Burning Heart Pro Wrestling is the latest edition to an absolutely thriving UK wrestling scene. There’s no shortage of promotions around at the moment.
But BHPW is different in that it’s run by two of the UK wrestling scene’s biggest stars. Zack Gibson and James Drake – aka the Grizzled Young Veterans – are a longstanding tag team and good friends. They are doing things their own way, in their own federation.
Their biggest shows since starting in 2024 were this past weekend, with a northwest double header. Saturday night in Liverpool and Sunday night in Manchester, with all the titles on the line!
For me it was a wonderful chance to shoot more live sport – it was unsurprisingly my first time shooting a wrestling show of any kind. Luckily for me it was at the iconic Liverpool Olympia which gave the photos a dramatic, classic background. The close seats meant I was able to snap away from a decent vantage point.
With several hundred fans there, the exciting atmosphere filled the iconic venue. This isn’t wrestling from 1980’s ITV – this is adrenaline-fuelled, high-flying action. No match lacked some sort of top-rope action. Even the Olympia balcony was called into action!
The impact:
The unspoken knowingness required for professional wrestling for successfully exist was apparent; but it was lovely to see kids in the audience being so engaged. They were acknowledged by the stars too, as were a row of special-needs fans in the front row. It was, despite the violence, a wholesome event.
And being up close to the action you can really see how much it must hurt!
Thoughts:
It was a joy to photograph the event. From a technical standpoint too I think the photos have come out wonderfully – capturing the immense athleticism on show.
I’ll definitely be looking for more wrestling events to shoot in the future – maybe another Burning Heart Pro Wrestling show if I’m lucky.
