Backyard wrestling
From Bywpedia
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Backyard wrestling (BYW), is a recreational underground practice loosely connected to professional wrestling and is followed by critical and disputed perspection for its unsanctioned, unprofessional nature officially popularized during professional wrestling's height of success commonly known as the Monday Night Wars.
Practiced by predominantly males 12-30 with usually (but varies) lack of training, backyard wrestling sparked an immense trend, and attention among media and society during its early reckless modern hardcore period from roughly 1996 to early 2000's before a change in shift after it ended in 2001 in accordance to the conclusion of the Wars.
Backyard wrestling is a loose term that can occur anywhere from a park, field to an actual backyard and has become completely reliant on sharing home-filmed events, matches and videos via public access television and internet which were both an upgrade from distributing videos person-to-person retrospectively. The practice has gradually evolved into a more artistic offspring of professional wrestling, with some of its own gimmicks and wrestling moves.
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A few topflight practitioners today include William Black, Shawn Matthews, Chris Cryptic, Matt Demorest, and AJ Badd. At this time, the current top backyard wrestling federations is firstly the Australia-based In Your House Wrestling Alliance and the supremist federation alliance Global Wrestling Circuit which also includes top federations Breakthrough Wrestling Entertainment (BWE) and 2KW, both also independently on its own in Georgia and New York respectively. In addition to top federations, there is also Waco Association of Wrestling (WAW).
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History
Practice and similarities to pro wrestling
Between 1996 to 2001, the focus of matches rested on a reckless, uncoordinated style showcasing risky stunts and "high spots" (or falls) typically off rooftops and ladders and relied heavily on sharp or dangerous weaponry such as barbed wire, tables, plywood, fire, glass and fluorescent lamps following after extreme wrestling companies, Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). About 2001 forward, the practice slowly and effectively lessened in that area becoming a little more organized, "booked" and planned like pro wrestling, and working to execute better technical and athetic professional wrestling skills using opinionated advise and regular practice, though, wrestling moves require years upon perfection to perform at a safe degree. Thus, it has still come to the controversial concerns and rebuttal of many, primarily professional wrestling reforms and personalities.
Backyard wrestling stands as an ambiguous and loose title because as it is often practiced in backyards or any location such as parks, fields, garages, playgrounds, vacant lots, warehouses, living rooms, barns, basements, and school gyms inexplicably. Commonly, professional wrestling promotions construct a professional wrestling ring to host their events in a backyard while other non-professional federations decide to build a professional or home-made ring. Trampolines, that minimize injury, as well as bases and mattresses are also utilized, but some choose to wrestle on bare ground heightening a big risk for such a injury liable practice.
Like in professional wrestling, backyard wrestling generates interest through creating storylines and gimmicks, some which slightly or fully follow inspirational favorites in professional wrestling or are of their own creation. In further noting, connoisseurs of the sport often criticize backyard wrestling for being more sloppy and not well-premeditated as professional wrestling due to such claimed absurd gimmicks and storylines it presents. With creativity and organization known as two key elements for achieving success in wrestling, backyard wrestling lacks a majority of it.
1980's to the 1990's Extreme hardcore era
Before the mid-90's hit, the earliest reports on backyard wrestling were referenced pleasantly as a friendly presentation and more notiably with NWF Kids Pro Wrestling, which amounted to a national cable viewed local promotion in Minnesota. Many a backyard wrestling organizations at the times were in the era where pro wrestling on television featured a PG-rated kid-friendly approach with characters like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior and Sting.
Circa 1990's, there was an increased risk in wrestling with focus on "high risk" manuevers and dangerous stunts. By the time WWE (then WWF) implemented "The Attitude Era" in the Monday Night Wars against WCW, the underground sport fully launched into a drastic, violent form which negatively impacted media and society leading many to view backyard wrestling with disgust no more than professional wrestling.
Mostly male teenagers, frequently risked their lives in suicidal attempted dives, jumps, falls and bumps and used sharp and dangerous objects and weapons performing matches with flaming tables, lighttubes, thumbtacks, and sharp metal tools such as barbed wire and cheese graters in a reckless, blood-craven act in a growing competition of who had the strongest hardcore name, was the most hardcore and could consistently conceive creative ways to be so, mostly influenced by the extreme pro wrestling companies XPW, ECW and CZW, as this was seen as an aversion to many. Some of the more known federations at this time was the innovative CWF and Modesto Championship Wrestling (MCW), a federation featured in the backyard wrestling documentary, The Backyard. Parents who bystood, witnessed such events in horror and concern for their children who took part in it.
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Furthermore, around the time the promotions had shuttered or toned their extreme reputation down, backyard wrestling trailed behind allowing grounds for less danger, also leading to the inevitable event that the heavy bleeding and weapon use fell from popularity. Factually that the "craze" began in 1996 and started declining in 1999 and 2000, it decreased in popularity after heightened negative attention and general unpopular view by reforms and many others sinking its infamous status, but not completely wiping it out while few active messages boards and videos remain shared on the internet.
Move to Independent circuit in 2000's
Around 2000, realization surfaced that such dangerous activities in backyard wrestling had harsh physical realities as resourceful professional wrestling information became disclosed and many chose the way of a rain of opening professional wrestling schools which offered proper training for the particularly skilled.
More of the younger independent wrestlers concede to having experience in backyard wrestling, viewing it as a hobby while performing professionally, because whereas, wrestling professionally is under strict commands by a booker or promotor, but backyarders can host their very own recreation with their friends and/or family. Futhermore, training in a backyard wrestling environment carries a heavy negative perspective in the eyes of professionals.
Backyard wrestling: 2001 to present
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2001 had marked the majority end of the sheer brutality on which backyard wrestling relied on, and from there, federations began to become more like professional wrestling in terms of "booking" and planning out wrestling matches to decide winners. Athletic and technical expression started to be heavily used as those frowned over the past and sought to commence showing that backyarders now have improved and have talent compared to then showcasing varyingly some quite talented content, however, weapons were not completely phased out except most sharp instruments. Also community, Backyard Revolution and Backyard Wrestling Link (BYWL) about this time were sites that presented many federations on it.
By 2005, federations like Championship Wrestling Association (CWA) debuted, a not exactly original but a highly talented group of performers as well as the premiere of In Your House Wrestling Alliance (IYHWA), an original aussie federation and one of the major milestones in the practice having being a top interest on the internet under the genre. In 2006, Global Backyard Wrestling News (GBYWN) was opened by Cam and till today has been the biggest community surpassing today's alternatives and although knowing pro wrestling companies deny the practice as any experience, backyard wrestlers continue to enjoy it as being fun, and all in the act of socialism, and also a pre-preparation for testing skill and dedication before financing pro careers.
Backyard wrestling history
The history of backyard wrestling depicts its change from reckless violence to a recreational pro wrestling similarity sport in accordance to what major companies WWE and TNA present on television today.
- Crossen and Charley "Luxury" Lane, both then backyard wrestlers, upstarted their own kids' professional league known as "Kids Quad Cities Pro Wrestling" in March 1984 which subsequently become NWF Kids Pro Wrestling and amounted to a national cable viewed promotion. Twin Cities based promoter and trainer Eddie Sharkey actually co-promoted a sold-out wrestling event that featured matches from both Pro Wrestling America (PWA) and NWF Kids Pro Wrestling at the American Legion Hall in Champlin, MN in November 1986.
- In August 1997 the now defunct CWF a backyard promotion originating from Vallejo, California began filming the television show CWF Devastation. Devastation aired between 1997-2000 on California public access stations, and has often been cited as the inspiration for the legendary west coast backyard movement of the late 1990s. CWF Devastation was celebrated among underground wrestling communities for its original writing and innovative cinematography; as well as brutal violence and its cutting-edge wrestling style. CWF Devastation featured many notable backyard wrestlers including: The Master Kevin Blake, Nick Knightengale, Johnathan Fallen,and Butcher Knife. CWF Devastation was relaunched in 2006 under the name Vae Victis as an independent wrestling promotion based in Northern California.
- In late 1998, the Street Wrestling Federation (SWF) was started in Manchester, Connecticut. By mid-1999, they broadcasted a weekly public access show titled SwF: Caution. In 1999 comments from the public about the harsh language used on the show temporarily forced SWF to cancel its show. SWF Caution aired for one year on local public access television until 2000.
- 2KW, a park-action wrestling federation based in Manhattan, New York since 1999 and seen on a public access television station known as the Manhattan Neighborhood Network across the state and in Best of Backyard Wrestling Volume 1 and 2, began opposing stereotypical backyard wrestling from the craze days and was noticed by media for athletic talent over reckless violence.
- In February 2001, Modesto Championship Wrestling (MCW), a backyard wrestling promotion originating from Modesto, California picked up where CWF Devastation left off with their public access television program MCW Extreme. MCW Extreme aired on cable one channel 2 in the greater Modesto area in 2001. The promotion then launched a spin off to MCW Extreme in the spring of 2002 called MCW Unleashed. MCW Unleashed was featured on the AT&T Broadband Public access channel. MCW's final television series "Mayhem in Modesto" aired from early 2003 until the end of MCW in November 2003. The success of MCW's various television broadcasts, landed the organization a feature in the backyard wrestling documentary film The Backyard.
- The Sydney, Australian-based In Your House Wrestling Alliance (IYHWA) premiering in 2006 became the highest subscribed backyard wrestling channel on YouTube as a topflight and quite fanned semi-pro-like federation and holds the distinction of having over a million views for their very first uploaded video.
- Steve and Ross Wrestling (SnR) based in Lancaster, Wisconsin once a WWE-imitating federation before going original, summed over 2,000,000 in total viewership of all their videos and were possibly the first to ever host live streamed backyard wrestling broadcasts on internet also making some profit with DVD sales.
- Backyard Wrestling Link (BYWL) was once the best known community site devoted to backyard wrestling, however in 2006, Global Backyard Wrestling News (BYWL) was devised shortly taking over as one of the most visited and interactive BYW sites going today.
Controversy
Professional wrestler, Mick Foley is the center of inspiration for those in retrospect who began backyard wrestling after reviewing a video of backyard wrestling exploits with friends in college that gained vast attention when parts were shown on WWE television depicting him in one scene jumping off a rooftop onto a mattress which propped his entrance in the company. However, Foley discourages the practice of backyard wrestling downplaying it by saying its too dangerous.
Most professional wrestlers and personalities, oppose backyard wrestling publicly due to legal risk of lawsuits by individuals. Several lawsuits have been brought against wrestling promotions, most prominently WWE, alleging that people have caused serious injury to others by imitating professional wrestling moves they saw on TV prompting WWE to feature solemn disclaimers during its programming which urges fans, "Don't try this at home" and refuse to watch any videos by backyard wrestlers hoping to get into the Company, and it does not acknowledge backyard wrestling as training or experience.
A few professional wrestlers have conceded to practicing backyard wrestling in their youth such as Hardy Boyz, CM Punk, New Jack, The Insane Clown Posse (ICP; see also the ICP owned-and-operated Juggalo Championship Wrestling), "Sick" Nick Mondo, RVD, Bryan Danielson, A.J. Styles, Tyler Black, and Ruckus. While many backyard wrestlers believe that backyard wrestling is good preparation for future exploits in professional wrestling given Mick Foley's career, prominent wrestling school operators have often stated their disdain for the practice.
Communities
A line of unknown communities dedicated to the practice date back to the late 1990's, where message boards were utilized for communication before technology improved. One from 2002 was Backyard Revolution. In 2006, there was National New Age Alliance and National Backyard Wrestling. Those still remaining today and well-known are Global Backyard Wrestling News, Breakfall.net, and Backyard Wrestling Link.
Movies and media
Compilation videos
- The Best Of Backyard Wrestling Volumes:
- Volume 1 and 2, Volume 3 and 4, and Volume 5.
Movies
- Backyard Dogs (1999)
Documentaries
- The Backyard (2002)
- Down and Dirty in the Yard: The UWA Story (2002)
- Lock Up Your Sons (2003)
- NWF Kids Pro Wrestling: The Untold Story (2005)
- Keryn Hunter'd: Backyard Battler (2007)
- XBW Blood, Sweat, and Egos (Not yet released)
- Inside The Backyard (Not yet released)
Television
- MTVs True Life: I'm A Backyard Wrestler
- The Ricki Lake Show episode entitled "Backyard Bloodbath!"
