When people think of PhilaMOCA, usually off-kilter art exhibitions, film screenings, lost videos, poetry readings and live band and comedian shows comes to mind. Maybe they think of Fringe-level performance art and one-time visitor David Lynch as part of PhilaMOCA director Eric Bresler’s 300+ events a year. What no one ever says about PhilaMOCA is “what time is the next wrestling match?”
Until now.
On June 25, Labor of Love, the now-five-year-old, Philly-based independent professional wrestling company will present Summer of Love with featured pro wrestlers Cheeseburger, Edith Surreal, Marcus Mathers, Gabby Ortiz (as seen on Apple TV+), Fresh Air, Bang Bros, Leo Sparrow, Sazzy Boatright, and more, along with live music courtesy of Waste Man, all for the benefit of the Morris Home—the only residential recovery program in the U.S. to offer comprehensive services for transgender and gender-expansive communities.
So, get ready to rumble… Philly-style.
“We are a community-focused group, meaning that we donate all of the proceeds after expenses from our events to local organizations, nonprofits, and causes that we deem to be important and are in need of financial support,” said Labor of Love’s owner, promoter and booker Anthony Perillo. “All of us involved in Labor of Love have been part of Philly’s DIY, punk, and art communities for well-over-a-decade, played in bands and booked bands at local venues, have deep ethics rooted in those communities and apply them to wrestling.”
Labor of Love’s headlock-ing, pile-driving community have been wrestling fans since watching it on TV as children, and, like Perillo, are now seasoned trained wrestling professionals.
“I’m originally from Massachusetts and moved to Philly to pursue wrestling because, at that time, Philadelphia seemed like the place to be if you wanted to become a wrestler,” says Perillo. “I trained at the old ECW Arena, which is now the 2300 Arena, in South Philly. Which was cool for a time. Unfortunately, in 2023, there really is not a whole lot of independent wrestling in Philly proper, unless you are a major company like WWE or AEW.”
This Sunday’s Summer of Love event is actually the second time that Perillo’s wrestling group has thrown and slammed bodies at PhilaMOCA, as its first matches took place this past Mother’s Day.
“I’ve gone to PhilaMOCA many times to see film screenings, punk shows, and everything else in-between, and we get along with Eric (Bresler, PhilaMOCA manager and director of Programming) which certainly helps.”
As for Labor of Love’s retinue of area wrestlers, Perillo proudly boasts that there are too many to number among his ranks.
“Edith Surreal is a Philly native known as The Ephemeral Queen. There are few wrestlers I’ve come across who look as graceful as her when it comes to exchanging holds. There’s World Famous Cheeseburger, from Trenton, who has competed everywhere from Mexico to Italy to Japan. He owns and operates his own wrestling school out of Bristol called the Worldwide Wrestling Dojo. A number of his students will perform at PhilaMOCA on June 25, including Dr. Ethan Wilde and Dylan Mesh,” Perillo explains.
Perillo also mentions that Cecil Nyx, Macrae Martin, and Junior Benito will join the Summer of Love from Ontario, Canada and that Davey Bang, August Matthews, Trevor Outlaw, and Koda Hernandez will travel to Philly from Chicago for the purposes of good, clean chokeholds and body slams.
Other than masked wrestlers throwing down and leaping high in the air from the corners, what should audiences expect from a Labor of Love wrestling match at PhilaMOCA?
“I don’t want to brag, but expect to see some of the best pro wrestling in the world,” said a beaming Perillo. “There is a very good chance that some of the wrestlers that you see on our show on June 25th will be on TV within the next year. That’s what I really love about Labor of Love and independent wrestling in general – ferociousness and hunger. You know how MLB has the minor leagues, and how exciting it can be when a young player gets called up? Think of independent wrestling and Labor of Love as a step along the way that young talent take part in before finding themselves with a contract and on WWE and AEW TV programming.”
Summer of Love will take place at PhilaMOCA on Sunday, June 25, at 2 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit philamoca.org
