It’s being described as a first of its kind for Newfoundland and Labrador – a professional wrestling school has opened in St. John’s.
Inside an old warehouse behind the Great Canadian Dollar Store on Topsail Road, the sound of bodies slamming onto the mat of a professional wrestling ring fills the air.
Far East Wrestling first opened its doors last month, giving people of all skill levels and experience a place to train and hone their skills. The ring itself is owned by Carl Hanrahan and his father Carl Hanrahan Senior.
Jon Mallard, one of the people who helps run the facility, calls it a “dream come true.”
He says “it’s for the love of professional wrestling, and not just that – teaching the art of professional wrestling.”
Local wrestlers Andrew Hawk and Dylan Davis are helping to train people at the facility.
Davis, who had the opportunity to wrestle for All Elite Wrestling – one of the largest wrestling promotions in the world – two years ago, says it is an opportunity to “give back” to the new generation.
He calls the school “different from anything that we’ve ever seen here in St. John’s.”
He says the closest thing to it would have been a school run by Sailor White 40 years ago at a Hall in Shea Heights.
Hawk says having the facility will make a difference for up-and-comers.
“If I was a 15 or 16-year-old… starting out, and I had this I’d be over the moon, right. When I started out we had a wrestling ring in a backyard, praying to god it didn’t rain, and even then that was a treat.”