Photography by West Smith

When I first saw the poster for Meet Us In The Parking Lot: Drag Wrestling at Massive, my brain couldn’t quite piece together what it was going to be.  After working in the independent pro wrestling industry for ten years now, I know how much hard work and training it takes before a wrestler is allowed to even have a match in the ring. “There is no way they are actually going to wrestle,” I thought.

I reached out to drag queen Mimi Gina, one of the wrestlers on the poster. They replied with a voice memo assuring me that they were going to, “get in the ring and, like, actually fight.”

Produced by Massive's Ethan Cory, the show was, in fact, local drag queens wrestling in a real wrestling ring for the first time. After all, pro wrestling has often been compared to drag, sometimes even being called “drag for herteros.” Why not combine them? Each match was set to music and it really did feel like equal parts wrestling match and drag show. I popped (the pro wrestling term for the reaction of the crowd, often integrated into the show) when Papusa hit a lariat on This Girl and I popped again when the opening piano notes of Abba’s 1980 hit “The Winner Takes All” started.

The matches were fantastic: they featured great in-ring psychology, storytelling, and showed physical prowess across the entire card. I truly believe that if any of these queens decided to hang up the heels and go on a run of the independent wrestling circuit, it would only be a matter of time until someone put the belt on them.

Mimi Gina drives Biskwik into the mat.
“I don’t think I’ve ever put on my fisting gloves this early in the day.” Sativa says while getting dressed before the show.
Choose your fighter.
Big_Rich_Energy, the host for the night.
Pupusa stares down This Girl before the start of their match.
Biskwik hits Mima Gina with a spear.
Pi makes their entrance in the ring.
Astrud Aurelia stands on the middle rope.
Did you see that?
Pi rips off Astrud Aurelia’s wig during their match.
Gagged.
Oop!
Astrud Aurelia dumps a bottle of water on Pi during the chorus to Natasha Beddingfield's "Feel the Rain on Your Skin."
Astrud Aurelia and Pi kiss in the center of the ring.
The aftermath of Astrud Aurelia vs Pi.