Backyard wrestling
From Bywpedia
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===Documentaries=== | ===Documentaries=== | ||
*[[The Backyard]] (2002) | *[[The Backyard]] (2002) | ||
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*[[Lock Up Your Sons]] | *[[Lock Up Your Sons]] | ||
| + | *[[XBW Blood, Sweat, and Egos (Documentary)|XBW Blood, Sweat, and Egos]] (Not yet released) | ||
| + | *[[Inside The Backyard]] (Not yet released) | ||
===Television=== | ===Television=== | ||
Revision as of 17:04, 26 February 2009
Backyard wrestling (commonly abbreviated as BYW), is a controversial imitational hobby practice loosely connected with professional wrestling, performed and arranged by predominantly untrained 11-30 year old males in an unsanctioned and unprofessional environment, however in some exceptional and notable cases, the practice undergoes some development taking a varying semi-pro form with few practitioners learning the basics and techniques to present appropriate wrestling opposing preferably 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 although is a separate entity based in New York.
Contents |
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 "bumps" with a majority opting to increasingly 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.
Inspiration of the 80's
Extreme hardcore era
Before the mid-90's hit, backyard wrestling was once known for its acceptable and media-friendly presentation. But mainly as World Wrestling Entertainment implemented "The Attitude Era" in the Monday Night Wars against World Championship Wrestling, the underground sport increasingly took a drastic, denigrating turning point which negatively impacted 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. While this appeared more real in the public eye compared to professional wrestling, it remained an object of distaste by many including some of the parents, who bystood with terror and concerns of such events their children took part in.
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 unprofessiional 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 and video-sharing sites mostly YouTube hosts many videos daily.
Independent circuit
Backyard wrestling on internet
Controversy and media
Communities
Professional movies and media
Movies
- Backyard Dogs (1999)
Documentaries
- The Backyard (2002)
- Lock Up Your Sons
- XBW Blood, Sweat, and Egos (Not yet released)
- Inside The Backyard (Not yet released)
Television
- MTV's True Life: I'm A Backyard Wrestler
- The Ricki Lake Show episode entitled "Backyard Bloodbath!"
