LadySports ::: SKYE HIGH

Skye High

This English Bird Soars

By Shiai Mata

She stands 5’7” and tips the scales at a trim but firm 139 pounds. She looks out at the world with hazel eyes. And her hair? “Brown…maybe red. It changes a lot!” she answers with a laugh. This 19 year old (she’s a Boxing Day Baby, having been born on the 26th of December back in 1985) may look like a typical English girl…but get her in the ring, and you’ll quickly discover just why she’s being hailed as an emerging young star in British wrestling!

She first got involved in the sport in 2002, and she hasn’t slowed down since. Like a lot of hopefuls on both sides of the Atlantic, it was the WWE that first piqued her interest in pro wrestling. “When I first started watching it on television, guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart made me stand up and pay attention to wrestling…they started my bug. Later, when Lita came in, that’s when I really got into it! She was different, she caught my eye, and she really drew me into the sport. That’s when I decided I wanted to do it, too. Since then, I have seen so many others who have influenced me…American Dragon, Johnny Saint, AJ Styles, Doug Williams, Heat…to name just a few.”

But simply wanting to be a pro wrestling and actually accomplishing that are two entirely different things. Indeed, wrestling schools are littered with wannabe’s who couldn’t handle the demands of training, and who gave up on their dream without every setting foot in a ring before paying fans. Yet Skye excelled at her training, and quickly established herself as a rookie force to be reckoned with. It helps that she has a lifelong athletic background; “I enjoy trampolining and swimming a lot,” she says. “I’ve always been a bit of a water baby!”

She also credits her success with her personality, explaining that being both “laid back and serious” allows her to focus on what’s important without getting wrapped up in things that aren’t, as many people are wont to do. She also knows the value of not carrying a grudge out of the ring: “I’m a caring person and I like to see everyone else happy.” But just because she’s compassionate, don’t be fooled into thinking she might be a pushover once she’s stepped between those ropes. “I’m a hard worker and I don’t give up easily,” she remarks…an observation which many of her opponents will readily attest to.

Out of the ring, she enjoys listening to the likes of Green Day, Metallica and Pearl Jam…and even a bit of classical music. She loves Chinese food (“…followed very closely by swordfish and salmon!”). And she confesses to an absolute love of classic American cars from the 60s and 70s: Mustangs (one of which her father owns), Corvettes, Trans Ams and Cadillacs.

But her free time isn’t taken up entirely by guitar rock, kung pao, and muscle cars. She also devotes quite a few of her waking hours to the gym…with obviously happy results. “I love to practice my technical work,” she says. “I always want to improve and look better. It’s very important to me that what I do isn’t simply good, but that it looks good, too.”

And that training is paying off. Skye is already well-regarded as an expert practitioner of a variety of technical moves, with her signatures being the Fisherman’s Suplex, Mutalock and Japanese Stranglehold. Indeed, when American wrestler Nikki Roxx wanted to brush up her grappling skills prior to her title challenge to Pippa L’Vinn this past spring, she asked around for a good sparring partner, and she was pointed in Skye’s direction. That training may well have proved crucial in the Bostonian’s stunning victory over the veteran PGWA champ!

Which begs the question: Is there gold in Skye’s future as well? “I haven’t held any titles yet…but watch this space!” she says with a confident smile. What she has done is impress promoters and fans alike with her talents both across England and over the Channel in France. And, with any luck, she may find herself in America before too much more time has passed.

She came close to a Stateside extended visit, actually. During a recent European tour, the WWE invited Skye to try out! Although she wasn’t hired, she took away a positive feeling from the opportunity. “My tryout was so memorable. Just being in that ring, the WWE superstars around the outside watching…I will never forget it.”

Getting back to her physical appearance, which we opened this article with, Skye is greatly amused by the reaction she often gets from people when they learn she’s a pro wrestler. “Most people are surprised and shocked…they say I’m ‘too pretty’ and ‘too small’! It’s a great conversation starter, really.”

And she’s been lucky in that she’s managed to avoid any serious injuries in the ring (and she knows she can credit her training for much of that luck). “I’ve been winded a few times,” she says. “But other than that, it’s the usual aches and bruises, nothing more.”

Even without having sustained any injuries, the life of a wrestler can be a grueling one, with days and nights spent on the road away from family and friends, In-between the excitement of the matches themselves, there is a lot of time to indulge in regrets. Have such dark clouds crossed Skye’s mind? “I don’t have any regrets,” she asserts. “Life is too important to have regrets. Everything is a learning experience.” And could she maybe picture the day when she hangs up her boots and leaves the ring behind? “To be honest, I can’t see myself in any other profession. Nothing appeals to me more than wrestling!”

Just what is it then that she’s looking for in the sport? “To be successful in life would make me most happy,” she says.

And successful she will no doubt be. As her own personal motto promises…”The Skye is the limit!”