Emma Douglas grew up with her family in Penrith as a fun loving kid who enjoyed playing hockey at school and watching wrestling on television.
But while most kids leave their interest for wrestling in the living room, Douglas dreamed of one day making that passion a reality.
Now 19, Douglas is living out her dream and travelling around the country performing as her alter ego, the feisty ‘Erika Reid’.
“When I was younger I watched a lot of wrestling and fell in love it. I always wanted to do it and when I turned 18 I started training, and now I’m performing in shows,” Douglas told the Weekender.
Douglas will be competing as Erika Reid at the upcoming Blue Mountains Pro Wrestling event to be held at the Blackheath Community Centre on July 31.
Douglas said it’s been a tough ride to get to where she is now but has loved every minute of the ‘rough and tumble’.
“I knew it was always going to be hard, it wasn’t going to be easy to get into, but I don’t regret it at all,” she said.
“The most enjoyable part of wrestling is having a character and doing really cool moves and surprising people. I’m not very big and people think I’m not capable of much but when I prove them wrong, it’s a lot of fun.”
While Douglas is only a newcomer to the theatrical sport, she’s still getting used to the big crowds and pesky injuries.
“It’s very nerve-racking but it’s so much fun working in front of so many people,” she said.
“I get a few bumps, bruises and mat burns but that’s pretty much it. I like getting thrown around… it’s a lot of fun.”
When Douglas performs in the Blue Mountains later this month, it’ll be the first time she has performed so close to home. She said a lot of her close friends and family think her choice of career is “very cool”.
“My best friend came to a show last week for the first time and it was a hardcore match which involved a lot of blood. My friend was almost gagging but she was cool about it and really supportive,” she said.
“My little brother too, he’s five, and I show him my wrestling videos and he loses his mind – it’s so funny.”
Catch Emma competing at the Blue Mountains Pro Wrestling event in Blackheath on July 31. For more, visit www.bluemountainsprowrestling.com.au.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
