Glasgow-born Thomas Kearins shocked careers advisors at school when he revealed he wanted to dive into the world of wrestling.
Though the 27-year-old's first priority was getting his Marketing degree - in which he graduated from the University of the West of Scotland four years ago - his dream and ambition was to stand in the middle of a ring as a referee.
Just a month after graduating, he was a step closer to fulfilling his dream after being asked to work on WWE’s inaugural NXT UK event in Cambridge, England.
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Since then Thomas, originally from Linthouse, has been the man in the middle of some of the biggest matches in the country, calling in down the line in clashes featuring wrestling legends Rey Mysterio; Kurt Angle; and the first British WWE World Champion, Drew McIntyre.
He currently referees for Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), one of the UK’s largest wrestling companies.
Thomas has been refereeing from the age of just 14, with appearances for several major Scottish promotions, before becoming the first Scot to referee for sports entertainment juggernaut WWE, in 2018.
Now the Glaswegian is set to become the first person from Scotland to referee a professional wrestling match abroad when he officiates the ICW World Heavyweight Title match between Leyton Buzzard, Ricky Barcelo and Feyyaz Aguila at Lucha Libre Barcelona, in Spain next weekend (January 14).
He told Glasgow Live: “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve accomplished most things I set out to do in wrestling, but I always wanted to referee abroad.
"It's not something a Scottish referee has ever done.
“I was committed to going to university to get my degree but knew I’d have to do things slightly differently if I still wanted to be involved in wrestling.
“My parents were very supportive, but their priority was for me to get my degree. By the time I graduated I’d already refereed at The OVO Hydro Arena twice."
Thomas has appeared on ICW’s weekly Fight Club show, which continued to film in Scotland under strict rules due to the pandemic.
He added: “The pandemic was such a challenging time, but I was fortunate to still be able to referee, albeit behind closed doors.
“It’s something I don’t ever take for granted. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to develop and work with the best professional wrestlers across the world."
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