SBCW crashes through Sunset Stoop

In the cold evening, Fifth Avenue bar Sunset Stoop transformed into a battleground for South Brooklyn Championship Wrestling.

The independent DIY wrestling collective blends the vibrancy of punk music and professional wrestling. Saturday’s “November Nightmare” event marked SBCW’s first time back at Sunset Stoop since June earlier this year.

Even in the bitter air, the SBCW crowd filled the bar’s backyard space, spectators packed in to watch a fast-paced spectacle of gleefully violent performance. The card featured two matches: a hardcore bout for the SBCW championship between defending champion Rob the Slob and Big Russian Boris, and a Sunset Park “street fight” between Rudd and Wyld Thang Jason Baer.

In the first contest, Rob the Slob issued an open challenge. The man who answered the call was literally his biggest challenge yet. Big Russian Boris marched into battle, draped in a Russian flag and backed by imposing entrance music. The Slob struggled to keep up with the size and strength of his challenger. It looked like all hope was lost when Boris locked the Slob’s head in a brutal vice grip submission and squeezed until his face turned beet red. But after the introduction of steel chairs and a kendo stick, the Slob managed to hoist Boris up and send him crashing through a table to retain his title.

The second matchup didn’t start with punches. Instead, Rudd stepped forward to talk about nightmares he has been having about his on-stage girlfriend, La Chica Loca, leaving him for a strange man named Wyld Thang. After a brief back-and-forth between the couple, the song “Wild Thing” by the Troggs came over the speakers. As the audience sang along, Wyld Thang Jason Baer made his SBCW debut, Rudd’s manifested nightmare in the form of a mustached man in denim fringe chaps.

The two immediately began to brawl. During the contest, both competitors “bled” after the recoil of two clashing steel chairs. Baer dodged a slap from La Chica Loca, causing her to accidentally slap Rudd instead. The climactic moment came when Rudd held La Chica back to keep her from going after Baer, only for Baer to take advantage of the chaos and send both Rudd and Loca crashing through a table. When Rudd finally stood up after the match, he asked Loca for forgiveness. She quickly refused and walked out on him. Where Rudd goes from here is a question that will likely be answered at the next SBCW show.

“Rudd,” also known as Taylor Guariglia, glares at opponent “Wyld Thang” Jason Baer during their “Sunset Park Street Fight.” Photo by Allison Baker

The theatrical performances of SBCW aim to tell a variety of stories, sometimes serious and sometimes silly, according to Rudd, also known outside of SBCW as Taylor Guariglia. The South Brooklyn native originally started SBCW as an Instagram meme page for him and his friends.

“What the hell are we going to do?” Guariglia remembers asking himself before SBCW’s first match at a DIY punk show in February 2023. He considers that debut his worst show, but it laid the groundwork for SBCW today, where he says “something awesome is happening every 20 or 30 seconds,” a pace that matches the music played that night.

Those first-show jitters are echoed by Jason Scholnick, who debuted as Wyld Thang on Saturday and worked through his nerves. “I can't say that I think I did bad, when people are telling me I did good,” he says.

Scholnick’s performance amplified the electricity at Sunset Stoop. He even had the crowd chanting his name while Rudd dealt with his girlfriend leaving him in the ring.

Following the conclusion of the wrestling portion of the night, Guariglia went from body slams to guitar riffs within 20 minutes, stepping back onto the stage to play with his band. That crossover is the spirit of these shows as many SBCW wrestlers are also musicians, several of them on Cropsey Records, a South Brooklyn record label.

To Mike Orellana, stage manager for SBCW and a Sunset Park native, this is where the value of these shows lies. “Hardworking musicians from here get to make their music, get to express their art in their own way,” he says. “To see them also be so athletic really draws a lot of energy in the community.”

All of the chaos of SBCW will continue at their next show, "The Cropsey Records Christmas Rumble" at Rubulad in Bushwick on December 20th. Their Instagram account, @sbcw.wrestling, is the best way to keep up with storylines and events. Guariglia believes whether you are looking for a great community, great wrestling or great music, South Brooklyn Championship Wrestling will have it.

Guariglia puts it simply: “You've never seen anything quite like it.”