If you’re a pro wrestling fan, this is a peak season.

Sting, a legendary figure who has been a star for nearly 40 years, wrestled his retirement match for All Elite Wrestling last weekend. The 64-year-old went out in style not only with a victory, but by diving through panes of glass and tables.

In a few weeks, WWE will have its biggest show of the year with Wrestlemania 40. Another legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is on the card in what could be his final match as well — and he might not be the most popular guy there, in a sign of changing times.

Coming in between them is another big show, at least locally, as Bayou Independent Wrestling returns to Vicksburg for its “Ultimatum” show on March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Ardis T. Williams City Auditorium.

It’s BIW’s fourth show in the Auditorium in the past 13 months. The Monroe-based promotion puts on about a dozen cards a year in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and has recently worked Vicksburg into its rotation. A return is planned for November.

The crowds for the shows have been solid, and promoter Josh Newell said his wrestlers like coming here. The Auditorium was once a regular stop for promotions like Mid-South Wrestling and featured legends of the business.

It also offers a unique set-up with its stadium seating. Normally, independent promotions like BIW book their shows in civic centers or high school gyms where fans sit at floor level. The layout of the Auditorium creates a fun atmosphere and allows wrestlers to come up with different spots. Last summer, the main event included a running brawl that worked its way up into the seats.

“Guys really like coming here. Those stories and energy in that building mean something. They don’t get to work a lot of those buildings,” Newell said. “If people Google wrestling near Vicksburg, they find us. We like when wrestling is considered hot. It helps everybody.”

To help build a following here, Newell has regularly booked some of his top attractions for Vicksburg. Last July, Matt Taven — now an AEW tag team champion — was on the card. In November, the BIW Southern Championship changed hands when Bam Bam Malone beat Angel Camacho to cap a long-running feud.

This time, all four of the promotion’s championships — the Southern Championship, Deep South Heritage, BIW women’s and tag team titles — will all be on the line. It’s a stacked card that makes this perhaps BIW’s biggest show of the year.

“This is going to be the only show this year that all four titles will be on the line,” Newell said. “Some of it was planned. Some of it worked out that way. The tag titles have been building for a while and this was a natural place for it.”

A Bayou Independent Wrestling show at the Vicksburg City Auditorium is a long way from the spectacle of WWE’s Wrestlemania in a 60,000-seat football stadium. But, Newell said, it is a chance to have a fun Saturday night.

The smaller venue allows fans to get close to the action and meet the wrestlers. Most of them hobnob with fans between matches at their merchandise tables that ring the floor.

“I think being that close and having interaction is what makes independent wrestling fun,” he said. “John Cena’s not coming, so come and enjoy who you can.”

Newell added that a surge in popularity at the highest levels of pro wrestling filters down to his independent promotion. He’s hoping to draw a good crowd next weekend and make new fans.

“We have an 80 to 85 percent rate of, if people come once they’ll come back,” he said. “If WWE is doing good, everybody is doing good. When the energy is high, they’re going to find other content. If you want your fix you need other sources, and here we come two or three times a year.”

So if you want to check out a pro wrestling show, come to the Ardis T. Williams Auditorium on Saturday, March 16. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased at 601 Sports, or $20 at the door.

As the late, great Gene Okerlund used to say, Don’t ya dare miss it!

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com