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'I started wrestling as a laugh but now I'm a pro'

Alex McIntyre,West Midlandsand
Lee Blakeman,BBC Radio Stoke
News imageJohnny Jupiter Johnny Jupiter has long blonde hair, a beard, a large tattoo on the right of his bare torso. He is standing up and smiling, with his hands on his hips. He is in front of a black wall.Johnny Jupiter
Johnny Jupiter, who tours with All Star Wrestling, said his job was a "labour of love"

A professional wrestler touring with a UK promotion has described his career as a "labour of love" that was worth the sacrifices he has had to make.

Johnny Jupiter, also known as The Gladiator, started wrestling only a few years ago after someone in the industry suggested he should "give it a go".

Now he is part of All Star Wrestling, one of the country's top promotions, and is currently preparing for the Superslam Showdown event, which takes place at the Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday.

"I love it, it's the best job in the world," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"There is a lot of sacrifice, it's a very demanding job. It's physically demanding but there's also a lot of time on the road - in airports, service stations and in the car.

"It's a labour of love, very much so. I wouldn't still be here if I didn't love it."

News imageJohnny Jupiter Four wrestlers inside a ring. One with his back to us is lifting another in the air around the throat and is about to slam him down. Another man is on the right with both hands raised in the air. A fourth man is slumped over the ropes on the far side. Johnny Jupiter
Johnny Jupiter, pictured lifting his opponent, said he was looking forward to wrestling at Victoria Hall

Jupiter, who named Hulk Hogan among his influences, said he was always into sport – he has done jiu-jitsu, football, rugby, boxing, shot put, discus and power lifting.

He said as he got into his 30s, his interest in those sports started "winding down" but his physical appearance meant he would get a lot of comments from people saying he looked like a wrestler.

"Somebody who was in the job suggested I should give it a go, with my jiu jitsu background," he added.

Jupiter, who is billed at 6ft 4in (194cm) and 266lbs (124kg), said he thought about it and realised he was bigger than characters like WWE's Stone Cold Steve Austin.

"I thought I'd give it a go for a bit of a laugh," he said. "It got really out of hand and a few years later, here I am living on the road as a professional wrestler."

He said it was a "massive honour" to be part of All Star Wrestling, which was founded in 1970 by late promoter Brian Dixon.

News imageJohnny Jupiter Johnny Jupiter has long blonde hair, white war paint on his face and a large tattoo on the right of his bare torso. He also has fur-like bracers on his wrists and black straps on his upper arms. He is baring his teeth in an expression of anger.Johnny Jupiter
Johnny Jupiter said he did not take up wrestling until he was in his 30s

Jupiter, who has family living in Staffordshire, added he was looking forward to the show at the "legendary" Victoria Hall and saw it as a "full-circle homecoming moment".

Despite never performing there before, he said it was viewed as an iconic venue in the country's wrestling scene.

He added: "When you're in the trenches, in the thick of it in a match, and you're getting the snot beaten out of you and you hear the crowd, it's hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck stuff.

"In a hall like that with those acoustics, it brings something out of you that you didn't know you had."

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