LADYSPORTS SPOTLIGHT: TENNESSEE HONEY

Q & A: TENNESSEE HONEY

"Get up, keep going and hold tight!"

One would not be hard-pressed to find talented, well-trained and beautiful 
wrestlers in Tennessee.  Far rarer is a daughter of the Volunteer State 
electrifying rings in the South of England!  

But that’s just what Tennessee Honey is doing, and it’s our pleasure 
to introduce her to you.


LADYSPORTS: Welcome to LadySports, Tennessee Honey! When did you 
first get into the sport?


TENNESSEE HONEY: Hey! Thanks for having me! I started training about three years ago in August, 2012.

LS: And who trained you?
TH: I've been trained by various people at the IPW:UK training school in Swanley, Kent. Most noticeably Tom Chamberlain, James Davis, Darrell Allen and Jonathan Windsor. But I've also been lucky enough to attend multiple seminars with the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Marty Jones, Johnny Saint and Johnny Kidd.

LS: What was your biggest influence to become a wrestler?
TH: My biggest influence for becoming a wrestler stemmed from the moves and the athleticism of it all, as in secondary school I was quite sporty so that side of things always appealed to me. But the big thing that tied it all together for me, was how I felt when watching wrestling. I feel there's just nothing else like it out there where you can have such a hate for one character and love for another, seeing them clash week after week on TV or month after month on PPV, getting to go to live events, feeling the excitement in the air and just being submerged in an array of emotions following stories and journeys of all of your favorite wrestlers! Thinking about all of that made me want to be in the ring having my own moments, being on my journey and sharing that with people.

LS: What other sports do you have an interest in?
TH: Thinking about it...I don't really pay much attention to other sports to be honest.

LS: How would you describe yourself in terms of attitude, personality, likes, dislikes, and strengths?
TH: I'm all about working hard, challenging and pushing myself to get better. Always eager to learn new things that may help me progress in future.

LS: Describe a typical day of training for you. What is most important in your workout?
TH: A typical day at training consists of lots of rolling, cardio drills, stretching and technical wrestling. When I'm away from wrestling training I try and get as much interval training and weights done to keep myself in shape.

LS: How would you best describe your ring style?
TH: I'm technical at times, but I like to change it up and vary being hard hitting and little high flying.

LS: What moves are you best known for?
TH: My best known moves are the TKO, Lasso Lariat (discus lariat) and a running corkscrew neckbreaker.

LS: Have you ever been injured in the ring?
TH: I've had a couple of bumps and bruises, but luckily nothing serious has taken me out!

LS: Who have been your toughest opponents?
TH: My toughest opponents have definitely been Addy Star, Toni Storm and Pollyanna! They've all pushed me to my limits and made me better for it. I always look forward to a match with any of them.

LS: And who are your allies?
TH: My current ally would be Rosie Leigh! We tagged together as TNT (Tits N' Teeth) at IPW:UK “Shots & Superkicks” show back in April 2015. So hopefully more of that to come in 2016!

LS: What has been your most memorable win?
TH: My most memorable win would hands down would have to be 20/12/2015 at “Christmas Cracker” against Addy Star, and being crowned the first ever IPW:UK Women's Champion! It was a pretty surreal and emotional moment, and something I'll never forget!

LS: What was your worst loss?
TH: It's not so much a loss, but the worst thing to happen to me was right after my Championship win, I was supposed to be presented with the title, but the special guest referee Jetta had other plans…knocked me out and ran off with the championship. It's safe to say that it's not something I'm going to let her get away with lightly.

LS: Who is the one wrestler you would most like to face in the ring, but haven't yet?
TH: It's pretty difficult to narrow it down to one, but I'd loved to have a match with Kay Lee Ray! I recently saw her wrestle a hardcore match at a promotion called Southside, and the things she went through were insane! It would be a hell of an experience for me to have a match with her.

LS: What type of match do you enjoy the most?
TH: I'm really into technical wrestling. Especially the old British style you see in World of Sport. There's just such a fluidity to everything they did in their matches that made them magical. Going to seminars with Marty Jones, Johnny Saint and Johnny Kid, you see that not one of them misses a beat and they could easily wrestle for hours without breaking a sweat! It's pretty crazy!

LS: What is so special about this sport to you?
TH: It's like I mentioned earlier, there's just so many unreal aspects of this sport, but I feel a major part of it is how connected it all is. I remember going to my first WWE Live event, and after the show everyone was walking through the O2 and one guy simply shouts "WOOOOOOO". Seconds after in complete unison thousands of people WOOOOOOO'D! It was so strange how just a simple sound connected so many people and everyone knew exact what it was!

LS: Tell us, what are your fans like?
TH: They're a very supportive bunch, that always seem fired up! It's all really appreciated! It's especially nice when you're in a different town and regular fans form other shows come down to see you!

LS: If you had the power, what one thing would you do to improve the sport?
TH: It's not so much for the sport to be improved, but I wish it was simply enjoyed like it was years ago. It seems like in today's wrestling, everyone's a critic who knows better and are after "inside stories" and want to know things before it happens! I feel it disregards all the hard work wrestlers, referees, sound guys, ring crew, promoters and so on, put in to shows. A lot goes into them. I can't even imagine the effort needed for WWE and TNA shows, but it seems like a waste to be negative about something they choose to watch. Granted not everything is going to appeal to everyone, but there's such a large variety of wrestling out there that I don't think it would be difficult to search around and find something that can be enjoyed.

LS: Where have you wrestled, and what titles have you held?
TH: I've mostly wrestled around Kent in Swanley, Tonbridge, Chatham, but I've also wrestled in Peterborough and Abingdon. As of yet I have only held (and currently hold) one title, the IPW:UK Women's Championship, but hopefully 2016 will be a year to expand on that!

LS: What was your most unforgettable moment in the sport?
TH: I'd have to link this question back to my most memorable win! It's pretty special to look back from where I've started to where I am now, and being the first IPW:UK Womens champion. It's just really showed me that hard work pays off, and it'll forever be a moment in mind.

LS: What would you do if you couldn't be in wrestling?
TH: That's a horrible thought! [Laughter] But as I'm currently studying to get my degree in Mechanical Engineering, I'd be fully concentrated on being an engineer.

LS: If you were only able to wrestle one more match in your career, who would you most like to face?
TH: A very tough question! But I think I would pick Natalya Neidhart. I think she has such a great all ‘round ability, and considering her wrestling background, I'm sure I would gain a lot of knowledge from it.

LS: What is your personal motto?
TH: I'm all about holding tight. There are times when life's going to knock you back, but you have to get up, keep going and hold tight, because all the struggles will be worth it in the end when you reach your goals.

LS: What would make you most happy in life?
TH: I'd absolutely love to travel more around the UK and branch out around the world to wrestle! Two main places I'd love to go outside of the UK are America and Japan. That would be a really big thing for me to accomplish and I can't wait to work my way towards that goal.

LS: Thanks so much for speaking with us! Any last words you’d care to share?
TH: It's been a pleasure! Thank you for having me! For any updates on my upcoming matches you can find me at @TennesseHoney on Twitter! And checkout my matches on ipwuk.com/ondemand

Photos courtesy of International Pro Wrestling United Kingdom or their respective owners.