THE IRISH TIMES Wednesday,July 15 ,2020 Sports 25 Wrestling Interview Anene has sights on top rung of wrestling world ■ Justin Anene at the Fight Factory in the East Wall and, right, Irish wrestler Sheamus performs at the 3Arena in Dublin:PHOTOGRAPHS: NICK BRADSHAW,INPHO whereheactedlikehe hadgoneoveron his Johnny Watterson leg and hurt himself. He wasn’t hurt at all but was limping around the ring. Competing professionally “The crowd were like ‘oh shit it’s his leg. It’s actually hurt’. They are convinced my since the age of 14 the leg is injured. But I’m determined to keep going. Now the guyistaking lumps out of Dubliner has ambitions my injured leg. He’s beatingdown my leg, to go all the way beating down my leg. Theneventually I come back and win and the wholecrowd have just lost it. Like oh my God he’s just won and his leg is gone. ou’ve reallygot to see Dr of “It’s not likeyou everhave to do acting Thuganomics, John Cena, flipthe to be awrestler.But there is an acting Killswitch. It’s his trademark aspect likewhen you are doing your Ymove, aside release Spin-out promos and when you are talkingtothe Powerbomb. Or former US marine Randy microphoneortalkingtothe camera.It Orton, theApex Predator. His Gutwrench can be nerve-racking sometimes. But you Elevated Neckbreaker, it’s abeautifully just have to get it done. It’s part of the choreographed piece of violence. business. If you don’t have good wrestling Bothnow franchises in their own right, ability and don’t have good talking skills in it was Cenaand Orton who opened the front of crowds then that’swhen youwill eyes of Justin Anene to the eyeliner end of fail.” sport, Wrestlemania and Smackdowns, a He can go to the top rope and leap onto world of ham acting and clothes-lining, a an opponent or an opponent can hurl world the teenageDubliner hopes to one himself through the air at him. Either way day successfully body slam. there’soften apricetopay at the end witha At 16-years-old, Anene, in the landof toll of injuries and concussions. Careful muscle and make believe, talks like atop body management and ice baths are part rope veteran. Already aprofessional he is of the contract. paid to do shows around Ireland. It’s his careernow outside of school but the future ‘Painisveryreal’ he sees for himself is much bigger than Iwatched it on TV all the time and I’d “Getting slammed on the ground is very parish halls and community gyms. painful,” he says. “The pain is very real but Gripped when he first set eyes on the go to the live shows in the 3Arena. the concept is fake as people would call it.” spangled pantomime from his sitting Seeing it live with the lights and the It’s along road and Anene is young. But room, it was initially the World Wrestling ‘‘ there’snohead-long rush. He’s plotting Federation (WWF) that fedthe habit.It loud music. Idon’t know what it was. his way. It’snot all about getting intoone was magic to achild, the flying bodies and There was something about it that of the big franchises in the UK or Japan or hair pulling, the music and ring capers made me want to do it so bad. America, although that’s what he dreams with full fan participation. of doing. Later in ajolt of self-realisation the He explains thatit’s moreabout WWFbecameWorldWrestling Entertain- becoming avalued wrestling asset. He ment(WWE). The linesless blurred, it was the ropes. It can go very well and you lose, the fansbuy intothe character and he is withRock Shandy and plan a12-minute Ireland, they get the crowds in. There are thinks he’ll play the young guy for the next aspectacle of sports entertainment, men or, it can go reallybadly and you win.For capableenough to credibly run withthe match where me and my tag partner win. no age-group matches and straight away few years. At 16 that requires no acting and and women in make-up and agreed that you have to believe. It’s not about narrative, they book him into shows. We call it goingover on them. We win. “Daniels” was put in against adults. His there are currently no new young guys scripts. believing in wrestling or not believing in Those shows fill Dublin’s 3Arena. They That’s how wrestling works.” second match was against Ciarán, a hanging up their briefs in the Fight Thuganomics and Predator werethe wrestling. It is about believing in what sell out the 2,200-seat NationalStadium He began his career as the villain. But a 31-year-old more than twice his age. Now Factory. “Right now I’m happy with my constant narrativesthat ran through wrestling is. It’s believing in achoreo- and the adjacent Ringside Club. But there meeting withWWE tagteam champion he’ssetonmaking wrestling hiscareerand progress,” he says. “ButIwanttoget Anene’s early years. What it was that drew graphed, predetermined pageant. are always higher rungs to climb. Paul London,aka El Gran Luchadore, he’sworking the crowd as the young,new better. Itrulybelieve Iwill getbetter. him in he doesn’t yet fully understand. But There is NXT UK, the United Kingdom- famous for high-risk offensive stunts kidonthe block, wide-eyed and innocent. WhenIwas 15 Iwas thinking ‘Jesus I’m not he got it. He got what it was about. He got Americanscene based brand of the cashcow WWE,which including signature moves the 450 Splash It plays well with the fans. getting better.’Then I’m looking back and the razzmatazz attraction. He got the “Most people grow out of watching is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Suicide Dive, convincedhim that “In OTT I’ve lost three times in arow. my God I’vegot so much better. My wres- storylines. He got the tight trunks, the dull wrestling. But Inever grew out of it,” he and in 2019 generated revenue of working hard to be the loved protagonist But I’velost becauseI’m the new lad. I’m tling ability,small things that fans thuds and the histrionics. says. “I just kept watching. My whole life. I $960.4 million. There is abig Japanese was abetter route starting off. the young lad.Sowrestling an adult it wouldn’t knowlikepositioning and even All of it was enough to blowaway a watched it on TV all the time and I’d go to franchise, NJPW. wouldn’t make sense for me to win. But be- how you get up. Iget slammed to the 13-year-old “chubby kid” who was “always the live shows in the 3Arena. Seeing it live “It’s amix of sport and entertainment. ‘Clickedwithme’ cause I’m young the crowd havesomuch ground, you have to get up to your right. insecure about my weight”, hit the gym withthe lights and the loudmusic.Idon’t That’s what it’s classed as,” says Anene. “He was saying ‘I don’t like guys starting sympathyfor me. Theywantmetowin so Wrestling in front of alive crowd Iwas and acquire astage name. Anene was too know what it was. There was something “For instance if I’m wrestling with Fight out to be bad guysbecause it’ssomuch bad. You plan the match to tell astory. nervous. But now I’m more calm.” exotic, not catchy. It didn’t take long for about it that made me want to do it so bad. Factory the promoterisPhil Boyd or if I’m more easier to get hate than to be loved.’ “You know it’s like I’m up on him, I’m up Covid-19 has effectivelydimmed the JustinDaniels to be born. From atelevi- “I had posters and T-shirts and figures wrestlingwith OTT the promoter is Joe Thatjust clicked withme. So IsaidI’m not on him, I’m about to win and Iget cut off lights and unplugged the mics. But the sion fantasy to flying across the canvas for and stuff. It was the American scene. Cabray. going to take the easy way and became a andIlose. You are giving them hope and gumshields,spandex and kneepads are on money, Anene aka Daniels had his first There has been an Irish wrestling scene “They would have abig meeting with all goodguy. I’m agood guy now.I’m one of then you just cut it off. They feel bad for standby in the fabulousworldofthe competitiveprofessionalwrestling match for years. But it’s only startingtoget the wrestlersbefore the event.They’ll be the biggest goodguys there is now. You me. So when Ieventually do win they will Mushroom Stomp, Spinning Heel Kick, at 14 against one of his best friends. exposure now.” like ‘look this is where we want this to go’. need to relate to the fans. You need to be ‘oh my God he won.’ You know the story Frankensteiner and Frog Splash. “It ended up going really, really, really Anene trains in the Fight Factory in They might say ‘okay Justin we want you to makethem smile.Ifyou can’t put asmile line but the fans don’t.” Fakingisaserious business in the well,”he says.“Iwas theheel [villain]. Iwas Dublin’s North Wall, aprofessional eventually become tag team champions on their face, why should they cheer for He says it’s about the drama that un- “Glam Rock” end of the sportingspec- the 14-year-old bad guy. Ilost. Winning wrestling training school. An independ- with your tag partner [Big Rab] so tonight you?” foldsand the way the wrestlerstell it.