Wrestling matches are making a London comeback – in Highbury.
Progress Wrestling, started and run by stand-up comedian Jim Smallman and promoter Jon Briley, will be hosting six professional matches on March 25, at The Garage. The club is the first of its kind in London and they are hoping the trend will catch on.
Locals will be able to feast their eyes international heavyweight stars such as Mexican wrestler El Ligero, Brit Nathan Cruz, US pro Colt Cabana and Marty Scurll – once a contestant on popular dating game show Take Me Out.
The brains behind the brawn, organiser Mr Smallman came up with the idea while performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
He said: “One day we just thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to put on a wrestling show?’ We’re not doing it to make a fortune. We want to put something cool out to fellow fans.”
If the Edwardian terraces and neatly pruned hedges of Islington don’t immediately scream ‘smack down’, brace yourself for a change.
“We’ve chosen a music venue, instead of a leisure centre which is what people usually expect, because we hope that we’ll get hardcore fans as well as people who go to The Garage who haven’t seen wrestling in years,” Mr Smallman added.
The shows are strictly over 14, but Mr Smallman promises it’s not all about breaking chairs over each other’s heads: “We’re focusing on technical skills, rather than stories, which is something British wrestling is famous for.”
So who are the ones to watch? 24-year-old Zack Sabre Jr, with his bulging forearms and dazzling good looks to match, is currently the best wrestler in the UK. He’s drumming up a following in the United States, so his presence at the Islington show this month is set to create a stir.
Mr Smallman, who will be compering the matches, harbours wrestling aspirations of his own. “I’ve met so many wrestlers, and they always say, ‘Why don’t you come train with us?’ Well I think I’m a bit old for that now. But it’s always been a secret dream of mine.”
To get your tickets for the first bout, click here.
Good article, I’ve already got front row tickets to the show, but the quotations you attributed to Mr Briley were actually said to/by Jim Smallman.
Also, Zack Sabre Jr does not have bulging forearms haha.
Hi Patrick, thanks for your comment – really sorry about the mix-up in the editing process. It’s been corrected! I’m looking forward to the match as well! However, I would have to say – as far as I can tell – Zack Sabre Jr. has huge forearms!