Norwich’s famous wrestling family say they have “stumbled upon a gold mine” after moving to into a new headquarters on an industrial estate on the edge of the city.
After vacating its previous base on Rose Lane in Norwich, the World Association of Wrestling has relocated to new home in the Vulcan Road Industrial Estate.
And while the new location offers everything Rose Lane did - containing wrestling rings and the company’s merchandise shop - it has also presented the family with a range of other opportunities, including the ability to host 300-capacity shows under their own roof once coronavirus restrictions allow.
Zak Bevis, whose story was captured in the Hollywood film Fighting With My Family, said: “When it became clear we had outgrown Rose Lane we started a hunt for a new home and, to be honest, when we arranged the viewing I didn’t have the highest of hopes.
“But then as soon as by nephew Ricky and I first laid eyes on it we knew we had stumbled upon a gold mine.”
The industrial unit, on Diamond Road, has now been fully refurbished and fitted out to allow the family to host performances, complete with its own full-sized ring, bar area and social club, while there are also two smaller rings for training purposes. Meanwhile the size of the venue has meant training and small scale events have been able to be held in a Covid-secure environment, with the family deep cleaning the site on a daily basis.
Ricky Knight, the patriarch of the family, said: “Our landlords have been so supporting from the outset - we’ve never known support like it. They’ve also given us assurances that should we face another full lockdown that financial support will be there for us.
“This was shaping up to be our most profitable year yet before Covid-19 came along, but we’ve lost more than £200,000 as a result of the pandemic, so it’s ended up being our worst.”
Mr Bevis, who goes by the names Zak Knight and Zak Zodiac in the ring, added: “Without the support we’ve had, particularly from our loyal fans, we were in real trouble. In March, it even looked like we may have to shut down, but we’ve had so much help.”
Further information can be found at wawuk.com
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