Independent Wrestling Spotlight: Who is EFFY?

Who is EFFY?

EFFY is a violent man in the ring who happens to wear fishnets and black trunks emblazoned with “DADDY” on the front. He wants to change independent wrestling. He wants to make it gayer. He wants to bring in non-wrestling fans. He wants to change the wrestling scene and help it grow.

In his own words, “EFFY is an aggressively gay wrestler. And I am–I try to mold my character as being sort of an exaggeration of all of the things I like about wrestling: the violence or the silliness, the over-the-top showiness, the costumes, and the music. All of that, I want turned up to 11. But, at its core, EFFY is still sort of a button pusher. And at this point, I have no interest in working under a contract. I’m sort of a free-flowing entity out here.”

“It’s a different time for the Indies, where the Indies used to be sort of a stepping stone. EFFY is cementing Indies are not only able to grow and provide fans with as much entertainment as what’s on TV, but my playing by my own rules, EFFY is also kind of setting a path to make sure that people can see that you don’t have to sign yourself away to necessarily get the kind of opportunities and chances if your skill is there and you can prove yourself.”

How to grow independent wrestling

EFFY has talked a lot about how promotions need to grow the sport of wrestling by doing more to appeal to more than just the hardcore fans. The hardcore fans will be there every week or month. Wrestling needs new fans to help the sport continue to grow.

“Wrestling is an art that’s odd because we have a very core, niche audience that has stuck with wrestling throughout all sorts of phases and all sorts of changes that it’s undergone. But, we also have a very mainstream public perception of us being sort of corny or misogynistic or racist or fake-looking or not real or for kids and I think when people come in with those preconceived notions of what wrestling is or trying to provide on the indie scene highlight those things the things they aren’t going to get like HD, the over-the-top ticket prices, they’re getting in at the ground floor of something. They’re also getting into an environment where the indies are holding things to task by saying, ‘we’re going to treat people equally. We’re not going to tolerate hate speech, we’re not going to tolerate certain people being treated this way.’

“And a lot of the shows that have leaned into the casual party part of wrestling and leaning into sort of the statistical–this hold, that hold, I have to know the history of these opponents to enjoy this–we want our people there to drink, we don’t really mind if you don’t know everyone’s name Night One, we don’t mind if you don’t know why you’re there or who you’re cheering for. But, kind of bringing the idea that this is a form of live entertainment that you can’t really find anywhere else. And even if you’re not serious about pro wrestling and watching 20 hours a week like most of the fans in our wrestling world do, you’re just as welcome here and you’re just as valid of being a fan.”

“Kind of hiding the core of wrestling underneath all of that extra fun, some people take it the wrong way and some think we’re pushing away from the sanctity of what wrestling is, but the only thing sanctimonious about wrestling is trying to fill the building, trying to get eyes on your product and trying to get people to spend their hard earned money and time with you instead of with hundreds of other things that they could do. So, that sanctimonious attitude has pushed a lot of causal fans away and I hope that by having more this party environment, more of this exciting ‘what can happen’, y’know the same as going out on a Friday night with friends. You don’t know what you’re going to get into. And so by coming into our world, giving up even less of that control and you really don’t know what you can be getting into. And that’s exciting.”

“During COVID too, what we’re finding is that people who aren’t hardcore about wrestling getting out in front of us and getting out in mayhem and getting out in front of letting yourself be loose and screaming and getting it out of your system, all of that is just as important to experience that as fans as it is the actual portion of the show. I think as America is looking to get out of their house a little bit, we can provide that outlet where maybe you don’t know everything about EFFY, but if I brought you the joy and brought it out of your system and you can laugh or yell or goof off, and feel a little less constrained–and we’ve all felt constrained–being in your house all the time, it’s good to scream. And I hope that people are seeing that we can provide that as well.

By putting on shows under the GCW umbrella, they are “getting to change the landscape of wrestling.” They’ve had shows showcasing LGBTQIA+, People of Color, and women talent. These talent have gotten the opportunity to not only prove themselves, but show fans that they can enjoy wrestling and also be represented in wrestling. “You show people how good stuff is and then they copy you. That’s wrestling.”

EFFY sells

He has a weekly Twitch stream called “Monday Not RAW” and a podcast called “Weekend at EFFY’s”. He sells quirky things like the EFFY Award, locks of his former mullet (he’s currently rocking a rat tail), Christmas cards featuring himself, his boyfriend, and their dog, Cranberry. They may seem quirky, but they’re all on brand for EFFY and his fans.

One way he makes wrestling gayer is with his merch line, “Wrestling is Gay”. Fans can find items like a fan and t-shirts. On the website, EFFY says he grew up closeted and there were comments about how wrestling is “gay”. “Now I’m a gay pro wrestler who, with many other LGBTQ+ athletes, have made our wrestling world gayer than ever, and I celebrate the sentiment as an accolade, not a mockery.”

When asked why he thinks fans buy things like his hair, he says that “sometimes from an outsiders perspective, they’re looking like, ‘oh gosh, are they not in on the joke?’ But, the joy is not only being in on the joke, but participating in the joke. I started doing weird stuff like having my own perfume and weird stuff. The core of EFFY has always been play with what wrestling is and to play with that fourth wall of wrestling.”

“And to be the most pro wrestling pro wrestler you can be and so fans are enjoying that they can go in deeper with me. That there is more storytelling. We do sort of kick and laugh at the pomp and circumstance of everything by creating stuff that’s cool. I think building the narrative that is fun, that is participatory, that it’s easy to explain to other people. It gets people excited and being such a weirdo where I can make EFFY exciting for everyone.”

EFFY did share two things that are in the works: an EFFY action figure and a “sort of plush, but different than a Wrestling Buddy kind of plush. I can’t say too much, but the next few months for EFFY, heading into Gemini season–my birthday– is going to be very intense chaos energy everywhere. Good energy for me. Buckle up, people because I don’t like to speak to ahead of myself, but I hope this year or the next year, that I’m able to cement sort of a different reputation than anyone ever has in the history of wrestling and I’m excited to see where–I’ve got a lot of sticks in the pot, of what’s going to come out of there to eat.”

EFFY’s brand has been so successful that he’s been interviewed by Business Insider. But, EFFY isn’t popular because he’s good at branding. He’s also really good at wrestling. EFFY’s opponents have ranged all over the gender spectrum. He’s made a name for himself in GCW, where’s he part of Second Gear Crew. This group of outlaws is comprised of AJ Gray, Mance Warner, 1 Called Manders, and Matthew Justice. Prior to signing with AEW, Eddie Kingston was also a member. He also teams with Allie Katch as BUSSY.

On April 2, “The Weapon of Sass Destruction” will take on the legendary Minoru Suzuki at Joey Janela’s Spring Break, Pt. 2. Upon the announcement of the match, some people rolled their eyes and questioned why EFFY would be one of the few that got to face Suzuki on this run of US shows. How quickly they forgot that Suzuki just wrestled Toru Yano in a Dog Cage match a few weeks ago. Little do they know how violent EFFY can be.

“When you’re coming into the US and have wrestled as long as Minoru Suzuki–like you said there are only so many matches the man is going to have–the man is getting older, you don’t know when he’s coming back. I think it’s so important that EFFY does get in the ring with Suzuki because I’m kind of in a weird mood about all of these Suzuki matches where people have met him with sort of a reverence and a sort of respect.”

“And I understand that and I understand wanting to show someone how capable you are as a wrestler, but in another sense, me and Minoru Suzuki are a lot more alike than we are different. I’m someone who has been in deathmatches. I’ve fought the toughest of people across the globe. I tapped out Eddie Kingston and I’m still goofy and I’m gay and there are part of my matches that are silly. There’s a toughness that me and Minoru Suzuki have underneath where we don’t always have to have that stone face, we don’t always have to have our chests puffed up and we’re still as tough because there’s a confidence inside of ourselves.”

“And so I hope that this Spring Break is a match that is sort of encompassing everything that Minoru Suzuki is capable of and not just ‘oh, here comes the Murder Man. He’s going to beat me with his fists.’ It’s interesting, it’s fun, it’s entertaining, but having that variance is not only good for the audience, but it’s good for Minoru Suzuki because that man’s got a lot of matches.”

Wrestling can be silly and oftentimes, is silly. “Admitting that doesn’t take away from the seriousness. When you’re able to laugh these things off, when you’re able to play these moments, you get a lot less frustrated by going ‘everything should be serious’, you get those moments. I assure you all of these shows will have serious moments. But, sometimes a little bit of levity is the thing that makes the bread rise.”

Cultivating an environment of belonging

Later that day, he’s bringing back his annual wrestling show, EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch. This will be the fourth full event and fifth one he’s done with GCW. When EFFY was promoting the Tampa show pre-pandemic, he released a promo that got a lot of attention. It was so bad that the police had to get involved for hate crimes. Although things have gotten better, EFFY says he still sees a lot of homophobia. They have newer talent coming in and cutting their teeth and are dealing with homophobia.

“I’ve created an environment where I hope people would be scared to even think of approaching me in that way. But, when those things do come up, I know and I feel a lot more confident that it’s not just me out here. I can be on the front of the poster, but there is a community of us and a reputation amongst the fans that are coming, we’ve got our nose to the ground. And we’re looking out for this stuff and we don’t want anyone to feel like they don’t belong here.”

“And I can even think of a GCW show that I wasn’t even at where some pretty horrible stuff was being yelled at the women and right away, guys were coming out the locker room who–they’re not gay, they’re not on the gay shows, they’re heterosexual pro wrestlers–but they understand this environment and what we’re cultivating and allowing people to come and be themselves, it’s so important to professional wrestling sticking around and not just sort of becoming a meme of itself.”

“A lot times, an imitation for pro wrestling is an imitation of pro wrestling and we’ve gotten to expand the stories and expand the way we approach it with a lot of these people coming in. And I think even the old school guys who are here are going this is a much better environment than trying to impress people that are terrible to everyone.”

This show will feature matches such as his BUSSY partner in crime, Allie Katch vs. Dango, Parrow vs. Dark Sheik, and Max the Impaler vs. Edith Surreal. EFFY handpicked his legendary opponent, Pimpinella Escalarta. Perhaps the most famous Exotico, Escalarta has wrestled for more than three decades.

EFFY said “there’s a punk rock spirit to the Exoticos. Cassandro has previously been on one of the Big Gay Brunch shows and that spirit of ‘I’m going to be beautiful, I’m going to trust in my art, but I’m gonna mess you up if you try to take me to task’. These weren’t just people getting slurs thrown at them. People like Cassandro and Pimpanella and more, they were being attacked, they were being threatened, they were being waited for after shows to have physical violence put on them. They survived all of that with a confidence and a security where they’re still blowing candy kisses. Pimpinella is still doing the dances, still doing the dives.”

“And so I want to continue keeping that spirit, especially with young talent on the show to see that not only do we overcome this, we overcome it with strength, we overcome it with trust in ourselves. And so I feel like with someone like Pimpinella Escalarta, I have a chance to not only show them to a little bit of a new audience–not that I’m doing the most of it–also take them to task and show them there’s a new generation of us that are just as fed up and just as fired up and ready to go. And I hope that I can keep up with the legend.”

There’s a joy in pro wrestling

As if EFFY’s weekend wasn’t busy enough, he’s also facing Charlie Haas on Black Label Pro’s Norm and Mike “Speedball” Bailey on Zicky Dice’s Trouble in Paradise live on Twitch. EFFY will be coming in “guns a-blazing” and is a threat, even it’s not the threat you think he is.

On his final thoughts to share with fans: “understand that it is pro wrestling and there’s joy in pro wrestling. And I think through the EFFY character, no matter how much backlash or love I get, I’ve always sort of stuck to my own guns of what I think wrestling is and that’s paying off. And there are more people around me going ‘we like your idea of what pro wrestling is.”

“There’s a confidence that builds in that and I think the EFFY you’re going to get throughout this weekend with WrestleMania coming up, the EFFY you’re going to get after this, I’m in a stride where to put it politely, you can’t tell me (expletive). I’m trusting my gut, I’m putting my whole ass into it, I’m putting my effort–E-F-F-Y-O-R-T, EFFY’s built on EFFYORT–and I’m letting things fall where they may. I’m trying to meet the next level. I’m trying to set a precedence for myself and just for myself and I’m glad people are along for the ride.”

EFFY may not be for everyone, but it’s undeniable that he is a force to be reckoned with in the wrestling industry. He keeps pushing boundaries and pushing the wrestling business into new places and wants to make wrestling accessible for everyone.