They go by the names of Mini POD, Meatball, Little Nasty Boy, Little Killer, Short Dog, Mr. Big, Pit Bull Patterson, etc.

They are short in stature, but long in athleticism and entertainment value.

And they are a rare breed these days.

They are professional midget wrestlers, and two of them are coming to Butler Friday night to participate in the Far North Wrestling show at the Days Inn.

"There's only a few of them left," said FNW promoter Dan Polinsky. "A lot of midget wrestlers have gotten out of the business."

Chris Guyre, a 4-foot-4, 120-pound police dispatcher in Marion, Ind., has gotten a lot of midgets back in the business.

Known as Mini POD on the wrestling circuit, Guyre is founder and chairman of the Micro Wrestling Federation, the only all-midget wrestling organization in the world.

"I broke into the business when I was 15," said Guyre, 33. "The WWF (now WWE) needed a replacement for Dink, a midget clown manager, for a nearby show when the real Dink took ill and couldn't perform.

"They called me and at that young an age, I jumped at the chance."

Guyre enjoyed the experience and stayed in the wrestling business for a while before leaving after a disagreement with promoters of the larger organizations.

"I was in it maybe three years and just wasn't being trained properly," he said. "The moves we perform are going to hurt, but they shouldn't be threatening heath-wise.

"We're in the ring to perform moves the right way and entertain, not kill each other."

After four years away from the business, Guyre was asked by a friend to be his manager at a local show.

"The guy had an Irish gimmick going and he wanted a leprechaun manager," Guyre said. "It sounded like fun, so I did it.

"Upon doing that, I realized the small-town shows and promotions could really be enjoyable, so that's what I pursued."

He trained himself properly, working out with veteran professional wrestlers and attending camps on his own.

Guyre said mental training as well as physical training is required.

"You have to learn how to react to the crowd, feed off them, figure out when they're ready for the big move," he said. "Most importantly, you have to learn how to perform the stunts safely."

"These guys are so small and nimble. They can do things in the ring that the big guys can't do," Polinsky said. "There's always a risk involved, so they have to be careful."

Guyre has 30 wrestlers in his organization, including the world's smallest midget wrestler in 3-foot-7, 65-pound Blixx. Guyre will wrestle Blixx as part of Friday's show in Butler.

The Midget Wrestling Federation, which books about four shows a month, sends wrestlers to all parts of the country.

"I've been in all 50 states except Vermont, Arkansas and Hawaii. I've been all over Canada, in South America and Central America."

While most of the fan feedback has been positive, Guyre admits to hearing criticism from time to time.

"People say I'm exploiting my size for financial gain," he said. "When they start saying Yao Ming is exploiting his size for financial gain in the NBA, then they can come talk to me."

Friday's show begins at 7:30 p.m.