North Wrestling will appear on the popular BBC show this week
Andrew Bowers, owner and promoter of North Wrestling.(Image: NORTH Wrestling)
A wrestling promoter has talked of the “nerve-wracking” moment he stepped in front of TV Dragons to pitch his business. Andrew Bowers runs North Wrestling, which stages matches in Newcastle and Leeds, including sold out shows at Walker Dome featuring some of the ring’s top names.
The entrepreneur and events manager at the city’s Anarchy Brew Co is due to appear on the BBC One show on Thursday, where he faces investors including the North East’s own Sara Davies, and high profile co-stars Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones, among others. Mr Bowers has remained tight-lipped about the appearance which will put him in front of thousands of prime-time viewers.
He said: “If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be walking into the Dragons’ Den, I’d have laughed at you! It was definitely nerve-wracking, but as a wrestling promoter, I knew I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take the chance to tell our story on one of the biggest TV shows in the UK.”
North Wrestling started in 2016 and has built up a fanbase with its “raucous, up-close atmosphere and welcoming community”. The company set out to bridge the gap between professional wrestling and mainstream audiences, and has staged events featuring wrestlers from brands such as WWE, TNA and wXw, including names such as Joe Hendry, Rampage Brown and Gabriel Kidd.
On the back of a surge in interest in professional wrestling in the UK, North has gone from strength to strength, recently picking up the Royal Television Society North East and Borders 2025 award in the Non-Broadcast Scripted and Unscripted Category. Last year it promoted its largest ever show – Thunderstruck 2 – on Tyneside.
Andrew Bowers, owner and promoter of North Wrestling will appear on Dragons’ Den, this Thursday, October 23.(Image: NORTH Wrestling)
Thursday evening’s appearance in front of the Dragons will see a live wrestling demonstration and a pitch from Mr Bowers setting out the company’s vision, its model and growth potential in the hoping of securing investment to expand. He is joined by other entrepreneurs touting natural tattoo aftercare products, education tech and a flat-sharing app.
A teaser for the show – released by the BBC – shows the pitch featuring wrestler Man Like Dereiss interrupted when an “uninvited rival” enters the Den.
Mr Bowers added: “The pitch itself changed completely the night before filming. I’d spent weeks trying to memorise a business-heavy pitch full of demographics and audience stats — and it just wouldn’t stick.
“So me, Rory Coyle and Man Like Dereiss sat in my hotel room for about five hours and rebuilt it from scratch. We stripped it back to why I started North Wrestling and what it means to the people involved.
“Standing in front of the Dragons, watching two of our wrestlers perform, then stepping forward to pitch — it was surreal, to say the least. But once I started talking about the business we’ve built, I relaxed into it more than I expected. I just hope the passion and love we have for this artform came across.”
North now regularly promotes events at Anarchy Brew Co and in April teamed up with WWE to showcase WrestleMania – arguably the largest event in the industry’s calendar. The two night show in Las Vegas featured names such as John Cena, Roman Reigns and even a shock appearance from regular North Wrestling star Joe Hendry in front of more than 60,000 fans.
Mr Bowers will feature on episode 13 of of series 22 of the BBC One show, airing at 8pm on Thursday. The show will be available on the BBC iPlayer subsequently.
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