HOLLYWOOD HELPS COAST WRESTLING COMPANY
WRESTLING on the Gold Coast is thriving thanks to a little help from Hollywood.
Gold Coast company Impact Pro Wrestling has seen a surge in interest off the back of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new film Fighting with my Family .
Based on a true story, the film follows siblings Saraya and Zac Bevis working towards their wrestling careers in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and on the British independent wrestling circuit.
With the spotlight on independent wrestling, Impact Pro Wrestling owner Josh Ives said his company was seeing a surge in interest.
Mr Ives has had 10 new rookies sign up this year for Impact, which performs shows the first Saturday of every month and has a training academy.
“I’ve had constant calls asking about wrestling, constant messages from people wanting to wrestle for our company,” he said.
“We get messages from all over the world – Africa, China, Scotland.”
Zeke Andino is the heavyweight champion for the company’s internal bragging rights.
The man behind the persona, Liam O’Donnell, spent four months in the US in 2017 training at the Black and Brave Wrestling Academy under WWE stars Seth Rollins and Marek Brave.