FSM Archive - Five Questions with Rockstar Spud (Issue 86; Dec 2012)

FSM: In your opinion, what attributes make a wrestler easy to work with?
Rockstar Spud: Everything in wrestling is about knowing who and what you are. I like when my opponent knows that they're a giant, a high-flyer, a grappler, a mad man, a monster, or whatever. You can then piece together a story easily just by standing two personalities at opposite sides of the ring from each other, making sense of how each would react in the situations that their opponent has put them in.

How much of your match you do like to plan in advance?
Personally, the less I plan, the better, as you can't always know what the audience is going to want. Imagine if you opened a restaurant and planned to serve everyone steak, and when you put that out in front of them, you found out that they were all vegetarians? Know your audience, know your basics, and have the confidence in your ability to try new things. Less is more.

What would you say is the secret to getting noticed by promoters and gaining work worldwide?
Be original, whether that be with your look, character, or in-ring style. You must make what you do different from other people. If you want to go to the USA or Japan, or wherever else in the world, have a good look at their roster, analyse it, and think to yourself, "What don't they have?"
Etiquette is also a big thing, as you don't have to be a complete brown-noser to get noticed - simple manners are all it takes. If people realise that you are a good performer and a good person to match, then that raises your chances for good word getting around. A lot of people think my attitude towards others stinks, and what I demand from promoters is extortionate, but that's part of me, and it's who I am. So if you want to get along with people, don't do what I do!

What mistakes do you see young wrestlers making either in the ring or backstage that could be affecting their reputation? The worst ones are wrestlers working for free, and paying their own travel expenses to shows in order for them to "get noticed". Think about it this way; professional wrestling is a business, just the same as any other. Being an independent contractor is you running your own business, which is you. Now, imagine if you were asked by your employer of your nine-to-five job to travel hours out of the way of your home. They won't pay your expenses to get there, and they won't pay you for the hours of work you put in, either, but you still have to work anyway. Would you still do it? Of course not. And that's what some guys don't understand.
This is a job, this is a business, and we are all businessmen and women. You aren't creating a good reputation for your business if you work for nothing, as it shows how little value your business is worth.

What is the key to finding a wrestling persona that gets over?
In this business, to get over, someone has to get you over. To sell tickets, you have to be loved or hated, not liked or disliked, as that doesn't make people pay to see you win or lose.
Think of traits in other people that really make your blood boil, and think of traits in people that endear you to them. Ask your family and friends what points of your personality they like and dislike, use that information, and find something that fits you. Watch films and learn why certain actors made great antagonists, and why others made great protagonists. Watch certain characteristics of other people, like how they walk and how they talk, and how that fits into their personality. Finding a persona is easy if you know who and what you really are.