Wrestler ready to make Mayhem at Rocky event

Brenton Peatey, aka Steven Stanleys: ‘It’s not ballet; it’s pretty rough stuff.’

Rockhampton wrestler Brenton Peatey is ready to launch into action at the Indoor Sports Arena on Saturday night. Photo: New Photography Studios

Quietly spoken university student Brenton Peatey undergoes an amazing metamorphosis when he enters the wrestling ring.

As he steps through the ropes in his red tracksuit, he becomes Steven Stanleys, a cocky personal trainer who believes he cannot be beaten.

Spectators will get to see it for themselves on Saturday at the Indoor Sports Arena Rockhampton.

Steven is Brenton’s fight name, and he cannot wait to get involved in the thuds and theatrics of Queensland Wrestling Association Rockhampton’s Mayhem on May 8 event.

This will be the third match for the 23-year-old, who started training in July 2019.

“Like most kids, I watched wrestling on TV when I was little, and all my mates were into it,” Brenton said.

“I went away from it in my teens but when there was talk of events like this, I thought I would give it a crack and see how I go.

“That was the end goal, to be fighting in front of a crowd.”

Brenton Peatey says his character work is one of his strengths. Photo: New Photography Studios

Brenton trains twice a week at Rhino MMA Rockhampton, strengthening his body and mastering his moves.

“Despite what some people might think, it’s an athletic thing,” he said.

“We’ve got to train as hard as we can to know how not to hurt ourselves and to take the punishment we do get.

“How I explain it to people is drama fighting - it is quite physical and at times can be painful but you’re out there to entertain an audience.

“It’s not ballet; it’s pretty rough stuff.”

Brenton said the character of Steven had been bouncing around in his head for a while.

“I had this idea of a personal trainer who doesn’t really care about the people he’s training, he’s just in it for himself,” he said.

“The gist is he can make you better, but he’ll still always be better.

Brenton Peatey will be in the ring for his third match at the weekend’s Mayhem on May 8 event in Rockhampton. Photo: New Photography Studios

“It annoyed me thinking about that sort of person so I was hoping it would get the crowd going too.

“You can go out there and do 50 spectacular moves but if the crowd doesn’t care about who you are or how much they want you to win or lose, then there’s not much point.

“If you can get them invested and hanging off every move, it’s a much more enjoyable experience for them and for you.”

Brenton said his biggest strength was his character work, but he was constantly working to develop that as well as his fighting skills.

He will be in the ring against a Brisbane opponent on Saturday, something he said was “quite exciting but a little bit nerve-racking”.

“I’m still just finding my feet,” he said.

“Even though I’ve been training for two years, in the ring it’s still all very new to me.

“I’m still learning but I’m having a lot of fun.”

Saturday’s action starts at 6pm.