Backyard wrestling (BYW), also referred to as yarding or backyarding, is a controversial underground recreation based on the usually untrained practice of professional wrestling in a typically low budget environment between predominantly 12 to 30 year old males. Some practitioners have attended wrestling school or learned wrestling abilities from those who do. It has also broken into the media with several Best of Backyard Wrestling volumes produced, two video games entitled Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home and Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood, and a 2002 documentary entitled The Backyard, showcasing backyard wrestling under a more mainstream light as it follows several wrestlers and federations from all over the world, detailing the different styles and portrayals of backyard wrestling.
A typical backyard wrestling ring.
The Early Days: Good-Natured Beginnings
Before it was opposed, backyard wrestling was often a good-natured genre in the late 1980's to early 1990's which appealed to media for coverage. By the late 1980's and early 1990's, the earliest reports on backyard wrestling were said to be referenced positively by well respected news outlets like the Minneapolis StarTibune and KSTP Eyewitness News as a friendly presentation and more notiably with NWF Kids Pro Wrestling, a promotion that went from backyard to an inside a studio and amounted to a national cable viewed local promotion in Minnesota. Several federations were aspired by the old school wrestling mentality and some of the major superstars seen on television. Crossen and Charley "Luxury" Lane, both then backyard wrestlers, upstarted their own kids' professional league known as "Kids Quad Cities Pro Wrestling" in March 1984 which subsequently become NWF Kids Pro Wrestling and amounted to a national cable viewed promotion. Twin Cities based promoter and trainer Eddie Sharkey actually co-promoted a sold-out wrestling event that featured matches from both Pro Wrestling America (PWA) and NWF Kids Pro Wrestling at the American Legion Hall in Champlin, MN in November 1986.
The Rise of Ultraviolence and Controversy
Gradually, it began showcasing the reckless basis of ultraviolent antics that incited controversy among worried parental guardians and professional personnels. Around the mid 1990's, the focus of matches rested on a reckless, uncoordinated style dubbed the "craze" showcasing risky suicidal stunts and "high spots" and "bumps" (typically falls off rooftops and ladders) and relied heavily on sharp or dangerous weaponry and other objects such as barbed wire, tables (mostly flaming), plywood, fire, glass, cheese graters, and fluorescent lamps in accordance with television shows like Jackass and professional wrestling promotions such as hardcore promotions, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling as well as mainstream companies, World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling during their Monday Night Wars television feud featuring edgy content.
Professional wrestler, Mick Foley is the center of inspiration after his backyard wrestling exploits with friends in college, essentially a scene with Foley jumping off a roofop onto a mattress, shown on WWE television which propped his way into the company. Foley, however, discourages the practice as it being too dangerous.
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These activities were done for extremist supremacy and with the notion that promotions might employ the practitioners for their hardcore background while parents bystood their children portray such acts in horror. New York's 2KW and California's Modesto Championship Wrestling featured in the documentary The Backyard were also notable federations during those days that received some coverage, though, were not as violent and tried to give backyard wrestling a better name with an actual wrestling exhibition.
The Digital Age and Evolution
Backyard wrestling is a loose term that can occur anywhere from a park, field to an actual backyard and has become completely reliant on sharing home-filmed events, matches and videos via public access television and the internet which were both an upgrade from distributing videos person-to-person retrospectively.
In August 1997 the now defunct CWF a backyard promotion originating from Vallejo, California began filming the television show CWF Devastation. Devastation aired between 1997-2000 on California public access stations, and has often been cited as the inspiration for the legendary west coast backyard movement of the late 1990s. CWF Devastation was celebrated among underground wrestling communities for its original writing and innovative cinematography; as well as brutal violence and its cutting-edge wrestling style. CWF Devastation featured many notable backyard wrestlers including: The Master Kevin Blake, Nick Knightengale, Johnathan Fallen,and Butcher Knife. In late 1998, the Street Wrestling Federation (SWF) was started in Manchester, Connecticut. By mid-1999, they broadcasted a weekly public access show titled SwF: Caution. In 1999 comments from the public about the harsh language used on the show temporarily forced SWF to cancel its show. In February 2001, Modesto Championship Wrestling (MCW), a backyard wrestling promotion originating from Modesto, California picked up where CWF Devastation left off with their public access television program MCW Extreme. MCW Extreme aired on cable one channel 2 in the greater Modesto area in 2001. The promotion then launched a spin off to MCW Extreme in the spring of 2002 called MCW Unleashed. MCW Unleashed was featured on the AT&T Broadband Public access channel. MCW's final television series "Mayhem in Modesto" aired from early 2003 until the end of MCW in November 2003. The success of MCW's various television broadcasts, landed the organization a feature in the backyard wrestling documentary film The Backyard.
The Shift After 2001: Organization and Gimmicks
After 2001, the practice slowly and eventually lessened in the ultraviolent area after a decline of professional wrestling popularity when companies faltered and hardcore wrestling became defamed and also heightened negative coverage and unpopular view by reforms factored in. Backyard wrestling turned slightly more organized involving gimmicks and storylines with matches "booked" and planned like pro wrestling, emphasizing a trial of athletic professional wrestling skills without proper training as factually, wrestling moves require years upon perfection to perform at a safe degree.
Henceforth 2001, the core of brutality backyard wrestling gained abound fame from toned down vastly. Federations became more like professional wrestling in terms of "booking" and planning out wrestling matches to decide winners and worked towards a passionate trial of athletics and technical wrestling skills showing that backyarders had moved on. However, although weapons were not completely phased out except most sharp instruments, they were not the focal point of events. Federations like United Wrestling Alliance, Championship Wrestling Association and the current web notorious In Your House Wrestling Alliance to name a very few arose helping shift the premise of backyard wrestling with a potentially talented pool of performers. Global Backyard Wrestling News was opened by Cam in 2006 and has been the biggest community aside Backyard Wrestling Link. An alliance, a separate entity from the community known as Global Backyard Wrestling Nation, holds several federations under banner on an intercontinental level and has laid way for the organization of interfederation backyard wrestling supershows and territorial and world backyard titles.
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Controversies and Concerns
Thus, it comes to the controversial concerns and rebuttal of many, primarily professional wrestling reforms and personalities and especially companies whose influential material cause the risk of lawsuits by parents in any event of a catastrophic accident. WWE has since issued solemn disclaimers urging against non-professional conductions. Moreover, the practice has become such an activity among teens and early adults for allowing their creative and experimental ways to flow and comes convenient for those who don't have sufficient finances to attend wrestling school.
Backyard wrestling is also an ambiguous loose title defining any wrestling that occurs in an unprofessional environment such as a backyard itself, parks, fields, garages, playgrounds, vacant lots, warehouses, living rooms, barns, basements, and even school gyms inexplicably. The wrestling typically takes the surface of a constructed base or makeshift ring, a trampoline which minimizes potential injuries, or rarely a professional ring by more organized independent-like federations. More of the younger independent wrestlers concede to having experience in backyard wrestling, viewing it as a hobby while performing professionally, because whereas, wrestling professionally is under strict commands by a booker or promotor, but backyarders can host their very own recreation with their friends and/or family.
Notable Figures and Promotions
A few professional wrestlers have conceded to practicing backyard wrestling in their youth such as Hardy Boyz, CM Punk, New Jack, The Insane Clown Posse, "Sick" Nick Mondo, Rob Van Dam, Bryan Danielson, A.J. Styles, Tyler Black, and Ruckus.
Insane Clown Posse (Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope) started their wrestling careers in backyard wrestling where they would start their own backyard promotion called Tag Team Wrestling, later renamed National All Star Wrestling.
The National Backyard Wrestling Alliance (NBYWA) is a small backyard wrestling community founded by Skull Jr. on January 22, 2009. Despite having the term "national", NBYWA has not yet assembled a national gathering (it has federations in three of the five regions of the United States and one in the United Kingdom). It was in conflict with William Parker's National Backyard Wrestling Alliance (NBWA) over the name, to which NBYWA started to brand itself "The REAL NBYWA" and "The REAL National Backyard Wrestling Alliance" until the other community closed it's doors on September 21, 2011.
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NBYWA was founded on January 22, 2009 by Skull Jr. The reason for the creation the site was starting a community where smaller Federations and wrestlers could escape the pressure of being judged and ridiculed by the bigger ones. On January 24, 2009, Skull Jr. asked Jake Xinn of Absolute Championship Wrestling for help and was made the Assistant Manager of the site. They took back and revived the defunct GBYWN Michigan Heavyweight Championship and re-named it the NBYWA International Heavyweight Championship.
NBYWA learned of the closing of it's federation Indiana Championship Wrestling on March 23, 2010, two days after the closing happened. To honor the fed, Skull Jr. made the NBYWA Hall of Fame, a new page dedicated to honoring the fallen federations of the community. ICW was moved from the "Federations" list to the "Hall of Fame" list on March 23, 2010. In April 2010, NBYWA became BYWpedia's Monthly Featured Article.
NBYWA held it's first five supershows in Michigan, something Skull Jr. was seeing as a problem. After negotiating with Higher Passion Wrestling, it was announced that NBYWA 6 and 7 would for the first time be held out-of-state, in Ohio. The shows were a success, seeing the THW, NBYWA, and TPBYWA World Titles change hands at least once (a third show in-between NBYWA 6 and 7, "HPW Homecoming" saw the first time two community World Championships were unified in backyard wrestling history), along with the culmination of a feud that took place throughout the summer of 2011 pitting Skull against one of HPW's top stars, Sean Steel.
"The NBYWA Reform" was enacted on February 9, 2012, as a means to improve and expand the NBYWA. The first act of this was introducing a new logo and slogan, "Bring It Out Back!".
Richard Wilkins, of the Mount Clemens Code Enforcement, is just trying to make the city a better place to work and play. The city pays him $35,000 a year to enforce ordinances... and he's gonna earn every penny. The only problem is, Mount Clemens is already being enforced...
Some say itâs over for good, while others believe it will continue on. While most early video footage of BYB from 1999-2005 has been lost, its stories have become part of fabled history in the big little city of Mount Clemens, MI.
Back Yard Brawl Events (2006-2016):
- BYB 2016 - Stop The Damn Match! Highlight compilation featuring all of your favorite backyard wrestling performers from the 2016 BYB event.
- BYB 2016 - Tommy Nitro vs. Some are saying its the greatest Main Event of all time.
- BYB 2016 - Tomas Rodriguez vs. Tomas looks to finally step out from Jose's shadow, as he lays it all on the line in this one-on- one no Lobster interference match.
- BYB 2016 - It's Wrasslin' Brother!
- BYB 2016 - Wes Daddy vs. Only one man can be crowned the king of BYB. And its gonna take several ladder shots to get there.
- BYB 2016 - Lance Wheeler & The Bastard Biker vs.
- BYB 2016 - Johnny Turbo vs. They don't always get it on the first try. Let me guess, you couldn't make it? Cool story bro. Check out why #itsStillaThing.
- BYB 2016 - Turbo vs. A feud that has torn their family apart.
- BYB 2016 - Jose vs. #it'sStillaThing. August 27th, 2016. We need you Mount Clemens. On August 27th to be exact. We also love animals...
- BYB 2016 - Lord Deezus vs. BYB 2016. Lord Deezus vs. #it'sStillaThing. Easy Mutha Reffin' E.
- BYB 2016 - Wes Daddy vs. Daddy vs. Filthy Promo. August 27, 2016. They're back! And you can be the lucky fan to enjoy them! Tickets are only $10. If you drove to the front yard with no sex in it, you've gone too far.
- BYB 2015 - Stop The Damn Match! Just stop it. Here is another highlight compilation featuring all of your favorite backyard wrestling performers, specifically from the 2015 BYB event.
- BYB 2015 - Team Rodriguez vs. 10 Men. 9 Appendices.
- BYB 2015 - Tommy Nitro vs. Nitro vs. Creed 2.
- BYB 2015 - The Immortal Lord Deezus vs. Wes Daddy looks to put an end to the man who created himself, Lord Deezus. Wes will bring the entire city of Mount Clemens with him... or at least the ones who have $10. So about 330 people. Lord Deezus has other plans.
- BYB 2015 Blooper Reel Highlight Video - It's Wrasslin' Brother! Because what do you expect...
- BYB 2015 - Johnny Turbo vs. The long anticipated debut of Justin Charge, finally comes to an end as he takes on The Saturday Night Spoiler, Johnny Turbo. The Streak vs.
- BYB 2015 - The Filthy Frenchman vs. BYB 2015. Mount Clemens... Tommy Nitro will be Swantoning his way to the top... or bottom depending on how you look at that. Harlan Creed. F6.
Table of Key Events in Backyard Wrestling History
| Year | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Late 1980s - Early 1990s | Good-Natured Beginnings | Backyard wrestling gains positive media coverage as a friendly presentation. |
| Mid 1990s | Rise of Ultraviolence | Matches focus on reckless stunts and dangerous weaponry, mirroring ECW and WWF's Attitude Era. |
| August 1997 | CWF Devastation | CWF a backyard promotion originating from Vallejo, California began filming the television show CWF Devastation. |
| February 2001 | MCW Extreme | Modesto Championship Wrestling (MCW), a backyard wrestling promotion originating from Modesto, California picked up where CWF Devastation left off with their public access television program MCW Extreme. |
| After 2001 | Shift to Organization | Ultraviolence decreases, and federations start "booking" matches like professional wrestling. |
| 2006 | Global Backyard Wrestling News | Global Backyard Wrestling News was opened by Cam and has been the biggest community aside Backyard Wrestling Link. |
| January 22, 2009 | NBYWA Founded | The National Backyard Wrestling Alliance (NBYWA) is a small backyard wrestling community founded by Skull Jr. |