Teenage wrestler ready to rumble in hometown debut

Jay Oliver, from South Shields, is set to star in LDN Wrestling at the Customs House tomorrow.

The 19-year-old, a former South Shields Community School pupil, has dreamed of becoming a wrestler since he was just three-years-old and says he can’t wait to make his debut at the Mill Dam theatre, in South Shields.

Jay, who studied music at South Tyneside College, said: “I started training about five years ago and have been wrestling professionally for the last four, but this is my first show with LDN and my first time at the Customs House too.

“Ever since I was three-years-old I’ve been obsessed with it, I got into by watching WWF and things like that.

“I used to always point at the telly and tell my mam, Julie Dunn, that that’s what I was going to do, and she never believed me, because it’s not the sort of thing you would believe.

“I loved it because it was just so different and out there and entertaining. They were like super heroes and something I’d never seen before in my life and I wanted to be like them and entertain thousands of people the way they did.”

Jay, from Whiteleas, said that wrestling was a little more than he’d bargained for when he first started training.

He said: “It was a lot harder than I’d thought it would be, it’s really physically demanding, and I’ve had a few injuries.

“I had a suspected broken neck once but it wasn’t that serious in the end.

“I’m really excited about performing at the Customs House for the first time.

“My friends and family will be coming along to watch and that actually makes me less nervous.

“When I know there are people I know in the audience it makes me want to put on a better show and it’s definitely one for all the family.”

Tickets for the 7.45pm show cost £15 with a £12 concession, or £45 for a family.

To book, go to www.customshouse.co.uk or call the box office on 0191 454 1234.