Thursday night will be the culmination of three years of planning and imagination for Los Angeles-based pro wrestler Barbie Boi. On that night, he officially adds the title of promoter to his wrestling resume, with the debut event of his new promotion Alliance For All Wrestling.
The launch of AFA represents so much more than just creating another space within LA’s sprawling wrestling scene.
Everything from the name and mission statement down to the as-pink-as-possible Barbie Dreamhouse aesthetic pulls from Barbie Boi’s own experiences during his seven-year in-ring career.
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“I always knew I wanted to do something like Alliance For All,” Barbie said during a recent appearance on the LGBT In The Ring podcast. “I just wanted to create a different kind of show…. I did want it to be very LGBT, like in the community based somehow, but I didn’t want it to be only that. Because, for me personally, where I was trained at, I was pretty much the only gay person, and without my straight allies, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
“I want it to be about everyone.”
In doing so, he adds his name to the growing list of out LGBTQ promoters across the North American independent wrestling scene and adds another queer-led promotion to the Los Angeles area, joining the recently launched Poundtown Wrestling.
The commitment shown by Barbie to highlighting and uplifting the LGBTQ community within pro wrestling is seen up and down the card for AFA’s debut show. Every match features members of the community in bouts ranging from intriguing first-time encounters to those with plenty of history behind them.
Barbie credits his close friends and fellow wrestlers Mylo and Johnnie Robbie with being key aides during the early period of developing AFA, bouncing ideas off of them to help shape what AFA would be.
But the name itself was a result of a car ride Barbie shared with fellow wrestler Maximilien Monclair soundtracked by queer musicians Kesha and Kim Petras.
But in keeping with Barbie’s desire for AFA to reflect the inclusiveness he experienced while training at Millennium Pro Wrestling, multiple underrepresented communities are seen throughout the card, fulfilling the “Alliance” aspect of the promotion’s name.
Barbie’s roots with MPW are a key piece of the foundation AFA is built upon. That isn’t only because the debut event is being held at the same venue where MPW runs its weekly pro wrestling events in Chatsworth, Calif. It’s because he found a sense of belonging there, the same feeling that he hopes to cultivate by founding AFA.
“Everything changed for me. They became like my whole family,” Barbie said. “I met Ray Rosas, The Brothers Divine, Diego Valens, Miggy Rose…they protected me. They had my back and all of those people have become family now.
“I think that was a big jumpstart to why I created Alliance For All. I wanted to create a safe space for others.”
Alliance For All Wrestling debut event takes place Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7pmPT at the home of Millennium Pro Wrestling in Chatsworth.
Check out the full interview with Barbie Boi on the LGBT In The Ring podcast. New episodes release every Thursday featuring conversations with LGBTQ figures from the pro wrestling world on all major podcast platforms.
