Australian Pro Wrestler Zenith talks Dangal Ke Soorma, Chris Masters, Ken Shamrock & more (Exclusive)
His day job is working at Australia's busiest hospital, offering medical care and support to patients in need. But he leads another life, one under the bright lights, where Hayden Pearce transforms into his pro-wrestling alter-ego- Zenith.
And now he'll be one of the stars on 'Dangal Ke Soorma', which is a show that'll be telecast on DSPORT from August 24th, 2019. Zenith describes this experience as a 'whirlwind':
Vinayak (WIN promoter) is an incredible human being and I had an opportunity to meet him in Thailand. We always kept in contact and I had always been so intrigued by the Indian scene. Even before DKS, I was keeping a tab on what was going on back there. I always said if there's any way I can help you out, I'd love to.
Zenith would come to India not just to wrestle on the show, but he had a chance to train and mentor some of the wrestlers at the Wrestle Square academy and be a producer for some of the matches. While in India, he also got to tussle with Chris Adonis, whom fans may know as former WWE Superstar Chris Masters:
I've always been a fan of Chris Masters or Chris Adonis. When I was getting into wrestling was the time he popularized the Master Lock and became a prominent figure on television. He actually gave me a lot of compliments after the event not just for my wrestling but the way I helped construct a lot of what had happened on the show with the matches. For me, that was not only a highlight for that time but a highlight for my wrestling career.
Zenith clarifies that his role was different from that of a booker, who gets to determine who gets to wrestle whom, but instead, he was a producer on the show, where he got to construct the matches for the participants involved.
Zenith is no stranger to wrestling legendary international names. He's actually shared the ring with the 'World's Most Dangerous Man', Ken Shamrock in the past as well:
I was very nervous. Sometimes you don't know what larger-than-life personalities are like. Especially if you're called 'The World's Most Dangerous Man'. You don't know how to approach such a person. I quickly realized he's a sweetheart. Just a fantastic guy and very giving. For someone in his 50s, mind you he still looks like he's in his 20s, he doesn't need to bump around. He was absolutely a pleasure to work with.
Zenith is a world-traveled professional, having competed in various countries and wrestling the likes of Johnny Mundo and Taya Valkyrie among other big names. But then again, his objectives are a little far removed from the norm:
I've a vision for myself that is different from others. As a wrestler, I like the idea of being a 'journeyman'. Going to different places and gaining experience from people you'd normally never surround yourself with.
Zenith does wish to reach the zenith of the industry and wrestle for NXT and NJPW someday. But it was during his trip to India, that he realized that his true calling was helping Indian wrestling thrive:
It might sound silly that a random Australian would say this, but I see so much potential within Indian wrestling, I wanna be a part of that. I want to help that thing grow and flourish. To have had the involvement with DKS, I've had the chance to put my first foot forward.
Zenith puts over Indostar, Skyler, Ash, and others from the academy who, in his own words, even inspired him to do better as a pro wrestler himself. He also praises 2faan, who'll be an integral part of DKS as a performer, because, in his words, he can make Indian strong style his thing. But ultimately, he believes that Baliyan Akki is the future of Indian wrestling:
I knew he was a star when I'd met him in 2016. He hadn't even gone to Japan to do all of the fantastic things that he did over there. This was all before that. I could see it in him. He wrestled so much over the course of those few days in India. There are not many people that can do that! He's the person who will take Indian wrestling to the next level, without a doubt.
Be sure to catch Zenith, performing with some of the best wrestlers in the world at Dangal Ke Soorma, only on DSPORT this weekend!
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