Lucha Britannia

History

Lucha Britannia was created by Garry Vanderhorne in 2006 from Rock & Metal Wrestling Action (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.

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. In 2009, Lucha Britannia became 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.

During 2011, Lucha Britannia put on seventeen events in London and around the UK. In 2016 the promotion increased to hosting semi-monthly shows called Lucha Underground at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, East London on Friday nights.

Events continued at the Resistance Gallery until 2020 when it briefly closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It triumphantly returned in April 2023 at Village Underground in Shoreditch where there are now regular shows.

Style

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

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.

The promotion runs regular monthly shows from the Village Underground – a venue in Shoreditch in London's East End. Lucha Britannia spawned the London School of Lucha Libre, Lucha Britannia's own professional-wrestling training academy, 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.

Regular events include immersive theatre with many elements of wrestling, comedy, and sinister cabaret in their shows.

World Championship

As only months are known, each reign is listed as beginning on the first of the month although this may not be true.

References

References

1. [http://www.timeout.com/london/clubs/features/4018/Best_alternative_nightlife_of_2007.html Time Out (London), ''Clubs: Best alternative nightlife of 2007'', 19 December 2007] {{webarchive. link. (12 September 2011)
2. [http://www.bizarremag.com/bizarre-ball-2008/acts/7059/lucha_britannia.html Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2008] {{webarchive. link. (2012-05-29)
3. [http://www.bizarremag.com/bizarre-events/bizarre-ball-2009/8143/lucha_britannia.html Bizarre Magazine (online), Bizarre Ball: 2009] {{webarchive. link. (2012-06-01)
4. Hutchinson, Kate. (29 October 2007). "Clubs: Mexican Wrestling". Time Out (London).
5. "Lucha Britannia's United Resistance Movement". Lucha Britannia!.
6. [http://www.theprisma.co.uk/2011/07/03/%E2%80%98lucha-libre%E2%80%99-in-london/ The Prisma (Online), ''Lucha Libre in London'', 3 July 2011] {{webarchive. link. (11 January 2012)
7. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-13482659 BBC News, ''Mexican Wrestling takes hold in UK'', 21 May 2011]
8. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/derby/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8738000/8738980.stm BBC News (Derby), Photos: Download Festival 2010, 14 June 2010]
9. link. (2011-11-15)
10. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (20 January 2012). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
11. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (19 October 2012). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
12. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (15 March 2013). "Lucha Britannia March Madness – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
13. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (31 May 2013). "Lucha Britannia The Super Lucha Summer Extravaganza – Event @ The Bankside Vaults in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
14. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (18 October 2013). "Lucha Britannia October Frightmare – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
15. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (29 November 2013). "Lucha Britannia I Was Santa's Love Slave – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
16. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (21 March 2014). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
17. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (16 May 2014). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
18. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (20 June 2014). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
19. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (15 August 2014). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
20. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (31 October 2014). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
21. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (16 January 2015). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
22. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (17 April 2015). "Lucha Britannia April's Atonement – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
23. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (19 June 2015). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
24. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (20 November 2015). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
25. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (18 December 2015). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
26. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (8 January 2016). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
27. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (15 January 2016). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
28. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (18 March 2016). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.
29. "Jerry Bakewell is our new Lucha Britannia world champion!".
30. "Last night marked the start of a new era in @luchabritannia...".
31. "Cassius the neon explosion is the new and now 4 time @LuchaBritannia world champion #".
32. Kreikenbohm, Philip. (21 September 2018). "Lucha Britannia – Event @ Resistance Gallery in London, England, UK". Cagematch – The Internet Wrestling Database.