Sorry that you were disappointed but that image of Manhattan is decades out of date. Most everything is corporate and sanitized, with the 1990s being the last gasp. There are just a few nostalgic references back to the past sprinkled here and there.
The Atlas Social Club event is called Undercover Wrestler (last Thursday of each month) and it’s just a meetup event, not an actual wrestling event. The days of dark, dodgy places to meet guys are sadly gone, a victim of AIDS and the digital world…like MeetFighters.
Yeah a few guys told me the same thing... I was just expecting the city that never sleeps to have been a bit more wild hahaha... Only one sauna in the city was a surprise.. then being told not to even bother going! Lol maybe NY is setting a new down turn that will spread across the globe.
My dream of finding a Blue Oyster Leather bar with a kinky backrooms with a BDSM Slant was maybe a bit too ambitious! 😂😂😂
It definitely feels like you set yourself up for disappointment there. Aside from Wrestlefest, most people who come to NY are there for a different reason altogether and finding some matches are a bonus much like any other location on the map. I'm not deep in the scene at all but I'm sure there are a few hidden groups out there that do their thing on a regular basis too. I find it a little hard to believe you weren't able to find someone during your time here that wasn't interested in gutpunching. That's what this site is for! Reach out and try to plan ahead.
As far as Atlas is concerned, you probably could have looked up things about what they had/didn't have. I don't think it's Atlas, nor New York's, fault that they didn't have a wrestling ring in a basement lol. I'm also not sure about other parts of the world but, here in NY at least, ID is checked at pretty much any bar you try to go in. Not having proper ID is more on yourself there.
I'm sorry you had a disappointing experience overall but let's not go ahead and blame the city for it lol.
I've spoken to several guys about it and they all told me NY isn't as wild as it used to be. I didn't have time to plan as it was a spur of the moment trip. I've never been to NY before.. in UK Carrying ID everywhere is not a thing so I would never consider taking my passport out everywhere with me.
Whether you find it hard to believe it not is besides the point... It happened. I was in touch through MF with several gutpunchers who were all keen to meet.. but took ages to respond to WhatsApps or messages on here... So meets never happened... a few agreed to meet then stopped responding. It was Pride weekend as well so I put it down to everyone being busy with parties or whatever.
I adored NY ... Don't get me wrong.. It was a blast .. My post was only saying that I expected more of an underground scene... But was told several times that NY has moved on and this subculture of sex clubs , leather bars, bars with dark rooms etc just don't exist. I was also told not to even bother going to the only gay sauna on Eastside as it's awful, run down and no one goes anymore. The email party group I discovered had several apartment parties - but none coincided with my trip. My next trip will be planned though.
Berlin, Sydney, London .. all have the kinda of clubs and underground kinda culture that I expected NY to have. . But as others here have agreed, NY has evolved and moved on.
I was in NY in June .. I chatted with a few guys on here but was not able to arrange anything... I was really after some gutpunching . I always imagined NY would have a huge underground scene of leather, dark, dodgy cruise clubs or night clubs with wrestling events .. or saunas with wrestling areas... I was really disappointed at the change in attitude to this kind of thing in NY.
There are cruise clubs in Australia & UK where I've had group fights , group gutpunching sessions and public one sided beat downs ... I did discover a NYC emailing list for BDSM Party nights in apartments .. with different themes etc. seemed very "Shortbus" which really appealed to me... But timing didn't work out for me. I tried going to The Eagle .. but I wasn't allowed in as I didn't have my passport with me 🙈.
I went to the Wrestling Themed Atlas Bar in Hell's Kitchen ... But apart from lots of horny pics all over the walls... No one seemed interested in wrestling!! I expected a basement with a wrestling ring! Hahaha!!
Shame there's not any wrestling/fighting cruise clubs in the city!
Perfect Gentleman (5)
10/08/2025 8:19 PMSorry that you were disappointed but that image of Manhattan is decades out of date. Most everything is corporate and sanitized, with the 1990s being the last gasp. There are just a few nostalgic references back to the past sprinkled here and there.
NYC Wrestling (70)
10/01/2025 5:04 PMThe Atlas Social Club event is called Undercover Wrestler (last Thursday of each month) and it’s just a meetup event, not an actual wrestling event. The days of dark, dodgy places to meet guys are sadly gone, a victim of AIDS and the digital world…like MeetFighters.
scotpunch (0)
10/07/2025 10:42 AM(In reply to this)
Yeah a few guys told me the same thing... I was just expecting the city that never sleeps to have been a bit more wild hahaha... Only one sauna in the city was a surprise.. then being told not to even bother going! Lol maybe NY is setting a new down turn that will spread across the globe.
My dream of finding a Blue Oyster Leather bar with a kinky backrooms with a BDSM Slant was maybe a bit too ambitious! 😂😂😂
NYCEast25 (14)
10/01/2025 2:19 PMIt definitely feels like you set yourself up for disappointment there. Aside from Wrestlefest, most people who come to NY are there for a different reason altogether and finding some matches are a bonus much like any other location on the map. I'm not deep in the scene at all but I'm sure there are a few hidden groups out there that do their thing on a regular basis too. I find it a little hard to believe you weren't able to find someone during your time here that wasn't interested in gutpunching. That's what this site is for! Reach out and try to plan ahead.
As far as Atlas is concerned, you probably could have looked up things about what they had/didn't have. I don't think it's Atlas, nor New York's, fault that they didn't have a wrestling ring in a basement lol. I'm also not sure about other parts of the world but, here in NY at least, ID is checked at pretty much any bar you try to go in. Not having proper ID is more on yourself there.
I'm sorry you had a disappointing experience overall but let's not go ahead and blame the city for it lol.
scotpunch (0)
10/07/2025 10:38 AM(In reply to this)
I've spoken to several guys about it and they all told me NY isn't as wild as it used to be. I didn't have time to plan as it was a spur of the moment trip. I've never been to NY before.. in UK Carrying ID everywhere is not a thing so I would never consider taking my passport out everywhere with me.
Whether you find it hard to believe it not is besides the point... It happened. I was in touch through MF with several gutpunchers who were all keen to meet.. but took ages to respond to WhatsApps or messages on here... So meets never happened... a few agreed to meet then stopped responding. It was Pride weekend as well so I put it down to everyone being busy with parties or whatever.
I adored NY ... Don't get me wrong.. It was a blast .. My post was only saying that I expected more of an underground scene... But was told several times that NY has moved on and this subculture of sex clubs , leather bars, bars with dark rooms etc just don't exist. I was also told not to even bother going to the only gay sauna on Eastside as it's awful, run down and no one goes anymore. The email party group I discovered had several apartment parties - but none coincided with my trip. My next trip will be planned though.
Berlin, Sydney, London .. all have the kinda of clubs and underground kinda culture that I expected NY to have. . But as others here have agreed, NY has evolved and moved on.
JiminQueens2 (78)
10/01/2025 1:05 PMit isn't just New York and it isn't just wrestling. With the prevalence of apps, fewer people are going to bars just to hook up.
Also, pity you didn't contact me - I would definitely have tossed you around a bit.
Ricanlife215 (14 )
10/01/2025 11:46 AMLike they say: New York is gone.
scotpunch (0)
9/30/2025 2:02 PMI was in NY in June .. I chatted with a few guys on here but was not able to arrange anything... I was really after some gutpunching . I always imagined NY would have a huge underground scene of leather, dark, dodgy cruise clubs or night clubs with wrestling events .. or saunas with wrestling areas... I was really disappointed at the change in attitude to this kind of thing in NY.
There are cruise clubs in Australia & UK where I've had group fights , group gutpunching sessions and public one sided beat downs ... I did discover a NYC emailing list for BDSM Party nights in apartments .. with different themes etc. seemed very "Shortbus" which really appealed to me... But timing didn't work out for me. I tried going to The Eagle .. but I wasn't allowed in as I didn't have my passport with me 🙈.
I went to the Wrestling Themed Atlas Bar in Hell's Kitchen ... But apart from lots of horny pics all over the walls... No one seemed interested in wrestling!! I expected a basement with a wrestling ring! Hahaha!!
Shame there's not any wrestling/fighting cruise clubs in the city!