Fans bid a ‘Tex’-sized farewell to Houston’s Doomsday Wrestling

This was one of the hardest stories I covered this year. Although I was only acquainted with Greg Vallot, it was clear that the love of his friends, comedy, and wrestling was fully on display in his show, Doomsday Wrestling. After Vallot’s passing, the two-decade-long live comedy wrestling event came to an end, culminating in a final show titled Doomsday Forever.

I was in the audience for that final performance, crying along with the crowd as wrestler after wrestler emerged for their last moment of glory or defeat in a strange, silly, and deeply loving tribute. What concluded was both a spectacle and a deeply personal farewell. A show whose heroes and heels had lifted, jabbed, tossed, tagged out, gimmicked, and counted their way to a finale in which the long-time “villain” (and secretly Tex Lonestar’s best friend), Monte Del Monte, declared Tex Lonestar’s daughter, Charlene Lonestar, the final and ultimate winner of all of Doomsday Wrestling.

After the show, I spoke with Shablis Kinsella and Hunter Mellow in the studio, who worked closely with Vallot for years. They shared stories about how the show began, and about who Greg Vallot was when Tex Lonestar wasn’t around: a comic book–loving, dog-rescuing man who was always thinking about how to put on the next great show.

Doomsday Wrestling has cemented itself in Houston counterculture history as a wild burst of unexpected creativity and silliness in a city often assumed by outsiders to be highbrow or dry. 

And for that, Vallot has reached a Lone Star sliver of immortality - big and bright as the stars at night, deep in the heart of Texas.

You can listen to our interview here:
Houston Matters with Craig Cohen - Houston Public Media March 7, 2025