‘No matter what, he doesn’t quit’: disabled wrestlers draw strength from ring alter egos

Scheme in Derry aims to sow confidence by getting people with learning and physical disabilities into wrestling The music thumped, the lights blazed and from the ring the announcer did a countdown. “Who is ready to rumble?” he roared. The bellows and cheers indicated that the cro

Scheme in Derry aims to sow confidence by getting people with learning and physical disabilities into wrestling The music thumped, the lights blazed and from the ring the announcer did a countdown. “Who is ready to rumble?” he roared. The bellows and cheers indicated that the crowd at St Columb’s Hall in Derry on Saturday night was more than ready for the Foyle Rumble, and so began a wrestling extravaganza of heroes and villains in leotards, masks and kneepads.

The blend of athleticism and scripted storytelling would have been familiar to fans of WrestleMania, but this Northern Irish version came with a twist: many of the performers have learning or physical disabilities, and the characters they play in the ring do not quite stay in the ring. Continue reading...