A YOUNG wrestler with dreams of making it in America is to battle it out with Japanese superstars in a one-off event in Oxford.

Mark Haskins will enter the ring at The Regal in Cowley Road, East Oxford, as part of Dragon Gate Invasion: UK in front of fans from all over the world.

The 21-year-old, from Great Coxwell, near Faringdon, is on a bill including Japanese wrestlers BxB Hulk, Dragon Kid and Cima, all TV stars in their homeland and making their European debut.

Mr Haskins — nicknamed The Star Attraction — said: “It’s pretty much a dream come true. Their style is so fast paced, everything they do is so clean and crisp and fluid.

“It’s something I’ve tried to emulate, so I’m really excited to be in a show with these guys, especially in my home town.

“My mum and dad, and my cousin and her son, will be in the crowd and hopefully some of my friends, so there will be a bit of pressure.

“I’ve seen the plan for the lighting and it looks amazing.”

The former Faringdon Community College and Abingdon College student trains in the gym for two hours every day, practises in the ring three times a week, and competes every weekend.

He said: “I was a fan when I was about nine years old and I started training at 15 and made my pro debut when I was 18.

“I’m going for a try-out in Florida next month with probably the third biggest company in the world, Total Non-Stop Action, who draw crowds of 10,000.

“I’ll give it my best shot.”

The event, which will feature six matches including a six-person battle, takes place on Sunday, November 1.

Promoter and wrestler Mark Sloan said: “There are eight tickets left out of a capacity of 400, and we’re just about to open some standing room, so it’s looking pretty decent.

“There are going to be lots of fans travelling in from all over the world — from Finland, Holland and the US.

“It’s Dragon Gate’s first European tour and we were looking around the country for a venue and on the off chance someone said ‘Have you tried the Regal?’ “We hopped in a car from Ports- mouth and drove up. When we saw it we said ‘Wow, this is where we want to hold it’.

“It’s a product on a par quality-wise with WWF and everything like that, but with a lot less talk. It’s 10 times the action, like watching WWF in fast-forward. The guys are world-class.”