The Metropolis

One Minute With Garry Vanderhorne of Lucha Britannia

Gavin Mecaniques | Friday 24 May, 2013 11:48

What is Lucha Britannia? The craziest form of live entertainment on this or any other planet!


What do you love about Lucha? Anything could happen…the imagination is the limit (or maybe just the budget). Being a Luchador pushes the boundaries of performance, physical theatre & entertainment to new super good levels.


How did you get to be a Luchador? Working hard, following my dreams, studying the things I needed to learn from the best people around at the time & trying to be the very best at what I do.


What’s the strangest Lucha show you’ve done? They’re all pretty strange in their own ways but the Brit Awards after party must rank high up, as does our first meeting with the head of Channel 4 at Jonathan Ross’s offices in Camden. We were literally jumping off the buildings around Camden. All the office windows were filled with people staring out in awe!


Who’s the most famous person to come to your show? We’ve had a few celebrity admirers but I guess Johnny Mathis. Secretly he’s a huge Lucha fan & even though he’s one of the kings of crooning, & in his late 70’s, he still likes to rumble with the Luchadores! “Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree…”

What wrestlers inspire you? El Hijo del Santo, Cassandro, Blue Demon, Rey Mysterio, The late great Eddie Guerrero & The Macho Man Randy Savage

Lucha Training at the London School Of Lucha Libre, Bethnal Green.


If you couldn’t be a Luchadore what would you be? I am semi-retired now & mainly teach & referee the shows. I wear many hats in life (Not actually because I don’t really like hats as they don’t often suit my face, I much prefer the mask) so I write, teach, act, model, manage, curate & event organize through my Resistance Gallery venue in Bethnal Green.



What do you want most in the world? To love & be loved. To live happily ever after & to make a difference in people’s lives no matter how small & progress the art of Lucha Libre professional wrestling to new levels of respect & brilliance.

Where’s home? London. Where I was was born, I live, work & play & the epicentre of underground entertainment! The whole rest of the world looks to London for inspiration & a greater melting pot of global creative individuals you will not find anywhere else in the world. I guaran-dam-tee you that!


Are you head or heart? Now I am head, just a fraction in front of heart, before it was the other way around. With age comes experience & hopefully wisdom which lets you see that there is a choice & a bit of both is never a bad thing. Sometimes feeling things is better than over thinking them.


What’s the best advice you’ve had? Don’t stop until you’ve got where you wanna be! If you want to achieve anything, be it large or small, stick at it, don’t give up! Follow your heart & your mind! Surround yourself with likeminded people who also want to achieve extraordinary things. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. Only you will know the truth!



It’s your last day on earth what will you do? I would actually gather my nearest & dearest around me, have a big kiss n cuddle, tell them I love them, it’s all gonna be alright & that were made of pure energy that can never be destroyed, then watch Halloween Havoc 1997 Eddie Guerrero Vs Rey Mysterio…Or They Live by John Carpenter or Zoolander or The Nightmare before Christmas or put on some Miles Davis or Soundgarden or Mudhoney or Johnny Mathis…Oh I cant decide, just give me some love, a champagne cocktail, the Sunset & I’m outta here!

Click here for Lucha Britannia and here for tickets to Lucha Super Summer Bankside TV Taping Show. To learn the ways of Lucha enquire at the London School Of Lucha Libre and the fabulous Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green.

All images copyright Gavin Mecaniques

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