Pro wrestling's country renaissance

Updated

A troupe of lycra-clad men and women have been bringing professional wrestling to regional Australia for 20 years, and they say the sweaty spectacle is seeing a resurgence.

The pungent stench of sweat and well-worn lace-up boots is overcoming in the cramped backstage area of the Evans Head-Woodburn RSL Club.

A convoy of a dozen wrestlers has just pulled into the northern New South Wales beachside town on the last stop of International Wrestling Australia's (IWA) Summer Meltdown Tour.

It is 37 degrees Celsius, but the show is not yet sold out so the youngest two wrestlers, 18-year-old Mehmet the Turkish Delight and 22-year-old Keegan Brettle, are told to pull on their lycra suits and walk the scorching streets to hand out fliers.

IWA founder Mark Mercedes concedes many think professional wrestling had its heyday in the 1980s, but he says crowds have been building in Australian country pubs and clubs in recent years.

"I think it goes in cycles, we're very dependent on what the American scene is," he said.

"Over the last year or so we've really seen an upswing and we're starting to become very popular again."

As Mehmet and Brettle try to find punters to fill the last empty seats, the other wrestlers rehearse their moves in the portable ring.

IWA heavyweight champion Apollo knows what question comes next when their rehearsals are revealed.

"Everyone thinks wrestling is fake and, to be honest, it's far from fake," he said.

"We're not going out to try to maim each other, but we go out to win a match.

"We do not know who is going to win beforehand. Why would you ask such a question? We don't know who is going to win."

Apollo dons pink, fluffy leg warmers, speedos and body oil for his performance, and says showmanship is as important as athleticism.

"It's sports entertainment, so we're putting on a show," he said.

"But we're using athletic ability. We need to train at wrestling school, we need to perfect our moves and counters and we need to keep up our cardio."

There are four women among the wrestlers who seem to spend longer than the rest perfecting their characters' personas and moves.

The veteran is Newcastle wrestler Harley Wonderland, who has trained for at least three nights every week for the past nine years.

Tonight, she says, she will play 'the good guy'.

"My in-ring personalities are very different to how I am in everyday life," she said.

"For about 80 per cent I've been a villain because it just fits me better, but lately I've been a good guy, which isn't that different. Just a bit less obnoxious."

Mehmet and Brettle arrive back after success in convincing a few tourists at a nearby caravan park to come along to the show.

Brettle expects to see a lot of young faces in the crowd who liken wrestlers to real-life superheroes.

"I remember my dad watching wrestling on TV when I was about five years old and something just struck a chord in me," he said.

"The guy that really got me into it was The Rock, he stood out head and shoulders above anyone I'd ever seen.

"He had that electricity that's hard to explain, like a superhero, he was just the best."

Doors open early for VIP ticket holders who take front row seats after posing for photos with some of the wrestlers.

About 250 people fill the RSL club hall and roar with laughter as the heavyset Alex Titan is matched with svelte Kai Drake in the ring.

Titan is a seasoned performer who elicits loud applause when he raises his arms before the crowd.

"I love the ability to incite emotions in people and evoke a cheer or a boo, or a cry, or a laugh, or a scream," he said.

"I can leave my bills and my worries and my concerns and my real life behind, and go out for 10 minutes and be someone totally different and suspend reality."

Titan's arm is raised, signifying him as the first winner of the night.

Mehmet the Turkish Delight is not so lucky, going down to JL Gold.

Harley Wonderland wins her match to the crowd's approval.

But the night threatens to end with an upset when Brettle gets angry during his bout with Apollo.

Brettle takes Apollo's title belt and hits him with it, causing the referee to disqualify him.

"At heart I'm a good guy, but at the moment I haven't really been listening to what the fans have to say and doing things my own way," Brettle said.

"I'm just a rebel without a cause right now. I'm a grub, and I like it."

The night is redeemed, however, when local wrestler ZZ Hook makes a cameo and takes on Brettle himself.

ZZ Hook wins, and the wrestlers insist it was a wrestling miracle.

"We all know that Star Wars is not real, we know that wrestling is not completely real," Mercedes said.

"But at the same time it's a contact sport and you can't fake getting slammed.

"It's a bit like being a professional stuntman. I've done it for 20 years and my body is wrecked."

Topics: wrestling, sport, regional, community-and-society, arts-and-entertainment, evans-head-2473, woodburn-2472, australia

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