Grado – a wrestling superstar who has made the transition from the ring to our TV screens, subsequently making his way into the nation’s hearts en route.
Hailing from ‘the tap end of Stevenson’, Grado, or Graeme Stevely, began wrestling when he was just 13 years old – donning his mum’s cycling shorts and his granny’s tartan waistcoat.
“Because Steve Austin wore a leather waistcoat, I thought ‘I’m Scottish, so I’ll wear a tartan one’,” he told Whats On Scotland.
“It was my first ever match at Greenock Town Hall – in front of 37 people.”
Obsessed with the likes of Hulk Hogan and the big names in the industry, something inside Grado told him this was the life for him.
He told me that despite not being the most athletic of chaps, he had this feeling it was something he could really make a go of – and broke most of his family’s beds in the process of practising his art.
“Technically, this is my 21st year actually wrestling – and I’ve never looked back,” he said.
“I was obsessed with wrestling since I was 12 – the moment I saw The Rock, I knew I wanted to be that guy. I ate, slept and breathed wrestling.
STV News“I phoned a major radio station in 2002 – my voice hadn’t broken yet – asking if there was a wrestling school in Scotland. I never thought I’d get to the heights I’ve got to.
“I’m not into the gym, I’m not the fittest guy you’ll ever meet, I’m not 6ft5 – but I know I can count on my personality – I’m no feart and I go for it! I have that on my side.”
Grado’s cheeky, funny disposition – I don’t say that lightly, he truly has funny bones – have seen him become a firm favourite in the wrestling world, leading him to perform in some of the biggest arenas across the US, Mexico and Europe.
But he’s gone beyond that.
The 36-year-old has landed parts in the likes of Scot Squad and beloved comedy Two Doors Down, playing the ever-hapless Alan.
“I’ll never forget it – it was tremendous. I couldn’t believe my luck. So many folk love it.
“I always thought it was a hidden gem during lockdown – but it got so popular. It was a very special show.
“I am so glad to have been a part of a production that left a lasting memory on people.”
It’s a role he has relished but one that means even more given his mum, Maureen, was a huge fan of the show.
Sadly, she never got to see her boy starring in it, as Maureen died in 2017, but he knows she would be immensely proud.
Laughing, he told me that she was so chuffed with his achievements that she was affronted when his next-door neighbour didn’t recognise him.
Standing in the new neighbour’s doorway; formidable Maureen said: “Do you no recognise him? That’s Grado? Aff the telly!”
“I imagine she’d have been very proud of me – a lot of the stuff that I’ve got, I got from my mum, the stuff she would say to me,” he said. “I miss her very much and I hope she is proud.”
Grado lights up a room wherever he goes and is truly loved by young and old.
You will know this if you’ve ever seen Grado in pantomime at the Pavillion with his comedy sidekick and best friend Stephen Purdon, or, as he and so many know him, Shellsuit Bob.
The show is called Shellsuits and Spandex (“ChatGPT’s alright, isn’t it?”)
The pair have a chemistry which is incredible to watch and you will be able to see it later this year when they take their double act on tour.
They also make for a brilliant listen on A Pint and Two Shots podcast, where they discuss the funny side of football with good friend Toal.
“It’s like a summer camp at Christmas – you get together with your best pals and have an absolute ball,” he said.
“As soon as you walk on the stage the crowd are just up for it. They’re so energetic.”
It’s chaos – but then so is Grado’s life! He is non-stop and embracing every single opportunity that comes his way, whilst still remaining loyal to his first love – wrestling.
Indeed, you can see him in action next in Grado’s Big Family Wrestling Bash on Saturday April 5 at Glasgow’s Pavillion theatre.
“It’s a rollercoaster. It’s a spectacle – it’s fun for all ages, whether you’re five or you’re 85. It’s got the energy of a pantomime, fun of a variety show. You’ll be taken aback by how much of a spectacle this is.
I also had to take the opportunity to ask how his viral moment, when he impersonated Ally McCoist talking about his love of ACDC, had gone down with the man himself.
No secret as to where his football passions lie, he admitted he was worried he would have offended his hero, Ally, but breathed a sigh of relief when McCoist messaged him on Instagram to say how much he had loved it.
“I thought ‘I’m going to give this guy a complex’ and I got worried.
“It got uploaded and within nine minutes he messaged on Instagram ‘saying I absolutely love it.’ I thought ‘thank god.’
“Then I was in Ally’s book! I went into the bookshop, went to the end and looked up ‘G’… I took a photo of it.
“He went to the Euros last year and said something like ‘by the 300th time I got stopped, I was fed up hearing about this impersonation.’ But he took it well.”
Wrestling, stage shows, podcasts and book name-checks… With so much on his plate, is there anything Grado still has his eye on achieving?
“You’ll laugh, but I’d like to be a serious actor,” he said. “I had a part in the crime drama, playing a gangster, and I loved it.”
“So there’s a thespian in you?” I said.
He joked, “Are you allowed to say that?!”
That’s the thing – I think you can’t help but love Grado. What you see is what you get – and it’s refreshing to be around.
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