BY JORDAN BROOKS

jordan.brooks@middlesboronews.com

The eighth annual Wing Fling Festival took place Saturday, and this year it included a new twist.

Founded in 2015, Wing Fling has become one of the most popular festivals from Downtown Middlesboro. Each year, teams bring their own ingredients and supplies to cook with, and the event is open to the public to come try the team’s chicken wings for just $10.

According to Wing Fling organizer Steve Cambron, roughly 1,150 tickets were sold this year at the event.

“All proceeds are for Middlesboro Main Street,” Cambron said. “They use the funds to do beautification projects in the downtown district.”

Not only do winners get bragging rights, but they also receive cash prizes. The first prize winner receives $2,500, second place takes home $1,500 and third place gets $1,000. Festival-goers also were able to cast their votes for Fan Favorite.

The team Sauced and Tossed won this year’s event, while Redmond’s Roost was second and the Middlesboro Police team of Middlesboro’s Most Wanted Wings was third. Fire Fryers, a team of Middlesboro firefighters, won the Fan Favorite title.

This year’s festival also included a new twist with the addition of Ohio Valley Wrestling.

“I thought it was a nice addition to the event,” Cambron said. “The crowd really got into it and it was fun to see all the smiling kids,” said Cambron. “You could tell they enjoyed it and hopefully they will continue.”

Fans soon will be able to see behind-the-scenes action of Ohio Valley Wrestling on Netflix in September.

From the creators of “Last Chance U” and “Cheer,” “Wrestlers” is a series following the lives of the wrestlers and staff of OVW, which is owned by Middlesboro native Matt Jones.

Jones said his goal is to show what goes on behind the scenes before wrestlers take to the squared circle, while also promoting the OVW brand.

“Wrestlers” airs Sept. 13 on Netflix. Click here to watch the trailer.