Why Ex-WWE Star Paul Burchill Returned To Wrestling

After a five-year hiatus from the industry, former WWE star Paul Burchill made his NWA debut at the end of 2023. Burchill, whose WWE tenure lasted from 2005 to 2010 and included a stint as a pirate, says his return came when he found himself restless and hoping to get back into wrestling.

"You never really lose that itch, and then the NWA opportunity kinda came forth" Burchill said on "Under The Ropes."

Burchill felt the NWA represented a chance to do things on a higher level than he'd been doing previously. He said he'd been watching the company since the reboot under Billy Corgan and knew several members of the new roster, so he reached out when he decided to return to the ring.

"So far so good," Burchill said. "[I] came in and had a really great experience with the guys there ... It's a great locker room. It's a great place for guys like me." Burchill later compared the locker room to the Island of Misfit Toys from "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," and thinks it has chemistry that could lead to greatness. Burchill even claimed his next few matches will define his legacy in professional wrestling.

"I'm really excited about the next few months," he said. "I really feel that my style and what I'm doing will be very different from what we're seeing now," said Burcill, who hopes to use aspects from his past few years in firefighting (especially the hardships he endured during the pandemic, where he was working 72-hour shifts) to redefine his character.

Burchill made his in-ring return at the end of September, wrestling former WWE superstar Gangrel at Big Time Wrestling's The Great Fall Bash 2. From there, Burchill made his NWA debut, teaming with former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch against Jax Dane and Tim Storm.