Lucha Britannia

Lucha Britannia is a London-based Mexican wrestling promotion based in Bethnal Green, London since 2006.

Lucha Britannia combines the Lucha Libre style of wrestling that is characterized by the wearing of colourful masks, rapid sequences of holds and manoeuvres, 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.[1]

The promotion differs from others in the world by its unique combination of wrestling with Cabaret Siniestro, or sinister cabaret. Individual wrestling bouts and interlude performances are threaded together by way of Lucha Britannia's immersion in an elaborate fantasy which creates a submersive and interactive environment for the audience. 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.[2]

The promotion runs regular monthly shows called The Lucha Underground from the Resistance Gallery - a real 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,[3][4] 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, to name a few.[5][6]

History

Lucha Britannia was created by Garry Vanderhorne in 2006 from the ashes of Rock & Metal Wrestling Action (or 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.[7]

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.[8]

2009 saw Lucha Britannia become 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.[9]

During 2011, Lucha Britannia put on seventeen events in London and around the UK.

Currently Lucha Britannia host regular monthly shows called Lucha Underground at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, East London.

List of Lucha Britannia World Champions

External links

References

  1. ↑ Hutchinson, Kate, Time Out (London), Clubs: Mexican Wrestling, 29 October 2007
  2. ↑ Lucha Britannia! (luchabritannia.blogspot.com), Lucha Britannia's United Resistance Movement, Accessed: 12 March 2012
  3. ↑ The Prisma (Online), Lucha Libre in London, 3 July 2011
  4. ↑ BBC News, Mexican Wrestling takes hold in UK, 21 May 2011
  5. ↑ BBC News (Derby), Photos: Download Festival 2010, 14 June 2010
  6. ↑ Download Festival 2009 (Online), The Village: Events Listing
  7. ↑ Time Out (London), Clubs: Best alternative nightlife of 2007, 19 December 2007
  8. ↑ Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2008
  9. ↑ Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2009
  10. ↑ Time Out (London), Lucha Britannia Championship, 20 January 2012