Pinned for Pleasure: Inside London’s Wrestling Fetish Gym

Within the confines of the padded vivid-red mat room of The Submission Room, men pay to be grappled to the ground, sat on, twisted, bruised and even knocked unconscious. 

And owner and wrestler, Pippa the Ripper says business is good. 

“It’s the sort of business that can vary and fluctuate from week to week but I would say on average we have 15 to 20 men that come every week and we charge £150 a session. 

“Session wrestling is something that is definitely growing in popularity the more people find out about it.”

Dressed in a Wonderwoman style one-piece, Pippa’s days are spent answering calls from clients and taking bookings for the week - asking the callers if they have any ‘fantasy’ scenarios or if they want to go up against any particular girl from Pippa’s impressive 23-strong roster of professional female fighters.

The 31-year-old has been wrestling ever since she answered an advert in a paper 10 years ago and she opened The Submission Room in 2011.

Pippa said: “The majority of our sessions are semi-competitive but you do get some who want a fantasy session. 

“There are some men who call with unusual requests but it’s mainly just to do with outfits. Some guys specify that they want us wearing tights. Sometimes a skirt. Nothing too crazy and as long as the girls are comfortable, we accommodate them.”

The very first time Pippa tried session wrestling, she knew she had found something she loved and she struggles to think of what else she would do with her life. 

Pippa said: “I just absolutely love it. 

“The guys that come here come for all sorts of different reasons. Some are married, some single, some in relationships. 

“The youngest guys we get are 19 and the oldest is about 70.

“It’s really good fun and a good way to keep fit. And for some guys it is a sexual kink or fetish.  

“For me personally, it’s not a fetish but I do get a kick out of it. It makes me feel really powerful and I still get excited going in the ring against a big burly guy.” 

Although Pippa’s duties are now primarily managerial, she still enjoys a tussle with her male clients. 

One of her many regulars is council worker, Steve. 

Twice divorced, Steve is a wrestling fan with a foot fetish.

He says he is open with his 33-year-old daughter, and pretty much everyone in his life, about the unconventional way he spends at his weekends. 

The 59-year-old can remember fondly watching wrestling on TV as a young boy and says that with the advent of the internet, he decided to research some of his old favourite wrestlers. 

He said: “Wrestle girls just sort of came up and I thought it sounded really sexy, so I started looking into it and I realised it’s a proper business and there are lots of people doing it. 

“I come here as often as I can now.

“I don’t want to roll about on this floor with a sweaty bloke. No offence to people that do and I’m not homophobic or anything. I’d just rather be rolling around with a pretty girl that’s all.

“The girls here are all like my daughters. Most of them are slightly younger than my daughter. 

“It’s like having a whole different family.

“My mum passed away a year or so ago.She knew I did it as well. It’s not anything to be embarrassed about.”

Pippa is clear that the wrestlers at the gym do not have sex with any of the clients and Steve says that’s fine by him.

“I wouldn’t pay for sex with a woman because sex is easy. That’s easy to get sorted out. Domination by someone who knows what they are doing is different. 

“It’s just so amusing to be pinned down and hurt by little girls. I mean what’s not to love?!”

At a session with The Ripper, Steve is down on all fours whilst Pippa pushes Steve by the shoulders. “Are you going to fight back?” she teases.

Within seconds he is pinned to the ground, his pained expression only visible in between her muscular thighs. 

Men can 'tap out’ if they find the pain too intense but Amethyst Hammerfist - one of the army of female wrestlers men can choose from at the Submission Room - says that some clients specifically request to be knocked out - and it’s her favorite thing to do.

The purple-haired former stripper said: “It’s very sensual. The guys have to consent to it and a lot of guys request that I do NOT knock them out because they know I love it so much. 

“In the last year and a half, I have knocked quite a few guys out. It’s amazing, especially if it is during a session that is really intense and it can be electric.

“I love to knock guys out with I’m looking at them right in the eyes.” 

Pussy Willow, 30, is another of the Submission Room’s fighters. 

She began wrestling after working as a dominatrix. 

She said: “When I found wrestling, I felt like I had found my true calling. 

“I have always loved being strong and now I get to be a strong woman but in a really sensual way. 

“Men that come here don’t expect sex, they come here to wrestle. If they wanted sex, they’d go and see a prostitute. 

“I actually think what we do is one of the nicest things that you can do for someone because we are letting people come into our world and accepting them for who they are with no judgment on the basis of their sexuality. And making them happy.”