It was the best of times but few people knew it. In 1999 I got deeply involved in a Backyard Wrestling federation that became known as the EBA. The Extreme Backyard Association performed bi-weekly matches at the home of Jason Sanders in Port Charlotte, Florida. As many as 27 wrestlers from ages 15 to 29 practiced Pro wrestling moves, designed their own costumes and put on full length shows for a live crowd and the video cameras.
It was an amazing year except for the naysayers, authorities and critics. They came down on us like a hardcore jobber through a table. One newspaper reporter made fun of our "makeshift ring" while calling our performances a "mockery". A film producer out of Orlando said that we, "Deserved the Darwin prize for stupidity." My boss at the time said he thought our show was, "An Atrocity." I was promptly fired for my involvement.
The criticism continued when I wrote a novel about our experiences titled Backyard Empire. While wrestling fans loved the book, the critics were split by their own ignorance. The worst was a reporter for a major Florida newspaper who plastered my face on the front page but then bashed the book's subject only to admit that he, "didn't even bother to read it."
There was a promotional push by the WWE who told fans, "Don't try this at home." Add the negative press about pro wrestlers who were badly injured in the ring alongside the tragic death of Owen Hart and somehow youngsters having fun in backyards were suddenly public enemy number one. The media didn't go after the corporations or the big federations, they went after us. Being mega fans of wrestling, those losses hit us the hardest.
What were we doing that was so wrong? Backyard Wrestling is way less dangerous than Football. There were no drugs or alcohol at our shows. Every parent knew what their kid was doing. No one was forced to do anything they didn't want to do. We studied the sport, had practice matches to get it right and took reasonable precautions when it went hardcore. Wrestling is part athletics, part acting and part magic tricks. Few knew more about the sport than we did.
If anything our only sin was being too convincing. When adults watched the videos and saw fake blood, they thought it was real. They saw someone get hit with a cookie sheet or a garbage can, they didn't know how thin and flexible it was. When someone had a bottle smashed over their head, it was candy glass just like they use in the movies.
We were wrong about backyard wrestling as well. We thought we were rebelling against society when in fact we were being communal, building a fellowship with its own rules, expectations and responsibilities. While we were being lambasted for our stupidity, we should have been praised for our ingenuity and organizational skills.
Many of us were outsiders, the kind of kids who could have gone bad but instead we were producing performances and entertaining the neighbors. We were designing in-ring personas, building a staging area and editing music videos. We were theater kids in jnco jeans wrestling with our friends.
Why do I bring this back up in 2026? Look at where our country has gone! Today the outsider kids are joining extremist political groups and shooting up schools. Death by overdose has reached all time highs. Those that stay home are often screen zombies, addicted to prescription drugs and riddled with anxiety. They can't communicate like functioning citizens or even look away from their phone for more than four seconds.
Our country has given up on their futures. These kids are desperate for a meaningful outlet to express themselves. Maybe they need something like backyard wrestling to bring them back to life. At this point it couldn't hurt.
There is a documentary by Golden Triangle Media about how beneficial backyard wrestling was to the lives of their competitors. It's called Backyard Wrestling: It's Not Dead. They describe how the sport/spectacle was useful in developing friendships, staying away from negative lifestyles and drawing upon their own creative resources which aided in later endeavors. Honestly, that's the same experience that we had.
EBA Wrestlers didn't go on to destroy themselves. The overwhelming majority went on to very productive lives. We became writers, directors, soldiers and yes some pro wrestlers. Some became parents. Some worked in the service sector, some became entrepreneurs. Some moved out of state or even out of the country following their passions. We graduated to a wide cross section of careers and lifestyles.
I'm proud of what we achieved with the EBA and not only because I wrote the book Backyard Empire or appeared on a Wrestling Talk Show. I made friendships that have lasted almost thirty years. I relish in watching those old videos on the EBA Youtube Page. It's amazing what we came up with and it displays how much fun we had doing it. I can only hope new generations get to experience the sense of camaraderie and accomplishment that we felt after every performance. It was well worth the bruises.
I'm grateful to everyone who performed in the EBA. I'm grateful for the fans. I'm grateful to have spent time with those who are no longer with us. It was one hell of a ride.
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