DISCLAIMER: I do not know how well this will be received, but here goes nothing. By no means do I consider myself to be the best wrestler out there and I understand if people think I’m being egocentric by profiling my own “career”, the career of a wrestler unbeknownst to the majority of Scottish wrestling (some might even dispute me calling myself a wrestler lol), but I may as well use my OSWtv column for something I hope will be a decent read. This will be a brief, multi-part retrospective regarding my journey so far, starting from the very beginning, before there was Smith…
I would say my wrestling journey officially started in March 2009. I found out about SWE (Scottish Wrestling Entertainment) after reading the results section from one of their Dundee-based live events in an old issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated. I conducted further research and found that they were based in Blairgowrie, so I decided to head along. I had been to one-off classes at NZWPW, All Star and W3L, but decided to give SWE a go.
Not having a car at the time meant reliance on public transport, i.e. the number 57 Dundee to Blairgowrie Stagecoach bus (yes, I have found myself subject to taking the peasant wagon on occasions!). It is on this bus where I discovered that the road from Alyth to Blairgowrie is more like a rollercoaster and on the way home, often found the bus to be occupied by drunks on their merry way to Dundee. The fun of it all.
The training itself took place at SWE’s old training facility on Welton Road. With how open the wrestling business is these days, it is easy for someone to walk through the door and think they know everything. To be honest, I felt like I was one of those guys, with my pre-prepared characters, finishing moves and idea of what wrestling is.
This attitude was eventually stamped out when Welsh wrestler Matt Vaughn hosted a series of seminars, who put me through a fair amount physically and mentally, but there is no doubt this was the best thing for me and my development. I can understand if Matt wasn’t too keen on me, but I have a great amount of respect for him, as well as Darren T Goss, who is to this day a great help to me and not afraid to be painfully honest with me.
Around August 2009, I decided to take a backseat from training before coming back a month later. After then, I started to develop more confidence in the ring and get a better grasp of fundamentals. I also passed my driving test, taking my Ford KA up and down Coupar Angus Road when I got the chance and occasionally getting caught up in abrupt snowfall on the way home! An early Christmas present from the boss was my first match at a family and friends show at the SWE training facility, which also saw unofficial debuts for the likes of Ian Ambrose and a young Darren Blair. I had no proper ring attire at the time, something I regret not investing in, but the match went okay and will remain in the memories of those in attendance at the -5 °C training building.
It was nice to know that after initial struggles, things were looking up and if I put in enough graft, then perhaps I would be able to wrestle on actual SWE shows. 2009 was my first year of being regularly involved in wrestling and I wanted nothing more than to advance further.
– Lucian Maynard-Smith
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