Rockstar Spud Looking to Bring the 'Bad' Back to TNA

[It's Damn Real!]

"We're both pretty despised," said the English wrestler whose real name is James Curtin.. "He's such an exceptional antagonist but also, this is what people don't get. Everything Matt says is true. Everything I have said is true. Why are we the villains? We have done nothing wrong. We have just taken revenge for what has happened to us. Everything we have said is fact. Everything we have done is justified. What have we done wrong?"

Rockstar Spud wants to be hated, but he admits that there are plenty of others in the wrestling business who won't do what it takes to earn that reaction.

"Everybody wants to get their cool move in," explained Spud. "This is how I compare it: everybody has watched 'Die Hard' and everybody wants to be John McClane but nobody wants to be Hans Gruber. Now, when you're put in the role of Hans Gruber in your wrestling match, you want to walk through glass like John McClane and expect everyone to boo you. It's ridiculous. I can't believe it. That's what's wrong with the industry; no one wants to play the bad guy."

Many of the wrestlers that play heels on television don't extend that behavior to social media. That's not the case with Rockstar Spud or his running mate Hardy.

"We want you have to have the experience that we are playing the antagonist," said Spud. "Everybody wants to do the cool stuff but if I do an impressive maneuver, you're going to applaud me and you'll go 'that was really good.' But if I don't do these and I kick and I punch and I scratch and I gouge eyes and I bite noses, that's not really cool is it?

"I want to get people to hate me. That's my job. That's what I'm paid to do."

"Everyone has forgot that love and hate draws money," explained Spud. "It's not 'This is Awesome!', We like both of you!' Love and hate draws money. Everyone is chanting 'This is Awesome!'. I'm sorry everybody in the audience but you wouldn't know awesome if it slapped you in the face. What you think is this is a really good couple of guys doing cool moves. OK, we like both of you. That's not what this is about."

"You're supposed to like one of them and want someone to lose and by doing that you don't. The guys in the ring are obviously not doing a very good job. That's how I see it. I probably know nothing and I'll get laughed at."

Spud is putting everything into this character, from ditching his colorful clothes and wearing all black, to how he moves, all of which he says is part of his "artistic output with wrestling". He wants to bring back more grit and more venom.

http://www.sportingnews.com/wwe-new...mpact-wrestling-villain-pop-tv-matt-hardy-ec3

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It's an interesting take, that's for sure. Something of a cross to the kayfabe years and classical heels with a twist of modernity since those barriers have all been knocked down over the last twenty years.

I do like the idea of "bringing bad" back. Having heels that aren't actually cool to hate. Great as EC3 is/was in that role, he was also cool to hate, and was often cheered for how well he did his job (part of why pushing him as a face was such a good idea).

Right now, Matt Hardy is probably the only real "dastardly" heel, with Spud promising to follow suit. Bram as well, but he's stuck playing second fiddle to EY at the moment for some strange reason.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Ugh, just because Spud is a tiny Englishman.

The guy won British Boot Camp for fuck sake! They should've made a BIG thing of him.

Oh well, at least that Scottish guy's the TNA Champ now so they do know how to use UK Wrestlers in some way.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

TNA has no trouble using UK wrestlers. Magnus was made TNA's first ever UK World Champion and was a multi-time tag champion, Doug Williams was a dominant figure for years, and multi-time X and tag champion, Desmond Wolfe received one of the largest and grandest pushes any brand new talent ever has, Galloway is currently their WHC, Spud has been a television staple for two plus years now, and every year they do their UK tour and bring in UK talent to feature, even if they don't get used in full-time capacities once the tour completes.

It's disingenuous at best to suggest they have some kind of issue using UK talent. Clearly, they don't.

 

[InsomniaMusic]

I think it's true. Bad guys are supposed to be allot more cheap and not so cool. RVD horrible bad guy you have to cheer him all match

 

[Nature Boy]

James Curtin could be a great Heel, but Spud??!!??

I heard about him on the UK Indy scene before he came to TNA and I thought Spud was just a name that meant that I could never take him seriously, however good he may be.

His new look and more serious persona really suits him though, so surely a renaming would be in order.

Even just "The Rockstar" James Curtin would be much better in my view...