Imagine a place where you’re able to listen to local hardcore bands and witness some live wrestling action at the same time. Luckily, SLCWars makes this possible for all of us to have a wicked fun time in some of our favorite local venues. The Beehive, located in the same space as Mark of the Beastro on 666 S State Street, held one of these infamous events on May 24. This is where I was able to witness an electrifying night unfold as we had our very own Courtney Lane, a current member of local band Sunfish and Lane and the Chain, hold their own as ring announcer for the night.
Still Fighting God’s set had an energy that matched that of the wrestling. Photo: Jovvany Villalobos.
“Cody with SLCWars gave me the opportunity based on my history as a vocalist. He put a lot of faith in me knowing I had no prior experience with live wrestling. Even though my whole job as a musician is yelling in front of an audience, I was still pretty nervous to be a ring announcer,” Lane says. Lane, despite being ridden with anxiety, maintained a spirited ambience with cheers and chants from the crowd during the wrestling matches.
Kev’s rope-jumping antics were a highlight of the wrestling portion of the event. Photo: Jovvany Villalobos.
“He put a lot of faith in me knowing I had no prior experience with live wrestling.”
The night went as planned—In Your Grave, Courtney Lane,Still Fighting God and Infernium performed, with a round of live wrestling between each set, followed by some short intermissions. I had no expectations as to how the event would unfold but I was surprised by the personas of the wrestlers and was amused by their back and forth banter as each of them had comical comebacks… One of my favorites being “Go toward the light,” spoken by Dan May, also known as ‘DantheMan’.
“The local hardcore scene is thriving and I always want to see more of it. But I also wasn’t aware of how much overlap there is between hardcore kids and live wrestling fans. The ethos in both scenes is pretty similar…the art of performance, cathartic screaming, friends and consensually beating the crap out of each other, as well as just being yourself with support from a community. I’m surprised it’s not a [more] popular crossover,” says Lane, describing the interesting similarities between both scenes.
“.. .the art of performance, cathartic screaming, friends and consensually beating the crap out of each other, as well as just being yourself with support from a community.”
After Still Fighting God’s set, the first rounds of wrestling began with wrestlers Kev, Dan the Man and Bonesaw. The fight was intense and jaw-dropping as bodies were being projected outside of the ring and into the crowd, with Kev jumping off the ropes on the ring. The wrestlers were very much engaged with the crowd (and vice versa) as they kept us on edge of what they would do next, whether it be who was going to lose or moments of Kev counting how many times he would throw another wrestler’s face on a ring post.
“Kev kicked ass, it was cool how he started the match with an elbow drop—it kind of caught me by surprise,” ZachNunley reflects back on the night. It was his first time at one of these events and he enjoyed being able to listen to new bands and experience the local wrestling scene as well.
SLCWars creates something versatile and engaging to the hardcore music scene. Since the show was held at an all ages venue, people of all ages, including children, were able to attend and enjoy the event in a safe space. For more upcoming hardcore/wrestling events, you can find SLC Wars on Instagram @slcwars.prowrestling, or check out some awesome video clips of some of the matches on their YouTube page.
