See the scene: Barbecue Fest 2023 begins with wrestling
Daniel Burke and Bryce Wittman show their stuff as they slop in the sauce in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
“Big Sauce” lives up to his nickname, slamming his opponent in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
The red stuff may taste good, but it makes for poor footing in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Scott Corbit and Jesse Parsons get locked up in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Jason Aldridge and Jeremy Adams look like extras in a horror movie as they turn sauce-red in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Hung Nguyen and Chris Coles get sticky as they slide in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Hung Nguyen goes for the pin in slippery circumstances in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
“Big Sauce” slams his opponent (somehow) in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
It’s hard to tell who’s who as someone gets pinned in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Jennifer Justice fights off a hold in The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest’s Sauce Wrestling event May 17, 2023. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Daily Memphian photographer Patrick Lantrip captures the sights (but fortunately, not the smells) of Sauce Wrestling on the first day of the 2023 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
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Memphis In May Memphis in May International Festival Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking ContestPatrick Lantrip
Patrick Lantrip is an award-winning writer, photographer and videographer based in Memphis, Tennessee. When not exploring the outdoors, Patrick enjoys spending time with his daughter, Anna.
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