The Immersive, Fantastic Pro-Wrestling World Of Illustrator Adam Ratliff

Adam Ratliff is Bronx-based illustrator with a passion for pro wrestling and the nerdier side of pop culture. Ratliff blends these two together seamlessly while exaggerating proportions to create a dream-like fantasy world of larger than life puro stars and lucha kitty cats. His work strikes a chord in anyone who has ever found themselves completely wrapped up in a wrestling match, and illustrates perfectly the personal connection we have all felt at one time or another towards pro wrestling.

Adam on one of his favourite wrestling moments:

A friend and I attended a Pro Wrestling Iron show in Lathrop, CA. Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa were booked on the show. We were standing in line holding these Japanese wrestling mags we copped from Japantown in SF for them to sign. These dudes with cameras came over to us, and with thick Japanese accents said “we work for that magazine”. We cut a promo about how much more superior Japanese wrestling companies to the American mainstream companies. They took our pictures holding up the mags and our fists (obviously) and we were in an article in the issue that was covered in.

After the show, we waited to meet Misawa and Ogawa. They finally emerged, and gladly signed my Misawa action figure and our magazines. Then I gave Misawa a picture I drew of him hitting a Tiger Suplex. He took it, and as he looked at it, I pointed at the victim and said “that’s Kobashi”. There was a pause, then he burst out laughing. I said the drawing was for him, so he thanked me and walked over to the van he was leaving in. Then he showed Ogawa the picture before they got in, and he pointed to it like it was the shit.

Best moment ever.

You can find more of his work on Tumblr here, and explore his other portraits, illustrations, and comic series here. Adam is available for commissions.

For now, click through to enter the fantastic world of Adam Ratliff.

These guys are giants in my world, so I might as well interpret them that way in my art.

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