The teenage Bellatrix European champion might not look like a traditional professional wrestler.

At 5ft (1.5m) tall and weighing 7.5 stone (nearly 50kg), Maddie Connor, who fights under the name Annabelle, has been competing for the World Association of Wrestling since starting out at the age of seven in Norwich.

The 18-year-old won her title in December and is also the first competitor to hold the British and Academy titles at the same time.

“Wrestlers are stereotyped to be tall with a muscular build. This stereotype is changing; my height is my advantage,” she said.

“It felt surreal winning my belt to show the hard work I have been putting in over the last 10 years of my career.

“My age is one of the biggest challenges I have faced – it’s hard to branch out until you’re 18 so I have done really well to get where I am”.

According to the British Wrestling Association, about 1,800 people wrestle in Britain.

“Wrestling is a sequence of fighting that we use to entertain a crowd and tell a story,” said Annabelle.

“It’s just exciting to see a performance in the style of sport.”

The big preconception in wrestling is that performers do not get hurt, Annabelle said, but she has the bruises to show this is not the case.

“Wrestling is a very thought-out sport, and we are trained to compete safely,” she said.

“We are constantly putting our bodies on the line in the form of entertainment.”

Annabelle is not the first young woman from Norwich to make waves in the wrestling scene.

Saraya Jade Bevis became famous in the USA as the WWE wrestler Paige.

The 31-year-old, and her wrestling family from Norwich, were the subject of the movie Fighting With My Family when she was portrayed by actress Florence Pugh.

“Norwich is good for wrestling as it seems to have a lot of people who love watching the sport,” Annabelle added.

Annabelle’s passion for the sport entertainment started nearly 11 years ago when she began to watch WWE with her family.

“We watched a live performance in Great Yarmouth and it made me fall in love with wrestling,” she said.

“If you fall down, the crowd makes noise to ensure you’re getting back up. We have good guys and bad guys, it’s almost like pantomime.”

Her character, “Annabelle – the living dead doll”, was based on her love of horror movies.

In wrestling, there is a “heel” character, who portrays the villain, and a “face” who is the hero in the ring and who the crowd normally cheer on.

“My character used to be a heel, but as I grew with Annabelle, she became a face,” she said.

She added that the character meant so much to her as she had had it “since the age of seven” and it had helped her confidence grow.

“Annabelle is very outgoing and able to be in front of an audience and feel confident, whereas I am not and keep to myself,” she said.

“When I go out there, I have the mindset I’m not Maddie, I am Annabelle, and that’s why I am able to go out there and do what I do.

“It’s just nice to be able to switch into something that makes me feel so comfortable.”

Annabelle’s dream is to perform for the largest wrestling promoter in the world – WWE.

Despite stating she had a long way to go to get there, she added she “can’t wait to show people what she can do”.

Fellow wrestler Mollz has been working with Annabelle since the start of her career and believes she could make it all the way.

“When it comes to wrestling Annabelle, it’s an absolute dream – every time, she’s so agile and able, she’s one of my favourite people to wrestle with,” Mollz said.

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