Red cards in wrestling might sound like a fever dream, but that is exactly what a former professional wrestler from Middlesbrough is bringing to Newcastle this summer.
Dragon Aisu, whose real name is Dante Richardson, has launched the National Wrestling League, a hybrid competition that mixes professional wrestling with football. Its debut season will start on 9 August at the Vertu Arena in Newcastle.
The NWL will feature six regional teams managed by well-known names from wrestling and football, including American professional wrestler D’Lo Brown and former Liverpool player Neil “Razor” Ruddock.
“Football is all about passion, rivalry and backing your team, and wrestling has the characters, drama and atmosphere to go with it,” Ruddock said. “So bringing the two together just makes sense.”
Teams of wrestlers will wear their club kit and compete for 15 minutes. The team that scores the most falls will win and collect three points, in line with football rules. Teams will get one point each for a draw.
Ruddock said: “It’s right up my street, which is why I am excited to get involved, Newcastle fans are some of the loudest in the country, so the atmosphere in there is going to be unbelievable.”
Richardson, now 42, said he wanted to bring football’s “tribalistic fan approach” to wrestling. Fans will be able to follow their team across 10 matches each season, with the league winner crowned at the end.
The season will run from August to May, with the North East Outlaws playing at home in their first match. The league will also include former England players as guest coaches, and red cards could be used for bad behaviour.
“We are trying to combine the football aspect even more by having the rings with green canvas and pitch markings,” Richardson said.
“The managers sit in the dugouts at ringside”, he added. “We’ve got a huge, ridiculous inflatable tunnel that the wrestlers come out of.”
Richardson said he was inspired by Bret “The Hitman” Hart to become a wrestler and competed mainly in north-east England between 2003 and 2010. Among his achievements, he won a tag team championship twice.
He said one of his main aims was to make the events affordable for families “because everything is expensive”.
Richardson added that he wanted local football fans to support the Outlaws and help them become the first league champions and “put the region on the map”.
Brown, who has fought Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Stone Cold Steve Austin, will manage the Yorkshire Titans and also compete in Newcastle.
He said: “Considering my love for both American football and European football, I feel this format is the perfect marriage of the two. It has the perils of relegation and the thrill of competition.
“Whether it’s Newcastle, Yorkshire or Liverpool, any time I have the opportunity to return to the United Kingdom it puts a huge smile on my face.”
Brown said he would give his team advice from his career and “hopefully that will lead to the Titans having an edge in the league table”.
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