In the Miami Design District on March 20, AEW Champ Thekla “The Toxic Spider” and AEW / ROH Pure Champ Lee Moriarty showcased their artwork at the opening reception of Sunset Flip, presented by Adam Abdalla and Nina Johnson.
Sunset Flip — presented by Adam Abdalla and Nina Johnson in the Miami Design District — features the artwork of AEW pro wrestlers Lee Moriarty (ROH Pure champ) and Thekla (AEW women’s champ). Pictured from left, Abdalla, Johnson, Thekla, Moriarty. Photo By Jim Varsallone
Moriarty and Thekla are outstanding in the ring and outside of it, using another canvas to display their other unique talent. Two differing styles in the squared circle and on that board, their pieces are colorful, utilizing their own inspirations displayed for Sunset Flip.
Sunset Flip — presented by Adam Abdalla and Nina Johnson in the Miami Design District — features the artwork of AEW pro wrestlers Lee Moriarty (ROH Pure champ) and Thekla (AEW women’s champ). Pictured from left, Moriarty, Johnson, Thekla, Abdalla. Photo By Jim Varsallone
The opening of their exhibit (Sunset Flip) was at night at 140 NE 39th Street, Suite 203 in Miami 33137. Their artwork will be on display there through March 29.
Sunset Flip — presented by Adam Abdalla and Nina Johnson in the Miami Design District — features the artwork of AEW pro wrestlers Lee Moriarty (ROH Pure champ) and Thekla (AEW women’s champ). Photo By Jim Varsallone
During the afternoon of their opening night exhibit, Thekla and Moriarty arrived at the studio, housing Sunset Flip to discuss and show their artwork featured on the show in this exclusive video interview for Miami Herald.
Both were also in South Florida for GAME TIME: Get In The Game Session 1 (art, sports, cultural) exhibit down the road on Biscayne Boulevard at the Perez Art Museum Miami in Downtown Miami.
AEW women’s champ Thekla “The Toxic Spider” shows her ring and her artwork at the Sunset Flip exhibit, presented by Adam Abdalla and Nina Johnson in the Miami Design District. Photo By Jim Varsallone
Moriarty was in Miami in 2024 with his artwork at NADA (via Abdalla) during Miami Art Week.
Abdalla, who is an influential voice in the art community and pro wrestling world, is collaborating with Katherine Pill, senior curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, for an art exhibit solely on pro wrestling in St. Petersburg, near Tampa in 2027. The event is titled House Show with pro wrestlers/artists Thekla, Moriarty, Shaun “El Conquistador” Leonardo and more.
Katherine Pill, senior curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, is a fan of the artwork and pro wrestling work of AEW women’s champ Thekla at the Sunset Flip art exhibit in the Miami Design District. Photo By Jim Varsallone
Miami Herald
Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He also covers pro wrestling, something he’s done since his college days in the late 1980s. Now in his fifth decade of coverage, he currently follows WWE (Raw, SmackDown and NXT), AEW, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, MLW, WOW, NWA, and the South Florida indies, mainly CCW. He writes MMA, too — mostly profile stories and video interviews with American Top Team and Sanford MMA fighters in South Florida. As for pro wrestling, he writes feature stories and profile pieces, updates upcoming show schedules in South Florida, photographs the action and interviews talent (audio and video) — sharing the content here and via social media on his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel).
Support my work with a digital subscription