Globe-trotting wrestler to defend title in Sussex

The New Zealand star is set to clash with fast-rising Sussex star Casey Bitout in a double championship bill, with the Auckland Open championship belt the prize for the winner, while the show on Tuesday, August 13, will also feature the first Charmandean appearance of former WWE star Joel Redman.

Spartan is a product of the wrestling academy run by Graham Hughes, a former wrestler from Portsmouth, who has trained some of the top stars to come out of New Zealand in recent years, including Aaron Henare, one of the biggest names in Japan who appeared on Premier Promotions shows in the UK as Aaron Henry.

Hughes predicts a similar future for Spartan. "He can definitely be a star on the world stage, and I cannot recommend him highly enough," said Hughes.

The Kiwi heavyweight's credentials were tested to the full by James Mason, one of the most experienced British wrestlers of the modern era, when they fought for the PWF international championship on Spartan’s last UK tour, while he also defeated Rishi Ghosh for the New Zealand open title and beat all-comers in an American rumble for the prestigious Francis Shillingford Memorial Belt.

The show, the first Worthing August spectacular since 2015 that saw Canada-based Charlie Checkmate win the Rumblemania Trophy, will also feature a bout for the PWF heavyweight championship with former WWE NXT title-holder Redman, who shot to universal fame in the States as Oliver Grey and is currently one of the biggest names in UK wrestling, clashing with the “Man Mountain of the Ring” Karl Atlas, one of the notorious tag team known as The Beards.

The line-up will also see another globe-trotting star, Wade Fitzgerald, whose CV includes Japan, going head to head with local favourite and PWF title-holder David Lovejoy in a match between two of the best lightweights in the country, and the programme will also include tag-team action.

Tickets for the show that starts at 7.30 from www.ticketsource.co.uk/premier-promotions or by telephone 0333 666 3366, including reserved seating, free parking, discounts for advance bookings and family tickets.