Wrestlers to step into the ring in Chorley for trophy

A high-flying Japanese wrestler known for a complicated jump called a corkscrew moonsault will take to the ring in a show in Chorley.
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Raynaldo

Pyro, whose leap involves back flipping off the rope around the ring while spinning at the same time before landing on his opponent on the floor, is one of the 12 wrestlers booked for the family-friendly show in April.

Organiser Steven Bibby, 32, of The Lancashire Wrestling Federation said: “We are putting on a family show with good entertainment for everyone with wrestlers from across the country coming to compete.

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“There will be a lot of physicality and a lot of risk. In wrestling there are good guys and bad guys and they are pitted against each other.

“The bad guys are there to be booed and the good guys are there to be cheered on. The kids get really invested in it as well. We’ve got ringside seats so that they can be right in the action.”

Wrestling used to be on BBC Grandstand, a sport programme, every Saturday afternoon but when it came off the TV about 30 years ago crowds dwindled so the style of wrestling changed to make matches more family-friendly.

During the night on April 7 visitors can expect three one on one wrestling matches, with showdowns between the competitors each with their bad guy good guy’ persona. The final will be between the three remaining fighters.

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They will be battling for the Castle Cup in memory of former LWF referee Dan Castle who died two years ago. Members of his family will be present to present the winner with the trophy.

Other wrestlers who will take part in the tournament include Car Clinch and Ronaldo.

Car Clinch is a wrestler who has taken time out of the ring for the last for four years and fans are keen to see what his comeback will mean.

Raynaldo , also coming back to the ring after taking time out, has based his character on the famous Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Otherwise known as ‘man of the match’, he brings red and yellow cards into the ring with him.

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Steven, who lives in Leyland, says that the purpose of hosting the performance punch up, as well as giving the audience a great night out, is to raise money for the wrestling training school he has started.

He said: “In August last year we started a training school from nothing and we want to eventually have our own space so this is about raising our profile but also raising money for that.

“Our training school is well underway with over 12 trainees currently working to become stars.

“We are training people to become professional wrestlers in the same vein as what we see on TV from WWE.

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“In the long term we hope to produce talented wrestlers of our own to eventually begin running story-based shows.

“For example, we will produce YouTube shows filmed at our training facility with storylines between the wrestlers. This will culminate in a live show at a venue that the public can come to watch, having enjoyed the build up.”

The Chorley-based Lancashire Wrestling Federation is holding its very first live show on April 7 at The Army Reserve Centre in Devonshire Road at 6.30pm.

On the night there will be a raffle and a chance for youngsters to have their photographs taken with the wrestlers. The show will also be released on DVD