Gutteridge’s Blog: I saw Rockstar Spud before it was cool

By Darren Gutteridge

"Then out came Rockstar Spud, who is now the greatest professional wrestler in world."
 
That piece of obvious, humorous hyperbole was from an article I wrote last year for my ill fated personal wrestling website. It was my over the top reaction to TNA’s newest star after seeing him at a local indy show.
 
The rest of the roster for the Fight Club: PRO show wasn’t amazing. ROH’s Eddie Edwards was the only recognizable name, with the company championing talent from the West Midlands area. A few have started to branch out into new areas – MK McKinnan and Trent Seven appeared on a few shows for CZW, Dragon Gate USA and Chikara in 2012 – but for the most part, you would be hard pressed to pick out anyone that you could point to and say 'they are going to be a star.' With one exception.
 
In the middle of the card, the lights dimmed and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" fired up. I make no secret that it's my favorite song, so I was eager to see what followed. And out walked Rockstar Spud, dressed in all denim. He looked like wrestling’s Bryan Adams (I mean the singer, not Brian Adams). He came out flanked by a massive bodyguard, which really showed just how small he was – I was not only taller, but heavier than he was, an amazing fact when you consider I weigh 120 pounds at best.
 
Now, you may think that I am being swept up in '80s metal nostalgia, but the reason I liked Spud so much was how committed he was to being a heel. As a small guy, with a somewhat goofy gimmick, he could have easily played the underdog, comedy face, but he embraced all the negative aspects of the character he played, and was by far the most hated guy on the night. He hid behind he bodyguard, he attacked his opponents from behind, and he got a sneaky victory. Basic heel mannerisms, but he utilized them well.
 
I think I truly knew how committed he was to being a heel when I asked for an interview for my aforementioned wrestling site on Twitter. Instead of ignoring, humoring, or helping me, he merely replied with one word – "No."
 
So despite my rejection, I am wishing Rockstar Spud nothing but the best in TNA. He was by far and a way the best contestant on the British Bootcamp show, and he can hopefully find a niche in the X Division.
 
And at the very least, he can't possibly do worse than Maven, Nidia, Jackie Gayda, Daniel Puder and Andy Leavine, right?