WrestleMania Week is here.
Pro wrestling fans, promotions, talents and media descend on Philadelphia this week to take in literally dozens of shows, events, parties and whatever else the community gets up to.
Obviously, with the prominence of LGBTQ figures within pro wrestling, the home of the “Brotherly Shove” will have plenty of spots to live up to that namesake.
While nearly every card running between April 3-7 features out LGBTQ talent, there are several events with queer leadership behind them. These are keeping the rising trend of LGBTQ people in leadership positions within pro wrestling on the uptick. And Outsports has gathered all of them in one convenient place.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Fightertainment Tournament of Breath (April 3, 7PM ET, Pilger Ruh Brewing, Twitch)
“Speedball” Mike Bailey and Veda Scott’s distinct mix of a laid back atmosphere, sometimes intense in-ring encounters and infusion of imagination makes its first trip to WrestleMania Week with the “Tournament of Breath.” The name’s clear play off of the famous CZW “Tournament of Death” provides some hints of the planned action’s subversive nature, with names like Billy Dixon, Joey Janela and Cole Radrick in the brackets. Bailey himself is scheduled for multiple non-tournament matches as well.
880 Wrestling 880 Does 215 (April 4, 4PM ET, The Ukie Club, Twitch)
Philadelphia gets an infusion of its cross-state rival’s energy as MV Young and his Pittsburgh cohorts bring the DIY energy of 880 Wrestling to pro wrestling ‘s biggest week. The show features queer talent up and down the card in high profile matches, including Enjoy Champion Edith Surreal, Unchampion Billy Dixon, Brooke Valentine, Paris Sahara, Marco Narcisso and Zeke Mercer. Young is also scheduled to jump into the fray, battling Derek Dillienger in a Philly Street Fight.
The Art of a Creativ Misfit: The Fashion Show (April 4, 5PM ET, Moore College of Art & Design)
Wrestling is as much about the looks as the action, if we’re being honest. Celebrated fashion and wrestling gear designer Yolanda the Designer is giving the look-obsessed fans a treat with her very own FashionMania, a fashion show all about her work in pro wrestling with several out LGBTQ wrestlers walking the runway. Catch EFFY, Kiera Hogan, Faye Jackson, Billy Dixon, Eddy McQueen and many more eating up the stage.
Combat Fights Unlimited No Escape (April 4, 6PM ET, Pine Grove Civic Association)
Upstart no more, the LGBTQ-led shoot style promotion brings its cage fight aesthetic to Mania Week. The main event features CFU champion Jordan Blade defending against Kennedi Copeland. The card gets downright chaotic in the Kumite Cage Match fight where six women, including out wrestlers Harleen Lopez, Riley Krowe and Ashley Buchanan, will step into the CFU cage in an every woman for herself slugfest.
GCW For The Culture (April 5, 11:59PM ET, Penns Landing Caterers, TrillerTV)
GCW’s annual showcase of Black figures within pro wrestling returns to The Collective with its most stacked card yet. Featuring the most queer talent in event history, matches like Sonny Kiss vs. Man Like Dereiss, Alex Kane challenging the Pan Afrikan World Diaspora World champion Suge D and showrunner Billy Dixon confronting longtime rival Darius Carter make it a must-see. Plus, adding in legends 2 Cold Scorpio and Ruckus and a litany of powerful Black figures within the modern wrestling climate never hurts.
EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch 9 (April 6, 11AM ET, Penns Landing Caterers, TrillerTV)
LGBTQ pro wrestling’s mega event always finds a way to be the talk of WrestleMania Week, and the ninth proper edition in the U.S. is poised to join that company. The card will serve mayhem in Dixon vs. Rina Yamashita, power with Max The Impaler vs. Karam, trans athletic prowess with Dark Sheik vs. Sonny Kiss and committing to the bit with BUSSY vs. Dirty Breeze. With names from across the world, including Monomoth, Devon Monroe, Angelo Carter and Pollo Del Mar, Saturday morning is sure to have a party atmosphere with plenty of mimosas to go around.
