Wrestling & Comedy collide in Chippendale.
A night of professional wrestling storytelling is coming to the Lord Gladstone Hotel in Chippendale NSW on February 6th. I recently got the chance to interview the host and organizer of the night Andrew Hastings on what we can expect and what got him into wrestling.
Raz – What can we expect from the night?
Andrew – The show is called Backstage Segment, it’s a storytelling night similar to The Moth or Story Club but with wrestlers. We’ve got 6 wrestlers telling behind the scenes stories from in the ring, the locker room, training, the road, whatever it might be. Some of the top wrestlers in the country will be there and I’m really excited to see them perform in a different environment.
Raz – How did all this come about?
Andrew – I’m a standup comedian, a massive fan of Australian wrestling, and have been producing comedy shows for the last 8 years. I worked with Concrete Davidson, Robbie Eagles, and a few other Sydney wrestlers at a show called Wrestlebrainia a couple of years ago and have been eager to work on another project with wrestlers since. I’ve performed at a number of storytelling nights in my time as a comic, and the charisma and storytelling in the ring and on the mic in Sydney’s wrestling community made this type of night seem like a natural fit.
Raz – What got you into wrestling?
Andrew – I’ve been a wrestling fan most of my life. When I was 11 or 12 Undertaker’s American Badass gimmick seemed like the absolute peak of what cool could be, I still lose my mind every time I hear Rollin’. My journey as a wrestling fan is an incredibly common one – a weird loner kid escaping to a fantasy land of kayfabe, faces, and heels. I just never really left.
Going to PWA shows has been a big part of my love of Australian Wrestling, going along to every show and investing in the characters and stories is so rewarding. The angle that really made me fall in love with it was the “Cherry’s All That” story where Cherry Stephens, Will Kiedis, and Big Fudge parodied the film “She’s All That”. Changing the end from “Bad Guy gets embarrassed; Good Guy gets girl” to “Girl beats up both guys in a triple threat match” was absolute genius.
Raz – If you were ever to step into the ring, what would your ring name be?
Andrew – Oh I could never, but gun to my head, drag queen called Helena Cell
Raz – Can we expect to see more of these types of shows in the future?
Andrew – I’d really love to do more shows in the future, potentially even take it to other cities, we may have something to announce shortly after the show in February so watch this space.
Please make sure to follow Andrew Hastings on all socials.
You can purchase tickets for the night here – Backstage Segment – February 6th At The Lord Gladstone Hotel Tickets, The Lord Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale | TryBooking Australia
Hello, I’m Scott aka RAZ. I’ve been an avid wrestling fan for over 30 years and have dabbled in both the world or pro wrestling and music. Previously commentated for Iron Fist Pro in South Australia, I now focus on more of the mainstream wrestling and run a few shows on YouTube where I breakdown the most recent happenings. Glad to be part of the team here at PWdownunder.com.
