Orange Crush: Adam Abdalla on his New Pro Wrestling Venture PRODUCE
On Shakespearean wrestlers, artist-wrestlers, and Abel Ferrara for some reason
I first became intrigued by Adam Abdalla with the launch of his Orange Crush magazine, subtitled “The Journal of Art & Wrestling”. Filled with glossy art photography of top indie wrestlers and thoughtful profiles of the athletes, it took the simple but rarely utilized step of taking wrestling - and wrestlers - seriously. And not just as personas, but as artists who have control of their personas, and who have interests that range far beyond the squared circle. So when I saw that Abdalla was launching an independent wrestling company - PRODUCE - and that he would have wrestlers co-curate the shows with him, subverting the normal booker-wrestler divide - I was obligated to ask him to talk about this bold new venture that aims to upend one of America’s great art forms. With the debut show tonight in Brooklyn (available on PPV) we talked about the state of independent wrestling, what sets PRODUCE apart, and how the hell he booked cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara as his first musical guest.
R. Emmet Sweeney: Pro wrestling is very steeped in tradition, and there’s not a lot of innovation in booking and presentation. And the way you are making it more multidisciplinary and connecting it to other art forms, I think is really interesting. And having wrestlers co-curate the show with you, that seems very new.
Adam Abdalla: The thesis of Orange Crush since the beginning was to give the talent primacy and show how these performers are masters of one of America’s oldest folk traditions. To give fans insight into the layers within them: their talents, their creativity. The fact that some of them are recording artists, some of them are studio artists. Some of them have a really deep philosophy about what they do in the ring. So when I started Orange Crush, it was a little bit art critical. It was a little bit like a coffee table book magazine. Lifestyle profiles on wrestlers that you would see on other athletes, other sports or other performing arts, like music or film, just in a format about wrestlers. So that’s always been my intent - to really make wrestlers - who are people that I admire and I’ve worked with for years as a booker, put in the best position to be seen as stars. Because this is a star-driven business. And historically, the times that wrestling works the best is when it’s two stars going against each other. There’s a suspension of disbelief about the conflict.
So by taking on this model where I give wrestlers the book side-by-side with me as co-producer, it’s giving them the power a little bit more. Showing a lot of know-nothing bookers and promoters that wrestlers themselves are probably the best source to find out who the next great wrestlers are going to be on the scene and insight as to what makes a great match. And they’re the ones the most invested in their own bookings. They have to think about it in their head every fucking day. The line between their personality and persona and the real them is something they have to navigate. And they have to perform in public. If the things that they’re asked to do are illogical or dumb, I think that weighs on them. I’m really enjoying working with the talent in a high-touch way to give them an opportunity to perform but also conceive different aspects of their presentation.
RES: The first show is tonight and your first co-curator is Jonathan Gresham, who’s known as a great technical wrestler. But how did you settle on him as your first co-presenter here?
AA: He’s somebody that I have been having a very rich dialogue with about the state of professional wrestling for a while. I did book him on JCW and my J-Cup shows with GCW for the last few years. At a transitional period in his career. He left Ring of Honor, he went to AEW, it didn’t work out for him. Some may say he was a bit too passionate, which I am accused of as well by some in the industry. And then in October of 2025, Jon had two strokes and he was out of action for about six months. And I stayed in touch with him and we started to develop a rich dialogue about his presentation, his views on the industry, and how the scene has changed in terms of how to develop the Indies. Before there were many different regional promotions with very different types of styles and personalities that were distinct. And now things have devolved into a homogenous super indie formula.
We wanted to try to think about how to create long-term sustainability in independent wrestling and professional wrestling in general. That made it obvious that he was the person I wanted to work with on the first show. In the ring he is probably the most talented independent wrestler in the world and one of the most underrated wrestlers in the world period. And he has a strong point of view and thinks about the logic of professional wrestling and how it’s presented and respecting the fans very seriously. And that’s a tenet of what Produce is going to be about.
RES: So you mentioned the homogeneity of a lot of what is out there now. What would you say is the separator or the innovative aspect of what you’re doing here?
AA: Well, because I am going to have a co-producer, a co-curator on every show, I’m basically leaving about half of each of my active cards to highlight things that these wrestlers are passionate about. Like Lee Moriarty, Taiga Style on July 16th, there are wrestlers from the West Coast. There’s wrestlers from Pittsburgh who haven’t gotten as much visibility on a national scale that we’re going to be giving high profile matches to. Wrestlers in particular styles, like technical wrestling, Liiza Hall from British Columbia. I’ve talked to Jon and not a lot of people have seen her wrestle on the East Coast, but he considers her to be a female version of Bryan Danielson. So it’s really about discovery at the end of the day.
You discover new talent by consulting people who are out there actually making towns and wrestling them, and have experiences beyond just watching 30 second clips of high spots on the internet. Because that’s great to pop attendance on one show. But in terms of long-term storytelling, connecting with an audience, being able to do nuanced things long-term, you need to be a fully fleshed out 360 degree professional wrestler. And I trust some of the best wrestlers in the world to identify folks that they see as having the potential to be like them.
RES: Yeah, you figure they would be incredible scouts because they know not just other wrestlers as wrestlers, but also how they’re like behind the scenes. Do you really split the show in half? Does Jonathan have carte blanche for his matches?
AA: I’m taking care of logistics and booking, so it’s based on availability. And it’s a conversation because these are serials, it’s not just random shows. So over time, even if people are booked in curated matches, they’re still part of storylines. They still have long-term arcs. So it’s a collaborative conversation. But on their half of the card, I try to make happen as much as I possibly can in terms of what they want to work with.
RES: You’ve also booked filmmaker Abel Ferrara and his longtime composer Joe Delia. How did that come about - was that from Jonathan or yourself?
AA: That one wasn’t Jonathan, I’ve got to admit. Usually the intent is to find a musician who’s reflective of the wrestler. We were having trouble pinning down the original act that we wanted a book. And then I went to the Cannes Film Festival in May. I met Abel and we were talking about something else. And I realized that he played a concert in the south of France the night before. I was like, “Holy shit, this could be a great opportunity”. I was like, “Hey man, I have a show in New York on June 29th, you want to come play some rock songs?” He’s like, “Yeah, how much?” I gave him a number and he gave me a higher number. I gave him a number in the middle and we came to an agreement, and now he’s flying here on Sunday. He’s somebody who greatly influenced me because a lot of my aesthetic sensibility is inspired by ‘80s and ‘90s grindhouse, a lot of things with the texture of VHS. So Bad Lieutenant, King of New York…Fear City is a movie that I love as somebody who’s a wrestling promoter and also a pervert and also someone who’s been in a boxing documentary. Tom Berenger is a quasi-pimp, but also he’s a professional boxer who is hunting a serial killer who’s killing prostitutes in New York City. I just love Abel Ferrara. So the opportunity to get him to go play my show at 78-years-old was pretty distinct. I went for it.
RES: I knew he had done some shows at film festivals, but never would have expected him to show up at a wrestling show.
AA: I have other things that I want to do with Abel outside of wrestling, but this was a good place to start.
RES: As far as the wrestlers on the card, I’m familiar with ZSJ, Amazing Red and Deanna Purrazzo. You already mentioned Liiza Hall, but is there anybody else you would say to keep an eye on for this show?
AA: Almost everybody. Darian Bengston is somebody who I’ve been booking in JCW for the last couple of years. He is one of the best technical wrestlers in the United States. He is a classically trained Shakespearean actor, went to the Royal School of Drama in London. He got his Master’s degree. Had a modeling contract over there, but then he got sent back home to the United States when COVID came around. He became a circuit wrestler in the American South, had ups and downs in his career. He had a pretty bad injury about a year ago. It derailed him, but now he’s ranked the number one contender for the IWTV world championship. He’s the Action Wrestling champion. He’s the Nap Town champion as well in Indianapolis. He’s somebody that has a really bright future.
There’s a guy named Oni King. who was trained by the Amazing Red, who people may have seen if they are fans of Westside Gunn’s Fourth Rope, but he hasn’t done a lot of other Indies besides that. Really talented, charismatic guy with a kickboxing background.
RES: How hard is it finding a venue to host wrestling in NYC? I’ve been to Pioneer Works for concerts, but I’ve never seen a wrestling show there. Do you know if it’s the first time they’ve done wrestling?
AA: It’s the second time, because Choke Hole has taken place there. And I do the PR for Pioneer Works. But I’m pretty good at finding venues. And I think because of my role as a curator - I’m curating the first American museum show about art and professional wrestling in 2027 - I have a lot of good relationships with performing arts organizations.
RES: Could you talk more about this wrestling and art exhibition?
AA: I am curating the first ever American museum show about art and professional wrestling. At the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, co-curated by Katherine Pill. It’s a 5,000 square foot, 50 work exhibition featuring Andy Warhol, Rosalyn Drexler, Raymond Pettibon, Jenna Gribbon, as well as active wrestlers who also have painting practices like Lee Moriariy, Thekla, Charlie Ramone who does the props for AEW and others.
RES: I hope something like that can come to New York at some point. Sounds amazing.
AA: We hope to travel it. We don’t have a second venue yet. It doesn’t open till November 2027. I’ve curated multiple shows in the context of art fairs. I’ve curated Thekla’s work at NADA New York. I’ve curated Lee Moriarty at NADA Miami. I did an exhibition of Nick Karp’s Deathmatch photography in New York City at NADA Space on East Broadway. I consider PRODUCE, in terms of its content, you’re going to go see this and it’s going to be a good-ass wrestling show. But there’s a lot of institutional critique that is baked into some of the content that we’ve made. I don’t know if you saw what we made with Chance U.
RES: No, not yet. What did you do?
AA: We have an angle where Andre Chance, who used to be in NXT, is coming to PRODUCE and is going to work with wrestlers to help get them to get their Associates degrees backstage so they don’t have to go off the road while they’re in their prime. A lot of it is inspired by the conversation around WWE ID and the NIL conversation. Getting people to try to make the transition from…
RES: College athletics into the wrestling world.
AA: Yeah, exactly. That’s one example, but there’s a lot of Easter egg type stuff and a lot of funnier stuff. If you look at my Instagram, Darian Bengston, he made this video. Zach Sabre Jr. famously once said that doing classic technical wrestling for an American crowd is like reading Shakespeare to a dog. So in response, because Darian is a trained Shakespearean actor, actually reads Shakespeare to a dog in this skit. I’m also creating a lot of naturalistic bio doc content with documentary filmmakers on independent wrestlers that give a better sense of who they are and what they’re about.
RES: Can you talk about your relationship with MyAEW? Are these events going to be available there?
AA: My deal with MyAEW is that each show will be available live on pay-per-view globally through their app for $14.99. But if you commit to the entire season, which is six shows between Monday and September 13th, you can get it for $50 flat, which averages out to about $8 each. So because if you’re going to commit to me, I’m going to commit to you, essentially.
RES: So much of wrestling these days is gouging the consumer. So that’s a refreshing approach, I would say.
AA: It’s funny because whenever you try to charge for anything these days, people have hesitation. They’re like, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” Working in the media industry, it’s come to my attention that media network executives these days have started to have the opinion that the audience is not that valuable because they’ve trained them to expect slop from things that are on the streaming networks. And if they want to see something of value, they’re still trying to go to the movies to do that. I want to put on something that is worth leaving your house to go see in person and worth watching at home. And it’ll be two different experiences, with high quality video, music videos, and various kinds of cinematic integration. And then just some of the best wrestlers from across the globe.
RES: With indie shows, the technical side can sometimes be lacking. Sounds like it’s going to not be an issue.
AA: I’m working with Jonathan Ashe, who has live streamed thousands of professional wrestling shows. Pioneer Works, knock on wood, they’re used to live streaming stuff all the time. I’m sure there’ll be some hiccups, but I’ve done this before. I’ve done it for six years with JCW. Streamed live on YouTube, on Triller, and everything else. And every show has hit. So, hopefully that streak continues.
RES: Do you have a full narrative in mind for the six show program from start to finish or is it more show to show?
AA: Yes, I have storylines in mind that run throughout the season. And then I also have, using the curatorial model, of distinct ideas around the capsule part of the shows. Rocky Romero’s show will have a heavy Lucha Libre influence. Joey Janela and Megan Bain’s show in September is gonna have some very big name independent wrestlers against unknowns who people are gonna see for the very first time. The show that I’m doing in collaboration with the boys from Segunda Caida, “DEAN~!!! Sunday School”, which is part of a double header with the Joey show, will have some real deep cut stuff for fans of things like Battle Arts, Ring of Honor, and old school professional wrestling.
RES: And do you have plans beyond that initial run?
AA: I got plans beyond that. We have shows booked throughout the end of the year, including at least four more shows in New York City, which we will be announcing on Monday. I have at least two other shows in different markets and potentially another big weekend that we’re finalizing elsewhere. I have an amazing opportunity to create a new promotion and promote it on a global scale. I’m not going to squander it.
RES: Do you have a specific style of wrestling that you’ve preferred? Or is this more of a wrestler-led organization?
AA: No, I think it’s both. It’s a wrestler-led organization. It’s led by wrestlers and not bigwigs. Who like the way they wrestle. I would say it’s a mix. I’m someone who finds value in all stuff. Japanese strong style wrestling. I’ve been to the G1 three or four times. I love British World of Sport technical style wrestling, death math wrestling. I’ll never miss a Tournament of Survival. Lucha libre, maybe even more than anything else. Old school Southern tag team wrestling, mixed martial arts. When you see the aesthetic of PRODUCE, our canvas is white on white, with white ropes, and that’s inspired by Pride. I love the way that it looks.
I love the idea of cornermen, especially in a kayfabe environment because you can layer on new characters, stories, keep people fresh in people’s minds and understand the intricacies of who’s friends with who without having a piece of melodramatic soap opera to explain it. It’s just like, “Oh yeah, that’s this guy, he’s with them”, but no one’s allowed to interfere. But I don’t know if you saw the videos about our security or our rules?
RES: No, not yet. What’s that about?
AA: A couple of things that we’re implementing are in the spirit of the World Cup. It wasn’t the intention, but it’s at the same time: we’re doing yellow cards and red cards with the referees. If you break the rules gratuitously the first time you get a yellow card, if you do it a second time, you’re disqualified. The match is over. We will treat outside interference the same as you would in real life. So if you’re at a sporting event and somebody runs on the court, you get arrested. I’ve put together a crack security team. Undefeated power slap fighter and independent wrestler Stunt Marshall. Another guy is Dominus Williams who is the 2025 American World Sumo champion who I discovered at the Westchester County Civic Center back in January. 500 pound kid. Very athletic, very fast. And then our commissioner who’s helping oversee the rules because he knows them inside and out. He knows the law inside out, is Nick Gage. The murder death commissioner who will be overseeing, you know, law and order around PRODUCE.
RES: Even keeled professionals.
AA: I’m not going to call the cops. I’m not a bitch. I’ve hired my private security guards. And if you fuck up my show, you’re get slapped by a Power Slap champion, or you’re going to get sat on by the America’s Sumo champion, or you’re gonna get your head sliced up by Nick Gage.
RES: Yeah, I don’t want any of those outcomes. A good deterrent for sure. Oh, and this is unrelated, but I saw you are working on a live show with Colin Quinn about the building of the World Trade Center. I love Colin Quinn as a stand-up.
AA: Yeah, I’d love for you to get that out there. So July 7th and 8th, I’ve had like four projects launched these few weeks. It wasn’t on purpose, they all just happened at the same time. I’m the co-producer of On the Line, that boxing documentary I told you about with Vincent Piazza. Vincent and Colin collaborated on Building. Colin wrote Building. It’s about the 1973 construction of the World Trade Center. It’s like a David Simon HBO show meets A24 meets BBC meets the show Talking Heads from the ‘80s. They brought me this show, a pilot that they did. I’m like, “This is incredible, but it’s so smart. It’s gonna be so hard to get the kind of recognition or money that you deserve for it.” I was like, “What if I brought this to people in real life?” I work with John Fitzgerald, he’s one of the leading immersive artists who created an interactive version of Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi, that was at Cannes last year. And he is helping me direct the physical version of this. Vincent is going to be the lead actor in it as well as Kathrine Narducci who was on The Sopranos, Julia Randall and many others. So it’s a special two night engagement of Pioneer Works on July 7th and 8th.
I’ve got my hand in a lot of pods. Got a boxing movie. I’m also the co-producer of Mark Pellington’s documentary about MTV, This is Buzz, that’s coming out in September. These things seem disparate, but it’s about honoring things that are being generated by talent with innovative voices. When it comes to Building, Colin, Vince, and myself are all self-made men who were born and raised in New York City. I haven’t had a boss since I was in my twenties. I’ve never spent a dollar that I didn’t earn myself. I don’t have to answer to anybody. So it’s a lot easier for me to be a bit of a dick or an iconoclast when it comes to being fed up with the way the system is. And the fact that people who are friends of mine and people that I know who are in some of the top movies and television shows in America…back in the day they’d be living a high life. Now they can’t afford a second house. The system has been rigged. It’s been rigged from the top. And this is true in combat sports. It’s true in sports that focus on individual talent like MMA, boxing, wrestling. It’s true with the way the tech bros have taken hold of the streamers. And without any taste or respect for auteurs or people who are specifically gifted.
There is obviously something itching at the surface here for change. It’s very apparent that people want something else. People want to be able to have a joint experience in person, where things are created with empathy and not disgust for the audience. You know, I’m not going to invite you to Pioneer Works for four hours and make you listen to a commercial for fucking Slim Jim over the PA for two of those hours, because I have more respect for my audience than to do that. This is a very unique moment that we’re living in where people who have any flexibility to take a chance, to take artistic risks, to say like, “Hey, brands are great, but brands only have affinity because of the talent behind them and the talent at the forefront of them”. My goal for PRODUCE is to be successful, put on great shows, entertain the audience. But, ultimately, I want to get these guys signed who work for me. Or get them enough work independently, whether it’s through me or other people that not being signed is equally appealing as an option.
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