Riptide Wrestling: Black Water

Imagine a world where lean and mean posh Tory boys are roundly booed rather than voted into power, where ‘The Lion Kid’ is nervous about swearing at a ‘big boy’ show, and where an atmosphere of football chant-tinted boisterous caterwauling and gleeful camp abandon can happily co-exist in a queer-friendly and welcoming environment. We’re not there yet generally speaking but Riptide Wrestling is a hilarious, lurid, riotous step in the right direction.

The good humour of the wrestling and the crowd is undoubtedly a large part of the appeal (including a healthy amount of low blows and rabble rousing), but it would be a disservice not to mention the impressive athleticism on display at ‘Black Water’. Jinny was a vicious fighter and a whirling wonder, whereas the final few bouts of Webster vs Cross and the Six Man Tag Team match featured stunning aerial acrobatics. Wrestlers often wandered (or were simply flung) into the crowd too, engendering a refreshing sense of unsanitised bonhomie. The lineup was generous too, running for three hours including an excellent pre-show: I won’t list all the bouts but you should head to their Facebook page to check out images and videos to give you a feel for the experience.

Tied with ‘Paddington 2’ for the title of ‘most joyous and entertaining ode to inclusivity and community’ of 2017, albeit with more suplexes and booze.

Brighthelm Centre, 2 December 2017

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