{
  "id": 8395113,
  "title": "'I will be a WWE champion': Meet the young wrestlers dreaming big",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/i-will-be-a-wwe-champion-meet-the-young-wrestlers-dreaming-big",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-19T06:03:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wwe-champion-meet-young-wrestlers-060329183.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Among those aspiring to become WWE champions, 16-year-old Eva is one of many who have grown up watching wrestling icons on television. Now, Eva and others like her have the opportunity to train locally and pursue a career in wrestling. With a growing interest in the sport, Northern Ireland could produce its next wrestling star.\n\nEva, who began training in January, credits her local opportunity as a turning point in her ambition. She also cites Irish WWE star Becky Lynch as inspiration, saying that success is not limited by where one comes from. Eva aims to study performing arts after leaving school, believing it will aid her character development and performance skills.\n\nAmira Blair, from Lisburn, moved to London to pursue her wrestling dream. At age 11, she dreamed of becoming a wrestler but did not think it was a realistic goal in Northern Ireland. Blair's journey to London was met with skepticism from others, but she believes the wrestling industry has evolved significantly for women, with main events becoming more common.\n\nDamien Corvin, a professional wrestler and coach in Larne, believes the gap between starting a wrestling career in Northern Ireland and building a successful one is narrowing. Corvin, who has wrestled in various countries, says aspiring wrestlers in Northern Ireland can now work full-time and still live locally. He offers wrestlers a platform to develop their skills and gain exposure.\n\nWrestler Dylan Todd, also from Carrickfergus, shares Corvin's optimism. Growing up, Todd was more interested in drama and skateboarding. He now wrestles under the name DD Crooks and believes the current talent pool across the island of Ireland could lead to more wrestlers making their mark in the ring. For Todd, wrestling is his dream job, so much so that he would sleep outside if it meant pursuing it full-time.",
  "summary": "With a new generation of talent setting their sights on some of wrestling's biggest stages, could Northern Ireland produce its next big star?",
  "key_points": [
    "16-year-old Eva begins wrestling training in January, inspired by Becky Lynch.",
    "Amira Blair moves to London at 11, defying skepticism about Northern Ireland's wrestling prospects.",
    "Damien Corvin sees Northern Ireland's wrestling talent growing, aiming to produce more champions."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}