A new St. Petersburg wrestling promotion is preparing its first event with the goal of creating a welcoming setting for LGBTQ+ wrestlers and fans.
The Queer Wrestling Organization, founded by promoter Reynaldo Garcia, is scheduled to hold a March 6 soft launch at Shear Media Studios in St. Petersburg. Garcia told Patch the event will help organizers test production, give athletes a chance to work together and gauge the audience response.
QWO’s roster currently has about 16 wrestlers, most from Florida, along with performers from California, North Carolina, Tennessee and New York. Garcia said the lineup includes nonbinary wrestler Noah Vail and Kendall Ryan, whom he described as the first transgender woman in Florida to win a championship belt traditionally designated for men.
Garcia said the organization will emphasize wrestling athleticism and competition while moving away from some mainstream professional wrestling conventions, including gender-based divisions. The promotion also plans to bring theatricality and camp into its presentation, an approach inspired in part by both wrestling and drag performance.
The concept began as an idea for drag wrestling before Garcia broadened it into a queer wrestling organization. He said QWO is intended to provide a space for LGBTQ+ people who may not have felt safe or comfortable at other wrestling events.
A larger launch is planned for June 30 during Pride Month. QWO is in discussions with Coastal Creative about hosting that event, though Garcia said a venue had not been finalized. Tickets for the March show were not yet on sale when Patch reported the plans.
