By Alesha Capone
Professional wrestler Andy Phoenix is expecting to win when he faces off against Dowie James in Werribee next month.
Phoenix, who lives in Brimbank, will fight a grudge match against James at the event, presented by Showdown Wrestling.
“I’m anticipating I’m going to win,” Phoenix said. “What I enjoy most about wrestling is the competition, the adrenaline, the almost elite performance aspect of it.”
Phoenix said his interest in wrestling began when he was growing up in Ireland, and he would watch the sport on television with his family.
He trained under WWE superstar Finn Ballor in Ireland, and at the Fight Factory, which was founded by Fergal Devitt and Paul Tracey from the New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Nowadays, Phoenix spends up to 2.5 hours in the gym, six days a week, plus an additional six hours per week training in wrestling.
Phoenix said professional wrestling was growing in popularity across the world, and that Showdown Wrestling was doing a fantastic job of bringing famous wrestlers to compete in Melbourne’s west.
“I’ve worked for a lot of different companies in Melbourne and Australia, and they are doing so great and trying to bring great wrestling back to Werribee,” he said.
Showdown Presents: Escalation will be held on Saturday, November 2, at the Italian Sports Club Of Werribee. Doors open at 6.30pm, action starts at 7.30pm. Tickets: adults $20, kids (under 16) $15. Book: bit.ly/32EBMRD
