Ahead of Island Warfare 4, Island Echo went to watch members of Outcast Pro Wrestling train in Sandown.
Outcast Pro Wrestling was set up by Matt (Arrow) Jackson in 2018. Matt has been wrestling since 2015 and learnt his craft at Revolution Pro Wrestling in Portsmouth.
Jackson Arrow is currently Essex Extreme Wrestling Champion. He is a full time professional, who claims never to have had a serious injury. He performs at venues all over the UK.
Jackson Arrow trains wrestlers aged from 7 to 42 at the Outcast Pro Wrestling Gym. He says:
“If a kid wants to do wrestling, then they should give it a go. It’s family friendly fun. It’s light-hearted and safe.
“Whenever we train with children, we use crash mats. It would always be done with someone who has had a good few years of experience.”
The most unlikely wrestler on the Outcast roster is 9-stone Natasha (Tash) Gough, who goes by the stage name of Luna Trix.
Tash (whose day job is a dog groomer) says:
“I got into wrestling through my old friend Kane about 2-and-a-half years ago. I pestered him into letting me come along.
“Jackson taught me everything I know. Before I took it up, I had never even watched wrestling. I wanted to get fit. I used to suffer from anxiety. Now, my confidence has improved leaps and bounds. I love the friendships you make through wrestling. At Outcast you can make friends for life.
“The only downside is that you can easily get tired. But with training, the more you do, the easier it gets.
“It’s a misconception that only big strong guys can be wrestlers. Any sized woman can do it. Even a petite woman can be a wrestler if they really want to. I can squat my body weight and leg press twice my weight.”
To prove her point, Tash lifted fellow wrestler – 16-and-a-half stone Mike – with little apparent difficulty.
Island Warfare will feature several well-known mainland wrestlers. These include Tucker (from Belfast), who will challenge Jackson Arrow for the Heavyweight Championship. Outcast Pro-Wrestling Champion Rudi Root will face “the Retro Dude”: JJ Volaire.
Other wrestlers featuring in the evening include “the Vegan Warrior” Ryan Hendricks and pantomime villain Dirty Dave Dennis. Tash Gough (Luna Trix) will face the powerfully built Amber Jo (Notorious Angel) from Portsmouth for the Outcast Pro Women’s Championship.
Island Warfare 4 – Saturday 26th February at Ventnor Winter Gardens. 1st bell is at 18:30.
