Presented by Riot City Wrestling
Reviewed Friday 25 February 2011
http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
http://www.riotcitywrestling.com
Venue: Estonian Cultural Hall, 200 Jeffcott St, North Adelaide
Season: 25-26 Feb at 8pm (and held monthly thereafter)
Tickets: $15/$12
Duration: 2.5 hours
Fringe Bookings: FringeTix 1300 FRINGE (374 643) or http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
Regular Monthly Bookings: http://www.riotcitywrestling.com
Forget your circus. Forget your soap opera. Forget your wimpy Chuck Norris bitch-slappin’ flicks. Charlie Chan who? Love it or hate it, if you want action, drama, comedy or war, you seriously cannot surpass the testosterone-fuelled, muscle-bound acrobatic annihilation of professional wrestling!
These are skilled athletes taking their sport beyond the magic of circus and the sterility of judged competition to offer slapstick comedy, ongoing rivalries, fluctuating allegiances and simulated battles to create a loud, fast-paced night of laughs and tension.
From muscle-bound ‘boulders on legs’ to ‘twinky’ pretty boys; gorgeous fem fatales to tattooed slags; Riot City Wrestling fuels the psychotic, homophobic, thrill seekers in all of us. It’s far from politically correct, but so tongue-in-cheek you can’t help but laugh and gasp even if you are a ‘poofter’ like me.
Fake or not, the rough and tough skills of professional wrestling offers more danger to the athletes than most other family-friendly ringside action. In fact, crowd favourite TJ Rush was rushed to hospital after dislocating a shoulder during the first night of Megaslam (no, it wasn’t a scripted part of the show).
If you’ve seen the high-octane American wrestling on television then you already know what to expect, but seeing it live makes you realise just how intense the action really is, but good old Aussie humour shines through far more than expected.
Over two nights, Riot City Wrestling presented their third annual Strength Tournament. This reviewer only saw the first night, but it was enough to demand more. Over six outstanding bouts, the long term rivalries, secret relations and unexpected plot twists were enough to make 1980s soap operas weep, and bring wrestling novices up to speed.
That wasn’t me on my feet screaming, stomping and abusing the referee.
Zen.
At the Estonian Hall in North Adelaide, the ring takes up most of the space, so seating is only 3 or 4 rows deep, bringing you close to the action. The pungent smell of Dencorub fills the air as the talent is introduced.
Smoke machines and flashing lights introduce each wrestler with their signature tune that regulars recognise before the gymnasts even appear. The heroes glisten with oiled, chiselled torsos while the villains are often draped in leather and masked. Sometimes the regular punters are funnier than the athletes, proactively screaming insults and commentary, but the whole event remains a family affair with lots of kids, minimal alcohol and a surprisingly controlled crowd that isn’t as feral as expected.
Megaslam was a two-night Strength Tournament, interspersed with the ongoing rivalry between ‘studly’ crowd favourite, Rocky Menero and flamboyant playboy Elliot Sexton …which would culminate in a long-awaited showdown on the second night. The showdown has been building for seven months with each combatant attacking or foiling the other’s success in a progressive rivalry that demanded to be settled.
Between arm bars, chokes, back flips, body slams, headlocks, hair pulling, camel clutches and summersaults, the men and women of the RCW use every cheat in the book, from distracting the referee, to double-teaming their victim.
There’s enormous comedy in the crazy antics and inventive quirks of each match. Highlights included the audacious twist that let pretty boy religious ‘twink’ Brad Smyth conquer his muscle bound Goliath, Wayne “The Maniac” Mattei, who was twice his weight, and hyperactive Bebop who threw glow sticks to the audience and spent too much effort being a prankster and cheeky sprite to be able to win his tag team match against villainous The Rude Ones.
Like the twists and turns of an intricate soap opera, the photographer who jumped into the action turned out to be the sister of a competitor; and the ultimate showdown between Rocky and Sexton was cut short, leaving the audience pining yet again for a conclusion.
The ultimate winner of the Strength Tournament was the weakest link, Brad Smyth, the ‘twinky’ religious ‘nutter’ who succeeded only because referee Dan Stazer was knocked out twice, coming around in time to count out Brad’s pin of favourite Mimic after a dastardly cheat.
Riot City Wrestling offers a combination of teasing scripts and extraordinary acrobatics. It’s as funny as it’s addictive. Forget what you think you know. Monthly bouts are staged at the Estonian Hall in North Adelaide, along with touring events in Victor Harbour and other regional areas.
Submit.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis, Performing Arts Critic, Glam Adelaide.
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