A Frank Chat About the State of British Wrestling
The British wrestling scene is one of the most passionate, resilient, and creative communities on the planet. From the trainees grafting in cold dojos to the promoters risking their own cash to put on a show, it’s a world built on a pure, undeniable love for the art form.
But let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s a tough gig right now. The landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years. We’re navigating a post-pandemic world, the wrestling bubble of the mid-2010s has well and truly burst, and fans have more entertainment options than ever before. Just putting on a decent show and hoping people turn up isn’t a sustainable business model anymore.
This isn’t a doom-and-gloom piece, though. Far from it. Because within every challenge lies a massive opportunity. This new landscape provides a chance for smart, professional, and creative promotions to thrive. This is a frank, warts-and-all look at the real-world state of marketing for the British wrestling scene in 2025—the major hurdles we all face, and the incredible opportunities available to those who are willing to grab them.
Challenge #1: We’re Competing with Netflix, Not Just Each Other
The single biggest challenge we face isn’t the promotion running in the next town over. It’s not even the big global wrestling companies on the telly. Our biggest competitor, day in and day out, is Netflix. It’s the Premier League. It’s the local cinema, the pub, and the simple, undeniable comfort of a person’s own sofa.
We live in an “attention economy,” where people have a thousand things screaming for their time and their money. The ease and quality of at-home entertainment have never been better. So, the question we’re asking a potential customer isn’t just, “Do you want to come to our wrestling show?” It’s, “Is our wrestling show a better way to spend your Saturday night and your thirty quid than watching a blockbuster movie on your massive TV with a takeaway?”
That is a huge hurdle to overcome. It means our marketing has to be about more than just wrestling; it has to be about an unmissable live experience. This is the biggest hurdle for marketing in the British wrestling scene today: convincing people to leave their house for us.
Opportunity #1: Netflix Can’t Give You a High-Five
So, how on earth do we compete with the convenience of the sofa and the scale of global entertainment? We don’t! We offer something they can’t possibly replicate: a raw, passionate, and uniquely human experience.
This is our secret weapon. Netflix cannot give you the feeling of a wrestler crashing into the chairs right in front of you. A stadium show can’t give you the chance to have a pint with the champion at the merch stand after the show. The biggest opportunity we have is to lean into the intimacy and the sense of community that only independent wrestling can provide.
Our marketing must scream this from the rooftops! We need to sell the experience. We need to show videos of the wild, up-close atmosphere. We need to frame our shows not as a smaller version of what’s on TV, but as a completely different, more authentic, and more exciting alternative. We turn our small venues from a weakness into a strength: it’s not a small show, it’s an intimate one. You’re not just a spectator; you’re part of the action. Leaning into this unique selling point is the biggest opportunity in marketing for British wrestling right now.
Challenge #2: The Digital Noise – A Hurdle for Marketing for the British Wrestling Scene
So, we know we need to sell our unique live experience. And the main tool we have to do that is social media. The challenge? Everyone else is using it too. Every single band, comedian, pub, and, yes, every other wrestling promotion in the country is also screaming for attention in the same digital space. Cutting through that constant wall of noise is a monumental task.
The problem is that so much of the wrestling promotion we see online looks and sounds the same. If you scroll through a list of UK indie promotions, you often see a “sea of sameness”: feed after feed of similar-looking match graphics. While these are essential for conveying information, they don’t do much to show off a promotion’s unique personality or the excitement of the live event.
For a casual fan, it’s incredibly easy for all this content to just blur into one generic image of “indie wrestling.” This means that simply having a social media presence isn’t enough anymore. The content has to be high-quality, varied, and distinctive to have any hope of grabbing someone’s attention. Overcoming this is a huge part of effective marketing for the British wrestling scene.
Opportunity #2: Your Wrestlers Are Your Loudest Megaphone
So, if the digital world is a noisy, crowded place where every match graphic starts to look the same, how do you stand out? The answer is simple: you showcase your most unique, charismatic, and exciting assets—your wrestlers!
The massive opportunity for every promotion is to make the talent the face of the brand. A generic poster is easy to scroll past. A passionate, 30-second video of a wrestler cutting an intense promo into their phone camera? That’s almost impossible to ignore. People connect with people. Your wrestlers, with their unique personalities and stories, are the sharpest tool you have for cutting through the digital clutter.
This means your marketing should be built around them. Create “Meet the Roster” content that tells fans who these people are and what they’re fighting for. Commission and encourage your talent to create their own promo videos. The UK is overflowing with genuinely world-class, charismatic wrestlers. Showcasing this incredible talent pool is a massive opportunity for marketing the British wrestling scene and making your promotion feel vibrant, alive, and full of stars.
The Way Forward: Professionalism and a Rising Tide
So, what does this all mean? We’ve got the challenge of competing with every form of entertainment under the sun, and the opportunity presented by our unique, intimate live experience. We’ve got the challenge of a noisy, crowded digital world, and the opportunity of a world-class, charismatic talent pool to help us cut through it.
What’s the way forward? How does the scene not just survive, but thrive? It boils down to two key things.
First is an overall rise in professionalism. As a collective, we need to move beyond the idea that a few blurry photos and a Facebook post is enough. A greater focus on slick branding, high-quality video, and strategic, well-planned marketing is essential if we want to convince casual fans to spend their money on us.
Second is collaboration. The “every promotion for itself” mindset can be limiting. The biggest opportunity we have is to work together to grow the whole pie. When promotions share each other’s major news, when podcasts and fan sites are supported, and when everyone works to make the scene feel like a vibrant, unified, and exciting place to be, everybody wins. This combination of professionalism and collaboration is the future of marketing for the British wrestling scene.
Final Thoughts & Future Questions: An FAQ
Q: Be honest, is the British wrestling scene “dying”?
A: Not at all. But it is changing. The massive “boom” period of the mid-2010s might be over, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The scene is now resetting and rebuilding in a more sustainable way, led by promotions that are passionate about long-term growth, not just a quick flash in the pan. It’s a more challenging environment, for sure, but it’s also forcing everyone to be smarter and more professional, which is healthier in the long run.
Q: What’s the biggest opportunity for a brand new promotion starting today?
A: The biggest opportunity is to have a crystal-clear, unique identity right from day one. The days of being a generic “we do a bit of everything” indie promotion are over. A new company that launches with a very specific, well-defined niche—whether that’s the premier high-flying promotion in their region, or the go-to brand for gritty, strong-style wrestling—can build a dedicated fanbase much faster than a company that tries to be a jack of all trades.
Q: What is the single most important focus for the future of marketing for the British wrestling scene?
A: In a word: video. Professional, high-quality video content is the single biggest differentiator. It’s the tool that allows us to compete with all the other entertainment options. It’s how we showcase our incredible talent and the unique, can’t-be-replicated atmosphere of a live show. Investing in and improving the visual presentation of the product is the most crucial aspect of successful marketing for the British wrestling scene moving forward.
