Brody Malibu’s journey through life in the ring
Ian Mcdonald, also known as professional wrestler “Brody Malibu,” is hard to miss in the ring with his glowing tan and bleach blonde hair. Playing the “good guy” lifeguard character, Mcdonald gets the crowd roaring with a blow of his bright-red whistle and a high kick to a bad guy.
Even away from the ring and his Californian character, Mcdonald is usually spending time at the gym, or helping out at wrestling shows. Originally from Scotland, Mcdonald grew up watching wrestling on TV. Certain he was destined to be a professional wrestler, Mcdonald broke the news to his parents when he was 8-years-old.
“To them, it was sort of like joining the circus or something,” Mcdonald said with a laugh. “But they knew I meant business, and when I was 16, I decided to give it a try.”
Starting out in Scotland, Mcdonald suffered some injuries early on, including a serious shoulder injury and two concussions. Worried about his health, he took a break from wrestling and eventually came to Canada in search of job opportunities. But after checking out a wrestling match in Calgary put on by the Prairie Wrestling Alliance (PWA), Mcdonald said he “got the wrestling bug again.”
“I was watching a show with my girlfriend Amy, and she told me if I had put a bit of effort in, that could have been me in the ring,” Mcdonald said. “That sort of bothered me. I hated to admit, but she was right.”
Produced by Anna Brooks and Allison Drinnan
Shortly after, Mcdonald enrolled at the Storm Wrestling Academy, a school started by former WWE superstar Lance Storm, before eventually landing a solo gig as the character “Brody Malibu” for PWA.
“I remember his determination,” former pro-wrestler Storm said. “There’s few rungs on the wrestling ladder. Ian was persistent, kept knocking on the doors, helped set up the ring, and now he’s made it to where he is today.”
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Mcdonald has been wrestling with PWA for the last four and a half years, and said his love for the sport and love for the fans is what keeps him in the ring. Although he wrestles a lot less than he used to, performing in a couple of shows a month in Calgary and Edmonton, he said he hopes he can use his knowledge of the sport to help teach younger wrestlers.
But he said no matter what, wrestling will always be a part of his life, and is cheered on at every show he does by fans and his fiancé Amy.
“Every year I say it’s going to be my last year,” he says. “It’s just the wrestling bug, it’s an addiction. It’s hard to explain if you don’t have it.”
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