Dowie James is getting pumped for the WestEnd Riot show this Friday. 86487 Picture: MATHEW LYNN
By VANESSA VALENZUELA
DOWIE James had always dreamed of becoming a wrestling superstar.
“It was all I really wanted to do since I was a kid,” Dowie said.
“I would watch it on TV and I thought it was as close as you could get to being a superhero.”
After years of training, the talented Sunshine West resident became part of the Melbourne City Wrestling team.
Dowie will jump into the ring on Friday and show off his moves in a live all-ages wrestling show at Sunshine’s Westend Market Hotel.
The 23-year-old said he enjoyed performing in front of a large crowd of die-hard wrestling fans.
“I get very caught up in the moment. It is a surreal feeling being out there,” he said.
Despite suffering a leg injury in 2011, Dowie said he felt comfortable working alongside other wrestlers in the ring.
“When you’re out there on stage, you don’t feel much,” Dowie said.
“The adrenaline is pumping and people are cheering and you gotta get up and get ready and keep going.”
He said keeping fit and training at least three times a week helped prevent any unwanted injuries on stage.
Dowie has performed internationally and across Australia but he was excited to make his debut performance on the big stage in front of his home town.
Dowie said parents shouldn’t be concerned about the event being too violent for their kids.
“There is nothing too confronting that a child is not going to be able to watch,” he said.
“It is certainly geared toward a family audience.”
The ‘West End Riot’ wrestling show will be held at the Westend Market Hotel on Friday 14 September.
For information visit www.melbournecitywrestling.com.au
