The tightest fitting clothes in Williamsburg this weekend won't belong to the hipsters for a change.
Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church will play host this Saturday to musclebound men in the tightest of spandex when Forgotten Championship Wrestling hits town.
Grappling legends such as WWF star Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Nikolai Volkoff and Johnny Valiant will be joined by new talent for a day of body slams, which organizers say will be of the kid-friendly variety.
The event is organized by Tony Ntellas, James Carro and Mark Parella, who formed the forgotten championship in 2008.
Ntellas, an ex-Navy Officer who has been a fan of wrestling since he was a child, says he noticed something missing from the contemporary craft as he watched televised fights over the shoulder of his then nine-year old son.
He longed for the big characters and melodrama that defined the wrestling of his youth, where strong storylines ensured that violence did not appear senseless “It used to be like a male soap opera,” he said.
Ntellas and Carro started FCW so they could stage their own events. They used craigslist to attract the interest of local wrestlers, who initially congregated in their Brooklyn backyards.
Saturday’s event is the third in the FCW portfolio, which attract an eclectic ensemble of audience members: Families with kids, elderly Brooklyn natives, hipsters and of course dedicated fans who grew up watching wrestling in the 1980s. “It’s a family friendly event,” promises Ntellas who expects the audience to lose themselves in the narrative, which is driven by characters who unambiguously embody good and evil.
“The audience is attracted to the spectacle,” says Johnny "Mr. Everything" LeDoux, a wrestler who has worked for the Forgotten Championship since its backyard beginnings.
Surely some will also be drawn to the sight of old timers staging a comeback, perhaps thinking of Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in the film "The Wrestler."
The day-long event includes a fan convention where Brutus and co will sign autographs. At 7:30 p.m. the bell will ring.
For an additional $50 fans can even experience a training session with Volkoff and Valiant.
Forgotten Championship Wrestling at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (275 N. Eighth St. between Havemeyer and Meeker avenues in Williamsburg). Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010. Online Purchase $20.00 at Door $25.00. For info, visit www.fcwrestling.net.
