A lightweight fighter feels he's been "bullied" by some in the wrestling community and says he is determined to stop people laughing at him.
Adam Bowler, 36, says he is being picked on due to him being “short and skinny”, reports LeedsLive.
He claims he gets horrible comments because he isn't a stereotypical “big and muscley” wrestler and is getting fed up with it.
The football fan from Leeds, Yorkshire, says many say he shouldn't be in the ring - but is passionate about proving that he is worthy of his place.
He says he is sick and tired of people laughing at him when he tells them he’s a wrestler and refuses to be put off.
Adam said: “Some people were surprised when I started wrestling because I don’t look like a typical wrestler. They’re normally big, muscular and sporty but I don’t look like that kind of wrestler. I look short and skinny.
“I do get bullied a lot, they say I don’t deserve to be there and the way I look. They just laugh.
"They say I’m just too short and not good enough to do wrestling and that I could get hurt.
“There are people shorter than me who do it. Don’t judge a book by its cover, everyone can do what they want if they put their mind to it.”
He has been a part of the wrestling world for over a decade, organising and promoting events, having founded Classic UK Pro Wrestling in 2011.
Wrestling helps control his anger issues, he says and admits: “I am a bit calmer now.
“Years ago, it was all 'Adam’s crazy, he doesn’t deserve to be a fan or a promoter'. All that kind of stuff because I was losing my temper all the time.
“I am going to do it no matter what. I love to do it and it’s a challenge for me.
"I feel like over the years, I’ve been an underdog and I do get beat down quite a bit. I want to build my confidence up.
“It’s upsetting, it does knock me quite a bit mentally with my confidence. But every time I give it a go, it does help.”
Adam says he fights with “basic” wrestler moves, he calls himself a “highflyer” wrestler who does cross-body moves.
This involves throwing himself off the ropes and jumping on his opponent.
He won his first fight in December and is looking forward to his second later this month.
Adam may have "destroyed" his opponent in his last clash but was careful not to let it destroy his friendship with Josh Bradford saying it was “hard to wrestle a friend” as he didn’t want to hurt him too badly.
“He was trying to flip me over but I flipped him over myself and rolled him up and held his legs and arms down” he explained.
