1:00pm Saturday 13th March 2010
SITTING down with Basingstoke-born Rob Holte, the first thing you notice is the steely look of determination in his eyes.
This is not, it would seem, a man to mess with. “Wrestling is what I was born to do,” he begins. “I’ve been training hard for quite some time now at the Varsity Pro Wrestling (VPW) School of Excellence in Portsmouth under the tutelage of the UK Kid, who himself was trained by WWE Superstar Shawn Michaels.
“Through VPW, I’ve also had the chance to train with such greats as Hardcore Holly, the Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.
“That’s the difference between VPW’s school and your average £5-a-week wrestling club, quality. That’s why I’m as good as I am.”
Strong words from a strong man who recently impressed when VPW brought wrestling to Basingstoke for the first time in years.
Not only did Holte score a major victory over the highly regarded Devon Powerhouse Chris Andrews, but he also scored a surprising win over both metal and timber.
“Before making Andrews submit, I hit him with a legdrop so hard that it actually broke the ring. Once he saw that, Hardcore Holly hand-picked me to join his team in the main event that evening, ” said Holte.
Clearly, being in the ring with two world-famous former WWE superstars Holly and Billy Gunn would rank as a career highlight for any grappler but when asked about his favourite match so far, Holte’s response is surprising.
He said: “Probably my VPW debut against Jake McCluskey at the Portsmouth Guildhall. The place was packed and we had an awesome, hard-hitting match.
“The crowd were going nuts for McCluskey so the look of disappointment on their faces when I beat their hometown-hero just made my win even sweeter.”
With regards a return to Basingstoke, Holte is definitely keen and said: “I enjoyed the show we did at the Vyne. The matches were great and the crowd loved it. Everyone I met afterwards was buzzing, saying how they can’t wait for us to go back there.”
Varsity Pro Wrestling will be returning to the Vyne Community School Basingstoke next month, the date will be announced in The Gazette next week.
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