Party World Rasslin'

Amateur wrestling is nothing new, but a group in Austin, Texas, has developed a distinctive mix of performance art, theater and sport.

Party World Rasslin' (PWR) is "distinguished by its comedic theatrics and a high, fantastical storyline," wrestler Chiquita Smith said. PWR began as a birthday party antic in a backyard, and the themed events now draw about 2,000 fans to the warehouse of a brewery in Austin, Texas.

The audience for PWR performances is unique, according to Smith: "They're not necessarily wrestling fans. The big draw is the drama and being part of a big bunch of people getting into a room and yelling for a few hours." The fans are dedicated: PWR is crowd-funded ahead of each event, so the event itself is free. Fans follow storylines from performance to performance and collectively cheer or jeer recurring characters such as "Dad Bod," "Bench Horse," "Theodosia," "Dan the Man" and "Dumpster Babes."

PWR performers are dedicated to their characters and wear elaborate, handmade costumes. Shelby Bohannon, who plays characters "Mrs. Fennenbaum," an evil teacher, and "Goldie," a mutant fish, describes PWR as a "wacky, wrestling performance art collective."

The performers, as a team of sorts, have bonded: "PWR gives all of us a reason to work out, hang out with friends and put our best efforts into creating amazing shows. The members are all weirdos who love and support each other and I've never been a part of anything else like it," Bohannon said.

PWR hosts a "Slam" at a venue in Austin every three months. All have themes: Slamhain IV was a magical forest gone wrong, Dino Slam was a frolic of ancient reptiles, and Space Slam was an intergalactic adventure through time and space.

On March 17, PWR will hold its next event, WrestleSlam IV: WormQuest, at 4th Tap Brewery, which will be transformed into a medieval castle. The event is billed as "the legendary heroes of PARTY WRESTLING prepare for low-fantasy adventures into the heart of doom itself. Servants of the darkness lurk everywhere! Who will survive?!"

Please see the full article here at ESPN.