Kilkenny holds a special place in the history of Irish wrestling.
I recall vividly the Ormonde Hotel hosting an Irish Whip Wrestling Show back in 2006, featuring none other than Sheamus O’Shaunnessey, known today as the former WWE World Champion Sheamus. Irish Whip Wrestling brought over numerous international stars, including El Generico, who later headlined Wrestlemania 39 as Sami Zayn. I remember witnessing Zayn defeat Tracey Smothers, Mad Man Manson, and Lupin Matsutani at the Carlton Ballroom in Kilkenny.
On that memorable night, I also witnessed the debut of a wrestler from Kilkenny, Conor Hurley. Dressed in Black and Amber, Conor, a trainee of the Irish Whip Wrestling School in Baldoyle, was embraced as the hometown hero. He teamed up with Bingo Ballance to defeat the formidable duo of the Ballymun Bruiser and LA Warren. Conor’s stature was further enhanced in my eyes when World Kickboxing Champion and my own former karate teacher Paul Cummins appeared in his corner. It was this day in 2007 that I realized if I wanted, I could be a wrestler too.
In 2008, at the age of 18, I would wrap up my duties as a bouncer at 4 am, catch an 8 am bus to Dublin, hop on the dart, and walk to an industrial estate in Dublin to train for four hours. Eventually, I began participating in various shows around Ireland, clad in my pink-lightning spandex, before life took its toll, and I relinquished my wrestling aspirations, leaving a booking in England unfulfilled.
Then came a turning point. Irish wrestlers started making waves on television, with Becky Lynch and Finn Balor joining the ranks of WWE superstars like Sheamus and Fit Finley. This coincided with the emergence of Over The Top Wrestling (OTT), an over-18s promotion based in Dublin. Attending an OTT show infused wrestling with a newfound coolness, and Irish talent began to shine. Here Joe Cabray, who returned from Florida to establish his own promotion, took wrestling from the GAA Halls to the prestigious Tivoli Theatre.
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I found myself among 600 fervent Irish fans, witnessing the future stars of wrestling, and the future was Irish. Names like Jordon Devlin, Lyra Valkyria, and LJ Clearly began to resonate within the worldwide wrestling community. It seems inevitable that someone from either Kilkenny or Carlow would soon make their mark on the international stage.
Already, wrestlers like Clong and Angel Cruz from Carlow have made their counties proud, representing Barrowside in Fight Factory Pro Wrestling and OTT. Their success paves the way for “Chainsaw” Luke Frehill, a man straddling the Carlow-Kilkenny border.
Under the guidance of the School of Irish Wrestling, an offshoot of OTT, Luke trains alongside seasoned professionals like Paul Treacy, credited in Becky Lynch’s book as her trainer, and Session Moth Martina, who has toured the world honing her craft. With mentors like Sean Maxer, a student of ZERO One Dojo in Japan, and Paddy Morrow, a standout Irish wrestler for over two decades, Luke is in excellent hands.
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Luke Frehil has been making waves not just in solo competition but also as part of the formidable tag team known as The Wolfhounds, alongside his partner Conn Kelly. Their synergy and tenacity in the ring have garnered attention, leading to their debut in OTT Contenders within the last year. They also had a match that saw them pitted against the reigning OTT Tag Champions, The Social Elite. Additionally, Luke expanded his horizons by making his debut in NLW, further solidifying his presence in the wrestling scene and hinting at a promising future ahead.
As Luke Frehill prepares to carve his path in the world of wrestling, the eyes of Kilkenny are upon him. And as the echoes of “Chainsaw” reverberate through arenas, one thing is certain: Paulstown’s prodigy is destined to etch his name among wrestling’s elite.
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