Hello The-Entertainment-junkies, today my guest comes from Lagos, Nigeria in Africa. Please welcome Sesan Olukoya. Hello Sesan and thank you for this interview. Its my sincere pleasure to express myself through this your worldwide pro wrestling forum.

Olusesan , Can you please tell the fans who you are?

Olusesan Olukoya are my names and I have a sports promoting outfit registered in 1996, Royal Sports World which has been the Link to the wrestling world ever since then. I am married to Titilayo Olukoya with children and I love pro wrestling with passion. I am an avid wrestling fan, researcher, activist, crusader, columnist and a publisher. I am the Secretary General of the Pro Wrestling Africa (PWA) with head office in Cameroon which serves as the mouthpiece of Pro wrestling in Africa where potential talents are liberated to the maximum use continentally.

You are a Pro Wrestling Promoter for many years in Africa, How do you come to the decision to be a Pro wrestling Promoter and manager? I started as an avid pro wrestling fan In 1989, when I was contributing to wrestling magazines and newsletters internationally on African pro wrestling news, to periodicals such as New Wave Wrestling magazine, New York, USA owned by Mike O’Hara; Son Of Flip monthly newsletter, PA, USA owned by Eric Shaffer; Between the Rope, Canada owned by Allan Greenberg and Wrestlemania, from UK then. Also The News newspaper in Liberia while I was in Monrovia Liberia for two years from 1999 to 2001. I started with writing on African Pro Wrestling to the world, then managing and promoting African talents which have grown now.

You stepped in the ring as a Promoter for many times? Is it still exciting to step in front of a live crowd? Before becoming the General Secretary of the Pro Wrestling Africa, I have stepped in the ring as a manager/promoter many times. it is still very exciting to me as ever and I was able to also address wrestlers while in Belgium in February 2010 when Rob Raw hosted me then. It is always exciting.

When you look in the future is there anything you want to do in wrestling or a match you are dreaming for? Perhaps one of the African Stars like Power Lee vs an European Star or a WWE Superstar? Yes, you have to dream it to accomplish it. It starts from dreaming then you work towards achieving it. Apart from the fact that I want Mr. Peace “Power Lee De Great”, the current Nigerian National and the PWA African Wrestling heavyweight champion and titles holder competing among the toughest in the industry worldwide and become the world champion of many organizations, I also want to bring up other upcoming African talents to limelight and showcase them internationally. We have lots of them who are doing great and who will indeed do better when they compete abroad. I also want to see to having the biggest African wrestling event where fans will come to Nigeria from the world to watch a tournament. As the publisher of the Wrestling Update, the African Wrestling monthly magazine covering world news, I hope to interview at a point in time the world rated pro wrestlers, managers and promoters and have their photographs and collectible items in my wrestling library in Africa which I am yet to build.

‘Sesan when you look at your time in pro-wrestling in Africa can you share some highlights with us? It is worth of note that there are some sporting events that stood out as a household entertaining sports that have continuously attracted the youth all over the world and have commanded popular interest among the young and old. In Nigeria in the eighties, the same sport was the most entertaining and highest crowd puller before the advent of professional football. That is none other sports than PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING. Nigeria as a country, has produced world champions at various times to the pride of the nation such as the late Power Mike, Mike Bamidele, Ben Lion Heart, all of blessed memory and then Ladi Braimoh “African Tiger” who is a King now in Kwara State in Nigeria , The Great Power Uti and so on.

In the late eighties, whenever a wrestling event is held in the main bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos; Ogbe Stadium, Benin city; Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, the event tickets were sold out months, weeks and days before the event. It is no more like that ad we want to bring this back. It is achievable.

Training in Africa with your Stars. How is the training there? Does some promotions sometimes have Trainings Camp with Stars from other promotions or Countries? We want to use Pro Wrestling Africa to run some programs. We normally have training regularly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and camping of wrestlers whenever we have upcoming events. PWA is working on having training camps with stars from other promotions and affiliations and during on our African title Defense tournament that will hold in Asaba on the 1st May 2016, there will be a pro wrestling Seminar that will be run with our affiliates coming from USA. We just have to build all this gradually even as we are working on joint pro wrestling events and exchange of wrestlers internationally in the coming years. All this are indeed possible with time.

 

And i saw a female Wrestler Photo on Facebook some weeks ago, what about female Pro Wrestling in Nigeria? Do you have some talents out there? Yes, we have female talents and for your information, in the 1980 in Lagos, Nigeria, Bella Ogunlana of Nigeria once Defeated Rusty Blair of UK. Bella was billed as the African Women's Champion, while Rusty held same version of the U.K. Women's Title. Women pro wrestling is alive and well in Nigeria but not to the standard of men wrestling as factors of marriage, business and child bearing affects women who are into the industry in Nigeria mostly

 

 

Is the TV interest in Africa still good? Yes, TV interest in Africa is still good to what is obtainable but we can make it better with time. Like when we had the African heavyweight title in Yaoundé, Cameroon last year September, I received messages that the match was televised in Ghana and South Africa. We still need to develop this sector the more though.

 

When you go on a road trip to a show sometimes it comes to good funny roadstroys, do you also have one? Road trip is what I experience for the first time in 2008 When Bernard Vandamme, the European Heavyweight champion drove me from Belgium to France and after that show at Abbey court, he was billed to travel again for another show in Germany but I was not able to travel with him due to other assignments. For now, we do not have road trips but it can be worked on with time especially with our connections to foreign alliances now.

 

And what do the men behind The Manager and Promoter when you not stand in the ring? When not in the ring, when not working outside the ring as the General Secretary of the Pro Wrestling Africa, I travel for meetings, deliberations and establishments of Pro Wrestling in other African countries. Currently, Pro Wrestling Africa as a continental body is established in 19 African nations it is our dream to take all the nooks and crannies of the continent. I see it as a crusade that must go round.

About African wrestling? Despite the fact that Wrestling as a sport originated from Egypt, North Africa, the African professional wrestling has not been accorded its due recognition and respect in the world of pro wrestling.

 

 

At the last something to say to your fans in Africa? African fans should not lose hope. There is always a light after the tunnel. African wrestling will get to the promise land soon and we would be able to organize bigger and better tournaments that worldwide fans will come to watch.

 

And something to say to the promoter in Europe? Promoters in Europe should deem it fit to showcase the talents from Africa. Several attempts have been made and the promoters end up saying our talents are not popular, are not known in Europe. They will be known and accepted when they are showcased.

Thank you Sesan being my guest and i hope we see you sometimes in a German ring. I am grateful for your sincere contributions to the development of pro wrestling around the world. Your impact is of great benefit to pro wrestling fans who sincerely want to know details on wrestling profession from the other parts of the world. Greetings from the Pro Wrestling Africa (PWA) Nigerian Office, and from the entire African professional wrestling world. Will surely see you in German before the year runs out. Thank you once again my wrestling brother.