Glutton For Punishment: Heroes And Villians ~ Adelaide Fringe 2020 Review

[EVENTS/Performance ~ SA] The Peacock at Gluttony - Rymill Park, Sat 29 Feb. It’s a warm Saturday afternoon and, for 90 minutes, The Peacock secedes from Adelaide and moves to Riot City. 30 gladiators are about to give everything they have in a series of pitched battles between good and evil. Can. You. Dig. It? Riot City Wrestling bring their show to The Fringe and, judging by the crowd numbers, it’s been a smart move. Five bouts of non-stop action, aimed to provide thrills, spills and just a hint of skulduggery in front of an enthusiastic audience. The show has pretty much everything one would want from an afternoon of professional wrestling. The impressive lighting, the walk-on music and the ring announcers all serve to augment the in-ring action. There are a couple of two-person tag team matches (the second featuring male/female teams) to kick things off. The first is an acrobatic cracker while the second bout shows the crowd-value of a cowardly villain. The 10-man rumble match to determine the ‘King Of The Fringe’ is another beauty; the result, however, leaves a sour taste as some unscrupulous behaviour from the manager ensures a victory for the heel. Boo! There’s a singles match that pits a giant in a mask against a peroxided prancing villain (who almost steals the show) that features some decent moves before the good guy secures his win. And then, it’s on to the main event. The eight-man elimination tag team doesn’t disappoint. Jimmy C, Jed Armstrong, Steve Miller and The (huge) Viking Grimm take on current RCW Champion (and absolute box-office) Rocky Menero, Tyler Daniels and The (delightfully dislikeable) Parea duo. It’s got it all. High-flying action, brute strength, a steel chair, all manner of chicanery, a distracted (very distracted) referee and, finally, the bad guy being put through a table that he himself brought onto the stage. Karma, baby. This is 90 minutes of pure entertainment. Riot City Wrestling – get on it! 4 stars David Robinson #ADLfringe Cover image courtesy of David Robinson Presented by Riot City Wrestling