Irishman Mike Ryan

Height 6' 1"

Weight 130kg

I started wrestling in NZ in the amateur ranks as an Olympic Freestyle Wrestler at the Kilbirnie Wrestling Gym in Wellington, more by accident than desire, being a keen rower and rugby player I knew little about the NZ local wrestling scene, I initially tagged along with a mate who wanted to get back into the sport and he just wanted company when he had to show his face back into the gym.

There I met a young Ricky Rickard and his coach Ron Butts, Ron was a previous gold medallist at the Empire Games, now the Commonwealth Games, Ron became like a second father, but also a great mentor, he also helped get me back on track and off the streets where I was heading for trouble.

Ricky and the other gym members basically gave me nothing but grief, tying me up in knots and pinning me endlessly, being a supposed Jack the Lad around town, I could not get my head around it, and could not understand how these smaller guys were getting the better of me and giving me hiding after hiding, my mate who introduced me fell by the wayside and left the sport again, but I refused to leave until I bested these so called wrestlers, the rest is history, " I never left".

Over the next two years I clicked under Ron Butts and along with Ricky's help I made it into the NZ National Wrestling team twice and toured overseas two years in a row, touring exclusively all around the USA, also competing in the Junior World Champs in Joliet, Chicago, USA.

Although winning local titles, the best memory was winning the NZ 90kg National Title, the gold medal which was presented to me by none other than that great international weight lifter "Precious McKenzie".

I took out the title with a reverse suplex which put my opponent in an ambulance and off to hospital, at the time a great worry, but he pulled through with no permanent spinal injuries and was back on his feet the next day.

Steve Rickard was a gym patron and donated the latest wrestling mats to the club that year, he also bought along the "Iron Sheik" who was on tour in NZ with Steve, he is probably the toughest and strongest man I have ever come across, he was a Greco Roman specialist and also assisted the USA Olympic team as a coach in the off season, under his guidance and training methods backed up by Ron Butts we got 4 members of our club into the NZ team to tour the USA that year.

After my second national tour I returned to NZ broke and as crook as hell, then to top it off I ended up in hospital for a time. Ron Butts had left Wellington while I was away so I was now the head coach and trying also to train myself for the upcoming NZ Champs, trying to keep the club going as far as training was concerned and also recovering from the hospital was too much for a young man of 18, things were a real mess.

Previously I had worked for Steve Rickard as an usher when his promotions were in town for some extra cash, so when he recommended I should change ranks and join Ricky who had also just turned Pro, I had to think long and hard, needing the money and some new direction, I made my mind up and was on my way.

Steve Rickard would have to be the main promoter I have worked for in NZ, I have also worked for Al Hobman, Bruno Bekker, and Bob Crozier. At present I am on contract with KPW, after breaking into the business around the same time as Rip Morgan, it is hard to believe I am now on his roster, Rip has wrestled all around the world and is still highly regarded Internationally, this has been borne out especially on the last two occasions when WWE has arrived in NZ, Rip has on both occasions been the only NZ promoter to be given the job of bringing local talent to WWE for them to have a look at, the experience he brings to KPW is immense. One issue that I see holding some great potential NZ talent back is not listening to sound advice from those that have done the hard yards, especially Rip, whether this be hitting the gym harder or taking sound advice on mat work etc, some local talent have missed out on once in a lifetime opportunities, the old story about putting an old head on young shoulders comes to mind.

The question regarding the number of matches I have had would leave me unable to remember or count, in the old days you sometimes wrestled 6 or 7 times a week, both here and overseas, driving or flying to the next town or city, you either got on with it, toughened up, kept training, whether injured or not, and stopped complaining or you fell by the wayside with a broken down mind and body.

Some of the local wrestlers I have fought who rate a special mention would be Merv Fortune, "a real tough individual”, Sam Bartrum and Rob McColl, both gentleman and very scientific. Rob's father was as tough as old boots and a semi-pro from that great era in the 50’s and 60’s, a great mentor and friend. Ken Miller was another great inspiration, he is I believe still the only person from NZ to hold a heavyweight boxing and wrestling title at the same time in New Zealand. Bruno Bekker, Cliff Condron, and of course Al Hobman, a very strong and dedicated wrestler.

Coming from the amateur ranks I ended up being nicknamed “Crowbar” by several Pro wrestlers, a name that still sticks today. This is mainly because I give no quarter, I have probably unintentionally hurt more opponents than I have meant to. Even today I take my early Olympic style wrestling skills into the ring, Ron Butts ingrained into me to “train as you want to fight”.

Butch and Luke from the BushWackers were heading overseas not long after I broke into the business so we only toured NZ on the same roster when they were back over here on their off seasons, they really put NZ wrestling on the world stage and were on top of the world for many years, not many people are aware that Rip wrestled worldwide with Butch and Luke off and on for a few years when he first broke into the big time in the USA.

The number of overseas wrestlers is also endless, but certain individuals stick in your mind, not because they were the best but because they strike a cord somewhere. Steve Rickard always knew how to push my buttons so I was always wired up and as rough as hell when I got in the ring. I fought Joe Le Duc in his first match in New Zealand at Wellington. I was told he was just getting over a heart operation and he had a scar from neck to waist to prove it. I was warned to take it easy as he got mad as hell when he was pushed and wound up. I knew was in trouble the instant I drop kicked him on the chin and gave him a bit of a kicking, he got straight up with eyes like saucers, he was like an enraged bull, needless to say he won shortly after.

The sight of Andre the Giant screaming and yelling at me while running down the aisle to the ring one night in New Plymouth was a sight to see, ( his idea of a joke ), I had just given an opponent an intense and bruising night to remember. I thought I was done for; he leapt over the top rope, picked me up and carried me around the ring above his head with one hand, much to the delight of the capacity crowd. Andre's sudden death was a shock to many of us, despite his giant size, he was really down to earth and a real hard case.

Being splashed by Giant Haystacks (the same size as Andre, at the time they were both on tour in New Zealand ), was also a painful night. We were the last two in the ring at Invercargill after a big Battle Royal, once again I over stepped the mark and paid the price.

You had to be physically and also mentally tough when on the road, the ribbing and jokes etc played on each other were merciless, Giant Zulu was one person that should never have stepped foot in New Zealand, he was dealing with lots of personal demons at the time and eventually got fired by Steve. For some reason we clashed from the time we met, in and out of the ring. One tour I got kicked out of two hotels in a row because of him, ( or more than likely myself as well ) one in New Zealand and the other in Singapore, basically just to keep us apart. The final nail in the coffin was me sneaking a large dead black scorpion into his gear bag in a change room in Kuala Lumpur, this pushed him over the edge and he was one angry man.

Some Australian wrestlers who I crossed paths with also stir a memory or two. First up would of course be Larry O’Day and Ron Miller, ( a real gentleman ) at one time they were a great tag team here and all around the world. Sadly, Larry passed away a few years ago. Steve ‘Crusher’ Rackman was another tough individual, eventually going on to Crocodile Dundee fame. Kid Hardy was a real character, still wrestling in Aussie I believe, Casey Millar came in once that I can recall, he had a few anger issues but that’s the nature of the business.

Some other international wrestlers that all fans may remember were Mark Lewin, Rick Martel, Butcher Brannigan, Mad Dog Martin, Mr Tanaka and Mr Fuji, Jack Claybourne and Ox Baker, a chain match with Ox in Wellington was interesting to say the least. I learnt heaps of all of these wrestlers.

Some of the best New Zealand memories I have from being involved in the business, is being part of the great era of Pro Wrestling with the big names and the bigger egos; being part of ‘On the Mat’ and also ‘The Main Event’, both New Zealand television series that had a big following here and overseas, and more recently 'KPW Off the Ropes'. Some of the most memorable events would be on the receiving end of a big riot in Singapore, all of us heels were locked down in the change room after Steve Rickard put a chair over the local hero and took the match. Hundreds of rioters eventually set fire to the arena which got the local Police and Fire Service involved. Steve was basically unconscious on his feet, Larry O’Day had been bottled and had a major stomach wound. The Police quelled the riot and we got an armed escort out. Another time was in Indonesia, a local promoter in Satar decided he wanted all the takings, so we were run out of town by gunpoint with no pay. We were grateful to be getting out alive; life at the time was very cheap there.

One individual ringside that I have had the pleasure to have had many dealings with and who has done more for wrestling in NZ than any other is Dave Cameron from Auckland, what he does not know about Wrestling and also Boxing in this country, actually, as a matter of fact also around the world is not woth mentioning, a real gentleman who has worked tirelessly promoting both sports with his numerous articles over the years, his museum in Auckland is a treasure trove and a true credit to all his hard work from the day he published his first article. He hopes to have a book published in 2011 about the complete history of boxing in NZ, keep an eye out for it, it will be worth getting a copy and will be great reading.

I am near the end of my run but still have a few good matches in me. What I lack in speed, I make up with passion and good training. The injuries take longer to heal and the gym seems colder and the weights a bit heavier; but good work ethic gets you through. Some advice I would give to anyone wanting to get in to this business is this; train hard, bulk up and get that size and padding onto your frame, it will absorb the bumps and bruises. I packed on around 40kg when I joined the Pro ranks; I climbed from a top amateur weight of 90kg to an average around 130kg. This put me in good stead and I am still wrestling 30 years on. The list of injuries are there of course; the broken bones, the aches and pains, but my bulk has kept me from serious harm.

I look back and remember some great times and some real characters that if not for wrestling I would never have met. There are few I wish I had not ever crossed paths with, but in saying that life is like that everywhere ! At this stage my farm is taking up more and more time and keeping me busy, that is my excuse for winding down. The hunting and fishing are becoming more attractive to me than being in the ring. I know more than anyone that the sun is setting on my era in the ring, the near future may very well see me in settling in County Mayo, Ireland, back to the family roots and where many of the family are still doing what they do best. – time will tell.