Retaining Up With The Indies is an ongoing collection that explores the truth, challenges, and triumphs of unbiased wrestling via in-depth interviews.
An opportunity encounter after ending college sparked what has grow to be a profession in professional wrestling spanning greater than a decade.
Wesley Nsereko has navigated the difficult waters of wrestling coaching, occurring to star within the BBC reboot of the favored Nineteen Nineties TV present “Gladiators” and discover his ft within the ring.
The Ugandan-born Yorkshireman defined how he discovered himself within the wrestling trade, saying: “I used to be at all times a fan as a child. After I graduated college in Leeds, I bumped right into a buddy of a buddy who noticed me with a wrestling t-shirt on. He needed somebody to go wrestling coaching with him, so I went. I’ve simply caught to it ever since.”
He added: “I at all times needed to do it, I used to be fairly shy rising up and by no means had the arrogance to go for it.”
He recalled having the sensation of “simply going for it” – taking the plunge that sparked a profession in professional wrestling.
Nsereko mentioned: “I used to be really born in Uganda, shifting over right here at 9 or 10 years outdated. I bear in mind seeing Kamala the Ugandan Large on WWF. I’d like to be a fly on the wall to see what the younger me considered it.
“It’s attention-grabbing that there’s that illustration, although he was from Mississippi, it was like, ‘Oh, there’s somebody from Uganda’. I spotted he wasn’t from Uganda in a short time, nevertheless it was good to have that illustration.”
Nsereko mentioned it will be one thing of an aspiration to see his identify in the identical lineage because the “Ugandan Large.”
Profession-Altering “Gladiators” Look
An viewers of six million individuals tuned into the premiere of the revived ‘Gladiators’, a present that pitted members of the general public in opposition to a brand new swath of athletes like “Large” and “Legend” in bodily challenges. Nsereko reached the grand ultimate of the present in 2024.
He mentioned: “It was unreal. I’ve good reminiscences, they have been simply lengthy days. When the lights and the cameras are able to go, it’s important to be able to go, similar to wrestling I might say. I’ve that little bit of a bonus there.”
His WWE tryout gave him a style of wrestling within the “massive leagues,” whereas the “limelight” from showing on nationwide tv reaffirmed that want.
“I feel it was one of many semi-finals. I had a little bit of a limp, and as I used to be strolling previous the gang, a bit of “Wesley” chant began from one aspect of the gang. I bear in mind pondering, ‘I used to be born to do that’, little moments like that made me need to dive correctly into wrestling,” he mentioned.
It was nearly an ideal storm for Nsereko, as he sealed his spot on the TV present as he was recovering from an ankle harm.
He recalled: “After they known as me, it was throughout my relaxation interval. The weekend they needed me, I used to be really occurring vacation. So, it fell completely. In the event that they known as me every week early, I might have simply harm my ankle and never been capable of do it, if that they had known as me every week later, I might have been on vacation. The tryout was in Manchester, I used to be flying from Manchester airport. All the pieces simply aligned completely.”
Nsereko desires to show extra households into wrestling followers off the again of the notoriety he gained throughout “Gladiators.”
Trials and Tribulations
The aspect of wrestling most followers is the glitz and glamour, the intense lights and flashy leisure. Nonetheless, working within the trade comes with its hardships.
Nsereko mentioned: “There’s so many [challenges], it’s so powerful at occasions. Beginning out, it’s making an attempt to afford it. You don’t receives a commission that a lot, and you might be continuously paying out at first. It most likely took three, 4, 5 years earlier than I used to be breaking even.
“I feel I missed everybody’s birthdays, weddings I’d be fortunate if I made it to the occasion. And it’s unhappy to say, however generally you miss funerals, particularly in the event you’ve acquired fairly a giant household. So, these sacrifices are very powerful.
“After I began out, I believed I used to be simply one other cog within the machine. I believed I’d by no means be the draw or the primary occasion, or the point of interest on a poster. It’s nonetheless a bit of surreal each time I see an image of me [on a poster]. It’s an excellent feeling.”
Nsereko described being champion at TrueGrit Wrestling because the “spotlight” of his profession. “It’s enjoyable to be part of one thing the place you’ll be able to see it’s rising month after month,” he mentioned.
Holding a full-time workplace job alongside his ever-growing profession in wrestling is a troublesome act to stability.
He mentioned: “At occasions, that’s the toughest factor. All of us have unhealthy days, all of us have private points that pop up, however wrestling has no low season. It’s powerful, however I really like that problem.”
A Future That’s Wanting Vibrant
Off the again of his new-found nationwide fame, Nsereko is popping his consideration to propelling his wrestling profession to the subsequent stage.
“You make that acutely aware determination, each wrestler I do know has gone via it, you resolve to sacrifice your social life, go to as many promotions as you’ll be able to and get your identify on the market. Whereas “Gladiators” was on, I made that call. I’ve simply been saying “sure” to all the things,” he mentioned.
The years of tirelessly engaged on the unbiased scene, working his manner up the totem pole, have begun to repay for Wesley Nsereko. The success of his “Gladiators” appearances, performing in entrance of a median TV viewers of eight million, has centered his consideration on climbing these ranks even additional within the years to return.