Back at Last to Beat Your Ass. Fucking Blood Everywhere. Blood, Sweat, and Chairs. These are all names of past Richmond Lucha Libre shows. In case you’re not familiar with RLL, the city’s own wrestling alliance, let me describe a typical show for you. Imagine a burly wrestler suplexing someone into a crowd of spectators, or a costumed guy flipping off the turnbuckle of the wrestling ring. Visualize a wrestler cracking a pair of crutches over his opponent’s body, or the same guy falling ten feet off the top of a ladder. As advertised, the guys from Richmond Lucha serve up mayhem at every show.
Richmond Lucha Libre started almost five years ago “as an excuse to have parties,” says wrestler Chris Hoyer, also known as “Horror Show.” I spoke with him recently at one of their practice sessions. Hoyer is a fierce and sometimes foul-mouthed opponent. His ghoulish, Misfits-inspired costume includes a skull mask and a denim vest that exposes his tattoo-covered arms. When he’s not in costume, though, this freelance photographer is all business. Hoyer and Richmond Lucha co-founder Warren Bellfield began wrestling one night at a Halloween party and later started doing backyard shows. It wasn’t long before, Chris says, “We were drawing 150 people in a backyard.” Now they headline at places like Alley Katz, Wonderland, and the Nanci Raygun.
When I attended practice, members and trainees paired off to rehearse moves. Every match is scripted, kind of like a comic book story come to life. They have heroes, villains, and a cast of supporting characters. There are fifteen wrestlers total, including good guy James Long, or the “Kamikaze Kid,” a fellow with an affinity for the color blue and known for his signature move, the Kamikaze Kick. There are villains like Chris “El Sucio” Osterfeld, an Italian badass and member of Team No Respect, a faction within Richmond Lucha. And like comic book characters, they perform high-flying stunts and astounding feats of strength. During one show at the now-defunct Bottom Line, Osterfeld jumped off the roof of the building and onto another wrestler standing outside of the ring.
“A lot of people don’t realize how hard wrestling will be because they think it’s all fake,” says longtime Richmond Lucha member Scott Seal, a.k.a. “Spok Holly.” Seal is the loud-mouthed leader of Team No Respect. Sometimes it seems a bit juvenile—a bunch of guys wearing costumes pretending to beat the crud out of each other. I can see why some people don’t take the sport seriously. But it’s very physically demanding, and members start training about a month before each show, Seal explained. There are also risks to wrestling. Long once had to get nineteen stitches in his head after he was thrown into a column at Alley Katz.
And that’s just the beginning. Training is tough, but actually organizing a show might be more of a challenge. It takes “a tremendous, ridiculous amount of planning,” says Hoyer. Members first have to book a venue, which they try to do about six weeks beforehand. They have to make sure that the club has enough room for their ring and for doing stunts. There’s also the task of getting a license from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (VDPOR). They license anyone who practices a trade, from hairstylists to tattoo artists. Wrestling, as strange as it may sound, is considered a trade. Richmond Lucha has a license now, but getting one has proved to be a stumbling block in the past. The VDPOR has threatened to fine them and shut down their shows for not having a license.
Richmond Lucha also books a band for every show. They’ve performed with fellow Richmonders Rocket Queen and Monarch. Who would they like to play with in the future? Avail and GWAR are at the top of Richmond Lucha’s wish list. Although they’ve never actually played with GWAR, the band has appeared in full costume at a couple of their shows. The first time, they acted as “ringside enforcers” to keep Team No Respect from participating in the match. The second time, they wrestled with Richmond Lucha—and lost. Hoyer grins and says, “You can’t win when you’re wrestling with the best.”
Richmond Lucha has come a long way since that first backyard show. You can check out their website (www.richmondlucha.com) for a schedule of upcoming matches and other events. They have T-shirts for sale, and a DVD is in the works with highlights of their favorite shows. Hoyer’s vision for the future: “Ultimately, I’d like Richmond Lucha to be synonymous with Richmond.”
So, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll heed the Richmond Lucha Libre motto and “Support Local Mayhem.” You don’t want to cross these guys, but you’ll love to watch them cross each other.
Story by Rebecca Johnson
Photos by Chris Hoyer
