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Hull-born wrestler Lucas Steel shocked Japanese fans of professional wrestling when featuring in All Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Year Wars event at the start of 2020.

Wrestling over two nights, Steel headed to Japan for his debut outside of Western Europe with All Japan, a highly respected company in Japanese wrestling.

Making it in Japan is a big deal in the industry, with many wrestling fans regarding it as being as big as America for how much of a mainstream audience it has.

Steel loved the chance to make his Japanese debut at Korakuen Hall, an experience that he explains all came about after meeting Japanese wrestler Shuji Ishikawa as part of a Wrestling Gate show they featured on together in July 2019.

“It was amazing. The mainstream audience for wrestling understands how important Japan is as a country to professional wrestling,” Steel told Hull Live.

“I don’t think casual fans quite understand the magnitude of it. To make it over to Japan for any company is a huge deal for anyone in the job, especially with All Japan as well, they have got a rich heritage. It was a pleasure to travel over there and work for them at one of the most famous halls in Japanese wrestling as well.

“I met Shuji Ishikawa at a Wrestling Gate show in Nottingham. He was imported over to work one show for them and I met him on that gate and he got to see me wrestle that night and just approached me afterwards.

"He asked me a few questions, just niceties and stuff like that. He flew back to Japan and a few weeks later, he found me on social media and sent me a message, expressing an interest to bring me over there and that they would like to use me. Before I knew it, it was New Year and I was flying to Tokyo.

“It was as sudden as that, I didn’t think anything was coming of the chat that we had in Nottingham. He enjoyed my work and I thought he may want to compliment me on that, but I didn’t expect to be in the plans going forward for All Japan, it is pretty incredible.”

Steel’s social media accounts were full of appreciation immediately after the first of his two nights wrestling in Japan, with fans from both Asia and back home in Great Britain quick to congratulate him.

The 6ft 6in 18-stone pro wrestler, who turned 24 last week, enjoyed a first taste of competing in front of Asian audiences, admitting that as soon as he steps in a wrestling ring, he feels at home regardless of what country he is in.

(Image: Jerome Ellerby)

“The Japanese crowds are so respectful, they love wrestling, it is idolised over there like football is over here,” explained Steel, whose only other prior experience of wrestling outside Britain came in France.

“It’s an idolised sport, they watch it with respect and Korakuen Hall is a massively famous hall in Japan. It was packed out, especially on day two when I did the second show, it was completely sold out. To walk through the curtain to look around and see everyone, I thought ‘wow, this is a big deal.’

“It is so different because culturally, it is so different but the wrestling itself is just wrestling. I feel like I don’t remember where I am in the world when I go through the curtain.

"It is hard to explain but once you walk through the curtain and get in the wrestling ring, it is like you are at home. Although the culture is so different outside of the ring, I feel right at home inside of it.

“It was really nice to see. There is always the wonder of how you are perceived by fans of the job and it is nice to see on social media how everyone seemed to be surprised to see me out there and apparently, it was a nice surprise and everyone enjoyed it. I am glad I could provide that.”

Having impressed on his two nights competing in Tokyo at the start of this month, Steel is returning to Japan in February for a packed two-week schedule.

Making it to Japan was the latest accomplishment that Steel’s family can be proud about, with his dad also being a massive pro wrestling enthusiast.

“My dad is a huge wrestling fan, he understands the magnitude of it straight away and he was super excited,” Steel added.

“Then revealing to the rest of my family that this is a big deal and they were all super excited.

“My fiancé as well, we have a one-year-old daughter but she is still so supportive. It’s funny, I always say to her that she is not like the usual wrestling wife, she is very supportive and she tries to encourage me and puts up with me being away from home and stuff like that, because of how big these things may be for me in my career going forward. She’s great with all of that stuff.”

Until Steel heads back to Japan, he has a hectic month’s schedule in shows across the United Kingdom and will be hosting a showing of the WWE’s Royal Rumble event at the Tribal Bar in Hull later this month.

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