Fest Wrestling is all about promoting independent wrestlers while encouraging intergender wrestling and equality.
Reigning and defending Fest wrestling champion, EFFY, won the title in February after defeating wrestler Su Yung. This Sunday, October 28, he will be competing for his title during a fatal four-way match with Saieve Al Sabah, Serpentico and Jason Cade starting around 5:30 p.m.
Q: What are your signature moves in the ring? Is there anything that you add to your act that makes you stand out among other wrestlers?
A: “See here’s the thing, I don’t even care about moves,” EFFY said. “I change my moves all the time – what wrestling is, is storytelling. You’re watching miniature episodes of live-action, stunt coordinated, crazy entertainment that can tell you any sort of story in the world. We’ve got sort of this stage where everybody is watching from all sides, and you can use all these different things that you have at your disposal whether it be weapons, or whether it be the way the ring is built, or whether it be a referee getting involved. It’s all done in a form of telling this story between the people and these matches.”
“Taking in every single match and enjoying the story that you get to tell and enjoying the performers you get to work with. Wrestling is so insane because you could be working with someone who you’ve been in a ring with for, you know, a hundred times, and you could be getting in the ring with someone you met 20 minutes ago.”
Q: How would you describe your character in the ring?
A: “My character is a very outspoken, loud, doesn’t hold his tongue,” EFFY said. “(They’re a) queer, glam rock consumer icon.”
Q: Is there a persona that you have in the ring that’s different from who you are with your family and friends?
A: “Yeah, I mean, you crank it up some, but I think once people met me they kind of realized - and it happens with a lot of wrestlers - we’re all pretty wild,” EFFY said. “So, we’re turning it up a little bit in the ring, but you know, the way we are approaching things, just because of the way you can be creative with wrestling and tell these stories and create these worlds, we’re very out there and I am loud. I’m occasionally embracive, and I’m very opinionated about things. It’s definitely me, it’s just an excitable version of me. “
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received about wrestling?
A: “Don’t trust somebody just cause they’re famous,” EFFY said.
Q: Is it ever awkward when you have to wrestle a really good friend at FEST?
A: “What you’ll find with wrestlers, is the more you know that wrestler, the more forgiving the whole situation is,” EFFY said. “Sometimes we’re intentionally a little more rough with each other or intentionally we will try things in a weird way. Maybe I’ve wrestled you a hundred times, and I’m holding you in a headlock, and I’m whispering something silly in your ear just to try to make you laugh while we’re in the middle of this match. I think that’s a total advantage.”
Is there anything else you would like to add about FEST Wrestling?
“I would say, wrestling fan or not wrestling fan, I think you would find FEST Wrestling enjoyable,” EFFY said. “It’s a very, very diverse crowd, and I think people on Sunday will look around them and be surprised to see who they are in the room with. It’s going to be a lot you wouldn’t probably always expect - so come hang out. Be diverse. Enjoy it.”
