The Snake Pit (Wigan)
The Snake Pit (Wigan)
The Snake Pit, often called Riley’s Gym in Britain, is a famous wrestling gym in Aspull, near Wigan, England. It was started in 1948 by Billy Riley and is known as the home of catch wrestling, a traditional Lancashire style wrestling. The gym also runs the Aspull Olympic Wrestling Club, which focuses on freestyle wrestling.
Billy Riley trained many skilled wrestlers and built a strong team, including stars like Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson, Bert Assirati, Jack Dempsey, Les Thornton, and Billy Joyce. After Riley, Roy Wood became the head coach and helped revive the gym in the 1970s. The gym moved to Aspull and hosted the Aspull Freestyle Wrestling International for many years.
In the 2010s, the place was revived as The Snake Pit again. The revival shifted back toward catch wrestling, with Andrea Wood helping to preserve the sport. In 2012, Wigan hosted its first catch-wrestling matches in decades, and the gym began offering coach certifications.
The Snake Pit now runs major events, including the Catch Wrestling World Championships and the British Championships. Since 2018, the World Championships have brought wrestlers from many countries to Bolton and Wigan. The 2024 British Championships were held in Wigan, and the 2024 World Championships were also hosted there, marking a milestone for the town.
The gym’s influence travels far. Riley’s wrestlers helped spread Lancashire catch wrestling to Japan, where it influenced pro wrestling and the development of mixed martial arts. Riley’s legacy lives on through The Snake Pit’s international network. Riley’s Kyoto is a certified affiliate, and the organization runs coaching courses and workshops around the world.
Today, top coaches include Greg Crompton and Chris Lomas, with assistants Kevin Lloyd, Wei Tran, Mark Ganaden, and Rikk Georgiades. The Snake Pit continues to promote catch wrestling while supporting freestyle wrestling and MMA around the world. In 2024, Roy Wood received the British Empire Medal for services to wrestling and young people, reflecting the long-lasting impact of this wrestling family and their gym.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:31 (CET).