It’s going to be a busy few weeks for Hastings wrestling boss Stu Allen and his wife Tarnya.

This weekend they head across to Kent to stage one of EWW’s renowned academy shows which showcases the young wrestling talent that trains every week in Stu’s wrestling academies now based not just in Hastings but in Medway and Maidstone too.

Then in October EWW celebrates 20 years with its biggest show ever  in Sussex Coast College on October 27th.

“We’re going to make that one very special and we’ve got some really big names on the bill,” says Stu.

But first there is the show in Maidstone this weekend that follows the successful formula which saw a capacity audience enjoy a fantastic night’s entertainment in Battle Memorial Hall at the end of June.

“We’ve go so many people coming to train with us that we need to put on additional shows to give them the chance to show what they can do in front of a live audience. This weekend’s event will be the first show we have staged outside Sussex since 2009,” says Stu.

The academy shows provide those with genuine talent the chance to shine and to go on and put their skills on display in front of a bigger audience. Lupo Leigh who won the 20-man ‘Royal Rumble’ in Battle earlier in the summer will be out their taking on a top level opponent at the 20th anniversary show in October.

“We’ve got some of the biggest names from all over Europe coming in October,” says Stu.

Sweet Saraya will be there along with Rowdy Ricky Knight and Thunder. Kelly Sixx who has a very successful career in Japan is another name that fans will know well and Stu is excited about the prospect of Priscilla Queen of the Ring taking part in one of his shows.

He says: “He is the only wrestler I know who does three costume changes during the bout and he does a full Lady Gaga act with a three minute entrance piece, it’s going to be epic.”

The popularity of wrestling has been on the rise for some time now which is why Stu’s EWW promotion now has three academies running across the south east, “We’ve got so many people want to come and train with us it’s just not possible to put them all in to one show which is why we are adding other shows to try people out.”

Stu says that a smaller audience can be a real test and is often more intimidating than a larger crowd. He says that while most people who come to train with him want to go on and compete in front of an audience there are those who are happy just to do the training with no real desire to take things any further.

With wrestling now back on ITV on a Saturday afternoon does Stu expect there to be an upsurge in interest? He’s adopting a wait and see approach: “It’s a 12 week series and it remains to be seen what it will do but it has to be good for us if we have more people wanting to come to our shows and more people wanting to come and train at our schools.”

• Read more about Lupo Lee…
• https://hastingsinfocus.co.uk/2018/06/06/the-arrogant-street-punk-with-his-eye-on-the-long-term-prize/
• Read the report and see the pictures from the previous EWW academy event in Battle earlier this summer…
• https://hastingsinfocus.co.uk/2018/07/03/daring-to-be-the-best-a-night-of-battling-action-in-battle/