Thanks to people like Anthony Bowens, queer representation in the normally-macho world of wrestling is becoming a little more open-minded and accepting.
Bowens isn’t the only one out there bringing representation to the wrestling world though, and one, Hunter Gallagher, is currently going viral because of it.
Last week, a video of Gallagher twerking and being overly flamboyant in the ring blew up, with a rapid response about how obsessed we all are with how sexy he is (I mean, come on.)
He responded to the response with a tweet saying that he “always felt like I needed the representation (we have a lot of talented LGBTQ+ wrestlers now.) Just feeling super grateful to be recognized for something I’ve worked so hard for. Catch my PPV Sunday.”
The PPV he mentioned is through his own company, Pound Town Wrestling, which he founded with fellow wrestler Ariane Andrew.
Gallagher recalls to PRIDE how they first met, “I met her in 2017. She had just gotten out of her car to get her nails done next to the Yogurt Land I was managing. I remember stopping her and just being super star-struck because I was in love with women’s wrestling at the time and Andrew was a WWE wrestler). She was extremely impressed with what I knew about her career, we ended up collabing on a dance video, and she had me help her train for her WWE return in 2022.”
Photo by Dylan Thai (@dylan.d.tahi), Courtesy of Hunter Gallagher
Gallagher says the creation of Pound Town started with an opportunity Andrew had for a match in New York with someone who wanted to sponsor them.
“We were kind of like, ‘Well, what if we are able to use this opportunity to actually create like a real show?’” he said. “So we decided to do that because we thought it would be an opportunity, especially since LGBTQ wrestlers don’t always get to showcase themselves. And it’s not that Pound Town is LGBTQ exclusive, we’re not picky, but I definitely wanted to shed more of a light on my community because we don’t always get that opportunity on the WWE level.”
Photo by Dylan Thai (@dylan.d.tahi), Courtesy of Hunter Gallagher
Gallagher has posted wrestling content for a while, and this is the second time something he’s posted has gone viral. As to why, he said it just felt like the right place and time.
“I think people are stoked to see somebody of my sexual orientation as confident in my skin as I am,” he says. “One of my favorite comments was, ‘Bro is invincible to gay jokes because he can do a backflip and kick me in the teeth.’ That’s how I carry myself. I wouldn’t even consider myself super feminine outside of the ring, but when I am in it, I do like to be more feminine.”
As of now, viewers can purchase the PPV matches (such as the one from last night, July 28) and, due to expenses, shows are currently every six months.
Photo by Dylan Thai (@dylan.d.tahi), Courtesy of Hunter Gallagher
