Wrestling is Art: Labor Of Love’s ‘The Exhibition’
For years, I’ve joked about starting a promotion called “ARTWRESTLING”, not just as a play on ACTWRESTLING, but also because I feel like professional wrestling truly is a great artform, and so many artists contribute to it, inside and outside the squared circle. There’s parts of the fanbase that think the in-ring workrate is the be all, end all of professional wrestling. There’s others that think it’s WWE or it’s nothing. For me, and for Teppen as a whole, we see it as an artform with a ton of untapped potential. It’s why we’ve covered ACTRING, and ACTRIUM in the past. It’s why we love ChocoPro, it’s why we went to the first Rose show. We think the promotions at the fringe, pushing what can be done in a wrestling ring are the most important to keep an eye on right now.
So to learn about the existence of Labor of Love, based right in one of our home bases, Philadelphia, was pretty awesome. Their philosophy on wrestling is as close to ours as anything currently operating in the states. From no-ring shows in DIY venues in Philly, to shows with live bands playing, to this past weekend’s The Exhibition, which took place in a literal art gallery, Icebox Project Space, part of a larger art space, Crane Arts, yeah, it’s absolutely our shit.
Taking place in an art gallery, the ring was surrounded by various bits of wrestling-related art. Hanging on the walls ranged from ring gear that saw the WrestleMania stage By Yolanda The Designer, to customized match-used steel chairs and other rad art by GRIMGRIMGRIM. Prints from various artists, including the late Dan Hughes, who was a Philly legend, designing posters for Japanese Breakfast, Mannequin Pussy, Kurt Vile, and so many more artists local and global. And someone from whom I have multiple pieces of artwork in my house.
A list of some of artists showcased at The Exhibition is below:
Arctic Shark
Brainbuster (Michael Watson)
Brian “Box” Brown
Calypso Sage
Cat Park
Dallon Taylor
Dan Hughes (curated by Jarmél by Jarmel)
GRIMGRIMGRIM
Hideshi Yokoyama
John F. Malta
Josh Gmba
Joshua Mitchell
Lee Moriarty
Yeah Dude Comics (Pat Auliso)
Pedro Vasquez
Perry Shall
Tanya Dorph-Mankey
Tera Calaway
Yolanda The Designer
Zia Danger
They also ran a fundraiser for Fleisher Art Memorial and there was a table set up for Homies Helping Homies (one of the event sponsors).
Ok, now let’s get to the wrestling. I’m not gonna lie, The Exhibition’s card was stacked from top to bottom. Right out of the gate, a heavy hitter with The Outfielders (Weber Hatfield & Shea McCoy) vs Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga). A fun match between two incredibly in-sync tag teams. The Outfielders picked up a win against the Bros at a no-ring show, but with ropes to bounce off of, climb, and cause chaos, it played right into Suruga and Akki’s hands. After a Dolphin Press, the bros picked up a win to even up the rivalry 1-1. Maybe the Outfielders need to make a trip to the ChocoPro home field in Ichigaya to settle this.
Up next featured the founder of ChocoPro, Emi Sakura vs Harley Hudson. Hudson had no intention of making friends with Sakura, or anyone in Philadelphia for that matter. That put Sakura in a fairly unique position of being the clear babyface in the match. Hudson got some pretty great stuff in on Sakura, and at times it seemed like Sakura was on the back foot. But, with years and years of experience, Sakura lulled Hudson into a false sense of security, and turned that opportunity into a victory.
Next was Dr. Ethan Wilde vs Enhancement Talent. Wilde’s apparently been experimenting with different devices, including a time machine, turning Mr. Ooh La La into a younger version of himself at First Unitarian Church. Enhancement Talent didn’t even have entrance music. He was announced as Brady Seyden, and the crowd immediately started chanting for him. Wilde played up the bad guy, and took it to the Seyden. Then things spilled to the outside, and Seyden entered another one of Wilde’s contraptions. Smoke came out, and then there were two Brady Seydens.
Listen. I’ve seen a lot of weird shit in wrestling shows. I’ve seen space pirates crash a wrestling practice. I’ve covered a wrestling show based on a VRMMORPG based on Norse mythology. But seeing someone cloned. That’s a first for me.
And the crowd reacted perfectly, “holy shit” chants, and just so much energy from how well it was pulled off. The Seydens ended up picking up the win, and it was a really, really fun time.
Then, arguably, the most important match on the card, Cheeseburger challenging Lee Moriarty for the ROH Pure title. Contested under Pure rules, complete with judges at ringside. During intros, the crowd was pretty split, maybe leaning slightly towards Burger, but once Moriarty was announced from Pittsburgh, the crowd went completely behind Burger. Sadly, that energy didn’t quite reach the arena just a few miles south.
The match itself was fantastic, Cheeseburger kept up with Moriarty, forcing him to a couple of rope breaks. However, Moriarty forced Burger to use up all three, and gained the advantage. Both exchanged some great submission holds, and attempts. After a great little sequence, Moriarty secured the upper hand, locked Cheeseburger in a camel clutch using the ropes, and retained his crown.
After an intermission, they came back with a fun 8-man elimination tag match between The Process (Ethan Allen, The Mecca, Vinny Talotta & Goldie Moore) and City Wide Street Gang (Martin Hughes, Se Morrigan & Tom LaRosa) with Billy Avery. The Gang fairly quickly gained a 4-1 advantage, but with some shenanigans, it ended up with Avery and Mecca the final two. Avery picked up the surprise victory after one of Mecca’s cheating attempts backfired.
Then we had Big Callux vs Daisuke Sasaki from DDT. This was such a fun match. Again, playing on the rivalry and current playoff series between the Flyers and Penguins, Callux brought out some Philly themed gifts. One, a small Gritty plushie, which Sasaki immediately ripped the head off, to huge boos, then roses, which he introduced to Callux’s head. Rose petals laid in the ring the remainder of the match, leaving an amazing visual as violence ensued. And it did ensue, Sasaki grabbed a goalie stick, and put on a Penguins jersey, to more boos. He grabbed a chair from the wall, and started wailing on Callux. There were some really cool spots, as well as some really violent moments. A great balance that Sasaki always delicately walks.
(Note: I’m an idiot and didn’t pack my freshly charged spare battery, so enjoy the phone photos from here on out).
The main event was the Citywide Championship match between challenger Timothy Thatcher and champion Matt Mako. This match was really great, technical and captivating. Mako’s known for his holds, especially his cross armbreaker. Mako worked a range of limbs, until he began to focus on Thatcher’s arm. As Thatcher’s arm degraded, it kept leaving him vulnerable, even falling off the apron, unable to keep hold of the ropes. It all led to Mako applying that armbreaker and retaining.
Overall, the show was a ton of fun. A really great card made even better by an engaged crowd. I’ve been to some Philly indies, and crowds can be rowdy for all the wrong reasons, but the crowd at Labor of Love were among the best wrestling crowds I’ve been in – people playing along, people having fun. Knowledgeable fans who didn’t make the show about themselves. I can’t wait to get to my next Labor of Love show.
You can watch The Exhibition and other Labor of Love shows on their YouTube here. Connect with them on insta here.