Lucha Britannia
Lucha Britannia is a London-based Mexican wrestling promotion based in Bethnal Green, London since 2006.
History
Lucha Britannia was created by Garry Vanderhorne in 2006 from Rock & Metal Wrestling Action (RAMWA), as an alternative form of physical theatre, music, cabaret, comedy and professional wrestling. In 2007, Lucha Britannia held the first of its six sell-out shows at Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. By November 2007 The promotion had outgrown the Working Men's Club and moved to SeOne, a large nightclub beneath London Bridge station. In December that year they were listed by Time Out in their (London) top five Best alternative nightlife of 2007.[1]
In the summer of 2008 Lucha Britannia featured on the BBC’s coverage of the Reading and Leeds festivals and in October that year they co-hosted the inaugural Bizarre Ball in conjunction with Bizarre Magazine.[2] In 2009, Lucha Britannia became the first UK based wrestling promotion to feature on live British television in twenty-five years when they featured in their coverage of the Brit Awards after-party at Earls Court hosted by Rufus Hound. Later that year they returned to co-produce and host the second Bizarre Ball again for Bizarre Magazine.[3]
During 2011, Lucha Britannia put on seventeen events in London and around the UK. Currently Lucha Britannia hosts regular monthly shows called Lucha Underground at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, East London.
Style
Lucha Britannia combines the Lucha Libre style of wrestling that is characterized by the wearing of colourful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvres, tag-teams and "high-flying" with the traditional British technical style, North American and Japanese Puroresu wrestling format. Aside from wrestling, Lucha Britannia events also include risqué cabaret performances, comedic interludes and side acts.[4]
All the characters and performers in Lucha Britannia loosely fit into a fantastical narrative called the "RetroFutureVerse" wherein a fractious band of outlawed prize-fighters (known as the "United Resistance Movement") battle for justice and dignity against the dastardly representatives of tyrannical rulers (known either as "The State" or "The Yankee Boche") in an ornately cruel, futuristic dystopia.[5]
The promotion runs regular monthly shows called The Lucha Underground from the Resistance Gallery - a venue in Bethnal Green in London's East End. The Resistance Gallery is home to the London School of Lucha Libre, Lucha Britannia’s own professional-wrestling training academy,[6][7] as well as hosting a variety of other events.
Lucha Britannia has also been an attraction on television and at major UK festivals including the Glastonbury Festival, Download Festival, Reading Festival, Leeds Festival and The Brit Awards.[8][9]
List of Lucha Britannia World Champions
- Leon Britannico [aka-Paul Robinson](January 2012 – October 2012)[10]
- Santeria (October 2012 – March 2013), Santeria is the leader of the "Army of Darkness faction"
- Metallico King of the scrap heap[aka-Greg Burridge] (March 2013 – June 2013)
- Dark Britannico [aka-William Ospreay](June 2013 – October 2013)
- Santeria (second time) (October 2013 – November 2013)
- Antaios, son of Poseidon (November 2013 – January 2014)
- The Bengal Tiger [aka-R J SINGH Ross Jones](January 2014 – May 2014)
- Dark Britannico (second time) (May 2014 - June 2014)
- Glamsexico (Formerly Transexico)[aka-Jimmy Havok](June 2014 - Aug2014)
- Leon Britannico (Second time) (Aug 2014-Sept 2014)
- Santeria (Third time)(Sept 2014-Jan 2015)
- Freddie Mercurio (Jan 2015-Apr 2015)
- Santeria (Fourth time)(Apr20 15-June 2015)
- Cassius (June 2015 - November 2015)
- Fug (November 2015 - December 2015)
- Cassius (2nd time) (December 2015 - January 2016)
- Freddie Mercurio (2nd time) (January 2016- January 2016)
- Cassius (3rd time) (January 2016- March 2016)
- La Diablesa Rosa (1st time) (March 2016 - present)
References
- ↑ Time Out (London), Clubs: Best alternative nightlife of 2007, 19 December 2007
- ↑ Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2008
- ↑ Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2009
- ↑ Hutchinson, Kate (29 October 2007). "Clubs: Mexican Wrestling". Time Out (London).
- ↑ "Lucha Britannia's United Resistance Movement". Lucha Britannia!. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ↑ The Prisma (Online), Lucha Libre in London, 3 July 2011
- ↑ BBC News, Mexican Wrestling takes hold in UK, 21 May 2011
- ↑ BBC News (Derby), Photos: Download Festival 2010, 14 June 2010
- ↑ Download Festival 2009 (Online), The Village: Events Listing
- ↑ Time Out (London), Lucha Britannia Championship, 20 January 2012
External links
- http://www.luchabritannia.com/
- http://www.resistancegallery.com/
- http://luchabritannia.blogspot.com/
- http://www.youtube.com/luchabritannia
- http://www.londonschoolofluchalibre.com/
- http://lzkwrestlingwriting.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/garry-vanderhorne-interview/ - Interview with Garry Vanderhorne
- http://lzkwrestlingwriting.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/interview-with-greg-burridge/ - Interview with Greg Burridge
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