Redman Looks To Strike Gold With The Opening Of New School

They say that every cloud has a silver lining; but, in this case, the cloud that is COVID-19 has a Grey lining.

Joel Redman is the fan favourite for whatever promotion he wrestles for, and he has set his sights on the opening of a new wrestling school to help the new crop of talent in the United Kingdom surpass their potential like he certainly has.The man formerly known as Oliver Grey in his WWE days is set to open the brand ASW South Wrestling Training school, which it is set to take place at the MyGym Health & Fitness centre in Salisbury.

Redman, who has thrived on the UK independent scene and also abroad for All Japan Pro Wrestling since his departure from WWE NXT, initially announced the opening of the school to be at the latter end of March. As expected, the launch of the school was disrupted by the unprecedented global pandemic that is the coronavirus.

The virus has put a worldwide halt to wrestling academies and shows until further notice; however, an optimistic Redman vows that his school will reap the benefits of this break in the sport once things go back to the normality that everyone anticipates.

“I think it will take time for shows to return to normal and a lot of wrestlers will be itching to get back to it, so I think it’s the perfect time to set a school up” claims the 33-year-old.

“There aren’t too many schools in the country, and some are questionable as to their legitimacy.”

His credentials in the industry absolutely speak for themselves. As aforesaid, when wrestling under the ring name of Oliver Grey, Redman became the first ever WWE NXT Tag Team Champion as one half of British Ambition. The Devon-born sensation cited his prevail in capturing the All Star Wrestling Heavyweight Championship as another career high point. However, alongside wrestling, he is now ready to pass on his knowledge of the business to the new crop of talent in the United Kingdom.

“I feel like with fifteen years in the industry, and my time spent in other countries, I am at a stage where I can start to train the next generation of wrestlers.”

Redman’s dedication towards the artform of professional wrestling is evident and, as made clear by his commitment towards the creation of the ASW South Wrestling Training school, it goes beyond just performing in the ring. The former two-time Evolution Wrestling Champion has also been one of the star trainers at the aforementioned company’s training academy in Gloucestershire.

“I’ve always really enjoyed teaching wrestling, so it made sense to open a school” says Redman.

“There’s not a lot of schools in the area so there was a gap in the market. There haven’t been any struggles yet, but it’s early days.”

Redman announced via social media his intentions to train both a beginners and advanced class at the MyGym Health & Fitness centre. Once restrictions are lifted and the location for the school is back up and running, he is charging trainees an inexpensive price of just five pounds per session. This essentially pays for invaluable advice from one of the best technical wrestlers in the country which, in terms of getting started as a pro wrestler, is a priceless experience.

Redman’s phenomenal technical ability stems from his youth. As a young man, he did a lot of judo but soon realised that there was little money to be made in the sport. To stay in the field of grappling whilst trying not to hurt his opponent, Redman transitioned over to professional wrestling and reaped the benefits of competing in the sport of judo prior to training as a pro wrestler.

“I want to start the school on just gym mats, I have a ring sorted but I don’t want trainees to be distracted to begin with.

"I started on just mats and it helped me develop my mat wrestling ability which I feel is fundamental to becoming a good all-round wrestler.”

Within just a couple of weeks of the training school being officially announced, Redman’s private Facebook group for the ASW South Wrestling Training school surpassed 120 keen-to-learn members. Members were greeted with a message from his great personal friend ‘The Vampire Warrior’ Gangrel, who is best known for his work with the WWE and who met Redman on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom.

“We have known each other for around five years now, he comes over every year for the February half-term tour with All Star and we work together a lot in those tours.

"All the wrestling together and all the drives meant be became friends, and he stays with me when he comes over to the UK.”

As COVID-19 continues to put a stoppage to the start of the new wrestling school, Redman’s focus remains solely on staying fit for when the lockdown restrictions are lifted by the government. However, even for someone with Redman’s magnificent physique, it hasn’t been easy to do so.

“As far as staying fit goes, I made a gym in my shed and I train twice a day, it’s just the diet that struggles.

"Without shows to work towards I find dieting very hard, I just love chocolate too much” Redman jokes.

“I’ve never taken time off in the fifteen years I have been working apart from when I was forced to take some time away when I tore my anterior cruciate ligament when with the WWE.

"This lockdown has made me rest up and heal some injuries that I would not have done if the lockdown had not happened.”

As the All Japan Pro Wrestling star takes this time to heal, he sets his sights on what is left to achieve in his young and already decorated career: “There’s a lot that I want to achieve when things get back to normality.

"I definitely want to do more tours of Japan; I really love the culture over there.

"I also want to aim for WWE NXT UK.

"I’m only 33 and I have more years to go.

"If you don’t aim for the top, what’s the point in doing it?”

Despite the coronavirus halting proceedings with the school’s opening, the 33-year old’s sheer passion for the sport of professional wrestling will see the ASW South Wrestling Training school venture become a sure success, mirroring the favourable outcomes of his illustrious career so far.

Thank you to both Wrestleography and Joel Redman for photo permission on all images in this article.

#WWE #NXT #COVID19 #Wrestling #ASW