Gqeberha’s top wrestler and WAW SA All-Africa heavyweight champion TJ Tremor will fly the South African flag high at the World Association of Wrestling (WAW) Fightmare 6.
The much-anticipated event will take place at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich in the UK on September 21.
Tremor, whose real name is Tristan Beale, will be up against his all-time childhood favourite wrestler, American professional The Cowboy James Storm, 47, whose real name is James Allen Cox.
The 25-year-old Tremor clinched the vacant All-Africa heavyweight title against an opponent named LoudMouth in the Live Pro-Wrestling Super Slam tournament in Johannesburg in June 2023.
In 2023, Tremor took a leap of faith and travelled to the UK, where he had fights lined up for his three-month stay in an attempt to make a name for himself on the international scene.
He believes that the UK trip has paid off.
“As a result of me going overseas last year, I got some exposure because before going there no-one really knew me,” Tremor said.
“People know me from the South African scene but not in the European scene, so with me going there I got the opportunity to wrestle 57 shows in three months.
“Through that, they saw how I worked and my attitude towards the sport and my skills.
“From there, they started giving me the main event opportunities and out of the 57 shows, at least 30 to 35 were main event shows.
“In April this year, at the Wrestle Monster, we held a South African versus UK Test series and through that, they picked people to present them in the big show in Europe.
“The guy I am wrestling, The Cowboy Storm, is someone I Iooked up to growing up.
“I used to watch him on TV when I was a kid.
“He has wrestled in every big company in the world, wrestled in TNA [Total Nonstop Action Wrestling], WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment] and in Japan.
“So the calibre of the person that I am up against is phenomenal.
“Win or lose, the opportunity to be on that platform against a guy of his calibre is unmatched.”
The wrestler, who is affiliated with Champions Pro Wrestling (CPW), took up wrestling when he was eight and made his professional debut at 15.
“I am a product of the Wrestle Monster project; obviously for me being in a wrestling family I always knew about wrestling,” Tremor said.
“When the Wrestle Monster project came up, that was a chance for me to do it properly.
“With me now going overseas, I think it shows people that it is possible to break off the SA scene and get noticed by the bigger companies.”
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.