Wrestling their way to the top
CLAREMONT – The African Punishment Wrestling Association trains up and coming wrestlers.
Wrestling fans have the opportunity to witness the action in the ring in their community.
The African Punishment Wrestling Association (APWA) is based at the Danie van Zyl Recreation Centre in Claremont.
The World Wrestling Professionals (WWP) is Africa’s largest and most recognised wrestling federation.
Professional wrestler, George Niemant Renegade, also known as Renegade, said he has been a wrestler for seven years. In order to be classified as a professional wrestler, you have to build yourself up through acquiring new skills and advancing your wrestling techniques. Once you have mastered the art of wrestling for some time, then a wrestler can be considered a professional.
The APWA is part of the WWP and is a training school for people training to be professional wrestlers.
“Wrestling in South Africa is a growing industry and more people are joining the industry. The WWP is growing its brand, we’ve got new wrestlers who are building themselves up to professional levels,” said Niemant.
Renegade explained that there are a number of misconceptions people have about wrestling. The biggest one is people accuse wrestlers of being fake and not suffering actual injuries.
“We do hit our opponents, hence it’s called punishment Wrestling. It’s a full-on contact sport where we train the guys how to pick up an opponent, how to hit them, and how to protect yourself in order to prevent injuries. When I prepare to enter a ring I prepare myself mentally first then do physical training to prepare my body for that,” explained Niemant.
Fani Masoka heard about wrestling through his former colleague two years ago and said his first impression of it was that it is painful.
“The falls and punches you have to take are hard to endure but it’s important to be prepared. So far, I’ve competed in the Royal Rumble where you fight six guys in a ring till there’s the last one standing. I’ve also competed in a singles match. The next match will be on 2 July at the Danie van Zyl recreation centre. Everyone is welcome to come witness the action,” said Masoka.
