Smackdown at village hall: Elk Grove mayor wrestles with trash talk, agrees to tag team match

In a spectacle that had all the theatrics of professional wrestling, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson accepted a challenge at a village board meeting this week to a summer slugfest.

The battle royale involving the colorful seven-term mayor — a former high school wrestling coach — will be part of a series of matches in the ring at this summer’s Elk Grove Rotary Fest.

The preview to the kayfabe — resembling more of a smack talking fight weigh-in than a staid municipal government meeting — took place Tuesday night at village hall. To view all the hype in its entirety, visit egtv6.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/1592.

Johnson agreed to get involved in the tag team event — and had to be physically held back — when two unknown wrestlers interrupted the presentation of Justin James, the Holmes Junior High School physical education teacher and wrestling coach who is organizing the 2 p.m. July 19 event.

After James announced the match card for the free, family-friendly show, the two fighters took the mic at the public comment podium to challenge James to one more match to be added to the lineup.

That’s when Johnson chimed in, telling them public comment is at the end of the meeting.

“He’s nothing but old man Craig hanging onto some wrestling memories from the 1800s,” replied one of the wrestlers.

When the grappler approached the village board dais, James restrained Johnson, and the police chief stepped in to escort the two challengers from the board room.

Johnson and James agreed to the fight.

“Mayor Johnson, we’ve got some work to do,” James said. “We’ve got some training to do.”

“Kick their (butts), right?” Johnson replied. “July 19th, the belt is on the line.”