Backyard wrestling
From Bywpedia
Backyard wrestling (commonly abbreviated as BYW), is a controversial imitational hobby practice loosely connected with professional wrestling, performed and arranged by 11-30 year old males in an unsanctioned and unprofessional environment usually without training, however in some exceptional cases, the practice undergoes some development taking a varying semi-pro to professional form with few practitioners learning the basics and techniques to display wrestling often preferably opposing hardcore stunts; a denigrating part of its past. Females are rarely seen in the activity and more commonly play a valet or figure head.
Backyard wrestling has become a highly popular activity and entertainment form on the internet, inspiring immense amount of people to partake from all over internationally with video sharing sites mostly YouTube filled with videos on a daily basis. It progressively attempts to distant itself from its past antics as very few look towards shaping more professionally with a low budget, considered by some viewers to be of more entertainment value than wrestling on television. Nonetheless, the practice puts ability before background presentation. Few limited knowns with outstanding ability in the unsanctioned sport include Shawn Matthews, Chris Cryptic, Matt Demorest, and Joe Randa.
In addition, backyard wrestling is also a title applied to home-filmed and produced wrestling shows, events, matches and videos using typically a camcorder. It is a developed underground scene which often implements video sharing sites for promotional viewership to their videos as well as other promotional publications. Noting that backyard wrestling was not unheard of before the 1990's, the modern backyard wrestling "craze" lasted roughly from 1996-2001 in the duration of professional wrestling's boom period commonly refered to as the Monday Night Wars between rival competitors, World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling.
At this time, the current top backyard wrestling federations is firstly the Australia-based In Your House Wrestling Alliance and the largest integrating federation alliance Georgia Wrestling Circuit which includes 2KW, also independently on its own based in New York.
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History
Practice
Mostly connected to 1996-2001, practitioners of the underground trend conducted matches with a reckless, uncoordinated style that showcased risky stunts and high spots (or falls) usually off rooftops and ladders and emphasized on the usage of dangerous objects and weapons that included thumbtacks, barbed wire, tables, plywood, fire, glass, and fluorescent lamps. However, in the current age, there is lessened amount of federations focusing on involving weaponry and high "spots" with a majority opting to learn professional wrestling moves (that factually require years to perfect) and perform them as safely as possible. Despite this, it has still come to the controversial concerns and rebuttal of many, primarily professional wrestling personalities.
Backyard wrestling stands as an ambiguous title because as it is often practiced in backyards, it can literally transpire at any location such as parks, fields, garages, playgrounds, vacant lots, warehouses, living rooms, barns, basements, and school gyms. 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.
Pro wrestling similarities
The controversial practice molds vastly after professional wrestling today, with most backyard wrestlers dedicated to the non-competitive sport. Matches are coordinated in the same fashion as professional matches with communication throughout the match and outcomes "booked" or planned beforehand and participants advancing over high spots. Hardcore wrestling matches are often criticized for lack of direction which can be applied to hardcore backyard wrestling bouts especially regarding its very limited training and experience level that can potentially cause high risk of injury. Moreover, there is exception to a federation known as 2KW with some pro-training, who can "work" a coordinated hardcore match.
Like in professional wrestling, backyard wrestling generates interest through creating storylines and gimmicks, that often follow inspirational favorites in professional wrestling. 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 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 coverage of backyard wrestling was once known for its acceptable, professional and media-friendly presentation most notably from NWF Kids Pro Wrestling. When the 1990's approached, there was increased risk in wrestling with focus on "high risk" manuevers and dangerous stunts. By the time World Wrestling Entertainment implemented "The Attitude Era" in the Monday Night Wars against World Championship Wrestling, 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.
Many people, mostly male teenagers, frequently risked their lives in suicide-like attempted dives, jumps, falls and bumps and used sharp and dangerous objects and weapons performing matches with flaming tables, barbed wire, lighttubes, thumbtacks and sharp metal tools such as cheese graters in a reckless, blood-craven act seen as an aversion to many. Parents who bystood, witnessed such events in horror and concerns for their children who took part in it.
The activities, that were closely linked to hardcore teen-based programs such as Jackass, were inspirationally linked to the "hardcore" phase of American professional wrestling. Professional promotions with increased violence known as Extreme Championship Wrestling, Xtreme Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling served as major influences for introducing such violent nature of wrestling. 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 "backyard wrestling craze" began in 1996 and started declining in 1999 and 2000, it decreased in popularity after increased media attention and a general unpopular view of wrestling and unprofessional stunts by reforms in professional wrestling promotions resulting in the practice losing infamous status, but not completely wiped out as few internet wrestling communities have active existent message boards open for a new generation of backyard wrestling as well as video-sharing sites mostly YouTube hosts many videos daily.
Independent circuit
Semi-pro wrestling development
Backyard wrestling internet influence
Hundreds of videos are uploaded to the YouTube server on a monthly basis over all other video-sharing sites. Very selected amounts of videos have connected with a heavy audience and on a positive level as well. Some of the most viewed content, however, contain rep-damaging, reckless, untrained and often unbecoming backyard wrestling which only deepens the abomination surrounding the activity. Moreover, In 2006 since applying for an account, Australian-based In Your House Wrestling Alliance impacted and became the highest subscribed backyard wrestling channel on the service, professionally delivering their talent in a professional ring for popularity amongst millions of online audience sparking inspiration to foundation of new leagues. Lesser known now defunct trampoline federations Extreme Wrestling Alliance, Trampoline Championship Wrestling, and Steve and Ross Wrestling also were influences.
Steve and Ross Wrestling added furthermore to the history of the practice appealing to many with a semi-professional product of their own presenting their lookable area with colored curtains, a less bouncy trampoline ring and using a multi-camera set-up. They also ushered in the use of live video streaming to host profited supercard events, later selling them on DVD for extra revenue mostly required to maintain the needs of their establishment. As a result, federations have emerged trying to emulate them. A privately held federation XBW Wrestling, which spanned a longevity of a decade, was well-known in its prime and accumulated over 100 active fan members on their boards, even despite regularly promoting. Several alternate federation members were mainly XBW fans.
The biggest known community formerly was known as Backyard Wrestling Link until Global Backyard Wrestling News had surfaced and changed the face of that fact, attracting and playing home to over hundreds of federations that join the community. GBYWN is a household name in backyard wrestling, running all day and visited every day by predominantly backyard wrestlers. On YouTube, the largest assembled body of organizations on the Action 10 Network channel is the Georgia Wrestling Circuit, dubbed the "leading force in backyard wrestling", promoting and uploading various videos deriving from federations.
Controversy and media
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 are Global Backyard Wrestling News, Breakfall.net, Backyard Wrestling Link, Backyard Wrestling Talk, and Backyard Wrestling World.
Professional movies and media
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!"
