A WEST Belfast woman has become one of the latest stars of professional wrestling’s leading WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) franchise.

Myla Grace – real name Shannon Mateer – made her TV debut on WWE’s NXT UK show in recent weeks. Hailing from Beechmount, she joins a long list of names such as The Undertaker, John Cena, and fellow Irishwoman Becky Lynch, who have all starred for WWE.

The 28-year-old, a former Coláiste Feirste pupil, has quickly climbed the ranks of the professional wrestling industry in just four short years.

Despite having grown up watching the sport – being an avid fan of stars like The Hardy Boys, Lita and Kane – Shannon would only rekindle her love for wrestling in her 20s. It was at that point that she became “obsessed with it”.

“I was flying to England to go to WWE live events, and I went to Florida for Wrestlemania,” she said.

“When I was watching I was thinking ‘I could do this’, but you don’t think it’s something you’d actually ever do. When you watch it you don’t really think they’re real people, but I just couldn’t shake it.”

Shannon searched “everywhere” for a wrestling school and sent email after email in application before finally getting a response from a local stable.

After a time of making excuses not to do it, she decided to take the plunge and started wrestling training the day after attending an awe-inspiring WWE event in the SSE arena. It was then and there she decided to aim for the WWE.

“When I started it was on a Sunday and it was for four hours, once a week,” she explained.

“I knew that if I wanted to be a WWE superstar then that wasn’t enough, so I was trying to figure out how I could get to Dublin, here or there. I spent all my money travelling and on seminars – just investing in it.

“I literally just devoted the past four years of my life making it happen.”

Along with incredible levels of fitness and skill, professional wrestling requires a flair from the dramatic, with athletes encompassing a particular character. Shannon describes her alter-ego, Myla Grace, as someone with “unique style”, whose wrestling style is heavily influenced by her early hip-hop dancing.

“You can see I grew up doing street dancing,” she said.

On October 28, Myla Grace took on Amale on WWE NXT UK, where she narrowly lost out in a fierce contest. Reflecting on her TV debut, she said: “I made a point before I went out to take it all in.

“I was on the top rope and it felt like I was there forever because I was just soaking it all in. When you watch it back it was like four seconds, but it felt like ages because I was just looking about and smiling. I was like ‘I’m in a WWE ring right now’.”

Though America has long led the way in professional wrestling, Myla Grace is among a growing number of Irish stars to feature in the WWE.

“Ireland is such a small country, but the talent here is insane,” she enthused. “Some of the biggest stars in the WWE are from Ireland. At one point Becky Lynch was the biggest star in pro wrestling and she was from Dublin.

“It must just be something in the country that means we’re just meant for it – fighting Irish and all that.”

As well as flying the flag for Ireland, Myla Grace is also a proud ambassador for other females, who are entering the ring in increasing numbers.

“I always try to make the point when we’re at training or shows that I shouldn’t just be another wee female match,” she stated. “I train harder than the boys, and I put in more work, so I deserve to have the recognition that they have.

“In Belfast we’re a bit behind, but in the rest of the world women are starting to be taken seriously. When I started watching wrestling the women didn’t really wrestle, they were having ‘bra and pantie’ matches. Now the women are the main event at Wrestlemania, Raw and Smackdown.”

She added: “When women are given the chance they’re showing up the men.”