The following is an excerpt from an article from the official BBC website:
A Welsh wrestler who wants to be one of the biggest names in the world has made a spectacular television debut in the United States.
Mason Ryan, alias Barri Griffiths from Gwynedd, gatecrashed the ring when the former world champion was fighting.
The 28-year-old was watched by millions of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) fans as he tackled John Cena.
Back in Tremadog, his parents said they “were very proud indeed, as any parent would be”
“He wants now to beat all of them, beat all the best and be number one in America. That’s his aim from the beginning,” said his father Malcolm.
Griffiths, who is known as Mason Ryan in the US, has slammed and bellowed his way through the wrestling ranks in just over three years.
He was taken under the wing of the late Welsh wrestling legend and promoter Orig Williams in 2007, and soon swapped working for the family’s funeral director business for the wrestling ring.
Fighting under the name of Celtic Warrior, 6ft 5in (1.98m) Griffiths was later handed the name Goliath in Sky TV’s Gladiators show.
He moved to Florida after signing a five-year contract with WWE, and was crowned Florida heavyweight champion last July.
“Moving on to America was a natural thing. So when the offer came to go to Florida he grabbed it with both hands,” said his father.
Check out the complete article online at BBC.co.uk.
