The Grappling Times MAJIK SPEAKS: Just a few weeks after there. Although one of the best out there today, getting back from America where he got the there were still things he found hard to do chance to impress OVW and WWE officials, during the start of his training. Majik has joined forces with his favourite “Hmmm – that’s a difficult one. I would wrestling publication to talk exclusively about say fluidity of movement within the ring. I’d like his time in wrestling as well as his recent trip to to think some other wrestlers would agree too. America. Learning moves is one thing, but putting them Like many others of his age Majik was into practice in a well structured and smooth first tempted into the ring listening to Kent attack is a different thing altogether.” Walton while watching World of Sport. It would take some time for Majik to “I grew up like most others tuning into now count all of his matches, but he can still World of Sport with my Nan on a Saturday remember the first time the phone rang with a afternoon. I was a bit young to totally booking coming out of it. comprehend the sport, but I loved the action on “Ha ha – only just! I got a call from my screen. As I got older, American wrestling Andre saying they were a man short for a show arrived late at night. My brother would taunt me in Tunbridge, and could I be down there in two that he was allowed to stay up and watch it hours? I jumped in my little Beetle and nearly whilst I wasn’t Eventually, whilst staying round killed the poor thing screaming down the my Nan’s, she relented and we were both motorway at 90. I arrived to the show 15 allowed to stay up to watch the American minutes off starting, at which point I am Wrestling. I remember Ultimate Warrior come informed I was in a three man tournament with running out – the first superstar from across the Kev McCulloch and Jon Ryan! If any of the water I had seen, and I was instantly hooked. readers have seen these two, they know they Looking back, it was a wonderful time for are extremely no nonsense and awesome wrestling for me. I believed absolutely wrestlers. And here was I – the new guy on the everything I saw on the screen; my friends and scene, wet behind the ears. Kev stretched me I would almost come to blows on whether around the ring for about seven minutes, then Ultimate Warrior could beat Hogan, whether took pity on me and slapped on a Texas the Mountie really was Canadian, whether Jake Cloverleaf which I was forced to tap out to. I the Snake was the most evil man on limped backstage, and ten minutes later was earth…great days!” looking across the ring at a very angry Jon When it became time for Majik to Ryan, which isn’t the prettiest sight! Bear in decide to give it ago there really wasn’t mind that Tunbridge was basically a tiny little anywhere else apart from Hammerlock to learn, room at the back of a huge hall that we were a place where he still is today. performing in – and there must have been “Hammerlock always advertised in maybe 50 people there, ten of whom were wrestling mags so when I made the decision to Tank’s football buddies. Jon and I had a good “have a go” at the sport I so loved, Hammerlock hard wrestling match that eventually broke were the only place for me to go. I knew down into a ringside brawl. I turned to get back nothing about the British scene, and had only in the ring before the count out, and WHAM!!! seen one show since the great fall in the Jon chinned me with an awesome right hook nineties, but the moment I walked in to which sent me crashing into Tank’s buddies. At Hammerlock, their professionalism and this point I could see the whole place crumbling atmosphere kept me there, and still does!” into a mass brawl, so I launched myself forward He started on the same day as his and butted Jon on the cheek to get him off me best friend (Psycho) Steve, someone who is and then laid into hi myself. We exchanged still his close friend and wrestling colleague HARD punches all the way to the back. I today. suffered two black eyes, a cracked cheekbone “Steve is my running buddy through and my jaw wasn’t right for a week, but Tank’s thick and thin. We have our disagreements like buddies went absolutely crazy for both me and anyone else, but I’m always there for him and Jon when we separately went out for the vice versa. We’ve been in some close calls, the rumble at the end! We launched ourselves at two of us, whilst we’ve been touring. At the end each other in the rumble and brawled again, as of the day, I don’t think I could have done it the crowd had now joined Tank’s buddies in without Steve being there – supporting, tearing the house down for the two of us suffering and nursing bruises at the same time leathering each other as hard as we could. as me.” Needless to say I enjoyed every second of it, They say that down in Kent the but I felt like I had been hit by a car for about a Hammerlock gym is nothing to look at and it is fortnight.” what is learnt inside that is important, but Majik There are many wrestlers that find it had something else on his mind the first time hard to go to America and work them at their he stepped through the door. own game, they are not the same as us in the “Good god, these are some big boys!” wrestling department, but after several trips to There are those that can get in the America Majik knows just where to stand. ring and seem to have been taught to wrestle in “I get them to adapt to me. I’m an a previous life, there are then those that really adaptable wrestler, but I wouldn’t expect an just don’t have it, although the heart maybe American wrestler to come over here and Issue 6 1/12 March 2003 The Grappling Times wrestle British style, so why should I do the challenges, and still hold the title to this day, same? As a British trained wrestler, I consider despite losing it for a while to Paul Vault. I’d be myself representing the style and so show it off interested to see if I am the longest title holder wherever I can. Some people may claim I am in recent times.” one of the more Americanised wrestlers over Like many wrestlers, Majik has had an here, but I would disagree – I’m certainly one of uphill battle to gain weight, it has taken years of the more outlandish vocally, but my wrestling trying, diets and work out regimes but finally style is derived from 100 percent British Majik has made the decision to put on some training.” weight and it is finally working. A couple of years ago Hammerlock “I walked in to the Hammerlock gym at got one of the biggest breaks in recent 9 stone! I’m now 13 stone 5 pounds, once I put wrestling history with the Trans Atlantic the weight back on I lost in the USA. It was Challenge being aired on all but two regions of unbelievably hard, but it was worth all the pain the ITV network, Majik was asked to take part without a doubt. I was in the same boat as a lot in that. of my trainees, and other wrestlers around the “It was a blur. I could not believe that world – I thought I just couldn’t put on weight – Andre had so much faith in me to put me on the it wasn’t my body style. Then I made a decision first terrestrially broadcast Wrestling program in last September to break the cycle and get a decade! I absolutely worked my arse off on some meat on my bones. At this point I was 11 that programme, and suffered for it. It wasn’t to and a half stones. I kid you not – I spent the some people’s tastes, but that’s life. Wrestling next six months getting up at 7am to eat a is like ice cream – there’s a lot of different massive breakfast, protein shakes and pack my flavours. If I offer you rum and raisin and you food for work. Three meals and three protein don’t like it, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it just shakes whilst at work, straight into the gym for means it’s not your flavour. I’ve been using this a personally designed training regime then analogy a lot recently for various reasons…” home for some more food, a snack about eight While we may have some of the best o clock and then a protein shake as I get in wrestlers in the world, the Americans seem to bed. And repeat for six months. All the time, have the talkers, but one British wrestler that drinking between four and seven litres of water can use the microphone and really get the fans a day, vitamins at specific points during the into a match is Majik.