World Gravy Wrestling Championships Return to UK

Move over Christmas in July, it's time for Thanksgiving in August.

Hundreds of people in the UK gathered on Monday to watch the World Gravy Wrestling Championships, a unique sporting event where participants wrestle in a sauce-soaked ring.

The event, which is held at the Rose ‘N’ Bowl Pub in Rossendale, Lancashire, uses over 500 gallons of gravy, according to ManchesterWorld. Spectators were able to watch 16 men and eight women face off in the saucy arena.

"My opponent's eyes and ears were full of gravy and he was completely disorientated, but we got through it," wrestler Tommy Jupiter told BBC.

Despite some difficulties, Jupiter said the atmosphere was "electric."

"The whole event ran incredibly smoothly," he added.

Participants wrestle for about two minutes. The winners of the tournament are chosen by a panel of judges, who judge contestants based on their wrestling skills and costume.

The event started in 2007 and was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2019.

The men's championship was won by Ravin Gravy and the women's championship was won by the Bacup Bavarian.

The fun and hilarious competition is also an opportunity to give back to the community. Rose ‘N’ Bowl Pub donated money to East Lancashire Hospice, which helps people with life-limiting illnesses. Some wrestlers donated money to a charity of their choice as well.

And for anyone concerned about the cleanup process, the World Gravy Wrestling Championships team posted that torrential rain following the event helped to "loosen" the gravy.