Hoodslam

Hoodslam (stylised as HOODSLAM) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Oakland, California. Created in 2010 by Sam Khandaghabadi (known professionally as Dark Sheik) as a regular gathering for wrestlers who wanted to perform edgier acts for adults, Hoodslam quickly became a popular attraction in the Bay Area, attracting over 1,000 attendees at each monthly show. Hoodslam performances combine the athleticism and tropes of professional wrestling with more bizarre, absurd characters, as well as profanity, sexuality, and public consumption of drugs and alcohol, which are not considered appropriate at mainstream professional wrestling events. As a result, entry to Hoodslam shows is restricted to those aged 21 years or older.

History
Hoodslam was founded by Sam Khandaghabadi, who had been wrestling since the age of 14. She called together other wrestlers she had met on the West Coast and convinced them to come to the Victory Warehouse in Oakland, a place where underground metal shows were regularly performed. Although 25 wrestlers were invited to perform on the first show, only 14 wrestlers showed up. Khandaghabadi did not charge admission for any of the first five shows held in 2010.

The gathering continued to be held bi-monthly until May 2011, when people who lived at the Victory Warehouse had parties that got out of control and blamed it on the wrestling. However, in June 2011, slam poet Jamie DeWolf invited Khandaghabadi and the other Hoodslam wrestlers to perform as part of his underground variety art show, Tourettes Without Regrets, at a larger warehouse venue in Oakland, the Oakland Metro Opera House. The popularity of their performance ensured them a regular monthly spot at the Oakland Metro – on the same night as Oakland's First Friday art gathering – which continued to attract large crowds.

In October 2014, for the first time, the 1,000-person venue sold out before the show began.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoodslam was forced into a 17-month hiatus and unable to run shows from Spring 2020 until the Summer of 2021.

In 2023 Hoodslam left its traditional home of the Oakland Metro Opera House and moved to the Continental Club, a nightclub venue in the western part of Oakland.

Spin-off brands
The eventual success of Hoodslam would lead to the creation of several spin-off brands from 2019 onwards, including the LGBT+ and women-orientated show Guilty Lethal Action Mayhem (GLAM) and the cosplay-based Sexy Goodtime Wrestle Show. Another Hoodslam spinoff is Beachslam, which focuses on providing wrestling events in nearby Santa Cruz and Knightsen, California, featuring many of the same performers and characters as Hoodslam – as well as several new, regional or experimental characters.

Style and characteristics
According to Khandaghabadi, Hoodslam, unlike traditional professional wrestling, is a form of performance art: because the wrestlers do not need to appeal to a young audience and do not have to pretend that their act is real, they can unleash their creativity in a more sophisticated way, simultaneously demonstrating their athleticism and poking fun at the absurdity of professional wrestling. Hoodslam wrestler Broseph Joe Brody states that the tagline of the event, "This Is Real", is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the obvious absurdity of the show, which features wrestlers dressed as popular video game characters Ken and Ryu, as well as an "invisible" wrestler, Charlie Chaplin, whom the real wrestlers pretend to battle. Unlike the characters and storylines, however, the physical prowess of the performers is real, and their moves are difficult and dangerous.

As the show unfolds, the performers chant, "fuck the fans", which, according to O.J. Patterson, is a "unifying war chant" that functions as "part reminder not to take things too seriously and part demand for hedonistic excess."

Unlike other professional wrestling shows which play recorded music, Hoodslam frequently features a house band playing live music. Additionally, Hoodslam plays commentary for the matches over the house sound system. While the professional wrestlers take an intermission during the show, it's not unusual for a burlesque act to perform.

In addition to referencing a diverse array of pop-culture characters (besides Ryu and Ken, characters that have featured in Hoodslam include Mortal Kombat's Sub Zero, Johnny "Drinko" Butabi (a reference to the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury), and Juiced Lee (Bruce Lee)), parodies of other professional wrestlers are frequent in Hoodslam. Hoodslam shows have featured Pooh Jack (A parody of New Jack crossed with Winnie the Pooh), Prawn Cena (John Cena), the tag team of Stoner U (Rick Scott Stoner and Scott Rick Stoner, parodies of the Scott and Rick Steiner, the Steiner Brothers) and Thicc Martel (a parody of "the Model" Rick Martel).

Notable performers
Although local talent are the primary focus of Hoodslam shows, many former WWE and ECW wrestlers have made appearances at Hoodslam since 2013; amongst them have been Brian Kendrick, Paul London, Sinn Bodhi, Shelly Martinez, Gangrel, Sonny Onoo, Lita and Mustafa Saed.

Additionally, a number of performers such as Drake Younger and Shotzi Blackheart graduated from working in Hoodslam to advancing their careers into WWE.

Current championships
As of July 29, 2024

Critical reception
Hoodslam has been seen as a highly accessible and inclusive pro wrestling company in California. According to Stacey Leasca of the Los Angeles Times, "It's loose and wild, a homegrown shot of adrenaline that doesn't just appeal to typical wrestling fans". According to John Moore of ProWrestling.net, "Hoodslam dials both the entertainment and in-ring to 11 leaving new and hardcore wrestling fans captivated and wanting more".