You know it’s funny how you call yourself a British wrestler and not actually worked under British rules. This was one of the things that had been bugging me for a while, until I finally had the chance to work best of three falls with time limits galore.
I would state for the record that it was more of a fill in role, the promoter needed a big guy to face off against another big guy and it appears that I was the man for the job. Nice, it gave me less time to worry about screwing up!
You see I have a problem with confidence sometimes and I am glad to say that wrestling never lets me stop to think about that sort of thing. I say yes to most work that comes along and then find myself in a position I cannot back out of, which is good, a baptism of fire perhaps, but everyone has to learn. I have found that the only real way to learn wrestling is by listening to more-experienced wrestlers and fighting in the ring.
So here I was wondering about how to pull a match off with rules that I had very little understanding of, yes I watched those rules being performed as a small child and at certain venues, but watching it is different to having to work within those rules.
Then I was informed that my opponent had less experience in the ring than I had and suddenly there was this strange change within me that I never thought possible. I forgot about the rules, I knew I had to do two things, keep the match alive and watch out for myself.
So for once, I walked into a match with confidence in my own abilities, I knew what needed to be done and I knew how to do it safely. My opponent was a good foot taller than I was and at a push could have picked me up anytime he liked and plonked me hard into the canvas.
I remember the last time someone of less experience decided to pick me up, it left me with a very sore lower back. This is an experience that I as a wrestler and a working man would never want to allow again.
Wrestling is a business of trust wherever you are in the world, I saw a clip of WWE “Tough Enough” where some guy had lied about his age and was cut on the spot, I admit, it’s an extreme case, but the principles behind it are sound.
I did find myself enjoying the British rules though, moving to my corner to allow the opponent up, being counted whilst on the floor, it made my night to be able to work that way. The final match wasn’t exactly great, I did my best in the situation and there was a lot of stuff I could have done to make it work better, but overall it was a great experience.
Keep it safe,
Saracen