Glasgow wrestling referee to call World Title Fight in Spain
Thomas Kearins has refereed for the biggest professional wrestling company in the world, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but says Barcelona event is his biggest opportunity yet.
Article Source: Insane Championship Wrestling
Last Updated: 6 January 2023 9:36
The Glasgow-born referee has been the man in the middle of some of the biggest matches in the country, calling it down the line in clashes featuring wrestling legends Rey Mysterio; Kurt Angle; and the first British WWE World Champion, Drew McIntyre.
“I’ve been very lucky.” says Thomas, who currently referees for Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW), one of the UK’s largest wrestling companies.
“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.”
The 27-year-old has been refereeing from the age of just fourteen, 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 on Saturday 14 January in Barcelona, Spain.
Originally from Linthouse, Thomas attended Lourdes Secondary School and shocked careers advisers when he said he wanted to work in the wrestling business.
“My mum was not amused,” he admits. “To me, it wasn’t as ridiculous as it sounded.”
“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.”
Kearins graduated from the University of the West of Scotland with a BA(Hons) in Marketing at 23-years-old before being asked to work on WWE’s inaugural NXT UK event in Cambridge, England the following month.
Since then, he has appeared on ICW’s weekly Fight Club show, which continued to film in Scotland under strict rules due to the pandemic.
“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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