19 YEAR BRITISH WRESTLING veteran Iestyn Rees has a great story to tell and a real passion for helping others to become the best that they can be. 'The Alpha Male' of professional wrestling has shared the squared circle with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Kevin Nash, Kip Sabian, Sha Samuels and many other top talents, and has also recently been part of the revamped WOS Wrestling roster.
'The Alpha Male' Iestyn Rees joins Wrestling Life with Ben Veal to share the highs and lows of his wrestling life, both inside and outside the ropes.
IESTYN REES ON BECOMING WRESTLING'S ALPHA MALE
"Before I even wrestled, I was a decent athlete at school: I played all the sports," shares Iestyn on the show. "My dad was a PE teacher so I was lucky enough to have access to all the sports. I got really into basketball, playing basketball for Wales under 16s and under 18s teams and then captaining Manchester when I was at university to national cup wins. I've always been training, and that led into getting involved in wrestling." "I came home after finishing university and there were no national league [basketball] teams in close proximity to me, so I started looking for something to do. This was back when The Wrestling Channel was on cable TV in the UK, so I knew that there were wrestling schools in the country because they advertised on there ... I found one in Swindon, gave it a shot one Sunday, and that was it. I've been wrestling ever since."
AL SNOW HELPED ME TO BECOME A BETTER WRESTLER
"I got booked very early on in my career, because I was deemed to be a big guy, to be what's now RevPro but was IPW at the time's heavyweight champion. I wrestled Al Snow and I was way, way too inexperienced to be put in that position. I was used to going in the back and planning a match; Al would just call spots out there. I had a pretty terrible match with Al Snow, and when we got backstage he read me the riot act for half an hour but then he sat down and really went into detail for about three hours about the things I needed to be working on. It was a bit of a trial by fire but it was sink or swim: I'd got put in a position, I tried my best and I didn't do very well. I could have just gone home, curled up in a ball and started to wrestle at small shows. But I really wanted to become as good as I could be, so on subsequent times when Al was over, I put in place the things he had told me to do and he could see the progression. I sunk, but then I used the lessons I learned to get better."
WOS WRESTLING REBOOT SET TO "TURN SOME HEADS"
A stable of the British wrestling scene for close to three decades, Iestyn Rees was part of the roster for the revamped World Of Sports television tapings in 2017 and 2024. Reflecting back on the two experiences, Rees belives that lessons have been learned this time around after the production of the first WOS reboot was met with criticism by wrestling fans and talent alike.
"It was a really positive exprience," says Iestyn. "I feel that that thr group of guys and girls that we had there for the taping was really good, and that the way that everything was filmed and set up was definitely a step forward from where things were last time. The last show didn't come off as well on tape as it did as a live experience. Looking at the raw footage [from the latest tapings], I think this one will really turn some heads."
REAL TALK FROM REAL TALENT
Wrestling Life with Ben Veal shines the spotlight brightly and positively on those who shaped wrestling's past, drive its present and influence its future. The show is widely available and features honest, open and inspiring conversations with many of the sport's biggest names, including Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Mick Foley, Lilian Garcia, Candice Michelle, Marc Mero, Buff Bagwell, Doug Williams, Eric Bischoff and many more.
Subscribe : Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
About the author: Ben Veal is a writer, content creator, journalist, and host of Wrestling Life and the founder of Second Mountain Comms, a purpose-driven award-winning PR and marketing business that helps good people do good. A Chartered PR professional and passionate fan of the artform of professional wrestling for more than three decades, Ben is committed to sharing the real stories behind wrestling's talented performers.