Impact Wrestling’s Rockstar Spud says his ultimate aim is to be World Champion, but he has no issues with his current role, which has seen him lose to a toddler and now feud with new arrival Swoggle.
The 34-year-old has become one of the most entertaining aspects of Impact television since arriving in the Impact Zone in 2013, after winning the debut series of the then TNA’s ‘British Bootcamp’ reality series, in which he competed against now Ring Of Honor wrestler and Bullet Club member Marty Scurll.
In a lengthy sit-down interview with the Buzzards Wrestling Podcast in association with Sportskeeda, Spud spoke about his passion for the British Wrestling scene, as well as his future goals with Impact Wrestling and his happiness to be a versatile player on the roster.
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Q: You won the first series of TNA’s British Bootcamp. That must have been a marvellous opportunity for you?
“Absolutely, and I saw it as probably my last opportunity because it’s not like it was four years ago. Not saying ‘in my day’ but you ask anyone from four years ago if there was a shortage of talent and everybody’s getting looked at, and there are photographs of your WWE tryouts online.
“It was a secret event if you got a tryout back in the day and it was kept low key and not in the public eye. Nowadays, it’s all over social media; they jump off the back of your social media to get you spreading the word about their stuff, which people happily do because any association with a big company, people are going to do it. There wasn’t going to be an opportunity like that like there is now, and I’m very fortunate to be where I am now. That Bootcamp thing was very fortunate.
“It was the right place, right time, right opportunities and the right people seeing you. At the time Dixie (Carter) and Hulk Hogan were the right people to see me, and now if you look at the rest of the world, people are taking notice of Marty (Scurll) because it’s meant to be. There are reasons things happen, and they’re meant to be, and I firmly believe it was the right thing for him and it was the right thing for me. I couldn’t be happier where I'm at right now, and I'm sure he couldn’t be happier where he is right now.”
Q: While you’ve been away from the British Wrestling scene, there’s been a massive rise in the UK. What do you make of the current state of it?
“I’m very proud to be a British wrestler and very proud of my part in it. I also believe that you can’t overlook British Bootcamp and Impact Wrestling’s contributions of exposing people to UK wrestlers and promoters off the back of that being able to promote these UK wrestlers.
“British Bootcamp 2 advertised 16 and not 4. You forget that British Bootcamp 1, there were only really two that were accessible and that was Marty and me, then you’ve got Marty taking that ball and running with it. 6 weeks of TV and character development, think about that. Nowadays and back then as well, if you’re introduced, you get 30 seconds or a minute video package.
Sweet, that doesn't mean everyone’s going to get to know you. They got to know Marty; they got to know the girls (The Blossom Twins); they got to know me. 2 years later, we do British Bootcamp 2, and there are 16 people, and they only want 1 winner, so that’s 15 people that promoters all over the country that people can make money with.
“Rampage Brown and Dave Mastiff, where are they? World of Sport (WOS). You’ve got Nikki Storm (Nikki Cross), where’s she now? WWE. You’ve got Mark Andrews, where’s he now? WWE, was in Impact Wrestling. Kris Travis, no longer with us, but would’ve been a huge star. El Ligero, WOS Wrestling. Noam Dar? WWE.
Look at all the people that were on that show and look at them now. Where are they and why are they there? They were the best in that country at that time, and they’ve gone on to bigger and better things, and you can’t say there wasn’t a contribution from Impact Wrestling with that, but it always gets overlooked, because it’s the fun thing to do.
“They put the spotlight on that, and people have taken the ball with it and realised that there is talent. What I think is a big thing is that promoters have figured out that wrestling isn’t just a cheap gig to make money. The way you make money is you promote the talent. Talent drives this business and if you promote the talent and you promote them right and put them in the right setting, people are going to pay money in their droves, and that’s an example now.
Look at Progress, look at ICW, look at all the promotions all over the country, but those two stand out, stealing money. You can’t argue that the promotional machine hasn't gone up because the talent has gone up. The characters have become bigger, so they’re easier to promote. There weren’t as many characters about back then because everybody thought it was about being a wrestler and there was only one idiot who wasn’t trying to be a wrestler, and that was me.
Q: Do you take pride in your character in that you can lose to a 1-year-old King Maxel, as opposed to just being a wrestler?
“It’s a television show! It’s the same as if you’re Biff in ‘Back To The Future’ and drive into a truck and have cow poo all over you. Guys! James Michael Curtin is not Rockstar Spud! I play a character named Rockstar Spud on a television show, who is a snivelly, whiny, little bad guy, who deserves to lose and be embarrassed by losing to a 1-year-old boy and who deserves to be bludgeoned with a hammer by a little person.
I fully believe the Rockstar Spud character deserves everything he gets when he’s a bad guy. When he’s a good guy, he fights from underneath and does all that a white meat babyface should, but when he’s a bad guy, he deserves everything he gets.
I’m working for a television company on a scripted television show. I think the cat’s out the bag, everyone. This is my favourite when people say ‘I don’t want to lose this tag match.’ You’re losing to a grown, man! A grown man and you’re complaining.
There’s no argument for anyone out there, whether you’re losing in an Iron Man match, a tag match, a singles match, anything. I’m throwing it out there; I lost to a 1-year-old boy. If this was real, I’m pretty sure I would’ve won. Pretty sure, but this is a television show for the benefit of entertaining millions and millions of people, and I believe that better than anybody.”
Q: Impact has teamed up with ITV and WOS Wrestling to revive the World Of Sport brand in the UK, is that something you’d be interested in taking part in?
“I’m 100% keen to get involved with it, and I wish somebody would tell me if I’m involved with it or not because I have heard nothing it. I wish I could tell you more, but I have heard nothing. I would love to, but I know as much as you guys when they’re going to tell me if they’re going to say me, great.
But as far as now is concerned, I’m an Impact Wrestling star, and you can see me every Friday night on Spike UK at 9 pm, but other than that, I’ll let you know when I know because I’d love to know. Trust me, I've got the tweets saved and everything!
“I’ll be Big Daddy! Or Little Daddy. Hopefully not Daddy because I ain’t got any kids yet.”
Q: What do you want to achieve in Impact Wrestling in 2017 and beyond?
“I want to be World Champion, and I say that every year. Whether that’s going to happen or not is down to my hard work and the position they put me in to achieve that but if my position is seen as what I’m doing now with Swoggle and the 1-year-old boy thing, just put me on the show.
“All you’ve got to do is put me on the show because I provide that entertainment value. If you want me to do the good match, I can do the good match. Do you want me to do the World Title Match? I can do that. The main event? I can do that. The opener? I can do that. Tag match? I can do that, the manager? I can do that. The ring announcer? I can do that. The small child, the little person, I can do that.
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. If you want me to be an elephant, I’ll go out there and do it, and I’ll be an elephant with wings! That’s how good it will be because you’ve never seen one of them before! But yeah, just let me be part of the show. You give me a ball to hit, and I will knock it out the park.
“I think a lot of people don’t think of it like that. They get given something, and they don’t like it, so they go out of their with a face like they’re not enjoying themselves and they’re not up for doing it. Me? Every time. I’m just happy to be on the show and just make a contribution to entertaining people, so they can see that I'm giving my all and in turn, they respect that. I honestly believe that an audience can seem, when you’re giving your all for their entertainment, they respect that. That's how I roll, brother!”
You can watch Impact Wrestling every Friday night at 9 pm on Spike UK, and you can hear the full interview with Rockstar Spud on Apple Podcasts and Audioboom here.
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