If you’ve read my posts from last summer about my experiences at Wrestlefest Canada, it’ll come as no surprise that I’ve been keenly interested in seeing if I can make it to Wrestlefest NYC this year. It took me a while to sort out the details, but I’m excited to report that this coming weekend, I’ll be in NYC for the much-anticipated event. “Much-anticipated” is sort of understatement, really. There are several hundreds of guys confirmed coming this year, by all accounts blowing out the previous attendance record by a mile (or approximately 1.6 km for those of you coming from out of the country). The exact count is nebulous. Out of the “raw” list of confirmations on MeetFighters, looks like about 210 or so of them have confirmed on the Wrestlefest Discord server. And then there’s an alternatively organized Wrestlefest happening that overlaps, but not exactly, with the event starting this weekend with its own roster. And then there are a ton of local NYC Meetfighters who are apparently setting up matches with attendees, but not necessarily signing up themselves. There’s a ton of energy and what feels like good will and excitement bubbling up in the chats, though.

Something new this year is an expanded list of social events and organized wrestling meet-ups that my friend Scooter has been working on for literally over a year. Local venues seem excited to welcome Wrestlefest attendees, such as the Stonewall Inn hosting the Wrestlefest kick-off party on Friday night, followed by public oil wrestling at the Rock Bar later on that night. There are too many organized events and group wrestling meet-ups to mention here, but the Wrestlefest NYC website has an awesome list, if you’re interested. One of those events is of particular interest to me, because I’ll be directly involved.

Sunday afternoon, I’ll be moderating a Gay Wrestling History panel discussion and Q&A session with BG East wrestlers. I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing. Has there EVER been a more perfect job for me!?!? Organizing the event, it started off as an opportunity to hear insights from guys who’ve been wrestling in the community and building the community into what it is, for decades. This is the 20th anniversary of Wrestlefest NYC, and the 45 anniversary of BG East, and we’ve come a long, loooooong way to get the point where 200 or 300 (or more) guys from all over the world are showing up to wrestle and celebrate our shared passion for all things gay wrestling-related. When I say they’re coming from all over the world, I mean it literally. I know for a fact there are wrestlers from Italy, Germany, Mexico, France, the UK, and elsewhere setting up matches for the fest.

I think it’s super easy to celebrate this momentum as if its something new and novel. But having the biggest Wrestlefest NYC in history, and even having the first WFNYC 20 years ago, happens because of wrestlers 30, 40, and 50 years ago cobbling together connections and being brave enough to build the foundations of a community in a very different social climate. Tech like MeetFighters (emerging after Global Fight and Yahoo chat rooms and AOL chat rooms) has definitely revolutionized ways that a community like this can grow, but the community was growing long before any of us were nervously lurking in AOL chat rooms wondering if its safe enough to speak up about anything gay-related. Who we are today, and what we’re able to celebrate so remarkably openly in NYC this weekend, are built on foundations that were being laid long before most of us ever imagined something like a 300+ person gathering of guys enjoying homoerotic wrestling. Community has been gathering in lots of different places, in different formats and configurations, and those iterations shape who and what we are when we gather together this weekend in NYC.

Anyway, that panel is going to ROCK! So much of the history traces its way in and out of homoerotic wrestling videos, so many of the panelists also happen to be wrestling stars that I’ve fanboyed over and written extensively about for the past almost 15 years here on the blog. We originally rented a room with a capacity for 60 folks to gather together for the panel. We marketed it to the quickly growing Wrestelfest attendees list, and we very quickly had a waiting list. And we were hearing from attendees super excited for historical insights and stories, as well as fellow fanboys like me wanting some star sightings of our favorite BG East wrestlers. So, this weekend, we secured a larger space and doubled the available tickets. Within two days, we already have 86 seats reserved, and just 34 or so left up for grabs. I won’t be surprised if we max out the full 120 capacity by Sunday!

Because it’s BG East’s 45th anniversary, and because so many BG East stars were already involved with the history panel and even more were planning to attend the event, we’ve also organized a Q&A session with BG East wrestlers who’ll be there. I’m moderating that part of the event as well, and I alternate back and forth between thinking to myself that this is the most blazingly hot fantasy come true for me, and then thinking “what the fuck have I got myself into!?” The list of wrestlers is still coming together, but there are hot hunks who were there 45 years ago, as well as hot hunks who’ve shown up on our screens and in our fantasies all along the way through to today. I’ll be taking written questions from the audience to pose to the wrestlers in attendance, so comment below if you’re interested in me posing a question you have. Or, even better, if you’re in NYC on Sunday and want to join us, you can reserve your ticket (they’re free but mandatory) and join us! But do it fast before all the tickets are gone. And if you read the blog, say hey to me, because I blog for positive reinforcement.

Happy 20th anniversary, Wrestlefest NYC! Happy 45th anniversary BG East! And, hell, happy 15th anniversary Sidelineland!