POWER ISSUE
Straight to the Top Michael Di Iorio talks with Nikki Van Blair, Jason Dewhurst and Silvio Milano, the faces behind Australia’s uprising of LGBT wrestlers Silvio
Silvio Milano, Wrestling Go! Fire
However, beneath the revered performative iconism of WWE’s most obvious American legends, professional wrestlers are climbing the ranks right here in Australia. Living in the shadows of WWE’s over-encompassing reaches are independent wrestlers with unique characters and stories, fighting their way to the top. While female wrestling duo Billie and Peyton (The Iconic Duo), Australia’s latest exports, are making waves for aussie female wrestling overseas, back at home, three wrestlers have been making moves, and in just a short amount of time, have been climbing the ranks with their character, charm, personality and most of all, badassery. I spoke with wrestling duo “The Plastics”, consisting of Nikki Van Blair, the vain and spoilt provocateur also
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known as “Daddy’s Little Angel” and Jason Dewhurst The Samoan Wrestling Diva, who performs in fierce drag inspired by the likes of powerful women such as Cardi B and the City Girls. I also spoke with Silvio Milano, a fashion icon with a penchant for flying face kicks who makes the word grandiose seem small.
All three of these aussie wrestlers share very similar traits. They’re unabashedly themselves, they’re flamboyant, they’re undeniably the best dressed in the room, and on top of all that, they are all openly gay. Currently in WWE and other leading wrestling groups there are no openly gay singles champion wrestlers, a fact that comes down to the people who decide makes it forward in a career as ‘masculine’ as wrestling. However this fact, while a hindrance at times to these three wrestlers, has not stopped them in their tracks at all. In fact, it has pushed them to keep on going even harder, as they all vie for the spot as Australia’s first openly gay export to the big leagues overseas.
“It’s hard to ignore someone in bright pink tights”
Nikki Van Blair, Wrestling Go! Ironman
How much of your real self would you say is imbedded in your character? Jason: I’d say I’m myself, just elevated to 100. Nikki: I would say about 120% of me is in my wrestling character. It came so naturally to me that when I started to get in the ring to develop my gimmick, there was literally no question about it. I have a very close relationship with my father, and the fact that some people are astounded by how much he does for me even though I’m a grown adult really solidified the “Daddy’s Little Angel” persona.
New Photography Studios, Silvio Milano shot by Lauren Moulton
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sually when people hear the word wrestling, their minds go straight to the obvious choices that have been iconic in mainstream culture. Your John Cena’s, your Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s, your “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s, hell, even throw in The Undertaker for good measure.
“It’s important to not take things so seriously”
As an LGBT wrestler, why do you feel that there are very few openly gay wrestling’s at higher levels of wrestling? Silvio: People are always scared of being scrutinised and put under direct spotlight to try and be used as that token of a minority group. Especially now with social media, anything used to put you even more under the microscope is avoided. Additionally, wrestling seemed to always be a masculine environment and especially where money and lifestyle is concerned, you don’t want to give people a reason to reject you or be scared to give you a push because of the fear that fans won’t respond to it. Especially with wrestling, once you say something you have to be fully committed, so if you come out, you have to be fully prepared to push and carry that title with you and work twice as hard to prove that you deserve to be there. Jason: We’re starting to see big representation of LGBT wrestling now with the likes of Sonya Deville, Sonny Kiss and Nyla Rose. It has taken a while, but times are changing throughout wrestling for the greater good.
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