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The spectacle of pro wrestling collided with the arts Saturday in Indianapolis, where the combination proved to be a natural for rapper Flaco.
After performing a handful of songs at the Hangar event venue, 501 Madison Ave., to celebrate the WWE’s Royal Rumble at nearby Lucas Oil Stadium, Flaco said he was a youngster when he became a fan of pro wrestling.
“I grew up on the ‘Attitude Era,’” said Flaco, referring to a time in the late 1990s when the WWE’s predecessor, the WWF, battled rival company World Championship Wrestling for TV ratings.
This weekend, Indianapolis serves as the epicenter of pro wrestling, thanks to the 30-combatant Royal Rumble that’s expected to attract at least 65,000 attendees to the city’s NFL stadium just a day after 15,000 packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Friday night’s SmackDown show.
The Hangar’s “Top Rope Tailgate,” organized by the Chreece hip-hop festival in conjunction with the Royal Rumble’s local organizing committee and Indiana Sports Corp., transformed from a music event into a Royal Rumble watch party Saturday night.
Jessica “DJ Little Town” Hemesath spent part of her afternoon taking top honors in a DJ battle against Brooke Billions at the tailgate event.
In contrast to Flaco, Hemeseth isn’t an avid wrestling fan. But she credited Chreece for staging an event when many eyes are on the city.
“Indianapolis is a sports town,” she said. “It makes sense to engage with people and connect.”
Flaco referenced one of the city’s top wrestling fans, Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, in a yet-to-be-released song performed at the tailgate.
“You made your point, but got bad form—like Haliburton,” Flaco rapped, offering a good-natured jab at the basketball star’s unconventional push shot. “I see the peak, but I’m in the valley, workin’.”
At the Indiana Convention Center, the line for the WWE Superstore snaked through most hallways of the building.
New York City resident Joey Santana, a 62-year-old baggage handler in the airline industry, beat the rush for merchandise and purchased a replica championship belt for his nephew.
Attending his first Royal Rumble after being part of the live audience at a past WrestleMania, Santana said he’s a fan of another Indianapolis celebrity closely associated with the WWE.
“I love Pat McAfee,” Santana said. “But sometimes he drives me crazy when I watch his show on ESPN and he brings on the old New England Patriots coach.” Santana, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, declined to mention Bill Belichick by name. “Other than than, McAfee is awesome, especially when he’s on [WWE TV show] ‘Monday Night Raw.’”
At Fountain Square Theatre, four days of independent wrestling matches to capitalize on Royal Rumble excitement began on Thursday.
Saturday was devoted to “Luv: A Celebration of Black Indie Wrestling,” presented by Indianapolis-based Naptown All Pro LLC, North Carolina-based Asé and Washington, D.C.-based F1ght Club Pro Wrestling.
Darius Lockhart, owner of Asé, said the event was organized by three Black-owned wrestling companies as a tribute to late podcast host Terry “Tre” Davis Jr.
“It means a lot to people like Tre Davis to see themselves represented in these spaces,” Lockhart said.
The first match of the “Luv” lineup featured a pair of tag teams: Zay Vega and Jordan Holt vs. Treehouse Lee and Saieve Al Sabah.
With Fountain Square Theatre being a fraction of the size of Lucas Oil Stadium, audience members experienced an audible quake when wrestlers executed suplex slams.
Percy Davis, play-by-play commentator for Naptown All Pro, described pro wrestling as interactive theater.
“The beauty of independent wrestling is that we want people to feel as included as possible,” Davis said. “We want everyone to find their space here and interact with the wrestlers. Sometimes that’s coming up to the ring, pounding on the mat and telling the folks in the ring, ‘Do this, win, fight for me!’”
The four-day “Combat Crossroads” series concludes Sunday at Fountain Square Theatre.
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