As the crowd's cheers grew louder and louder during the first Daikaiju Pro Wrestling event last November, some wrestlers and promoters backstage began to realize that this would not be the last time.
One of those wrestlers is Lou Rodriguez, known on wrestling bills as Kodama, a New Yorker who wears bright face paint and operates as one half of a tag team.
“During the first show, we knew there would be a second show based on the response from attendees and fans. We could feel that they wanted more,” Rodriguez said. “From the beginning of the show to the end, from bell to bell, I felt something special.”
“Live-action manga”
Daikaiju Pro, a colorful professional wrestling show that promoter Jesse McGuirk calls a “live-action comic book,” returns to Worcester's White Eagle on April 27th for a monster showdown that rivals the most dramatic Godzilla and Marvel movies. The night unfolds.
The White Eagle has already established itself as the home of professional wrestling in Worcester with the Wrestling Open held every Thursday night. Every Thursday night, the Green Street venue is filled with enthusiastic spectators and wrestlers from all over the Northeast.
When McGuirk wanted to host his own wrestling show, he contacted Beyond Wrestling, the Worcester promoter that runs the Wrestling Open. They connected him to White Eagle and eventually Daikaiju Pro was born.
fandom self-discovery
McGuirk said Daikaiju Pro is not a more serious, bloodier, aggressive show like that seen on WWE's Friday Night Smackdown. Rather, he aims to put on a family-friendly show that kids, parents, and longtime pro wrestling fans alike can enjoy.
McGuirk said the combination of theatrics and martial arts involved in professional wrestling is a perfect combination, especially for comic book fans.
“A lot of wrestling fans don't even know they're wrestling fans. They're interested in action-adventure storytelling and outlandish fantasy-oriented stories with a little bit of violence.” said McGuirk. “Professional wrestling is almost a live-action expression of what they’re into.”
“Comedy and Tragedy”
Rodriguez began wrestling in 2009, first training under WWE Hall of Fame member Johnny Roz in Brooklyn and then in Philadelphia. There he joined Batiri in a tag team with another wrestler named Obariyon.
For Rodriguez, the character of Kodama was based on a demon from Japanese legend, but wrestling turned out to be a combination of athleticism, drama, and surprise.
“If you go to a basketball game, you'll see there's a winner and a loser. That's it,” Rodriguez said. “Professional wrestling brings comedy and tragedy. It's like Cirque du Soleil, it's like the Harlem Globetrotters, it's like a Broadway play, it's like a concert, mixed together. This is what I will deliver to you.”
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That's entertainment.Really
Daikaiju Productions' website features prominently the show's fantastical setting, which describes a world where monsters and humans live side by side and often clash. In this world, the United Nations deals with conflicts by establishing a wrestling league where monsters and humans can fight.
“One thing is for sure, the only way to resolve this disaster is to pit the opposing factions against each other and sell tickets!” the website announces.
McGuirk said professional wrestling is typically pre-scripted and choreographed, with promoters and wrestlers working together to tell a compelling story through combat and audience interaction.
Unlike most wrestling shows, Daikaiju Pro proudly owns its craft, he said.
“A lot of people in wrestling are afraid to admit that it's entertainment,” McGurk said. “If you can suspend your disbelief at the door, like when you watch a Marvel movie, we offer his three-hour program that encapsulates you in the environments we create and the universes we create. To do.”
“Worcester has energy.”
The wrestlers who will be making that world on April 27 will come from all over the United States and around the world.
The top match on the card will be between Japan native Kaya Tribami and Philadelphia wrestler and musician Ultramantis Black, an old friend of Rodriguez from his early wrestling days.
Jonathan Johnson is scheduled to come all the way from Thailand to fight AKIRA, while Massimo Pesca is scheduled to fly in from Italy for his fight with Masha Slamovic.
Batiri will face Mane Event, another tag team that frequently competes in the Wrestling Open and won at November's Daikaiju Pro Show.
In Rodriguez's experience, the Worcester crowd has a unique passion for professional wrestling.
“Worcester and the area has an energy that's not common in the Northeast, and it's refreshing. Every time I wrestle in Worcester, it feels like I've wrestled in Worcester for the first time,” Rodriguez said. “I know our fans are very interested in what we do and our characters. We have passionate people who come to our shows.”
For those who have never watched professional wrestling before, McGuirk and Rodriguez encourage them to come and experience it for the first time, saying it is a form of live entertainment like no other. .
“Professional wrestling is always a different experience. A wrestler might land on your lap or reach out and give you a high five,” Rodriguez said. “One day you might root for someone, and then that person might do something that immediately makes them hate you. Then all of a sudden you might be rooting for someone new.”
Daikaiju Pro” Vol. 2 “Kappa’s Counterattack”
when:April 27th 7pm
where: White Eagle, 116-120 Green St., Worcester.
how much: $30, available online at daikaijupro.com.
