The English Lion who has powered his own way to victory

On the pathway to success at Plymouth

“When I went to university I had no specific career goals or aspirations. Plymouth is an incredible city and I just didn’t want to leave the city, nor accrue a large amount of debt by moving away. 

“Business interested me at A level, so I pursued this in the hope of finding something specific I particularly enjoyed, or had a natural affinity for. I enjoyed my degree, however I discovered I wanted to pursue wrestling while I had less responsibility and more opportunity to do so.

“The University facilities, such as the library for computer access and resources, were always of a good standard, while social aspects, particularly playing for the football team, were always good fun. I grew up playing football and loved the fraternal side of the sport, so it gave me the great opportunity to integrate with completely new and different people.

“One of many key life skills I learned at the University was to manage my time better – I often found myself completing assignments very close to the deadline, or let work mount up, which is not recommended."

A hero born in the ring

“Since I graduated, I have been living my dream and my experience at Plymouth set me up perfectly for this.

“Once I completed my studies, I moved to a wrestling training school in Swindon to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. I secured a full-time job as a fraud analyst at Nationwide Building Society to supplement my income, which I now do part time.

“My professional wrestling name is Eddie Ryan and I have travelled all over the world. In the past nine years I have wrestled all over the UK, Germany, Belgium, USA and Japan.

“As a wrestler, I am a self-employed entertainer and I have to make myself a product. This requires marketing, finance and accounting and advertising skills – ones I learnt from my degree."