Melton’s own ‘Rock’ takes to local wrestling ring

Jake Navara iwill be taking on an American wrestler at Melton Community Hall. Picture: Shawn Smits.

Jake Navara was only eight when he fell in love with wrestling and wrestling superstar Dwayne Rock Johnson. At 25, the Melton man is now a professional wrestler en route, he hopes, to amazing places.

There’s more to this sport than meets the eye, Navara says.

“There’s a lot of mental preparation to really pluck up the courage to fight,” he says.

But it’s the nerves before a bout, the jeering crowd and the pain that pushes Navara – he wants to entertain, the same way he was entertained when watching The Rock.

He’s had to put many things on hold, missing out on family get-togethers and birthdays, to pursue wrestling. But it’s all worth it, he says.

“We do it for the people who come; we like to entertain people.”

Navara’s already wrestled on interstate and international stages, but now he’s warming up to entertain a home crowd.

He’ll be wrestling America’s Mohammed Ali Vaez on Saturday, October 24, at 7.30pm, at Melton community hall, 232 High Street. Tickets can be purchased at the door.