Flashback: Its November 2019, I’m counting down the minutes until Schadenfreude & Friends 5 & 6 tickets are available for the shows on January 21st and 22nd at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester.

I’ve been watching the previous shows via handheld camera views and photography by fans & skilled photographers alike. The shows look like the most ludicrous amount of fun you can have and at this time I was determined to purchase a ticket. Reading social media, I knew the buzz Schadenfreude had created meant the demand for tickets would be high.

The clock strikes and immediately I’m clicking on the website, making the purchase and without fully realising within ten minutes I’ve bought tickets for a show I’ve never been to, a city I’ve never been to, and made train bookings and hotel bookings. Going back onto social media, tickets for both shows sold out under five minutes. Suddenly I asked myself the questions, What the hell is a Schadenfreude & Friends? How the hell do I pronounce Schadenfreude and friends? I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

Now you’re here to read about Schadenfreude and not how to buy tickets, but the point I’m making is the demand for their shows haven’t just steadily got bigger, it’s skyrocketed. I mean as I type this, their next show in February sold out within forty-two seconds. Let that sink in FORTY-TWO SECONDS, for a show run by friends in a pub, (an awesome comedy bar) in Manchester that’s incredible.

Fast forward to January 21st, I’m in the queue, the queue is getting bigger and I can hear regular fans say, “This is different” and “how come, there’s so many people?”, another sign of the growth of the promotion. We all enter the building, oddly not everyone is rushing to the seats but they’re rushing to the merchandise stand. The Schadenfreude & Friends T-shirts aren’t available online, but they’re only available to buy at their shows and their unique designs are as unique as their shows.

Unlike many shows in the UK, the Frog and Bucket is a very small bar, no seats on the ground floor. Admittedly if they installed seats on the ground floor there wouldn’t be a lot of space for movement at all but there’s an array of seats are based upstairs. This arrangement allows the fans to get so close to the ring you can legitimately feel the action as it happens.

As the show begins the atmosphere is fun, every fan is enjoying themselves, myself a stranger was welcomed into a group of awesome regulars. This isn’t the only example I’ve head from fans who attend these shows.

Onto the show, fans witnessed the arrival of the second Kid Lykos, (Joe Nelson) facing Chris Brookes, who will be departing for Japan later in February. The two excelled in producing some excellent action, and as someone who hasn’t witnessed Brookes in a while, its clear the trip to Japan has benefited him because he is looking and acting like the superstar fans in the UK know he will become. As for Kid Lykos II, he has a fantastic addition to the CCK group and Lykos name, not that I’m surprised, Nelson has always excelled in his matches.

Time for the insanity, a fatal four-way… balloon match. Yeah, you read that right, featuring Aleah James, Callum Newman, Chuck Mambo and LK Mezinger. The aim DON’T DROP THE BALLOON! It sounds really dumb, really simple but the amount of tension you feel when you see a balloon about to touch the ground is legitimately nerve-racking. Only for it saved by Mambo as he leaps from the top turnbuckle to stop it. Not to mention the fans screaming in uproar as James appeared to allow the balloon to accidentally touch the ground. These are only two examples but the match remains memorable in all the right ways. Everyone involved looked to have a blast and truly fun.

The feud between The No Fun Police versus Gene Munny reached epic levels, as body-swapping was used. Body-swapping? Well, remember movies Freaky Friday and Vice Versa? Imagine this with a colander and wrestling, for reference if you place a colander on your head and place another on someone else head you also may run the risk of body-swapping with that person.

The match was frantic and chaotic, but seeing the personalities of all three men mixed was a sight to behold, seeing Los Federales Santos Jr. reaction after Gene Munny has left his body, he questions “Captain, why am I Naked?!” had everyone in stitches. The aftermath of the match, once everyone was back in their bodies, Capt. Damian Dunne gave a haunting statement to Munny, “… But Gene you’ve always been part of The No Fun Police,” and persuaded Munny to join with his bitter arch enemies much to the dismay of the crowd.

Next up, the incorrigible Mad Kurt arrived demanding a seated ovation. Naturally, no-one did it, well… maybe five at the back. He commanded a challenger step forward and suddenly Minoru Suzuki appeared…inflatable doll version (controlled by Brookes). Of course, fans had witnessed his match at Rev Pro Wrestling against the original Suzuki in which Kurt was dismantled. However, this was something so stupid yet so perfect by design. As Kurt remained determined to fight for redemption, Suzuki continued to fight…hold up what I am I writing, he was facing an inflatable doll. This was a match you had to see to believe, and it sucked you in its believability. Not that the doll could come to life but the idea the Kurt would be defeated by a doll…that happened. Unlike the doll, the emotions felt by the fans watching this were real, and it was pure enjoyment.

The last match of the night, Konosuke Takeshita battled Kyle Fletcher. Holy shit this match. Both men were fantastic, it was brutal, it was stiff, it was pure wrestling. The match had so many spots to highlight but think of this, a suplex from the balcony to the ring. There was a shocked silence by the fans until everyone frantically started cheering.

While watching this, I realised that among all the comedy the fans witnessed earlier, this small promotion had stuck the balance between comedy & seriousness successfully. Schadenfreude & Friends had sucked everyone in. Schadenfreude & Friends have a t-shirt saying, “it’s not a cult,” and anyone who has been to a show may easily find themselves becoming a follower. A follower of what though? A bunch of friends who want to enjoy themselves creating a show out of nothing, having fun and creating an alternative wrestling show that kicks you in the face (knee slap included) with 4th wall breaks throughout.

Now, I’ll be honest, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Some may not be able to suspend their disbelief long enough to stand watching the insanity blessed before them. I’ve waited almost a week to see if I still felt the same as I did when I left Schadenfreude & Friends. I still do, and I recommend you join me in the excitement to purchase a ticket to the next show.

Hold up, I said I went to both shows, I guess if this review goes down well I try to write a review type thing of Schadenfreude & Friends 6.

All pics courtesy of Craig Hermit

