VICELAND today announced the episode titles, synopsis and air dates of their 10-episode wrestling-based series titled The Wrestlers.
Hosted by Damian Abraham, the lead singer of Canadian punk band F*cked Up, the series goes beyond the world of mainstream professional wrestling to dive into the vibrant, fascinating, and bizarre subcultures in the wrestling universe around the world. From Lucha Libre in Mexico to the women’s wrestling scene in Japan, to “voodoo wrestling” in Congo and countless points in between.
The series kicks off on May 22 and will air at 10PM ET. The synopsis and titles for each episode are as follows:
The Best New Talent in America, airing May 22: Few people have had a larger impact on pro wrestling than veteran promoter Gabe Sapolsky. Damian follows Gabe’s crew on an American tour as he trains the next crop of superstars.
The Changing Face of Wrestling, airing May 29: Damian documents the handoff of one generation to the next by visiting a famed wrestler at the close of his career, and profiling the rise of one of wrestling’s newest stars.
Japan’s Finest Wrestlers, airing June 5: Japan boasts the finest women’s wrestling in the world. Damian visits Tokyo to learn what makes these women so good and meet the upcoming generation of female wrestlers.
Death Match, airing June 12: On the fringe of wrestling is Deathmatch, where wrestlers battling with barbed wire, razor blades and broken glass, challenge the idea that wrestling is fake.
Powerful Women of Wrestling, airing June 19: Damian travels to Florida and Bolivia to learn how women wrestlers around the world are using professional wrestling to battle inequality, misogyny, and domestic abuse.
The Next Wave of Mexican Luchadores, airing June 19: As Mexico copes with an ever-present drug war and Trump’s Wall, Lucha Libre is more popular than ever, and some wrestlers see Lucha as their ticket to America.
The Craziest Wrestling in Japan, airing June 26: Invisible wrestlers, blow-up dolls, and waterpark matches: welcome to the weird and wild world of Japan’s DDT, the world’s strangest wrestling promotion.
Wrestling on Canada’s Reserves, airing on June 26: Damian heads to northern Quebec to join a crew of wrestlers who brave weather and isolation to bring professional wrestling to remote and disadvantaged First Nations communities.
Voodoo Wrestling in the Congo, airing July 3: In war-torn Congo, a cultural collision has made one of wrestling’s strangest subgenres: voodoo wrestling, in which suplexes and powerbombs mix with hexes and deadly black magic.
Body Slamming Homophobia in Mexico, airing July 3: Exoticos, male wrestlers who embrace the feminine and dress in drag inside the ring, have been defying the macho side of Lucha Libre for decades.
