Rants: Back yard wrestling in the UK, given a biased rap by Channel 4!
Yeah, you read it right in the title. Channel 4 (this was written on 24/10/03) broadcast a documentary during which they watched some EPW action and then called our President, Corporate Ken (who is my Husband). They asked him, 'do you have anything more violent, we're looking for back yard fighting' (paraphrased, obviously).
When they discovered that we in the EPW do not believe in needless violence, that we self censor ourselves as the WWE pro wrestling shows are censored (bleeped language, etc.), that we don't use light tubes or glass in our hardcore matches (which we do have - and they are hardcore with tables and ladders and chairs) nor do we use nails of drawing pins ... I could go on but the off shot of all this was we decided not to get involved at all with the project. Ken smelt a rat when they asked him for back yard fighting, and not wrestling. They wanted to expose violence and lonely children looking for some club or social ring that would accept them, not serious backyarders, some of whom may well go indy. The show did have some people trying out at wrestling school, which was something, at least. But overall, the show really made BYW in the UK out to be all about teenagers being violent, which simply isn't the case.
In our programme, we do not swear. This is because most of us are Christians and we dislike bad language, seeing it as senseless, too easy and frankly a bad and poor use of the English language. Whenever a swear word or possibly offensive word does accidentally crop up, we bleep it. This also has a comedic effect which fans have said amuses them. It almost becomes guess-the-word. We also use bleeps to cover things we don't want fans hearing (people talking in the background, for example).
I would have thought that the reason we don't use glass or nails to be very obvious. We aren't trained stuntmen and wrestling in padded protection would look very stupid. We are here to entertain the fans, but never, ever, at the expense of our own health or our jobs, or our happiness at home. We manage to make a regular show which fans do watch and love, post it online on the website and we do all this without having to maul anyone with blood.
Yes, we have our accidents and our bloody moments - but they aren't planned and they're dealt with properly as soon as the match is over. We've had cut open sides, ribs, backs, thighs, pelvises, hands and elbows, and at one training session someone broke their collarbone. An ambulance was called immediately, as this person wasn't an EPW wrestler but messing around with friends. It wasn't a show, but we got involved and helped out. In an average show though, no injuries are taken. Cuts are usually surface and require a large plaster, or no covering at all. We have never needed to use a bandage.
We have hardcore; we have table spots, chair shots, tray shots and even once a lunch box shot! We're about comedy, and entertainment, not violence just for the sake of itself. We don't feel the need to compete in a 'we're more hardcore than you' situation with other feds, because we've yet to discover any fed in this country or globally who does what we do in terms of show production, but is more hardcore, thus making them better than us. This fantasy situation simply doesn't exist.
The whole point of EPW is different to any other backyard fed we've ever come across. We aren't driven by blood, competitiveness, teenagers making their name or a need to belong. What drives EPW is young adults working WITH teens, writers, producers with media qualifications, friends working together, fun, good taste, and an eye for a great shot and a good pop or joke. We don't take ourselves too seriously - one of our tag teams is called 'Hard Men' for goodness' sake! :)
What follows is a piece I wrote on the Channel 4 forum. Please read this, as it encapsulates what I've been trying to say all along:
My Husband (that's right - I'm married, a house
owner, a car owner & a former Government employee) runs a back yard federation.
We have regular, online-posted actual SHOWS, full length shows, not music
videos. We do not endorse violence other than what you would expect from a
standard wrestling match, and hardcore has it's place, but is sensibly limited
so that wrestlers working with the EPW know that they will still be in one piece
and able to wrestle if they so wish, at ages like 25.
My Husband, who wrestles, is 26. I am 25 and wrestle part time.
We wrestle in back gardens in the Bristol area.
Working with us are federations like REW & BCW, who also do not promote the sort
of blading and light tube action shown on this channel 4 documentary.
The average age of a backyard wrestler isn't 16, it's at least 18. In EPW, no
one wrestles on 'TV' until they are trusted friends socially of the squad,
proven in practice rings and most importantly of all, seen as stable mentally
and physically by myself and Corporate Ken.
We are not against those feds who take things to the edge, but what we've seen
is a trend where teenagers get together and hurt each other, so they can be
noticed and actually feel a part of something bigger than just themselves in
their bedroom.
What EPW does, is give these kids an actual, real chance to shine. NOT with
glass or thumb tacks, but with friendship, REAL plotlines, characterisation &
regular online presence.
THIS is what will get you noticed. EPW don't care what that BYW forum in the UK
thinks of us, because we are more recognised than any fed in Britain in terms of
actually producing a WRESTLING SHOW. When we posted on the group, we were
attacked verbally with baseless, foundationless and personal remarks about
ourselves which we laughed at, because not one other fed on the board were
producing a wrestling programme for it's fans. It's a club which we respect IF
respect is given. If it's not, fine. We are the fed who have feds in Canada
requesting someone of our members to write for them, NOT these other groups. We
are the ones who have proper writers, characters and story arcs. We make a mini
WWE, that is our aim.
Watch EPW. Make up your own mind. We started out as kids messing around - now
we've grown up and EPW has grown up with us.
The truth about this backyard programme was that we were approached, and asked
'do we have any back yard FIGHTING?' or 'anything violent?'. This TV channel
wanted to expose the violent side of BYW, and were not apparently interested in
the main chuffin' event.
We're still here. We respect the workers out there, the would-be Benoits and
Angles. They are the ones getting made & paid.
Our parents watch EPW ... and they are proud. Our church knows about EPW ... and
they respect and think it's cool because we do it safely and properly.
See the truth. Make up your own mind. But don't look away.
>>> www.epwuk.com <<<
Back yard wrestling, as it should be. Jolly good, chaps!