‘Furious’ Fuzion, Del Taurino, TJ Rush, it sounded like I was at a sports drink convention. I was instead at Estonian Hall in North Adelaide to witness Riot City Wrestling (RCW), South Australia’s only amateur wrestling club.
Some 200 people jammed into the small auditorium to get front row seats to a centre stage surrounded by protective fencing.
Young and old, rich and poor, blue collar, white collar, they were all here to watch ‘Trial By Stone’ a night of amateur wrestling.
The atmosphere was electric, as the tiny auditorium made for an intimate atmosphere. Several die hard fans had been lining up outside for up to an hour before doors opened.
At exactly 8PM, the lights went out, the heavy metal music blasted through the speakers and amid a dazzling light show, the first two wrestlers strutted out.
Standing tall at 185 centimetres, it was the Spanish ‘Furious’ Fuzion up against the fresh faced Brett Reynolds.
It was the giant hairy beast versus the clean cut pretty boy.
“Shave your back,” was the first taunt of the night yelled out by an anonymous member of the audience.
It was clear Furious was not the crowd favorite. With the crowd cheering, the show began.
The acrobatic along with the charismatic took centre stage. Dominating the first few minutes, ‘Furious’ Fuzion threw Reynolds outside of the ring to the discontent and jeering of a booing audience.
Thriving on the animosity, he gestured at the crowd further fuelling their rage. This was amateur wrestling, staged choreographed mayhem with attitude and flamboyant personas to match.
After an epic 15 minute battle, the wolverine looking Fuzion claimed victory by submission.
Over the course of the night, there were eight match ups, climaxing in the open challenge for bragging rites to the RCW title.
With brief intermissions between fights, the spectators had time to replenish their drinks and rest their weary voices from the constant shouting and heckling.
This was no spectator sport, it demanded participation.
In the second match up of the night, Luke ‘Santa Maria’ – dressed in yellow and purple – obliterated the white masked Plasma.
With only seven minutes on the clock, ‘Santa Maria’ was declared winner by tap-out. The humiliated Plasma had his mask ripped from his face to the applause of the crowd.
Next came the joker reincarnated, Jacko Lantern, caked in heavy make-up and wearing garish purple and green overalls.
Jacko was merciless, pounding the gothic looking Voodoo.
“He’s working both atmospheres of Voodoo’s body,” the enigmatic host commented.
The tall bohemian Jacko Lattern looked set to win until the fight was declared a double count-out with no winner.
Both wrestlers were outside the ring for more than ten seconds.
Del Taurino won the next fight by default against Brodie Archer. TJ Rush, Marvel and Savannah won their respective fights against Brad Smyth, Mimic and Miami.
However, it was the last fight of the night that everyone had come to see, with the winner claiming the rite to buckle up with the RCW title belt.
It was the defending champion, G.D. Grimm up against the newcomer Matt Silva.
G.D. Grimm looked the perfect image of death, with black and white makeup and tight black leather pants; you could have mistaken him for the Grim Reaper.
The main event of the evening produced the loudest slaps and heaviest thumps as each wrestler took a turn in hitting the floor.
It was by far the best choreographed fight of the evening.
“Back-breakers, front-breakers, brain-busters,” all the moves were there to win over the adulation of the screaming crowd.
After controversially knocking out the referee in the 17th minute, the ring descended into chaos as G.D. Grimm used his belt to smash the face of his opponent. The crowd jeered as the fight continued on without any direction from the referee.
After a few minutes the referee clambered to his feet and called an end to the bitter rivalry.
G.D. Grimm was announced winner by disqualification, retaining his RCW title.
It had been three hours of mayhem and violence.
The crowd slowly shuffled out of the auditorium, eagerly anticipating the next time they could lose themselves in the dramatic world of amateur wrestling.
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