Central Manchester’s dormant independent wrestling scene will be woken up with a bang as a new promotion opens its doors this Sunday.
HXC Wrestling will host One Dark Night at MMU’s Student Union on Oxford Road – a night of hardcore match action for adults only.
Top British wrestling talent including Cyanide, T-Bone, Dave Rayne and Loco Mike Mason have signed up for the company’s first event, and promoter Mike Hough believes there is a gap in the market for more extreme shows
He said: “The wrestling community are excited by a new promotion being formed and have been very receptive to our positioning.
We have carried out detailed market research into what British wrestling fans feel like they are missing. We found that most are bored of the shows that play it safe and are more family friendly.
There’s nothing wrong with that sort of show, but we’re approaching a different market and they want something a bit different, more adult.”
The city has been without a centrally located promotion for many years, although there are a number of North West based shows including Preston City Wrestling and the Stockport-based Futureshock Wrestling.
In recent years, the two biggest wrestling promotions, WWE and TNA, have adopted a PG-rating approach to their shows, drastically reducing the amount of hardcore matches on show.
However, there is definitely still interest in the more violent side of wrestling as the number of official and unofficial ECW reunions show – over a decade after the original weapon-friendly company ceased to exist in it’s own right.
Hough admits wrestling has an image problem with some people, who denounce it as fake, but believes the more adult take his company plan to take will win people over.
He said: “Our roster features both male and female talent all of whom are the highest calibre of professionals. Yes, the results are predetermined and the show follows storylines, but fans watch for the same reason anyone would watch a soap opera – for the entertainment value.
If you’re hitting someone in the head with a steel chair, there’s very few ways you can fake that. It takes the toughest and most coordinated of athletes to pull it off to a high standard.”
Remember, only over 18s can go to Sunday’s show – tickets are available from www.ticketline.co.uk or by calling 0161 832 1111. Doors open at 7.30pm with the action starting at 8pm.
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Image courtesy of HXC Wrestling, with thanks
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