Freddie Mercurio is the moustachioed champion of the Lucha Britannia promotion, which brings monthly incredibly strange wrestling to the East End. Steelchair stole a few minutes of Freddie’s time for a couple of questions to shed a little light on this superstar performer… (photo used by kind permission of Jamie McFarlane)

Steelchair: Hi, Freddie! The first obvious thing we have to ask is, were you a Queen fan before taking up the gimmick?

Freddie Mercurio: I’d consider myself a casual Queen fan before the gimmick, although “One Vision” is a track that has always helped get me psyched up & inspired me throughout my life & still does today.

SC: And the second obvious thing we have to ask – are you a fan of lucha libre?FM: I’m really a fan of hybrid style wrestling. Where you use a little bit of everything. Lucha libre is something I dipped in and out of, and only started to get really into it around 2011 when I saw a Lucha Libre live UK tour show near me in Brighton. Soon after I found Lucha Britannia.

SC: When did you start wrestling? And who trained you?

FM: I started training 2002, 2003 maybe. A lot of different people have had a hand in training me. My early training began at the FWA:Academy in Portsmouth under Mark Sloan, James Tighe & Justin Richards. I moved up north & continued my training with 3CW under Dragon Aisu & Stevie Lynn, as well as starting to work shows. I also had a brief stint in Sheffield at Blondie Barrett’s promotion & school. Eventually, I hooked back up with Justin Richards & his school JRSW, run by himself & Graham Hughes, which really helped re-set my wrestling. At that point I found the London School of Lucha Libre and things went to the next level under the guidance of Garry Vanderhorne & Greg Burridge. Through them, I’ve attempted things I never dreamed of trying.

SC: Is it difficult to make the switch into a more lucha style? I know you also work for Premier Promotions, although under a different gimmick…

FM: I pretty much work the same way, just with the vocal special moves to floor my opponents. Having quirks & “magic” involved really makes performing at Lucha Britannia unlike anywhere else.

SC: Do you find you become a different person in front of the (very) different crowds?

FM: I become a kind of superhero who’s fuelled by the audience. The more I can get from them the more I can give back to them.
As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, or use drugs, the most significant vice I have is performing as the character and taking myself away from all the rest of my life for the time I’m in the match. It can be an incredible high when it goes well.

SC: What are your ambitions for Freddie, and for Lucha Britannia?

FM: I want to see more growth online for Lucha Britannia. We are working to put more content out there on YouTube and across other social media platforms (Instagram and Twitter are a personal priority for me), and I’d quite like to see us get even more mainstream appearances for our whole roster. Your readers can find me on Twitter & Instagram at @LuchaFreddie, plus my Facebook page, simply called Freddie Mercurio.

There’s a review of Lucha Britannia’s February show in the first issue of Steelchair magazine, available to read for FREE here. Freddie Mercurio, and the rest of the Lucha Britannia crew, will next burst into life on March 21st, at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, London. Check the Lucha Britannia site for details.

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