A school principal traded the school bell for the ring to become a WWE pro.
Eddie Dennis, who taught mathematics at LVS Ascot private school in Berkshire, has loved the sport since he was five.
The 36-year-old took a “risk” five years ago and exchanged his tablet for his dream.
Now the 6ft 6in (198cm) tall mathematician is preparing to rumble at the WWE Clash at the Castle – actually at Principality Stadium – on September 3.
According to WWE, the 104kg Eddie has “a brutal dark side and a big chip on his shoulder” and anyone preparing for the fight should be aware that “the towering Welshman is as dangerous as they come “.
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From Gwaun Cae Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot, he said it would be an honor to return to his native Wales for WWE’s biggest British stadium event in decades.
“It was a gamble to give up teaching altogether to pursue my dream,” he said.
“It was pretty scary… I had a very settled life, my fiancé and I had a mortgage. I wanted to leave that to wrestle independently.”
Eddie, who went to Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera in Neath Port Talbot, “loved the Ultimate Warrior and then later Shawn Michaels came along and he hooked me”.
“I would try to imitate their movements and characteristics and learn how they speak.
“I observe [Shawn Michaels] in an Iron Man match at Wrestlemania 12 [in 1996]now [he] advises me on my career and my job. It’s surreal.”
But as a schoolboy in Wales, he said there was “no clear path” to a wrestling career.
He completed a teaching certificate at Cardiff Metropolitan University and then earned a degree in Mathematics before embarking on his teaching career while training in his spare time.
He juggled his full-time career while appearing on the wrestling circuit on weekends.
In his main job he worked his way up to headmaster.
But in the ring he had started to make a name for himself at NXT UK, where wrestlers are coached by WWE’s RAW and Smackdown Superstars to become the sport’s next big thing.
By 2017 he said the British wrestling industry was “having a resurgence”.
“They held the first WWE UK Championship tournament, a lot of people I knew were there,” he said.
“I was sitting on my sofa with my fiancee and my cat watching my best friends perform on the stage we’ve all dreamed of and I wasn’t with them because I chose the path.
“A month later I handed in my resignation to focus on wrestling.”
Delyth Spurway is Assistant Principal at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and began her teaching career at the same time Eddie began as a student.
“It’s really amazing that he left, pursued his dreams and made it in this industry,” she said.
“The kids think it’s really cool, the ones who watch WWE are like, ‘Wow, look, miss, he came to this school.’
“He was a fairly quiet and conscientious student. He’s changed so much when I look at him now that I hardly recognize him, but it’s the eyes that look the same.”
The school’s students are also big fans.
Year 7 student Olifer said: “It shows that even if you’re from a small town like this area, you can do anything you want in life. You don’t have to be from America.
Owen, a 3rd grader, said Eddie was an “inspiration” adding, “WWE doesn’t come to Wales often, the big shows are usually in America so that’s really exciting.”
And Eddie gets support from seventh grader Ryan, who said, “He went to this school, so he’s my favorite wrestler. It’s cool.”
Eddie will take on some of the sport’s current superstars including Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre at the WWE event in Cardiff.
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