Jackson Kelly
Growing up in Dee Why Jackson Kelly was your stereotypical "beach bum" who also loved his footy. As he grew up Jackson's passion for footy became his driving motivation. So much so that he was recruited to the Manly Sea Eagles development squad. There he played alongside the likes of Jake & Tom Trbojevic, Clint Gutherson & Luke Garner - who all became NRL superstars. Reflecting back on his time within the Manly system Jackson remains incredibly humble,"it was a pleasure to be a part of that system. In all honesty, I was just one of the guys who made up the numbers & always knew I was never going to make it to the top level."
Although Jackson didn't ever feel he could make it to the NRL his efforts weren't helped when he suffered 2 very nasty shoulder injuries in quick succession.
"I broke both of my shoulders & had quite major surgery on both shoulders within 3 months."
With his rugby league career over Jackson found himself searching for a new passion & direction for his life. After a year of travelling the world, Jackson turned to his childhood passion - professional wrestling.
"In 2015 I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I knew I had a bit of a desire to still remain athletic. I still wanted to train, be physical & use my body but I just needed a purpose," said Jackson. "As a fan of wrestling growing up I always had 1 eye on that, thinking maybe 1 day that could be me. S in 2016 I set out to make that the year I focused on becoming a professional wrestler."
To embark on this journey into the world of wrestling Jackson ventured over to Iowa in the USA. There he trained under WWE superstar Seth Rollins at the Black & Brave Wrestling Academy. Despite his rugby league background & that gruelling training the transition to wrestling training was still far from easy.
"I definitely had a leg up on some other students at Black & Brave. I also feel like rugby league helped me, but it still wasn't easy. I honestly compare the 3 months I did at Black & Brave with an intense 3-month pre-season with the Sea Eagles"
Wrestling isn't simply physical though. As a pro wrestler, Jackson also had to develop a character. So, rather than reinventing the wheel, he tapped into what he knew - the Northern Beaches!
"My hair is a bit shorter now but when I first started I had the long blonde hair & beard. I was a caricature of the Northern Beaches, I was a beach bum! It has been super handy to be able to lean into the stereotype of the Northern Beaches. That character has pretty much written all of my wrestling stories for me in the last few years. Whenever I'm outside of the Northern Beaches I get a lot of heat just because of how we're perceived."
On the flip side whenever Jackson & his home promotion, International Wrestling Australia (IWA), return home to the Dee Why RSL he receives a thunderous reaction.
"The crowd at Dee Why blew me away the first time we ran there & then each time since it has maintained the noise & passion for wrestling," Jackson said proudly. "Performing at the Dee Why RSL was super special for me because I grew up 5-10 minutes away. I grew up going to the Dee Why RSL when I was 18 & have had plenty of nights out there. So to be told that we were going to run a show there & that I was going to be featured as a large part of the show was super fun."
Keep up with Jackson on social media at: @JacksonBootKelly
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