An interactive pantomime
Behind the scenes of Kent grapplers United Kingdom Pro Wrestling
A suburb of Rainham isn’t the sort of place you usually come to see large men beating each other up, but this is where I find myself on a chilly Sunday afternoon.
Rows of chairs are laid out inside the Parkwood Community Centre, surrounding a wrestling ring that, at first glance, appears far too large for the room it’s sitting in. That’s because United Kingdom Pro Wrestling (UKPW), the organisation behind today’s event, doesn’t do anything small.
Owner Alex Gilbert quickly tells me that the ring they use is far bigger than most UK wrestling promotions. UKPW uses a 20ft by 20ft ring, the same size as global behemoth WWE. Alas, WWE doesn’t tend to rock up to community centres in Kent.
I’ve arrived at the venue around an hour before the show is due to kick off. As a result, I get to see wrestlers lacing up their boots, talking through their matches with each other, rehearsing promos for UKPW’s YouTube channel and TV show on KMTV that has aired for years.
Alex tells me that promos are something that many wrestlers don’t enjoy doing, but it’s a necessary part of UKPW’s ongoing storylines. Most of the promos being recorded today are done in a couple of takes, even one that involves wrestler Max Gainz hoisting interviewer Clark Andrews over his shoulders for the entire segment.
I ask Alex about the concept of ‘kayfabe’, a wrestling term for not giving away that the shows are staged and planned out in advance. Unlike other promoters, Alex says he is almost “too relaxed” about revealing how it all works.
Gone are the days of the 1980s when people believed professional wrestling was real. The shows now operate in a more open environment: Most fans know what they see is scripted entertainment, but they are still here for the drama and excitement. Alex likens wrestling to an interactive pantomime. "You only get that at Christmas. We can do this through the year."
Parkwood Community Centre is the smallest venue UKPW uses, with a capacity of around 100. But the shows here have built up a strong following here, and shortly after the doors open, more chairs are being laid out to accommodate the arriving fans.
Alex is proud of UKPW’s local connections. He grew up nearby and points out how many of his family still live in the area. He’s proud to be putting on regular shows in an area without many other events. Rainham is joined by Canterbury, Sevenoaks, and Falconwood in southeast London as regular locations on the UKPW circuit.
Running a wrestling promotion wasn’t Alex’s original plan. He started as a wrestler himself, playing a dastardly banker character called Dow Jones, within the promotion since 2008. When the covid pandemic hit, UKPW looked likely to shut down until Alex stepped up to take on the company. "It's a very, very different world," he says, but one he finds rewarding. He now runs the promotion with his cousin Jack, who also performs as a super intelligent wrestler named Fentos, who is on the show today. As the event begins, Alex is acting as coach, booker, and spends most of the show up a ladder as camerman.
The show begins with a match that pits Judas Sexton, a gruff biker-themed villain, against Alf Edwards, a powerhouse known as a "suplex merchant." It’s a hard-hitting encounter, with open-hand slaps and stiff-sounding kicks that echo across the hall. Sexton delights in antagonising the audience, barking back at hecklers and smirking through their boos. Edwards eventually picks up the win after a back-and-forth contest. As I stand at ringside, my Apple Watch vibrates to alert me that the decibel level is loud enough to be a risk to my hearing.
In the second bout, Sexton returns, accompanying Razor, a brawler who faces The Nail, the local favourite on the card. The Nail, from Medway, plays a heavy metal-inspired character, stomping to the ring to pounding guitars. Razor steals the win by count-out after Sexton gets involved again, drawing more heat from the crowd.
After the match, Sexton and Razor drag The Nail back into the ring and beat him down, leading to a save from match one winner Alf Edwards. Inevitably, after some harsh words and threats are exchanged, it is agreed that all four will face off in a tag-team match in the main event.
For Alex, this part of the show's structure matters as much as the performances. "When you're building a show, we do this thing, we call it a gee-up," he explains. "So, match one and match two is to gee-up the main event. So people have left happy, but to get the happy feeling, we have to do the beginning bit where the bad guys are winning.”
The third match brings some levity. Max Gainz, a self-styled gym rat, faces flamboyant tag team champion Prince Dean. Dean enters the venue with bubbles shooting from his belt and a pair of tights that read, "Wrestle gods be with me."
Dean is clearly a fan favourite, or ‘face’ in wrestling parlance. Alex says his popularity is a testament to the hard work they have put in with the character, taking him on a year-long story to win his first title. Today's match is athletic, with Dean taking to the top rope multiple times. When Dean eventually wins, the younger members of the audience, in particular, seem delighted.
The fourth match of the show features Fentos, Alex’s cousin and co-runner of the company, facing fan-favourite Smashing Mike. More lightness is on the agenda, with the Fentos challenging Mike to a push-up contest that he quickly loses. Once the match itself gets underway, Mike emerges victorious, while Fentos continues his winless streak at Parkwood, though he seems to take things in his stride.
Between matches, there’s a relaxed atmosphere in the room. Fans and wrestlers mingle, the audience consumes a mixture of beer, soft drinks, and cups of tea, while children browse the overflowing boxes of wrestling action figures that the promotion has for sale on the merch table.
Finally, it is time for the tag team main event clash featuring Alf Edwards and The Nail against Judas Sexton and Razor. It is a rematch of sorts and plays directly into the story beats established earlier in the night. As Sexton enters for the third time during the show, he carries himself so obnoxiously that audience members seem genuinely infuriated by him.
The villains attempt more underhanded tactics, but after a period where it feels like all hope is lost for the good guys winning, a hot tag leads to Edwards and The Nail gaining momentum. They ultimately triumph, bringing the evening to a satisfying conclusion and sending the fans home happy.
For Alex, crafting this kind of emotional arc is central to what UKPW offers. "This is where I think wrestling is so good because in life, we can't control what happens, but we can here," he says. "Who doesn't want to see someone get their just desserts? Who doesn't want to see the good guys triumph?"
As fans exit the venue, many linger to buy merchandise or snap selfies with the wrestlers. Children rush to high-five their favourites and some chat about attending the next show.
Alex is proud of the buzz that his events can create. "It's very satisfying talking people into a building, they get their experience, and then hopefully, a lot of people are going to leave today going, ‘Do you know what? I'd love to see that again.’".
From the attendees in Parkwood, UKPW draws a varied crowd. "You do get some people that get really into it, and you get a real mix," Alex notes. "I think it's quite a, not diverse necessarily, but it's a unique background with lots of people, different incomes.” What’s definitely notable is the wide range of ages in the crowd, with young children attending their first show right up to people in their seventies.
That accessibility is part of what makes wrestling compelling, he says. "In theory, a five-year-old can understand good and bad. A 75-year-old can also understand the good and bad. And then, depending on the characters you sprinkle along, it's a soap opera with action, with a story and that live feeling."
UKPW is a rare kind of entertainment for families in Kent: Intimate, affordable, and engaging. "It's £120 for a WWE ticket," Alex says. "That's before you've gone to London, and you're sitting in the gods. But for about a tenner, you can be front row and high-five one of my wrestlers. I think it's great, and it's family entertainment."
UKPW will have multiple shows in Kent in the coming months:
- Bounce & Brawl at Soar Trampolining Park, Gillingham, 20 Apr
- Grapple in the Garden at Reuthe’s Lost Gardens, Sevenoaks, 21 Apr
- Break Stuff! at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, 31 May
- Canterbury Rampage at Westgate Hall, Canterbury, 1 Jun
You can find more details about the above events and book tickets via the UKPW website.