Bea Priestley is bright and cheerful even at 9am on a Monday morning. A long way from what fans expect from her. To them she is a hard nosed bad girl, but on the other end of a Skype call is a very confident young woman who is keen to talk to James Truepenny about her past, her influences and her immediate future.
“The battery died in the remote control, and it landed on Raw, I thought it was cool.” Priestly explains as she details what got her started on her wrestling fandom. “Then the next night Chris Jericho was on Smack down getting ready for his steel cage match with Edge, and I just fell in love with Jericho.”
Having grown up in a totally non wrestling household, this was quite a switch for her family to get used to. Priestly moved from fan to participant very quickly. “I badgered my parents to let me do it and they were like ‘No’. At 16 I explained that there was a school I could get to by train, I had a part time job that could pay for everything. So Mum said I could do it, but because they didn’t like it they weren’t going to pay for it. Which was fair enough.”
Priestley began her training at New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling, having spent 18 months training in Wellington, she moved on to Auckland where she would be trained by Travis Banks. Six months into that training stint things came to a halt while Priestley contended with brain surgery on a benign growth. Having to move back home and recover, Priestley began watching a lot more wrestling and took heart from watching TNA’s British Bootcamp series. “It showed that the scene in England was much better and there are so many more opportunities. I am a UK citizen so I didn’t need a work visa, I’ve go family there, I’m not going to get stranded, so then it was like ‘Well bugger it! Why don’t I go?’. Having been born in York and moved to New Zealand at age ten, her dual nationality made this much more of a possibility rather than a pipe dream. It was a mature decision for a 19 year old. “Because I have two older sisters, and having been around older people a lot more, I tend to act towards their age group.
Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Total Wrestling Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Total Wrestling Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Bea Priestley
Bea Priestley is bright and cheerful even at 9am on a Monday morning. A long way from what fans expect from her. To them she is a hard nosed bad girl, but on the other end of a Skype call is a very confident young woman who is keen to talk to James Truepenny about her past, her influences and her immediate future.
Orton V Wyatt
Randy Orton has been one of the faces of WWE since 2004. An enormous star for the entirety of the 2000s and beyond, he has faded into mediocrity over the last two years. A main event program, and a layered story involving Bray Wyatt, has ‘The Viper’ regaining the attention of the WWE Universe. Join Erik Beaston as he investigates Orton’s resurgence, how his current storyline helps him and how it all benefits wrestling’s hottest brand, SmackDown Live.
Jeff Jarrett
In 2002, Jeff Jarrett founded Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling and after being with the company for nearly 11 years left in 2013.
Female Focus Lana Austin
While WWE are having their women’s wrestling resurgence across the pond the UK scene is also seeing a batch of very talented female performers coming through with names such as Nixon Newell, Kay Lee Ray and Viper impressing across the length and breadth of the British isles. One performer whose name should also be mentioned in the same breath as those competitors is Lana Austin.
On the Spot With: Bayley
On the Spot With: Bayley
Thy Kingdom Come New Japan Pro Wrestling in the Tokyo Dome
This coming January 4, “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada of Chaos will make his second defence of his current IWGP title reign against Kenny Omega of Bullet Club’s Elite in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11 at the Tokyo Dome. James Truepenny looks back at what has made that day so special, and why New Japan in The Egg Dome has become synonymous with great matches and big money feuds.
Examining The Face That Runs The Place John Cena
Another classic encounter on his resume, this one a five-star match against AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, John Cena once again reigns atop the sports-entertainment mountain.
Heidi Katrina
Heidi Katrina is a thoroughly modern wrestler, but her mind set is decidedly old school. James Truepenny caught up with her between Dojo sessions for REINA two continents away from home.
Alexis Rose
Alexis Rose is a name you are going to hear a lot more of in 2017.
Cody Rhodes
Since leaving WWE, Cody Rhodes has been a man who’s in hot demand.
