UPBEAT MUSIC Captions by Madison Batten. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016. # La, la-la, la, la, la, la, # la-la, la, la, la-la. # La, la-la, la, la-la. # PEACEFUL MUSIC If you have a goal and a dream, you have to put in the work. My ultimate goal is to be in the WWE, perform at WrestleMania and become WWE world heavyweight champion. FUNKY MUSIC My name's Kartik Swarmi. I was born in, uh, Fiji. I moved to NZ in 2002 when I was 6 years old. But in the ring, you can call me the Neo Viper Kartik. As well as being a good wrestler, I have to build a profile, a solid fan base and also bring something special to the table. So, what sets me apart is I'm a professional wrestler with a pacemaker. FUNKY MUSIC CONTINUES I was told that I wouldn't live past the age of 13 by my doctors. I'm 21 now, and, um,... I've proven them wrong. The doctors and everybody said I wouldn't be able to do this. I decided that I'm still gonna do it. I'm gonna stick at it. But I wanna be known as the Neo Viper Kartik, the professional wrestler and the fighter, not, uh, a professional wrestler with a pacemaker. ROCK MUSIC Squeeze it. Now bounce it. Bring your shoulders tight. Straight back down. Don't rest it. Come on. Keep that rhythm. Yeah. There it is. That's the one. Charlie Roberts is one of the most successful wrestlers in NZ. Me and him have a lot of history together in the ring. I can learn a lot of things from Charlie Roberts on how to build my fan base and how to further my career. Nah, man, it's just... It's making that connection with people. If you just find that thing that's you and you just zone in on that and just keep pushing that out, then you're away. I know I have to get WWE's attention. But it's pretty much what I'm bringing to the table, and I don't know what that is yet. You know, they're looking for people that can teach, and then the people that actually have a fan base. So, you know, if there's stuff you can do to start building it, you can reach out to... You've got the gym family, you know. You can reach out to those guys. You can reach out to cultural stuff, you know, through Fijian Indian community. I mean, you're unique in that respect, you know. There's not a lot of guys doing it. > And just saying, 'Hey, look. This is what I've been able to do.' If someone had come and told you, 'Hey, I've still gone out there and done all this,' you know, that's gonna hit a chord with you, right? So that kid's gonna be a fan of you for life, no matter what. And it's just building that buy-in. Yeah. Cos once you get that, then you're away. People ask me about my heart condition, which I'm not very comfortable talking about. You've had a crap deal a little bit, right? But, you know, you also look at the flip side of that. And look at what you have been able to do. You know, it's like we've always... The amount of times that we've had that conversation about you doing stuff that you were told you never should. That's a story in itself, you know? What it factors into is you as that fighter and that person that's just gonna keep going. That's what it is. It's got nothing to do with your pacemaker or anything like that. And I mean, hey, you can talk about it, but it doesn't define who you are. Yeah. It's part of you, yeah, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Yeah. BEEP! I feel very vulnerable, um, making my heart condition a central story. This is something that, um, I need to think more on. And, um, we'll see what the future holds. UPBEAT MUSIC Uh, so, my parents are Fijian Indian. My mum was always working, my dad was always working, 24-7 trying to make mine and my brother's lives a lot better. My mum and dad are not too keen on me wrestling or doing any sort of sports, but I think that they know that I'm not gonna give this up. But they don't wanna see me getting hurt. When you were around about 10, you were walking after school on the way to home with Dad. And he didn't know that you fell over. Then I saw you lying on the road. I didn't know what to do. I ran back to home and called my husband. I didn't know what I was gonna do at that time. Yeah. I'm crying at that. 'My God. Help. Help me.' I was praying that I don't lose you. I will try to save you. I'll do everything to save you. So that was the day. It was, uh, like a nightmare for me. And when you had your operation, and from that time, you was interested in wrestling, fighting. Oh yeah. When I got out of surgery. And doctors say you were a crazy boy and you were mental doing wrestling. But you still do your wrestling. (LAUGHS) Yeah, I'm still gonna do it. About six months into training, you asked me why am I doing this. And then I told you it's because I made a promise to my granddad. The last time we saw him, he asked me what I wanted to do with my life and asked what I wanna be. And I told him, 'I wanna be a wrestler.' He was the first person that believed in me, that said, 'OK. 'I know you can do it. 'So I want you to make a promise to me ` work hard at it, and you will stick to it. 'No matter what anybody says, prove, um` prove`' To prove the world that you can, that you are not disabled. If any disabled children in the family ` plenty people have, not only you ` so that you can prove that disabled can do the normal things. Same things like normal people. For my parents to say that to me, uh, makes me want to work harder and get to my goals and gives me motivation to, um, go out and make a name for myself to prove that I can be a wrestler. BEEP! Uh, so, WWE has phenomenal wrestlers that, um,... don't just wrestle for the entertainment and the money aspect of it. Zach Gowen is really inspiring. He lost his leg at a very young age due to cancer. You know, I've seen him wrestle in WWE. Now he has a charity called Warriors Wrestling, which helps medical-challenged people achieve their goals and their dreams. And, so, uh, today I'm gonna be reaching out to, uh, Zach Gowen in LA and, you know, tell him about my condition and ask for his advice and see what he has for me. Uh, since the beginning of time, our jobs as professional wrestlers is to make a connection with the audience. Now, I have a very distinct advantage. You might look at me and say, 'Oh, wow,' you know? 'Zach, you lost your leg to cancer when you were 8 years old. 'You're the world's first one-legged professional wrestler. How is that even possible?' It's possible because I can use my story and my ability to overcome obstacles and challenges, and I can use that to connect with an audience. I understand that you are the only professional wrestler who's active in the world that has a pacemaker. Yes. Um, I'm... Wow. I am the only person, I believe. I haven't, uh, put it with my character. I haven't publicised it cos I just don't want to be treated different or, like, be looked at different. And, um, I don't wanna be, like, shut out. And I don't want people to cheer for me because they feel sorry for me. I had the exact same fears as you did when I started out. I feel like there's a difference between exploiting the pacemaker and sharing the overcoming of the obstacle. OK. The great thing about someone like you and someone like me is that we have a built-in audience connector already with us. Yup. Yeah. The understanding of beating a challenge, facing a challenge and overcoming that obstacle ` that transcends professional wrestling. That goes beyond just a physical disability. That's what the human condition is all about. And we have the ability to tap into that. And, quite frankly, I believe we have a responsibility to tap into that, because who knows who's in the audience who needs to hear our story, who needs that little hope, that little` that little beacon of inspiration, to, uh, continue and go about their day and be successful in their lives? What do I need to, um, set goals and stuff for to get WWE's attention? Uh, it goes back to what are you bringing to the table. Um, because there are a million guys that have good physiques, uh, that can fly around the ring and can perform the moves and that have charisma. There are a million guys that can do that. But what separates you from those guys? And I think that's something you have to ask yourself. And use that to connect with an audience. Because once you do that, then you're gonna be on everybody's radar. HIP HOP MUSIC In the past, I've never really publically advertised myself as, um, a wrestler with a pacemaker. But Zach gave me a whole lot of good advice on connecting with an audience, being an inspiration. And so I confirmed an interview with, uh, Humm FM, which is a Hindi radio station here in Auckland. I've never done a radio interview before. This is my first ever radio interview. I've been, uh, thinking about this radio interview the whole day at work. And I'm very very nervous. And, um, hopefully it goes all well. And hopefully, uh, people are inspired through this interview and through my story. Humm 106.2FM. Welcome back, guys. And yes, we are talking about Neo Viper Kartik. Kartik, welcome to the show. How are you, bro? I'm very good. Thank you very much for having me. A lot of our listeners may not know that, uh, Neo Viper Kartik is actually from Fiji. Kartik, you know, a lot of our listeners are actually from Fiji. Are you the only Fiji-Indian who's in wrestling? In NZ, um, I think I'm the only one at the moment. Yeah. Wrestling is not a very very, uh, big sport in Fiji, so how did wrestling come to you? I was diagnosed with a heart condition, so when I was 11 years old, they put a pacemaker in me. And I came out of my first heart surgery. I was flicking through the TV channels. And wrestling came on. And I'm, like, 'Sweet. I wanna do that.' Uh, well, maybe our listeners do not know, Kartik has a condition which he has spoken about. You are actually an inspiration to a lot of other people out there. I mean, you had a severe condition ` you still have it ` and still, you are fighting every day, you know? And, uh, you are ready to fight come this Saturday. So you go and buy your tickets ` $10. Kids $5. And for more information, go on their website. So, the radio was awesome. I was getting some Fijian Indian community people interested in me through their text messages that were coming in and, um, the good feedback that was coming through. So I'm gonna take it a step further. And, uh, the Heart Foundation have reached out to me, wanting me to meet, um, a kid named Jake, who's having trouble, uh, dealing with his own, uh, heart condition. ALL LAUGH Have you been in one of these before? I have, but it wasn't as flash as your one. I was given, pretty much, the age of 13 to live. I'm 21 now. < You survived. I survived. So, Jake, um, tell me about your heart condition. Like, when did you know you had one? How did you know? Well, I've always known that since I was very very young. Yes. We found out at 3 weeks, when he went into heart failure, that he had a heart condition. In the next year or two, I assume, he'll be back in for more open heart surgery to have the valve repaired again. Oh wow. How do you... How do you feel about all of that? > Not too bad. Not too bad. Not too bad? > Yeah. Oh, I'd be super-scared. > Yeah. I'm scared. Hmm. I've been in brain scans. I've been in lots of things. You used to make up stories about your scar when you first started school, eh? Yeah, like a shark bit it and stuff. That's awesome, cos I did that too. > I told everyone I got attacked by a tiger. It pulled out one claw and did this line. > Pulled out one claw and... Yeah. And did this. > And they're like, 'No. You're lying.' I'm like, 'No, no. It happened.' > I have proof. Yeah. (LAUGHS) It's pretty good meeting a person that was like me when they were young, a dream being a sports player, like a wrestler or a league player, and yeah. Pretty good. And I finally met someone that's like me, so, yeah. When Jake first, um, started playing league, I had found it really hard. You know, that he was gonna be getting tackled at 5, and that he would get hurt. I'm fine. He's fine, yeah. Most of the time. It's a hard-work thing. It's a learning curve thing. Um, there will be times where you guys would wanna give up. And those are the times where you have to dig down deep and be, like, 'No, I will not give up. I'm gonna make this dream come true.' Cos no matter what, whatever your goal is going to be in life... It's gonna get achieved. It's gonna get achieved. So, I've got a show coming up this Saturday. Um, it's at Kelston Intermediate. And, um, I would like to invite you ` yourself and your family ` to come to our show. Oh yeah. I wanna see you fly off the` off the, um, rope. Pounce on them. ALL LAUGH Awesome. I can see that talking about my condition isn't always negative. I'm starting to realise maybe I was too, um, confined with my fears and not seeing the bigger picture of it. So, I've got a fight coming up this weekend against James Sinclair. Um, I haven't heard anything about my Fijian-Indian community or haven't heard anything about them buying tickets or anything like that. But, um, I've got Jake. I met Jake. He's a really cool dude. Um, and he asked me if I could, um, fly off the top rope for him, which is exactly what I'm gonna do for him come this weekend. BEEP! FUNKY MUSIC So, I have a wrestling match, uh, this weekend. Um, I think I'm slowly building, uh, fans, um, as I'm getting a little bit more confident of talking about myself and my heart condition. I have been invited by Indian health and fitness enthusiast instructor Ella, uh, after she heard me on the radio. Let's try the arms in the next one. Here we go with the arms. She would like me to come and meet a group of people that she's training, who are learning how to be health and fitness educators and to go back into their own Indian communities and, uh, teach the communities. OK, guys. I'm gonna introduce you to someone new today. Let's introduce Kartik to our class today. Kartik, come on over. And Kartik's gonna talk about to you, a little bit about himself. ALL: Hi, Kartik. Hi, Kartik. Hi. (LAUGHS) So, left foot forward, right foot back. You take a step forward and then throw your left, and then step back. Drop your hands. Grab their head. Pull them in. And then raise your right knee up. And then the other one was push kick. Someone's tryna steal your bag or something. Just step forward, and then push. And that's it. So you step in, and then push. You know, there's like a good trick to drop guys on their feet, if you want to. You know where you can aim ` between the legs. ALL LAUGH Are you getting experts at this, guys? Yeah. You're all gonna try it when you get home. I know that. ALL LAUGH Again. Three more times. ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC Step through and throw your right. Two more times. Last one. Are we ready for wrestling? WOMEN LAUGH Um, pretty much. Cool. < Sweet. We're good. Yeah. Um, yeah, Kartik. I just wanna ask you how are your parents? If it was my son, I would be so scared. I would say, 'No way. Just go and sit at home and rest.' < Pretty much exactly what you're saying is exactly what my mum said to me. Yeah, and also my mum mentioned to me, 'Go out there. Become successful. 'Prove to everybody that it doesn't matter if you have a disability or not. 'You can achieve your goals through hard work. And you have to put in the work. 'You have to do the boring stuff to get to the fun stuff.' Keep up the good work, because you're an inspiration for all of us, you know? We wanna see more people out there fighting any barriers. Nothing's a barrier when you put your mind to it, and you've proven that. So keep it up. Enjoy it. Give him a hand, guys. UPBEAT MUSIC A really big thing has come up. Um, TV3 want me to go on Story... and, um... and pretty much talk about my health condition. It's a very, very, very big decision for me to make. It's very different talking to community-based people. It's a whole different ball game going on national television, uh, but I'm ready to take a risk. Do you worry about your heart when you're in the ring? I did at first. I realised that if you're motivated and you have a dream and you wanna get to that dream, you have to take risks. You can't take no for an answer. Kartik says that character, the Neo Viper, named after his favourite car and a car engine, allows him to escape his condition to be who he wants to be. ELECTRONIC MUSIC As you know, today we've got the Rumble. I want everyone to be super safe. Can everyone look after each other, please? Be aware of where we are in the ring. Um, Kartik has a pacemaker, so please no hits to the chest. Everyone be safe, have fun, and let's do this. My fight is tonight. I'm really really excited to see some Indian faces in the crowd, and having young Jake from Heart Kids come and support me. So I'm gonna give 110,000% like I do in every performance and give my all out there. It should be a fun night. CROWD CHEERS DUBSTEP MUSIC CHEERING CROWD CHANTS CROWD BOOS DUBSTEP MUSIC BREAKS DOWN MUSIC SLOWS CROWD YELLS APPLAUSE KIDS CHEER What was it like? It was extremely, extremely fun. I` I thought I was gonna win. I thought you were gonna win near the end cos you made a huge comeback. Yeah, yeah. We're so proud of you. Thank you. Thank you very much for coming. Hope you guys enjoyed the show. I really was, uh, cheering for you to win. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) It's good to see these shows around in the West Auckland area so we can come along. Thank you very much for coming. Hope you guys enjoyed the show. Hope you guys can come to the next one. Yeah, we will. Thank you. Um, I had a lot of people come to the event, uh, that cheered my name. Um, had a lot of families come up to me saying that they're gonna come back to the next shows to come and watch me, and I think that's awesome. I think my fan base is growing and is gonna get bigger and bigger. And, um, we'll see what happens. So, I've been through a personal journey in the past couple of months, getting my head around how to accept my heart condition and how to balance out when it's appropriate and comfortable to talk about it and when it's not. I feel like I'm in a better mind set and a better comfortable place now, and I think I'm more comfortable with who I am. And if ever wanna get to the WWE and be the first guy to get to the WWE at WrestleMania with a pacemaker, I just gotta work harder than all the WWE guys and everybody in this whole entire business. I'll keep growing my fan base, keep bringing something special to the table and into the ring, and hopefully one day become WWE world heavyweight champion. ROCK MUSIC BEEP! Captions by Madison Batten Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016.