{"id":82358,"date":"2024-02-13T17:40:36","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T17:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=82358"},"modified":"2024-03-14T18:53:43","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T18:53:43","slug":"the-welsh-professional-wrestling-academy-helping-fans-pursue-their-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2024\/02\/13\/the-welsh-professional-wrestling-academy-helping-fans-pursue-their-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"The Welsh professional wrestling academy helping fans pursue their dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Wave Wrestling offers not just training in a discipline that blends sport and theatre, but also a tight-knit community<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">JAMES Ellis spends his days working in a steel works, but every weekend he steps into the ring as his alter-ego \u2013 \u2018The Brilliance&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said of the transformation: \u201cIt\u2019s just me turned up to 11. A bit of an arrogant person who thinks no matter what he\u2019ll find a way to win in the wrestling ring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The academy that makes such a dramatic change in persona possible is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newwavewrestlingacademy.com\/home\">New Wave Wrestling<\/a>, which started in Cathays nearly two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">James, 26, started wrestling five years ago, and within a short period of time, he was competing in the ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BRILLIANCE: Defined &#8211; Three<br><br>To the TOP<br><br>\ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb\u270c\ud83c\udffb <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bR71Ultae1\">pic.twitter.com\/bR71Ultae1<\/a><\/p>&mdash; James Ellis &#8211; Pro Wrestler (@jamesellispw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamesellispw\/status\/1751272111442698434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 27, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said: &#8220;I was training and was in the ring within five months, which probably shouldn\u2019t have happened because I wasn\u2019t ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut that\u2019s just the way it goes, everyone\u2019s journey is different and everyone finds a path to somewhere new.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Brendan White, head coach and founder of New Wave, started wrestling at 13 in friends\u2019 back gardens <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/wales-news\/welsh-insurance-worker-whos-become-22790399\">before starting to take it more seriously at 21.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1400x788.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-770x433.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-293x165.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/Brendan-at-New-Wave-Academy2-1400x788.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Brendan White at New Wave Academy.<\/strong> Credit: Eoin McCaul<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said: \u201cIt\u2019s just something I\u2019ve always loved \u2013 what it means to me is just literally everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Now 35, Brendan performs in around 100 shows every year, <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.fandom.com\/wiki\/Brendan_White\">making him one of the most recognisable stars of Welsh wrestling.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">When not performing, he coaches the next generation of wrestlers at New Wave, which has now moved from Cathays to&nbsp;Flawless Combat Club in Newport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said: \u201cIt\u2019s my livelihood. It\u2019s the thing I love doing and it\u2019s something that I want to be able to pass on to other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI think the general misconception is that all we do is fake \u2013 to a point we know the wins and losses, but the falls and the bumps and all that kind of stuff really takes a toll. It does hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou just gotta assess damage limitation and how to keep yourself as safe as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-parallax\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><div role=\"img\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-82359 has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/bg-wordpress-1024x858.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-link-color wp-elements-4ef45c35795a62e532bbb095e5e3ee69 is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-32efc7eb664c7e63fc80c12687ee933d\"><strong>It&#8217;s the thing that I love doing and it&#8217;s something that I want to be able to pass on to other people.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">But is pro wrestling more sport or theatre? He said: \u201cI think it\u2019s more of a sport because it\u2019s quite physical what we do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cBut we can\u2019t deny the theatre side of things when it\u2019s telling stories in front of an audience \u2013 I feel like it\u2019s a real 60\/40.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">During Sunday&#8217;s induction class Brendan flawlessly did a headstand in the corner of the ring, demonstrating the impressive combo of acrobatics and muscle mass needed to perform in the ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The class took turns copying the move, supporting each other&#8217;s attempts by offering a round of applause for every success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Wrestling at New Wave Wrestling Academy (1\/2)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zfI8p6Vim34?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Wrestling at New Wave Wrestling Academy (1\/2)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zfI8p6Vim34?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">April Granelli, a personal trainer who comes to the classes, said yoga and wrestling actually complement each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised how much yoga helps with this stuff,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">April, who is 27, owns a gym in Llanishen and also does a bit of martial arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">She said: \u201cI didn\u2019t know there was a school that did it until last year, I\u2019ve always wanted to give it a go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI used to do acting a lot and it\u2019s the perfect balance of acting and physicality which is like my jam really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised, we\u2019ve got dancers, musical theatre people\u2026 it all interlinks. The things that you wouldn\u2019t think would help, do really help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/photo3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>April Granelli (left) and Brendan White (right).<\/strong> Credit: Eoin McCaul <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Rhys Degnan used to do musical theatre, performing in pantomimes and musicals. Now, he plays Duke Degnan, \u201ca smarmy piece of s***,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Rhys said: \u201cAfter spending so long around musical theatre people who are, the ones who are taking it seriously, very intense and there\u2019s a lot of drama.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cI was kind of sick to the back teeth of that and I was looking for something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt\u2019s similar in a lot of ways, it\u2019s about performance, it\u2019s a lot of physical activity, but it\u2019s different \u2013 I thought I\u2019d try it out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Louis Clare works in tech support, he started training in 2016 for a year and a half before giving it up. He said: \u201cI\u2019ve regretted it ever since so in February of 2023 I came back to give it another go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Wrestling at New Wave Wrestling Academy (2\/2)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VkdgaCGelmo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Wrestling at New Wave Wrestling Academy (2\/2)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VkdgaCGelmo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Louis hopes to progress to the advanced class, and&nbsp; make his debut in the ring this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said: \u201cWrestling means fitness, toughness, dedication, but also I think more than all those things \u2013 probably family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cEveryone here I would consider a member of my extended family, and if I\u2019m having a really bad day, nothing cheers me up more than coming here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">New Wave now has around 50 members, but when it was just starting out, Brendan said: \u201cI remember one session \u2013 there were three people there and two of them were coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe Welsh wrestling scene at the moment is probably the best it\u2019s ever been and I feel that it\u2019s down to New Wave to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t<div class=\"embedpress-gutenberg-wrapper    ep-content-protection-disabled inline\" id=\"a4c01552-dc2b-4e1a-baca-b41ba47820a4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper   \">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ep-gutenberg-content-8afc0231f07d4c7f4c5780af807dc9ce\" class=\"ep-gutenberg-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div \n\t\t\t\t\t\t >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div  class=\"ep-embed-content-wraper  insta-grid  \" \n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"ose-flourish ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e ose-embedpress-responsive\" style=\"width:1200px;height:700px;max-height:700px;max-width:100%\"><iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/17064818\/embed#?secret=BfGGsEfsff\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"700\" width=\"1200\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe allowFullScreen=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/flo.uri.sh\/visualisation\/17064818\/embed#?secret=BfGGsEfsff\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"700\" width=\"1200\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t.ose-youtube.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e {\n\t\t\twidth: 1200px !important;\n\t\t\theight: 700px!important;\n\t\t\tmax-height: 700px !important;\n\t\t\tmax-width: 100%;\n\t\t}\n\n\t\t.ose-youtube.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e>iframe {\n\t\t\theight: 700px !important;\n\t\t\tmax-height: 700px !important;\n\t\t\twidth: 100%;\n\t\t\tposition: relative !important;\n\t\t}\n\t\t\n\n\t\t.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e .wistia_embed {\n\t\t\tmax-width: 100%;\n\t\t}\n\n\t\t.alignright .ose-wistia.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e{\n\t\t\tmargin-left: auto;\n\t\t}\n\t\t.alignleft .ose-wistia.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e{\n\t\t\tmargin-right: auto;\n\t\t}\n\t\t.aligncenter .ose-wistia.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e{\n\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t}\n\t\t.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e img.watermark{\n\t\t\tdisplay: none;\n\t\t}\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\n\t<\/style><style>\n\t\t.ose-matterport.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e {\n\t\t\tposition: relative;\n\t\t\twidth: 1200px !important;\n\t\t\theight: 700px !important;\n\t\t\tmax-width: 100%;\n\t\t  }\n\t\t.ose-giphy.ose-uid-e8bb85b7ff967c5d26554a12cd023c4e img{\n\t\t\tposition: relative;\n\t\t\twidth: 1200px !important;\n\t\t\theight: 700px !important;\n\t\t\tmax-width: 100%;\n\t\t  }\n\n\n\n\t<\/style>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Interest in wrestling exploded in 2023, with Wales outpacing England<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Welsh wrestling rose in recognition after Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews signed with WWE back in 2018 coming from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/wales-news\/wwe-mark-andrews-flash-wrestler-16815402\">humble beginnings in Cathays<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">They went on to win the tag-team championship a year later at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/shows\/nxtuk\/article\/nxt-uk-takeover-cardiff-2019-results\">NXT UK TakeOver in Cardiff.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull has-parallax\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\"><\/span><div role=\"img\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-82360 has-parallax\" style=\"background-position:50% 50%;background-image:url(https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/02\/bg-2-1024x858.jpg)\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-large-font-size wp-elements-ffe34b37a0253fe65a886abcb273797a\">The Welsh wrestling scene at the moment is probably the best it&#8217;s ever been and I feel that it&#8217;s down to New Wave to be honest.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">James now wrestles every weekend, and has wrestled and trained in Scotland and Ireland too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He said: \u201cIt\u2019s what I wanted to do when I was younger and I never thought I\u2019d have the opportunity to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I like my job and I like the place I work but this is a dream I never thought I\u2019d have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPotentially in five years if things go right and I get the right opportunities, I might be able to do it full time but who knows. I enjoy it and that\u2019s the main thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">New Wave\u2019s next show in Cardiff is on Friday, March 22, in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringsideworld.co.uk\/event6754\/new-wave-wrestling-live-14?fbclid=IwAR2nVAwopsktYLXLE8fpVMUevrSYAxCcPwze9ofSHFTePJDbagK9P02XjFw#buy-tickets\">St Andrew\u2019s Church in Roath.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Wave Wrestling offers not just training in a discipline that blends sport and theatre, but also a tight-knit community<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1042,"featured_media":82529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,2,3,4],"tags":[1291,227,1579,74,339,1607],"coauthors":[8535],"class_list":["post-82358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cathays","category-featured","category-news","category-sport","tag-cardiff-2","tag-community","tag-newport","tag-sport-2","tag-wales","tag-wrestling"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - 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