The Herald - The Herald Magazine
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO ...
What it feels like to ...
IGOT interested in wrestling when I was nine. I was flicking through the TV channels and saw some guy choke-slamming another guy and straight away, I thought, “What is this? It looks fantastic.” I became hooked and watched wrestling constantly. But when I became a teenager, I fell away from it; it wasn’t the done thing for a teenage girl to be a fan of wrestling.
When I was 17, though, my nephew began watching wrestling and it reminded me how much I loved it. My friend told me about a wrestling club close to where I live in Ayrshire and I decided to go along. It was a pretty crazy experience trying out wrestling for the first time – I woke up the next day feeling like I’d been hit by a bus but I remember thinking it was the best thing I’d ever done.
When I began doing wrestling shows, it was in town halls and I was lucky if there were 60 people watching. I never thought I’d get any further than that so what’s happened in the last few years is unbelievable. A few weeks ago I was part of the Insane Championship Wrestling Fear and Loathing show at the Hydro in Glasgow and it was surreal. There were 6,000 fans and the atmosphere was amazing.
The great thing is that wrestling is beginning to climb back into the mainstream. In the 1970s and 80s, ITV had a show called World of Sport Wrestling which was huge, and it’s coming back this month for a oneoff special. I’ve been invited on to it, which is a massive honour. There’s only ever been one female wrestler on the show before and so this year will be the first-ever all-female match so we’re genuinely making history. The great thing about the show is that it’s not just going to be wrestling fans who will see it, it will be going into every household in Britain and so hopefully it will be something families watch together.
Being a female wrestler, I’m in the minority in my sport but I don’t notice gender at all and because I don’t see it, I feel like no differences exist. These days, there are so many opportunities for girls and me being a wrestler proves girls can do any sport they like.
I work as a secretary for my family’s business and sometimes get funny reactions from people when I tell them what I do. Even within wrestling, people are sometimes surprised by how I act inside the ring. I’m sweet and nice outside the ring then when I get in it I’m nasty
and aggressive, so that can take people aback. But for me the ring is a place where you can let everything go. If you’re angry about work or anything else, you can get it all out and feel so much better.
Getting involved in wrestling is the best – and hardest – thing I’ve ever done. When I started the sport, I had no confidence – I’d barely say boo to a fly. I was socially awkward, too, but I’ve totally changed: wrestling has taught me to be much more confident, more empowered and it’s challenged me hugely. It’s changed my life.