Seven Sharp's Rhys Mathewson puts his body on the line for wrestling

Becoming a pro wrestler takes “a lot of heart and a lot of sacrifice”, Fale Dojo founder Simi Taitoko Fale says.

That’s something Rhys Mathewson assured his Seven Sharp colleagues he could offer up in spades. 

So, he was sent out to the Ōtāhuhu club in South Auckland on its open try-out day — with mixed results. 

“We work out six days a week, four hours a day,” Fale, better known as Bad Luck Fale, warned Mathewson. 

The Tongan-New Zealander competes in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, one of the largest and longest-running wrestling competitions in Japan. 

While Mathewson didn’t walk out of the gym with too much more than a sore back and chest, he did earn a new name: Cookie Monster.