Tragic tale behind popular wrestling show coming to Market Rasen

Wrestling can often conjure up images of burly figures fighting and throwing each other around.
Hayden with mum Dee EMN-160324-120017001Hayden with mum Dee EMN-160324-120017001
Hayden with mum Dee EMN-160324-120017001

But there is a moving story behind a show coming to Market Rasen - and it involves a Glentham mum’s tragic cancer battle.

On April 15, the Fight Factory Wrestling (FFW) show is set to entertain an audience at Festival Hall - as one of many events arranged ahead of a bid to get £400,000 for a renovation.

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Rebecca Loeve, who runs FFW with husband Hayden, explains the history behind their shows, which have raised thousands for 
charity.

She said: “In June 2014 my husband’s mother (Dee Mansell) sadly passed 
away.

“She had been suffering from breast cancer which then developed into other secondary cancers in the lungs, spine and lymphatic system.

“We had been planning our first show which was due to take place in the October, she wanted us to raise as much money as possible for St Barnabas Hospice and it would have been her first opportunity to see Hayden wrestle 
professionally.

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“Sadly she never got the chance, this spurred us on to produce the biggest show possible and we raised over £2,500 for charity.

“Dee left around £10,000 in her will for Hayden and instead of spending it on useless stuff and holidays, we decided to help the club by purchasing a wrestling ring and a van to transport it.

“This is where everything really took off, many many shows and charity events later we have raised over £7,500 for good causes.”

To begin with Rebecca and Hayden operated solely as a not-for-profit academy, putting on charity shows and teaching wrestling in the 
community.

But the business has branched out since then.

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Rebecca said: “Of course we need to support our family too, our eldest son is autistic and I have only been able to work three days a week, so the wrestling needed to start earning us some money too.

“So in February this year we created Fight Factory Wrestling - all of our touring shows across Lincolnshire are what provides an income to support our family.

“Our shows in Lincoln (of which there are another eight this year) continue to support the academy and our community work.

“Both sides of the company are run with the same ethos in mind and our FFW shows are a fantastic stage for our academy students to be able to 
perform.”

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And Hayden, whose wrestler name is ‘Dutch’, has overcome his own health problems to get where he is today.

Rebecca explains: “My husband has always been into wrestling, mixed martial arts and kickboxing, as well as working on the doors for over 10 years.

“He has always been a very active man, but in 2008 he broke his back and as a result of this he was out of action for nearly four years.

“In that time I was his main carer and slowly he rehabilitated himself from not being able to get out 
of bed or put on his own 
clothes to being a coach and wrestler performing on
 shows.”

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Lincoln Fight Factory Wrestling Academy was set up in 2013 and includes referee training, wrestling training, promo training and everything in between.

The academy is run on a voluntary basis by a committee of six people, with training sessions increasing from a couple of hours on a Sunday to every Monday, Thursday and Sunday.

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