A professional wrestler who prevented a woman from jumping off a bridge says “years of grappling” helped him save the woman’s life. Harry Francis Smith (ring name: Davey Boy Smith Jr.), was in the right place at the right time when he was driving in Calgary and spotted a young woman hanging off a bridge. He tweeted to followers: “Thank you to my years of grappling for saving this girl.”
The British-Canadian wrestler detailed the incident on Facebook, writing:
“WOW. What a day. First off, life is a precious thing. I saved a life today, and I was grateful I was able to do so. When driving up 16th Avenue past Bowness road in Calgary I saw a girl crying and hanging off the bridge with someone trying to talk to her.
“I stopped and jumped the barricade and tried talking to the girl. She was crying and an emotional mess and threatening to jump if I got closer. With people on the ground waving her not to jump I decided to grab a hold of her and not take any chances. She started to slide and want to go more as I grabbed a hold her.
“Luckily my years of grappling and self-defense I knew how to grab her HARD and how to pull her up from hanging off and jumping. She wasn’t exactly small either.
“I knew not to grab her clothing because she would have ripped through it…When I yanked her off the bridge finally, I established the mount position as you do in Grappling and did not let her budge.”
He added that the woman claimed she had a gun and told Smith to get off of her. He refused and told her he was an expert grappler, and she was not to move. Smith kept her in place until police arrived. They arrested her and ensured that she would get the help she needed at a mental health facility.
Smith, who describes himself as a “Modern James Bond” on his Twitter profile, later explained that the woman did not actually have a gun. He hopes to reach out to her at some point in the future.
Smith added in a follow-up post: “For me saving someone’s life is the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever made and meant more than winning any championships in Wrestling. People should never be afraid to ask for help if they need it. And you should never refuse a hand to help somebody in need. Spend time with people that really care about you and love you. Stand tall, be proud and be YOU! I hope I can continue to influence people when in a positive way when I step foot in the ring, or just in everyday life.”
Smith is currently working for New-Japan Pro Wrestling and is an International Wrestling Grand Prix Tag Team champion. He also worked for the WWE under the ring name David Hart Smith.
