There is absolutely no doubt that the United States leads the way on sports entertainment when it comes to the world of Wrestling and that has long been the case with the varying iterations that fans have enjoyed across the years. Numerous different companies and promotions have played their part in bringing the spectacle to the ring across the decades – but of course, it is not just an American sport, it is a worldwide phenomenon and almost every country has their own stake in the future of the sport and the talent that is coming through the pipeline.
The corporate tie in now between the UFC and WWE understandably raised the profile to a new level and continued growth is akin to the emergence of bitcoin casino as an alternative to sports book betting, but for many wrestling aficionado’s there can be as much joy in taking a trawl around the globe for the little quirks, traditions and curiosities that each nation can bring to Wrestling, as there is in relishing the latest rumbles, and the most recent quirk comes from the United Kingdom and the home of Shirley Crabtree Jr (better known as Big Daddy) and Davey Boy Smith (the British Bulldog).
In true British fashion and unequivocally for reasons that are probably better left unexplained, the quirk also involves the food stuff known as gravy. Yes Wrestling fans it is that time of year again and the date has now been set for the annual World Gravy Wrestling Championships, and the organisers have now begun their search for this year’s eager competitors.
The Rose ‘N’ Bowl Pub in Stacksteads, Rossendale, Lancashire, will be holding their 17th annual gravy wrestling event on August 25, and before you start wondering if our English wrestling compatriots may have slowly begun losing their minds, I must point out that the whole event is humoured and good natured and exists to raise much needed funds for East Lancashire Hospice and all the great work that they do for those unfortunately suffering life limiting illnesses.
Would be competitors wear fancy dress costumes and will grapple in a pool full of gravy in a series of two minute bouts, where judges then award points based on entertainment value as well as the actual wrestling skills on show. Last year’s event saw 18 year old George Young take the men’s title and he admitted he had a two pronged strategy for success – he did ‘not wear’ himself out quickly and he enjoyed hearing his family and friends ‘chanting my name’. 43 year old Christine Rogers wrestled her way to the women’s title in what was her sixth attempt at taking the World Gravy title. She achieved the honour whilst dressed as ‘Barbie Que’ having competed as ‘Meaty Blinders’ the previous year.
Clearly this event has plenty of local notoriety if it is still bringing competitors back six years later and I can’t be the only one who finds significant humour in knowing that the World Gravy Wrestling Championships have previously been won by a Mr Ravin Gravy.
As much as I enjoy the idea, sadly I cannot see the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Rock, or John Cena rocking up for this year’s Gravy Championships, although in Cena’s case maybe he will and we just won’t see him and given it involves gravy, we would definitely smell what The Rock was cooking.
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