in his hometown of Chicago.

"There's a lot of energy," he said of the wrestling events. "It's the same thing you watch on TV. We're just half the size --that's all.

"But the crowd response -- they really get into it."

1. How did you get involved in wrestling?

Through a friend of mine. Basically I was like a sidekick character -- just do funny stuff. Jump out of a garbage can. Silly String the guy.

And then the midgets heard of me. I started out doing midget boxing, and then after a couple months, they're like, "You know what? We're going to bring you up to speed here. We're going to teach you how to wrestle."

My first-ever match was a normal-sized guy. He was like 6-foot-2. It went great, because basically I slaughtered him.

2. So what goes into training to be a wrestler?

As far as being a midget wrestler, yeah, you know, you lift weights and stuff. But my normal job [at O'Hare Airport] -- that's where I get my workout, basically. I push a lot of cargo, dump baggage and, you know, get the 12 ounce curls going [laughs]. You've got to get that rolling.

3. Did you grow up wanting to be a wrestler?

I grew up watching it. When [Hulk] Hogan got started into it, basically. And then Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, King Kong Bundy, The Undertaker -- all those guys.

It was Hogan [who was his favorite]. Then they introduced The Undertaker. A lot of my finishing moves are based on his finishers. I can do the choke slam. I can do the tombstone. I can do the powerbomb.

4. How does performing in a bar effect the atmosphere?

The crowd respects our area. No one's really got in the ring or tried to [expletive] with us or nothing. I'd like to see someone try that. Step into my world and you're going to get hurt, you know?

5. How did you develop the Meatball persona?

That's a name I've had forever. I'm well-known in the music industry as Meatball. I've hung out with countless bands. Hundreds of bands. If you happen to run into a heavy-metal band and you say, "Hey, do you know Meatball?" Nine out of 10, they'll tell you, "Yeah." Bullet for My Valentine -- I just hung out with them earlier this week. Judas Priest. Iron Maiden. Slayer. Heaven and Hell. Hatebreed. Iron Maiden. Motorhead. All the ones that have been worldwide.

Sometimes a lot of them will even take me on tour with them.

6. What's one of your favorite experiences hanging out with bands?

The chicks that they don't take, I get. Hey, I'll be honest with you.

7. Do you have any ambitions to transition into acting as many other wrestlers have?

Well, basically you could say wrestling is kind of acting. The same thing we do in a ring is kind of the same thing you're going to do in front of a TV camera or a movie camera.

8. How choreographed is it?

All the guys I work with, we know what each other can do, and we wrestle each other all the time. We don't even have to talk about what we're going to do. You just go out there and go with it. All we know before we go out there is, "All right, who's going to win?" And some of the time we just go by the crowd. It depends on who the crowd's cheering for more. We'll even switch it.

9. Do you guys get people who complain this is exploitative?

There's a couple things that happened with the first group I started with where a bar owner said, "Hey, we're not going to do the show," because of little protesters. I'm like, "Why? That's good publicity right there."

Just because I'm short -- I love wrestling --why can't I go out and perform and entertain a crowd with what I'm good at doing? You don't see 7-foot basketball players getting protested by tall people. You're exploiting tall people because he can slam-dunk a ball.

You get a few little people, [in whiny voice] "Oh, look at me, I'm short. Feel sorry for me. I can't do this. I can't do that." That's [expletive], you know? You just go out there, you give it 110. Come to my face and try to stop me, because it ain't going to happen.

That's why I call myself "the world's biggest midget." Not height-wise, but build-wise. I'm like the Andre the Giant of midget wrestling, basically.

10. How would you describe your wrestling persona?

I may look mean as hell, but under the character I'm a nice, easygoing guy.

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