Welcome to an exclusive interview with Rapunzel.

 

1. Who are you?

My name is Rapunzel 

 

2. Where are you from?

I’m from the UK, but I was also raised in the Netherlands as a child.

 

3. Please describe your personality or wrestling style in three words.

Quirky, energetic, powerhouse

 

4. Do you think you tell a lot about a person’s personality in the way they wrestle? Does your personality come out in your wrestling style, if so, can you describe this.

 

Yes and no. When it’s someone’s first time, they can be a little nervous. I find that with regulars, you start to see more of their personality come through in their wrestling style.

 

My personality comes out quite a bit when I wrestle. I love finding ways to play this game of human chess and get the upper hand. I don’t take myself too seriously though; I’m a great believer in leaving ego behind.  I’ll have fun and have a laugh, but I will also find ways to submit you and will genuinely enjoy getting you in an armbar or choke!

5. How did you get into session wrestling?

 

About a decade ago, I used to do a lot of Pro Wrestling (think WWE). Someone who had seen me train told me about session wrestling and the London Wrestling Studio, which was run by Honey at the time.  I’ve been doing session wrestling on and off ever since.

 

6. What do you love most about being a session wrestler, how does it suit you, your lifestyle/personality?

 

I love training, I love challenges, and I love puzzles.  Session wrestling brings all that together.  But I also find that the type of people who wrestle with me are genuinely very interesting and quirky people.

It’s a world where I can be me with no filters.

 

8. Please tell me about your background and experience which lead into what you are doing today?

I was the stereotypical little girl who dreamt of being a ballet dancer…but loved watching Gladiators and reading comics, especially the ones set in a post-apocalyptic world!  As I grew up, I realised I could be anything I wanted and I did not need to fit into a box. I went from ballet to finding my creative voice in contemporary dance, which became intertwined with physical theatre, and then took a leap into the circus world in my late teens, specifically aerial acrobatics.  I did stage fighting, and when I could afford it, I would attend Ninjitsu and pro wrestling.

All my creative work would have a strong female warrior feel to it.

I’ve moved around a lot, so rarely would place roots to stay consistent with a martial art.

Then life settled, I tried out a few martial arts classes, but I just didn’t click with the gyms.

But I tried out one more gym, and here I fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The BJJ gym has so many classes, so it fits in with my forever-changing schedule. More importantly, I found my ‘people’ —a lot of fellow neurodiverse people who have been nothing but welcoming. So, in addition to truly being addicted to BJJ, I’ve made some amazing friendships too.

My journey in life means I am forever honing and improving my session wrestling skills, but more importantly, it has given me the skills to keep others safe on the mat, too.

 

9. What’s your speciality?

 I seem to naturally want to get people into chokeholds of some sort…

10. What are your favourite types of session?

 I enjoy semi-comp sessions most.  I like a good fight but pulled back by about 20%.  This just means I can have all the fun of wrestling, but of course minimise risk of injury.  There is nothing worse than needing time off the mat due to injury.

I also love it when there is good conversation, regardless of how silly or weird those conversations go.

 

11. When did you start wrestling?

 I started session wrestling I think around 2011

12. What are your favourite outfits for wrestling and why?

This is where I’m a little bit more basic.  I just like practical, easy-to-move-in bikini. 

 

13. What is it about your characteristics that make you a good session wrestler?

 I am good at matching people’s energy, and also empathetic.  I want to, of course, kick people’s asses!! But at the end of the day I don’t want to be sending people home injured.  I’m also good at knowing my own limits; I have no issue tapping when I need to.

Communication is key for a good session.

I am very much, what you see is what you get.

 

14. What’s the story behind your wrestling name?

 My hair length answers that question!

 

15. Are there any wrestlers you really admire and why?

 There are so many in the BJJ world! I am lucky enough that these are people I train with, and some are my coaches. I have the utmost respect for their ethos towards training and others. Each has their own style of fighting, and it is beautiful to watch!

Session wrestling-wise, it has to be Inferno! One of the OG’s, she is just an awesome person to be around.  The fights/customs we have filmed, damn, they just come out looking amazing.  And damn, those kicks of her are powerful!

16. What other things do you enjoy in life? Does this help with wrestling?

So I am an aerial acrobat and just finished my physiotherapy degree.  Both help massively with wrestling.  I don’t lift weights, yet my biceps measure around 13.25 inches in circumference. All my strength comes from my aerial training, which not only helps with movement and strength but also ingrains good focus and dedication training patterns.

The physiotherapy knowledge just fuels my interest in puzzles because the body and how it functions, from the muscles to the endocrine system and neurologically, is fascinating.  Link that into the psychology of how we get our bodies to function in things like wrestling, goddamn, I just love it.