» Sport: Always picked last
Andrea Fox goes American Rumble Wrestling
Apparently in Brighton nothing says ‘Happy Mothers Day’ like a trip to see some wrestling. In a back room at the Brighton Centre, I experienced my first taste of American Rumble Wrestling, which involves chucking contestants out of the ring to win, and some good old tag team action.
Wrestling, or fake-fighting between two professionals for payment, is often considered one of the oldest sports still in existence, probably because we’ve been beating each other since we learned to walk upright. But in the UK, wrestling hasn’t always had the popularity it’s enjoyed in America or even Japan.
Even now I’m still not sure what makes ‘American Rumble Wrestling’ American, but I’m guessing the name. What I actually got to watch was a beautiful piece of odd English entertainment.
“Poor guys. They’ve got it bad enough with the outfits: imagine pantomime dame and minimise the amount of material used”
Taking our seats and looking around at the crowd of excitable kids and slightly less interested parents, my fears were confirmed. I am not the target market for lycra-clad men. Surprisingly, 10-year-old boys made up a captive audience, and the judges did nothing to stop the rampaging young boys from screaming and waving their foam fingers at the poor fighting grown men in their funny little costumes. Poor guys. They’ve got it bad enough with the outfits: imagine pantomime dame and minimise the amount of material used and you’re nearly there.
The wrestlers had names as beefy as their arms, things like Danny Driscal and Chris Kay, and there was even a Robbie Williams. I didn’t hear anyone making any ‘Angels’ jokes. The looks of pain on the wrestlers’ faces aren’t that believable but the thuds of the springy board of the ring and the rehearsed cries of terror certainly convince. RADA training needed, but I’m not going to tell the wrestlers that to their faces.
For me, the most amusing part was the creatively worded family-friendly shouts of encouragement: “COME ON YOU SCUMBAGS, WHO IS THE BEST?” Scumbags? Last used as a cuss by pirates in 1700.
The crowd enjoyed themselves, though I’m sure some of the mums in the audience would have preferred a face pack and day in. If you have sons who like chucking each other over the sofa then take them along to this and they can pick up some new tips. I left thinking, my brother would have loved that as a kid, and our mum would never have taken him, because she didn’t approve of the fighting. I think I’m turning into my mother because it turns out I don’t approve of the fighting either.
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