As a cishet white male, wrestling is geared towards me. Hell, society is. It has been as long as I can remember, and long before that too. While society has a long way to go, wrestling is one part that is taking a huge step forward to kick the white-hetero-normative patriarchy in the backside. IWTV airs No Peace Underground proudly presents Fear The Gay Agenda. An all LGBTQIA+ deathmatch event. No ring. No rules. Just violence.
While parts of this fightback are quite well known in the wrestling world – not only with individuals making names for themselves but also with companies like Shimmer and Pro Wrestling Eve promoting women’s wrestling and events like GCW’s For The Culture showcasing black performers. However, there is still a long way to go.
One of the biggest battles is for equitable inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community, and this battle has its own generals – with Effy and Parrow leading the line even while beating seven bells of shit out of each other. Case in point? They bring a show to us set to include a PolyAm Cult Twink Gauntlet and a Pup Collar Match, with the two of them main eventing in the Last Daddy Standing match…
We open on an incredible montage of clips from right-wing and conservative spokespeople – including members of the Westboro Baptist Church – decrying homosexuality. With phrases such as “The Bible commands certain people be put to death”, the homophobia evident in society is highlighted in an incredible package showing why the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights is still needed in the world. It’s disheartening to see how vocal and open these despicable human beings are – and even more disheartening to realise this is only a drop in the ocean from the so-called “developed world”.
After a rundown of the matches, the balance is restored by a video appearance from wrestling legend Mick Foley. Highlighting the fifth anniversary since the attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Foley delivers a heartfelt promo about showing support as an ally and praises the LGBTQIA+ wrestling community for making a difference.
Fear The Gay Agenda – Billy Dixon Vs Ashton Starr
Dixon and Starr are good friends, and Dixon has made no effort to hide the respect he has for Ashton – but a change of attitude in Starr has angered the man from the Boogie Down Bronx.
A few shoves lead to a slap from Starr and the two trade brutal forearms before Dixon throws Starr from the stage to the floor. Starr gains advantage with a low blow and then whips Dixon with hair extensions. Starr uses the hair extensions to tie Dixon’s hands behind his back, and smashes three light tubes over the back of his head!
After a disrespectful pin attempt gets a two-count, Starr grabs a bundle of light tubes, and throws them at Dixon, prompting the first “Holy Shit!” chant of the night. Starr busts out the rainbow-coloured thumb tacks and attempts to suplex Dixon on them, but Dixon counters, dropping Starr face-first onto the tacks. Dixon then rolls Starr back onto them and drops an elbow for a two-count.
Both men teeter on the edge of the stage with a lattice of light tubes below them. Dixon slaps Starr and backs up for a crossbody attempt, but Starr evades and Dixon dives through the tubes. Dixon somehow manages to kick out, and Starr takes his frustration out with another light tube smashed over Dixon’s ribs.
Starr positions a door across two chairs and puts the bloody Dixon back on the stage. Starr spits in Dixon’s face, which just pisses him off. Dixon drops Starr with a Stunner, but only for a two-count. Dixon then chokeslams Starr off the stage, through the door! Dixon places a pair of chairs on Starr’s chest as he’s laid on the door, and drops an elbow from the stage to get the win! What a way to open! This was short, but brutal, and got the crowd riled up for what’s to come.
Fear The Gay Agenda – POLY CULT TWINK GAUNTLET OF DEATH
Before the match, MV delivers a promo asking what a twink is – saying there are not-twinks entered into the gauntlet. But he doesn’t care. The best professional wrestlers are ones who “beat people up and get people talking about them”, and no one does that better than the PolyAm King.
Parrow usually “hosts” the Twink Gauntlet for those unaware, but as Parrow is otherwise engaged, MV Young has “inherited” it. This is effectively a no-ring deathmatch “rumble” – with entrants coming in at timed intervals, and the last person standing after all pinfalls and submissions before declared the winner. Fear The Gay Agenda.
The first entrant is “The Gaytriarch” Dillon McQueen. Young offers McQueen a Magnum but is rejected and slapped in the face. McQueen sits Young against a door propped up on the barricade and drives a pair of knees into his chest.
Entrant number two is Kelsey Raegan who comes out and attacks McQueen, sending him face-first into one of the support poles on stage. Raegan throws Young off the stage, and hits him with a diving ‘rana, sending him on to shards of glass from a shattered light tube. She then smashes a stack of light tubes over Young’s head.
The third participant is Eli Perez, who immediately lands a bulldog on McQueen – only to hurt himself as he lands arse-first on broken glass. Perez then works with Raegan to set up a panel of fencing and some light tubes across a pair of chairs.
Kevin Blackwood enters as the fourth participant, chair in hand. McQueen grabs the chair and holds it up to block a kick, but Blackwood stops and simply boots the chair into his face and follows up with a pinfall. McQueen is eliminated. MV Young lifts Kelsey Raegan onto his shoulders, and tosses her from the stage through the light tubes and fencing! He follows up with an elbow drop from the stage for a pinfall. Kelsey Raegan is eliminated.
Entrant five is Heather Monroe. After attacking Perez and Young with a fan, she attempts a low blow on Young – who blocks and slams her into a door propped up against the railings. Tye Hyll is out as number six, bringing a ladder with him. Hyll sends Young into the ladder, then climbs it to hit a corkscrew moonsault onto Perez and Young. Hyll lands a Meteora on Perez, who was set against one of the stage supports and follows up with a standing shooting star press for a near fall.
(un)lucky entrant seven is Satu Jinn, who runs out with a flat-screen TV, smacking Hyll in the face with it. Jinn tells Perez and Young to bring it, and they respond by smashing light tubes over his head. Jinn is unphased and retaliates with chops and headbutts. Jinn hits Blackwood with a door, and Perez with a light tube, before taking the broken shard and digging it into Perez’s forehead! Jinn revels in the “You Sick Fuck” chant from the crowd.
Jinn sets up a ladder on the chairs and a barricade against the railings. Hyll dives at Jinn, who catches him and slams him onto the barricade with a uranage, snapping it in half. Tye Hyll is eliminated. “The Matriarch Of Mayhem” Sawyer Wreck, is entrant eight, and comes out with a Nerf gun, firing nerf darts with thumbtacks glued on to them at Jinn! She follows up by throwing the TV at him, and then a crossbody sending him onto the ladder. Wreck throws Perez, Monroe and Blackwood onto Jinn and climbs on top for the pinfall! Satu Jinn is eliminated.
Wreck chokeslams Young onto Perez and Jinn, but only for a two-count. The final entry is Jai Vidal. Vidal delivers forearms to Monroe and Blackwood. Vidal kisses Perez, which distracts the camera from Young pinning Wreck. Sawyer Wreck is eliminated.
Monroe seats Perez on a chair and delivers a crossbody from the stage, sending Perez backwards onto broken glass. Pinfall. Eli Perez is eliminated. Jai Vidal delivers a corkscrew on Blackwood, but only for a near fall. MV Young delivers a spear to Monroe. Heather Monroe is eliminated.
Vidal knee-slides to evade a roundhouse kick from Blackwood takes him to the floor, and locks in a Rings Of Saturn. Kevin Blackwood is eliminated. We’re down to the final two – MV Young and Jai Vidal. Young superkick’s Vidal and throws him off the stage. Vidal throws Young through a ladder propped up against the railings with a German Suplex, and gets the pinfall! MV Young is eliminated.
Your winner – Jai Vidal!
Treehouse Lee comes out at the end of the match with some roses. Lee offers the roses to Vidal but drops them. As Vidal attempts to pick them up, Lee drops him with a corkscrew axe kick. This was a violent, fun gauntlet. Perez looked a little lost at times, but the action flowed well. Having a TV as a weapon was a nice touch. Seeing Young lose was interesting as well – especially given it was his gauntlet. Presumably, this sets up something for Young and Parrow going forward. Satu Jinn stood out for me as one to watch, especially in deathmatches.
Fear The Gay Agenda – Dark Sheik Vs. Trish Adora
For those of you, like me, used to seeing Trish Adora put on technical wrestling clinics (check out the #IronMatch against Tony Deppen), seeing her in a deathmatch setting is an intrigue. Adora and Sheik share a smoke and a hug before the match.
The match starts with a collar-and-elbow tie-up, but they soon start trading chops as well as the spliff! Sheik takes advantage with a chop to the stomach, back and backside of Adora. Trish responds with a series of chops, including to the thigh, before returning a spank to Sheik. Dark Sheik climbs the metal support on stage, and coffin drops onto Adora. Adora counters Sheik and drops her with a powerslam onto a chair.
Adora grabs a kendo stick, and attacks Sheik with it, albeit with hesitance at first. Sheik kicks out of the pin attempt and lands a kendo stick-assisted leg sweep on the stage. Sheik then locks in a crossface, using the kendo stick in the mouth of Adora! Trish fights out, and the hesitation is gone, cracking Sheik with the kendo stick. Adora then locks in the Cattle Mutilation, using the kendo stick for extra leverage. They fight back to their feet, and Sheik lands the Johnny Cage splits-to-groin shot!
Sheik sets up an inventive graffitied door (I can’t repeat what is written on it!) on two chairs and attacks Trish with a bin. Trish fights back, and puts the bin over Dark Sheik’s head and torso, before delivering Lariat Tubman! Sheik rolls away and off the stage to avoid the pin. Trish grabs hold of a light tube but hesitates to hit her friend with it, allowing Dark Sheik to tackle her through the door for the win. With Adora not wanting to hurt her friend with weapons, the story of this was very well told.
Fear The Gay Agenda – Zicky Dice Vs. Odinson
This match was made by Effy, putting his representative (Dice) against Parrow’s tag team partner in The End (Odinson) as a warm-up to the main event with the two straight allies chained together at the neck.
Zicky attacks Odinson before getting the chain locked to his collar, wrapping it around his fist and punching Odinson in the head. Dice sends Odinson out into the crowd and past the bar, nailing chops and forearms. They fight back onto the stage, and Dice sets up for a piledriver, but Odinson delivers a backdrop as a counter. Odinson attaches the collar to Dice and locks in a chain-assisted camel clutch, but Dice bites Odinson’s hand to break. Odinson steps forward to pose but straddles the chain, and Dice takes advantage to deliver a low blow with the chain, and then with a kick.
Dice brings out a bowl of pup food and tries putting Odinson’s face into it. Odinson instead stands with Dice on his back and drives him into the metal stage support. Odinson delivers a running uppercut before stomping Dice face-first into the pup food!
Odinson smashes a light tube across the back of Dice and then uses a chair to launch himself into a twisting European uppercut to the back of a seated Dice. Odinson sets up Dice for a Death Valley Driver, but Dice escapes and delivers a piledriver on the stage for a two-count. Dice stands on a pair of chairs and looks to go for another piledriver, but Odinson breaks free and plants Dice through the chairs with the F10 for the win! Odinson is a BEAST. The End (Odinson and Parrow) truly deserve a run on TV and a payday.
Fear The Gay Agenda – MSP Vs. Culture INC
Both teams try to get the crowd on their side, with Culture Inc turning their backs on MSP. As they turn round, MSP land stereo somersault dives off the stage. MSP tries throwing Culture Inco onto the stage, but they leap up and moonsault back in retaliation. Dangerkid manages to find Ashton Starr’s hair extension and chokes Bosede with it. Aggro puts a chair on Knight’s chest and lands a handstand elbow drop onto the chair. MSP tries a double-suplex on Bosede onto a piece of guard rail leant against the stage, but Malik fights out and backdrops Dangerkid through it for a two-count – broken up by a senton from Aiden Aggro.
Aggro leaps over a kneeling Eli Knight to land a cannonball on Bosede, who was sat against the stage, as Dangerkid dives over him with a senton to the back of Knight. MSP goes for a pair of covers, but Culture Inc. kick out. Aggro locks in a double-fish hook variation of a camel clutch on Knight. Dangerkid sets up a chair but ends up sat on it thanks to a pair of superkicks from Bosede. Knight lands a superkick to the back of Aggro. Bosede lifts Aggro into a fireman’s carry, allowing Knight to hit a double-stomp to his back. Bosede then hits Ten Toes Down (a Death Valley Driver, planting Aggro onto Dangerkid), sending them both through the chair. Culture Inc. goes for a pair of covers, but MSP kicks out at two.
Both teams exchange forearms and punches and then grab chairs. All four swing and miss. Both teams then grab chairs, and sit down with beers! Holiday returns to oversee a chugging contest, but MSP spit their beer in the faces of Culture Inc. and Aggro launches a chair at Knight’s face. Aggro then wraps a flag around Bosede’s face, allowing Dangerkid to waterboard him with beer! Aggro holds Bosede across the chair and his knees, with Dangerkid diving off the stage with a senton – nailing the Drip Drop for the win.
Yet more fun! Tag team deathmatches usually fall flat or get way too chaotic, but these four worked well together. This is the first time I’ve come out of a deathmatch thinking I want to see it repeated in a proper wrestling ring! Both teams have great chemistry and could have great futures ahead of them.
Fear The Gay Agenda – Parrow Vs. EFFY – LAST DADDY STANDING MATCH
The build-up for this is superb, with Effy taking credit for “making” Parrow the man he is. Parrow says he worked fucking hard for his spot and states “I’m a homo, and I’m going to murder you.” Parrow’s entrance sees him sat on a throne on stage, flanked by masked attendants. Effy arrives at the venue in a sports car, and is accompanied to ringside by two masked flunkies of his own – both armed with confetti cannons!
In a (brilliant) twist to traditional last man standing rules, the winner will only be declared when one person has incapacitated their opponent enough that they can make it to, and sit in, Daddy’s Chair for a full ten seconds.
Effy shoves Parrow but ends up on his arse as Parrow replies in kind. Effy instead charges Parrow with shoulder blocks, and then chair shots to the ribs and back. Effy smashes Parrow with a rack of light tubes and lands a single-arm DDT onto the chair. Effy makes it to the throne for the first count, but Parrow gets up at five.
Effy runs back on the attack again, but Parrow repeatedly throws him into the barrier. Parrow nails Effy with a pair of chair shots across Effy’s back, and a pair to Effy’s head, before body slamming him onto a stack of chairs. Parrow places a trio of light tubes on Effy’s chest, and lands a splash on Effy to shatter them! Parrow makes it to the throne and gets a count of six before Effy stands back up.
Parrow comes off the stage, back on the attack, and is met with two chair shots to the head from Effy. Effy chases Parrow to the bar, and Parrow slams Effy’s head onto the merchandise stall on the way out of the venue. Parrow hits a suplex on the pavement outside. Both men trade shots, with Effy staggering Parrow with a pump kick before bringing him back to the fight pit. Parrow smashes another trio of light tubes over Effy, before handing Effy a set to return the favour! They trade light tube shots before Effy staggers Parrow with another pump kick. Effy lands a leg-trap-DDT on Parrow onto a pair of chairs and returns to the throne, but a bloody Parrow stands at a count of two.
Parrow catches Effy diving at him, and backdrops him back onto a set of light tubes on the stage! Parrow lifts Effy onto his shoulders in a powerbomb position, and drives him into a set of light tubes attached to the wall! Parrow sits on the throne, but as Effy stirs at an eight-count, Parrow stands up to inflict more damage, including a Greetings From Asbury Park, but Effy again stands at eight.
Parrow boots Effy in the face, and throws him into the wall, before returning with a barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat. Effy begs for mercy, but delivers a low blow, before hitting Parrow in the stomach and head with the bat! Effy then throws Parrow off the stage through a bed of light tubes propped up on a wooden door leant against the stage! Effy sits on the throne, but Parrow stands at seven – covered in blood and glass.
Effy grabs a chair and beckons Parrow back onto the stage. Parrow obliges and is met with a chair to the head, which he shrugs off by flipping the bird and then three shots to the ribs. Effy suplexes Parrow onto the stage and barbed-wire bat, leaving an immediate bloody impact puddle!
Effy asks for another door to be set up across the chairs on the floor, with two more chairs on top of that, and then a pane of glass across the spines of those chairs – before setting the glass on fire! Unfortunately for Effy, Parrow recovers, and chokeslams him through the flaming glass, chairs and door!!!
Parrow sits on the throne, and while Effy manages to make it to the stage, he can’t get back to his feet – despite trying to crawl up Parrow himself. The referee makes it to ten, and Parrow is the Last Daddy Standing! FEAR THE GAY AGENDA!
After the match, Parrow is given a mic, and thanks Effy, before kissing him and walking away. Effy is handed the mic and says “This is not my throne, and I shall not take it, and I will be as brave as Effy can be.” He also states “Fear The Gay Agenda is not about tonight, it is a warning because the next decade of Effy is going to be living fucking hell for a lot of people. Because you can’t get rid of me, and the more boundaries I overstep in this business, the more excited people get. And goddamn, that makes you nervous. Doesn’t it?”
That final spot was ridiculous. This was a brutal match, and the blood and sweat spraying off the two competitors as they moved and spoke at the end were clearly visible – to the point that I briefly thought a sprinkler had been set off!
No Peace Underground is making a name for themselves with the stage-and-pit fight setting for their matches. Allowing Effy and Parrow to put a show together to prove that LGBTQIA+ wrestlers can not only fit but can thrive in that environment was a massive success. Every single performer brought their A-game and had the fans chomping at the bit for more. If the “gay agenda” now includes people willing to put their bodies on the line in deathmatches to stand up and be counted during Pride Month, you can bet your bottom dollar that plenty of people will Fear The Gay Agenda from here on out.
More. Please. (Sir).