The Junkyard
Toto, an extreme wrestler, flies from the ropes to land on another wrestler during a show held at the Tultitlán junkyard. The public watches from trailers and wrecked cars that function as seats.
Faces bloodied by shattered lights; backs scarred and torn from falls onto tacks; foreheads marked by forks and barbed wire; euphoria, screams, beer, adrenaline. This is extreme wrestling at El Junkyard in Tultitlán, State of Mexico, one of the most violent areas in the sprawling suburbs of Mexico City.
There are no seats here.
The audience watches the show from wrecked cars, trailers, and patrol cars. Beer and cigarettes accompany the screams of the hundreds of people who gather here once a month to witness the brutal spectacle. The audience watches the show from wrecked cars, trailers, and patrol cars. Beer and cigarettes accompany the screams of hundreds of people who gather here once a month to witness the brutal event.
Each show is unique, and the audience never knows what to expect. Spectators must remain alert, as sometimes the action spills out of the ring and onto the hoods of abandoned cars. A wrestler may be thrown onto the roof of a car or onto gravel littered with rocks.
Why do people attend such brutal shows?
Extreme wrestling offers cathartic release to spectators.
It is a space where they can shout and be part of something violent without fear of being judged. “It is emotionally safe for both spectators and wrestlers,” says Laura Berron, a clinical psychologist specializing in rational-emotive behavioral therapy.
“Violence to escape violence.”
That’s how SickBoy, a Zona 23 wrestler with more than 30 years of experience, describes it. “Here, violence is channeled, unlike outside, in the jungle, where violence has no motive.” That’s how SickBoy, a Zona 23 fighter with more than 30 years of experience, describes it. “Here, violence is channeled, unlike outside, in the jungle, where violence has no motive: salaries, trafficking, corruption. We all need a place to release that frustration; that’s why Zona 23 works. We let it all out here so we can go to work more peacefully.”
According to a 2023 report by the governor of the State of Mexico, Delfina Gómez, Tultitlán is among the 50 cities in the country with the highest security priorities. Armed robberies, femicides, and domestic violence are common in this municipality, located an hour from downtown Mexico City.
Why do these fighters risk their lives?
“For the applause,” says Paymon Zatack, who calls himself “the eccentric wrestler” because he is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and gives his all in every match. “I love the audience’s reaction when I hit the floor, when I fall on a fluorescent tube, when I land on a windshield… That reaction. For me, that means I did my job well.”
