How Westside Gunn Built a Wrestling Empire

Westside Gunn is more than just a rapper—he’s a visionary. Over the past decade, he’s proven that his influence extends far beyond hip-hop, fashion, and art. What sets him apart from other artists isn’t just his sound or aesthetic—it’s the way he’s taken one of his biggest passions, professional wrestling, and transformed it into something tangible, sustainable, and deeply authentic.

He didn’t just throw money at wrestling. He created his own promotion, 4th Rope Wrestling. In doing so, Westside Gunn carved out a new blueprint for how artists can build businesses rooted in the culture they love.

This isn’t a side hustle. This isn’t a gimmick. This is Westside Gunn living out a dream in real time. And if you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine the art of hip-hop with the theater of pro wrestling, 4th Rope Wrestling might be the clearest answer yet.

Wrestling Roots: A Fan First

Before the world knew him as Westside Gunn—before Griselda became a household name in underground rap—Alvin Lamar Worthy was a wrestling fan. Not casually, not from a distance. He was the kind of fan who lived and breathed the sport, glued to the TV during the Attitude Era, memorizing promos from Ric Flair, The Undertaker, and Macho Man Randy Savage.

Years later, when he began rapping, that love naturally bled into his music. His catalog is full of tracks named after wrestlers—“Dean Malenko,” “Undertaker vs. Goldberg,” “Lucha Bros,” “Brodie Lee.”

But Gunn wasn’t just referencing wrestling to sound cool. For him, wrestling was a creative anchor. He once said, “Wrestling for me is like how Wu-Tang had karate… it just goes hand in hand.” That’s why he became a regular at WWE and AEW shows, always front row, always visible. You could catch him on broadcasts, rocking chains, hyping up matches like any diehard fan. The difference is, he didn’t stop at fandom—he built something of his own.

From Music to the Ring: The Birth of 4th Rope

In 2020, Gunn officially took his obsession public. He launched Fourth Rope Wrestling, which originally began as a mixtape concept. The name itself was symbolic—a nod to pushing boundaries, going beyond the traditional three ropes of a wrestling ring. That mixtape was more than music. It was a cultural announcement: Gunn wasn’t just going to rap about wrestling anymore, he was going to create a promotion that lived inside it.

Fast forward a few years, and 4th Rope Wrestling has evolved into a legitimate independent promotion. The brand represents Gunn’s vision for a space where hip-hop and wrestling can exist together. It’s a stage for artists and athletes alike—and most importantly, it’s a community. Gunn has described 4th Rope as something built “with the wrestling community, for the wrestling community,” making it clear that this is no vanity project.

Adding Credibility: MVP as Commissioner

One of the biggest moments that legitimized 4th Rope came in late 2024, when Gunn announced that former WWE and current AEW star MVP would serve as the official commissioner of the promotion. This wasn’t just a symbolic hire. MVP brought decades of experience in the business, and having his name attached to 4th Rope sent a clear signal: this wasn’t just a passion project—it was a serious player in the indie scene.

In wrestling, credibility is everything. Anyone can rent a ring and book a card. But if you want fans to take your promotion seriously, you need recognizable names with proven track records. By bringing MVP into the fold, Gunn instantly bridged the gap between hip-hop and the wrestling establishment.

Heels Have Eyes 4: Wrestling Meets Hip-Hop

The true breakthrough moment for 4th Rope Wrestling came with its flagship event, Heels Have Eyes 4, in early 2025. Held at Center Stage in Atlanta, the show looked more like a WWE pay-per-view than a small indie card.

The lineup was stacked: The Hardy Boyz, Josh Alexander, Mustafa Ali, Tiara James, and more. The main event was a three-way ladder match for the 4th Rope Tag Team Titles, a bout that combined high spots, brutal storytelling, and the kind of energy you normally only get in arenas with 10,000 fans.

But what set the show apart was the seamless blend of wrestling and hip-hop. Legendary rap group Onyx performed live. Conductor Williams DJ’d throughout the night. Benny The Butcher and Big K.R.I.T. made surprise appearances. It wasn’t just a wrestling show—it was a cultural event, pulling together two worlds that don’t often collide under one roof.

Fans walked away saying it felt like the start of something big. For Gunn, it was proof that his vision worked—that a rapper could create a wrestling product both wrestling fans and hip-hop fans would embrace.

Belts as Art: The Fly Weight Championship

Westside Gunn has always treated fashion and art as extensions of himself, and he brought that same mentality into 4th Rope. In April 2025, he unveiled the Fly Weight Championship, a custom belt unlike anything fans had seen before.

Made from python leather, plated in gold, and encrusted with gems, it was less a title belt and more a work of art. Gunn himself described it as a “real art piece,” and that wasn’t an exaggeration.

Where other indie promotions might cut corners with cheap belts, Gunn invested in something that reflected his vision of wrestling as culture. The Fly Weight Championship wasn’t just a prop—it was a collector’s item, a symbol of the promotion’s identity.

Culture Collision: Wrestling as Community

If you’ve followed wrestling in the past decade, you’ve probably heard the phrase “forbidden door.” It refers to breaking down barriers between promotions like AEW, NJPW, and even WWE. Westside Gunn has said that 4th Rope is “the real forbidden door.” And he’s not wrong.

Through 4th Rope, Gunn has created a genuine crossover space. On one hand, you’ve got wrestlers like Swerve Strickland and Daniel Garcia, who embrace hip-hop and appear at his events. On the other, you’ve got rap fans being introduced to the spectacle of wrestling for the first time.

Gunn is acting as a cultural translator, giving both communities a new place to connect. That’s why wrestlers respect him. They don’t see him as an outsider dabbling in their world. They see him as one of their own, someone who loves the sport as much as they do. That authenticity is what makes 4th Rope stand out.

Why It Matters

So why does all this matter? Why should anyone care about a rapper starting a wrestling promotion?

Because it’s proof that artists can take niche passions and turn them into empires if they approach it with authenticity. Too often, celebrity ventures feel like cash grabs. But Gunn isn’t cashing in—he’s investing in something he truly loves. That’s why it resonates.

4th Rope isn’t just selling tickets. It’s selling identity. It’s giving wrestling fans and hip-hop fans a community to belong to, and that’s more powerful than any merch drop or one-off performance. It’s sustainable because it’s real.

Conclusion

Westside Gunn has always been about more than music. He’s about culture, about art, about finding ways to merge worlds and create something new. With 4th Rope Wrestling, he’s taken one of his greatest passions and built it into something tangible, something lasting. It’s not just a promotion—it’s a blueprint.

The next time someone says wrestling and hip-hop don’t mix, point them to 4th Rope. Because Westside Gunn has already proven that they do.