One could be forgiven for thinking local man Elliot Gyaw lives a relatively quiet life outside of his work as an Out of School Hours (OSHC) educator and Education Support Worker (ESW) at Ashley Park Primary School in Doreen.
In reality, the 20-year-old RMIT University student moonlights as “The Fantastic” Jimmy Castle, alongside his tag partner and childhood best friend William Hall, aka Johnny “Thunderbolt” Jetts.
Together, they form the “The Physicals” – a duo of 80s themed professional wrestlers, who enter the ring to Olivia Newton John’s famous 1981 song Physical.
For those who don’t know what professional wrestling is, Mr Gyaw explains that it is more of a performing art form rather than a sport.
“Pro-wrestling is a “predetermined” fight, designed purely to entertain,” he said.
“It covers all genres including realistic, hardcore, storytelling, or comedy … but my genre of pro-wrestling [is] family friendly.”
Speaking to his character, Mr Gyaw said “The Fantastic” Jimmy Castle was someone audiences could ‘really connect to’.
“Wrestling is designed to be an escape, but for many of the fans I speak to at shows, wrestling spouts out into their real lives. Unfortunately, however, the fans in my area barely ever get to see the amazing work that we do,” he said.
Mr Gyaw goes on to explain that professional wrestling was once a well-known local sport in Melbourne during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but has since died down after the art was dropped from Festival Hall and national TV.
The most well-known professional wrestling entertainment today is the American World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which features wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. In Australia, professional wrestling is largely dictated by the lesser known, but steadily growing, Pro Wrestling Australia.
Mr Gyaw stated that wrestlers were working hard to bring the entertainment with its rich history back to life.
“One promotion I work for even has a TV spot on Channel 31,” he said.
Mr Gyaw has been a professional wrestler for a little over a year now, and trains under local wrestling veterans by the ring names of JXT, Big Rig Fox, and Jake Navara at Melton’s wrestling school, The Relentless School of Pro Wrestling.
The school runs a promotion called Mayhem Pro Wrestling, which aims to showcase top level wrestling shows.
Though pro wrestlers can make the act seem effortless, pro wrestling is not for the faint-hearted, Mr Gyaw warns.
“Pro Wrestling can be really challenging at times. It tests both your mental and physical toughness,” he said.
“Despite this, it can also be super rewarding. My favourite kind of shows are the family friendly shows where plenty of kids come along and cheer (or boo) for their favourite wrestlers.”
When asked if pro wrestling hurts, Mr Gyaw responds with a resounding ‘yes!’.
“Being a skinny guy, I spend most days quite sore or recovering from a match,” he said.
“The ring that we wrestle in is made up of wooden boards and a thin mat. And the ropes aren’t ropes at all. They are metal cables wrapped in electrical tape or threaded through a hose. It takes quite a while for your body to get used to the ring.”
Mr Gyaw wrestles three to four times a month, and has wrestled all across Victoria, including Melton, Bacchus Marsh, and Sunbury. However, he states that his all-time favourite place to wrestle is the Pipeworks Market in Thomastown.
“This is because this is the closest wrestling venue I have to my home in Doreen,” he said.
“While speaking to various Melbourne-based wrestling promoters and bookers, I have pushed hard for them to bring wrestling to Doreen, Mernda, and Whittlesea as I believe there is a real market for the sport. Utilising public halls or even school gyms would present a great venue for some local wrestling.”
As an aspiring primary school teacher, Mr Gyaw hopes to inspire young locals to follow their passions – whatever they may be – and invites local kids and adults to try out the entertaining sport.
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