Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

British Wrestling

22 April 2021 · 2 other contributors

Opened by Mark Fletcher Lab Bolsover

Culture, Media & Sport

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Mark Fletcher raised concerns about british wrestling in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Mark Fletcher thanked Mr Speaker and acknowledged his co-chair, Alex Davies-Jones, for the debate on British wrestling.
  • Fletcher noted the resurgence of British wrestling talent and the success of promotions like PROGRESS, ICW, and Revolution Pro Wrestling, which attract international audiences.
  • Evans congratulated Fletcher and highlighted the APPG's inquiry recommendations on health and safety standards, safeguarding, and addressing the gender pay gap in wrestling.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Mark Fletcher Lab Bolsover

Mark Fletcher thanked Mr Speaker for the debate and acknowledged his co-chair, Alex Davies-Jones. He noted that he is likely the first MP to address professional wrestling in a significant way since the 1940s. Fletcher shared his personal history with wrestling, starting from receiving a DVD featuring The Undertaker as a young man, watching commentary by Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan and Ric Flair, attending a show at Adwick leisure centre in Doncaster, and attending a PROGRESS show at Wembley arena recently. He mentioned the resurgence of British wrestling talent and promotions such as PROGRESS, Insane Championship Wrestling, and Revolution Pro Wrestling hosting major shows attracting international audiences. He also highlighted the creation of WWE's performance centre outside the US in London and the success of British wrestlers like Drew McIntyre and Kay Lee Ray.

Other contributors (2)
  • Nigel Evans Con Camberley

    Evans acknowledged Jim Shannon as a closet wrestling fan and mentioned his former chief of staff, Robert Rams, who had a strong passion for wrestling. He congratulated Mark Fletcher on raising the issues and opportunities of wrestling.

  • Nigel Huddleston Con Birmingham Yardley

    Huddleston thanked Fletcher for securing the debate and praised the all-party group on wrestling's work in raising wrestling's profile. He highlighted the resurgence of British wrestling, training facilities like WWE's performance centre in London, and the success of British wrestlers such as Drew McIntyre and Kay Lee Ray.

Government Response

Nigel Evans

Evans congratulated Fletcher on securing the debate. He acknowledged the APPG's inquiry into professional wrestling in Britain, highlighting its recommendations on health and safety standards, safeguarding, promotion of wrestling, and addressing the gender pay gap. He urged the wrestling industry to use resources from other sectors for guidance and suggested engagement with Sport England regarding how wrestling should be categorised as a sport or entertainment. Evans thanked Fletcher for his debate and promised to consider all questions raised. He emphasised the need for clarity in what support the industry is seeking, suggesting it would benefit discussions with relevant organisations like Sport England and Arts Council England.

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