A queer-owned London wrestling company that has produced some of the most talented sports entertainment athletes in the world is set to electrify with a high-octane show in Brixton.
Hustle Wrestling is taking over Electric Brixton on Saturday, November 21, lining up an unmissable night of hard-hitting, high-flying in-ring action. Hustle Wrestling – Electrified will see the award-winning venue transformed into a sports arena with world-class athletes creating the trademark buzz the promotion is known for sparking.
Hustle is distinctly different from the TV wrestling so many people remember from their childhood; it has big characters, gravity-defying moves and it drips with drama, but gender identity isn’t a barrier to being the best.
Hustle Wrestling’s powerful roster of athletes span the LGBTQ+ spectrum and gender doesn’t define who each fighter battles in-ring. Only the toughest battle it out, regardless of identity.
Owner Jonny Bailey developed his techniques working on Britain’s world-renowned independent wrestling scene. He later worked at WWE where he honed his skills as an in-ring performer and writer to produce world-class sporting events for Londoners every month in Hackney Wick.
Jonny said: “Electric is the perfect location for Hustle – Electrified. This iconic space is renowned for whipping up the best nights and our athletes are primed and training to take things up to the next level.
“At Hustle, we’d fostered an inclusive environment, in and out of the ring, where people of all cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and identities are welcomed, respected, and valued for who they are.
“Our shows are high-energy and extraordinarily physical, and our athletes are celebrated for their individuality. That means there are no rules when it comes to who gets a shot at our title – the best fighters are given a chance to prove their mettle, and if that means men and women and non-binary talent come face-to-face in a gruelling intergender battle for the top spot, so be it.
“Electric Brixton has long been a place for pure expression and joy and I know every fighter will be pushing themselves to the limit to prove themselves in such a storied space – you’re not going to want to miss it.”
Hustle’s monthly weeknight brawls have become famous for intergender fist-fights and the kind of death-defying athleticism usually reserved for global wrestling pay-per-views. Its events have attracted not just fans of WWE-style bodyslamming action, but a diverse, mixed crowd of Londoners just looking for a fun night out to blow off steam.
The event in Brixton will be an 18+ fight night steeped in traditional wrestling expertise, where baddie ‘heels’ go up against ‘babyface’ heroes in a colourful display that sits somewhere in the thrilling space between theatre and sport. International wrestling stars have travelled to the UK to perform at Hustle Wrestling shows thanks to its global reputation, but Hustle also has its own training school where one of its core tenets is inclusivity.
Among the alumni from Hustle’s training school is Kit Wilson, currently fighting at the very top level at WWE, carrying the Hustle ethos of hard work and charisma to fans around the world. WWE NXT Superstar Lizzy Rain is also Hustle alumni.
Jonny added: “If you love wrestling, every month Hustle presents the kind of top-flight bouts you’d see on TV. If you’ve never watched it before in your life, we provide all of the drama
and storylines of a Hollywood film with characters that wouldn’t be out of place in a Netflix series.
“Telling good stories, well, in the ring is what keeps people coming back to Hustle. You can leave your worries at the door, switch your phone off and invest in the characters you’ve
come to love… and hate.
“Or, you can leave your phone on. You just need to make sure you’ve got it out in time to watch an athlete that just came to the ring to a chorus of Hannah Montana fly off the top rope and crush their enemies!”
Hustle Wrestling will be at Electric Brixton on Saturday, November 21.