Professional wrestling is an American institution, and a quick scan of your social media feeds might prove its cultural ubiquity. Though less mainstream than in decades past, the world of predetermined fighting in colorful tights has staying power — a nostalgic resonance that even lapsed viewers can’t ignore.
For many lifelong fans, wrestling has colored facets of their personal lives, even if unconsciously. For Adam Abdalla, that was by choice. And well before his work with the Dallas Contemporary and Dallas Art Fair, Abdalla was watching televised wrestling shows at the Dallas Sportatorium from his childhood home in Brooklyn.
Owner of a consultancy for artists by day, Abdalla, 35, moonlights as a pro wrestling vagabond — a connoisseur of sports entertainment who has traversed the globe in pursuit of his passions: Art and wrestling. The latter has taken him to Tokyo, Mexico City, rural Tennessee and to 10 WrestleManias. He may attend his 11th next year, when World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brings pro wrestling’s biggest annual event back to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Abdalla’s latest passion project, Orange Crush: The Journal of Art & Wrestling, looks at a cross section of contemporary art and its intersection with pro wrestling.
The publication’s name is an homage to Abdalla’s favorite Japanese wrestler, Kenta Kobashi, who was nicknamed “Orange Crush.”
The journal’s second volume aims for a high-end fashion magazine aesthetic and to elevate conversations on the often misunderstood art form.
“To understand the logic of [pro wrestling], if you’re not a fan or you didn’t grow up watching it, probably seems completely alien to the normal person,” Abdalla said.
“I wanted to create something that could maybe create dialogue between hardcore wrestling fans and people who are interested in art and visual culture.”
The journal blends works from well-known and emerging artists, as well as creators who work inside the wrestling industry. The latest edition features drawings by punk rock legend Raymond Pettibon, a deep dive on Vice TV’s popular Dark Side of the Ring series, a roundtable discussion with comedian Ron Funches, an analysis on the ethics of intergender wrestling and more.
The issue is headlined by portraits of Jon Moxley, taken by renowned combat sports photographer Ryan Loco. Moxley is among the talents at the forefront of a reemerging collaborative spirit between wrestling promotions worldwide, both big and small. He spent the majority of 2020 representing All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the promotion’s world champion and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) as its United States champion.
The gritty portraits of Moxley were taken before, during and after his match against Chris Dickinson at Game Changer Wrestling’s (GCW) Bloodsport event in October 2020. Shows under the Bloodsport banner present pro-wrestling matches in a ropeless ring and in the style of mixed martial arts. Believable brutality is the draw.
Moxley, who formerly wrestled for WWE, performed at AT&T Stadium in 2016 — when the company brought WrestleMania to North Texas for the first time.
Orange Crush: Volume 2 is now available to order online at orangecrush.art.
Reece Kelley Graham is a digital producer, staff writer and pro-wrestling contributor for The Dallas Morning News.
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