Like any genre of wrestling, Deathmatch Wrestling has a long history. From the founding of FMW, to the preeminent companies of today, Deathmatch’s bloody history spans well across the globe. Today, Deathmatches are arguably at an all time high in popularity. On a given weekend, you could find several shows and companies running Deathmatches simultaneously. Even a major company like AEW has taken a shot at presenting Deathmatches on a few occasions.
And while we have streaming and on-demand services to preserve these shows, one has to wonder: what about Deathmatch Wrestling’s physical history? Enter Steven Bradley. Steven is a wrestling fan much like you and I. The major difference being that he owns a wide collection of contemporary Deathmatch history. He has these pieces properly set-up like a museum in his home. From signed turnbuckle pads, to ring-worn gear, and even Nick Gage’s front page newspaper appearance, much of the modern Deathmatch history is accounted for. But, this collection has an interesting backstory that goes even beyond the reaches of the wrestling world.
From [childhood] I was super interested in medical science. Coincidentally my wife had similar interests growing up…we started to collect everything from insects, to taxidermy and even human skulls. All of which are still on display in the museum. After I moved to the USA in 2010, I was fascinated with how it was normal for fans to take home baseballs that had landed in the crowd. It’s not a thing that I’ve ever seen in England. I took that concept and applied it to wrestling and before I knew it, I had my biggest collection ever.
Much like any other kind of museum or exhibit, a lot of care has gone into maintaining Steven’s collection. Rather than throwing items on a shelf, Steven has opted to have the items framed and plated for display. Or if smaller (i.e. glass, wire, etc.) put in glass cases. Though organizing and arranging these items goes beyond simply placing them on a shelf.
Counting and cataloging the items has been an aim of mine for years now… There has to be at least 500 items now.
In the early days my criteria was that it had to be either used at an event or signed. This has not changed for the most part but I am less strict now. As long as an item has a story to tell or showcases an interesting part of wrestling history, it has a place in the museum.
I’m constantly moving items around to tell the best story or have items that compliment each other together. Making sure items are properly framed and displayed is not only important from an aesthetic point of view but also to ensure the longevity of these pieces of history.
Whatever the collection, there is always a centerpiece. Be it a rare pressing of a record, a first edition comic book, or a limited edition figure. Any collector has that one item that stands above the rest of their collection. In Steven’s case, that centerpiece is a bit complicated to nail down to just one.
[There] are a few items that I would [classify as the] Crown Jewels of my collection. The first would be the shorts that Nick Gage wore throughout 2019 – 2022 that were barely hanging on to him by the end. Also on the Nick Gage theme, I have Kylie Rae’s MDKylie gear she wore when she wrestled Cole Radrick in place of Nick when he got hurt. I have also just acquired the gear that Kasey Kirk was wearing when she won the [American] Deathmatch Championship at ICW.
As mentioned previously, Steven’s collection is comprised of 500 different items. A lot of these come from many prominent names and companies as we’ve seen. But with that many items in one person’s collection, there are sure to be some oddities or obscurities among the displays.
I’ll give two [obscure items]. The first is the bottle of lighter fluid that Eric Ryan used to light JJ Allin on fire. The spot that resulted in IWA losing their building and ultimately folding. The second is I own the wedding cake toppers from The Kirk’s wedding cake. They had custom pop vinyls made of themselves and they are both now together on a shelf in the museum.
Through reaching out to Steven for this article, an idea was unintentionally brought to the table. The idea of a virtual museum where a visiter could “…see all the items and read about them and even see clips of the item in action.” While a virtual museum is a great way to get your fill, someone like myself, who loves museums, would love to see these pieces in person. Hell, even Professional Wrestling at large has a physical museum in Witchita Falls, Texas. On this very topic, Steven had the following to say:
I have thought about a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not style place on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. I think that would be the perfect thing to do before a GCW show.
Well I for one would love to see something like that! With some of GCW’s biggest events happening at The Showboat, what better way to spend some downtime before a show than to check out a live exhibit of Deathmatch history? And while further display of these items are yet to be determined, you can follow Steven on Twitter to find more pieces of this vast collection.
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