Meet Rock Ferry wrestler with the champion title

By the time she was 10, Sam from Rock Ferry, was wrestling with friends in school and practising moves on trampolines.

Then when her best friend discovered an All-Star wrestling school and Bebington Civic Centre, Sam said she never looked back.

Sam told the Globe: “I joined when I was 13 and I absolutely loved it. I was taught by Dean Allmark who was a huge part of my wrestling life.

“He helped me with character building and made Summer Rayne who she is today.”

Now aged 24, Sam is a member of the Colliery Championship Wrestling (CCW) company in Sunderland where she has competed in competitions since the age of 16.

On December 17, Sam became the first-ever woman to be crowned champion at Pit Brow Women’s Championship for the CCW company.

She said: “It was the best feeling you could ever think of especially as it was the first major championship I had ever held.

“Younger members of the crowd were ecstatic for me as well I had their parents coming up to me afterwards telling me I was their daughter’s inspiration. It was absolutely amazing.”

She added: “It warms my heart knowing I am inspiring five- and six-year-olds to get into the rink because people have always knocked me down and told me I would never be champion because I’m a lot smaller than the other girls that I wrestle with.”

As well as working towards champion titles, Sam also uses wrestling to help with her mental health.

She said: “Wrestling has been a huge part of my life. If I’m having a bad mental health day I can let it all out in the rink in a safe manner.

“I was always the underdog because I was against girls who were bigger than me and I’ve had to deal with people looking down on me because they thought I’d never win matches but now that I am people are starting to respect me more.

“It makes my mental health a lot better knowing I’m making kids smile and helping to inspire them.”