The Return of Marcus of Man

Marcus of Man, the only Manx professional wrestler, is return to the island next month, to fight in front of a home crowd at the Villa Marina, in what will be a poignant match for the Manxman.

Originally from Port Erin, now living in Sweden, this marks the first time since those pre-2020 days that Marcus has been able to compete on the island.

Marcus began wrestling in 2003 and now lives in Sweden where he portrays a villain or ‘heel’ character, but coming home allows him to show a different side to the man who once (in character) advocated a hard Brexit, much to the chagrin of Scandinavian fans.

He said: ‘Coming back to the island is something special and not many wrestlers get that reaction in their hometowns. Growling up on the island and representing it abroad (flying the flag literally on my gear) creates a different bond with me and the people of the island.’

As well as showing a different character, Marcus will also be changing up his usual moveset for his home crowd He said: ‘Changing things up is good sometimes. Learning a new hold or two, a bit flashier maneuvers to give that little extra to the crowd. Might even break out a dropkick or other top flying move. This is the biggest night of the year for me!’

While promoter Megaslam hasn’t named an opponent for Marcus, he said Action Man Stixx would be a ‘dream opponent’. He added: ‘They have recently crowned a new champion, Alexander Dean, who I’m hoping will make the trip over.’

Dedication

Marcus has had to spent most of the last few years having to hold online conversations with friends and family, but unfortunately an unplanned trip back earlier this year came with the sudden passing of his mum.

He said: ‘She was a big supporter of the wrestling so this match will be dedicated to her.’

Away from the match, Marcus is also looking forward to seeing family and friends again. He said: ‘It will only be a short visit but hoping to enjoy some of the nature down in the south of the island. Meeting up with friends and family and just enjoying the island.’

Pandemic

Sweden’s approach to the pandemic was different to many other places, as it sought to suppress spread, but not by lockdowns, instead the goal was to achieve social distancing through public health recommendations.

Marcus said: ‘The pandemic created huge problems for all of us and I had a harder time getting to the island with both the border from Sweden to UK, and then the UK to Isle of Man border. It severely limited my chances to wrestle since Sweden also had restrictions instead of a lockdown and I’m taking all the opportunities I can now to make up for that.’

However, while the pandemic put a pause on many things, Marcus has been able to try his hand at different aspects of wrestling since life began to return to normal.

He said: ‘I am getting chances in different companies to show what I can do, both in the ring and on the microphone. Taking the character down a darker road in some promotions. I recently got an opportunity to branch into commentary for the Bodyslam company in Copenhagen and appear on their biggest show of the year. I’ve got trips to Helsinki planned and testing out my skills against a range of international talent.’

Show

Megaslam Wrestling is on at the Villa on Wednesday October 19, buy tickets here.