Pro wrestler Jason Joshua thought he’d be dead. Now he’s living ‘bonus time,’ leading him to this weekend’s big event.

If you ask out pro wrestler Jason Joshua about the accomplishments and strides he has made in the ring over the last five years, he will tell you he’s wrestling on “bonus time.”

The U.K.-based rising independent wrestling star is set to make his debut at prominent British promotion TNT Extreme Wrestling during its two-night “EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch UK” event this weekend. Originally slated for last year’s inaugural “Big Gay Brunch UK” show, Joshua’s participation this year represents another milestone for a man who has racked up his fair share over the last year.

Joshua has wrestled on nearly every major Pride-themed wrestling event in the U.K. during that time, solidified his spot in LGBTQ-owned promotion Full Force Wrestling and celebrated a PEW Heavyweight title win in the lead-up to his debut on LGBTQ pro wrestling’s biggest stage.

Get off the sidelines and into the game

Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Those in-ring accolades are important, but they stand secondary to what Joshua has fought against personally to be able to be present and have those moments. The person known as “Big Daddy Unicorn” hasn’t shied away from discussing his battles with anxiety, depression and agoraphobia while building his name in an industry that can be unkind to all of those conditions.

Joshua has enjoyed a rise in popularity and self-motivation following Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, but the concept of his growth coming during a self-described “bonus time” harkens back to those battles.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joshua Jason Betteridge (@jasonjoshuapro)

“This might sound grim … but, in my head, from about age 15 I was like ‘25, I’m done,’” Joshua said during a recent appearance on the LGBT In The Ring podcast. “I’ll be gone by 25 because I have no confidence, no self-esteem, no motivation, nothing. As much as I’m saying I thought I was this hot shit in wrestling because I finally found something that I was motivated for and I wasn’t bad at it, but obviously I wasn’t as good as I thought I was. But, outside of that, I was still sort of lost.”

“Bonus time” in his pro wrestling journey has brought Joshua to new heights, but he credits the support system that developed around him even more than his passion for stepping in the ring for helping him overcome so much, starting with his longtime partner.

“The reason I talk about my partner so highly is because they were the person that came up to me and said, ‘You want to do this. Why aren’t we doing it?’” Joshua said. “They introduced me to the lab that originally trained me and the people I was originally around … I didn’t drive at the time, so they drove me every week to shows even if it was just to sort of introduce myself.”

Joshua also credits TJ Sky, his original trainer, and out pro wrestler Joey Scott, founder of Full Force Wrestling, as key parts of his support system and sources of motivation to keep improving.

“I have found these incredible people through wrestling, and that’s just two of them,” Joshua said. “I thought I’d be gone by 25, but instead I’ve got these amazing people around me that have motivated me … the fact that I’ve made it past 25, I will always count as bonus. These incredible people sort of just kept me here to help me find sort of more of a space for myself. Now, I want to be here.”

With the excitement of wrestling on “EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch UK” on the horizon, perhaps Joshua’s own words after winning the PEW Heavyweight title earlier this month sum the sentiment up best: “Whenever they tell you you can’t do it, show them this.”

Subscribe to the Outsports newsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more.

The post Pro wrestler Jason Joshua thought he’d be dead. Now he’s living ‘bonus time,’ leading him to this weekend’s big event. appeared first on Outsports.