Marty Scurll On Signing With ROH, WWE UK Tournament, Jack Gallagher's Umbrella
On episode 136 of Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast, professional broadcaster and pro wrestling enthusiast Sam Roberts caught up with ROH's Marty Scurll. During the interview, Scurll talked about why he opted to sign with ROH, why he did not participate in WWE's United Kingdom Championship Tournament, and why WWE cruiserweight Jack Gallagher carries an umbrella to the ring.
According to Scurll, he wanted to go to ROH because of the company's focus on in-ring action. Also, 'The Villain' said he values the freedom he receives as a member of the ROH roster.
"What excited me about Ring Of Honor, again, was that promotion is based, for the most part, on in-ring action. And I felt like I, as this character, I feel like it has so much potential to do some really great things and touch people more than any pro wrestling match could. And I really wanted a strong platform to do that on and I kind of felt like Ring Of Honor would give me that freedom, that creativity, and the platform to do so."
On WWE's UK Tournament, Scurll claimed it was good for the UK pro wrestling scene and a lot of his friends like WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and Trent Seven. With that said, Scurll admitted that he did not want to be merely one of several incoming British talents and the former ROH World Television Champion pointed out that he did not think ROH had any British performers when he signed with the company.
"That, I think, was cool and great for the UK market and very cool for a lot of my good friends Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate, three of my best mates. But for me, personally, I don't think that would have been a fitting tournament for myself." Scurll continued, "I mean, without blowing too much smoke up my ass, I don't want to be one of 16 guys or one of 82 guys. I like to do everything to the best and to the extreme, and for me that's a big part of why I came to Ring Of Honor. There [were] other opportunities I could have done before coming to Ring Of Honor where I had to say, 'I don't want to be one of a group. I want to stand out by myself.' Yeah, and that was important for me. I thought Ring Of Honor didn't have any British guys. And I can come to Ring Of Honor and not only have they not seen anyone like me before, there's not anyone that can talk like me, wrestle like me, see my character is pretty unique, so that was important for me. I thought I could stand out and that was more exciting for me."
When asked whether he wishes Gallagher would stop carrying an umbrella to the ring as Scurll has famously incorporate umbrella imagery into his own presentation, 'The Birdman' joked that 'Gentleman Jack' brings an umbrella to the ring because he is a Marty Scurll mark.
"I hear he's a massive Marty Scurll mark! He must be! He must just be a very big fan. I mean, at the end of the day, if you're a young guy coming into a new company and you want to make a name for yourself and make an impression, you're going to turn to the things that popular at the moment." Scurll reflected, "I've pinched things from people I look up to, of course, like Roddy Piper, and CM Punk, and Terry Funk, those guys who I love, so of course it's going to happen. So it's flattering really, if anything."
Moreover, Scurll shared that he sees his gimmicks stolen all the time and he views it as a challenge to make himself more different.
"If anything, it's a challenge for me because at the end of the day, I'm more than a prop and I can always add props." Scurll said, "it's a challenge and I think that's another reason why I've managed to stand out. Like, I said earlier, in Ring Of Honor, there's nobody that wrestles like me because I make it a job of mine to make sure I'm completely different from everyone else, so as soon as I see someone else doing something of mine, I go, 'okay, I won't do that anymore.'"
Get in Not Sam Mode here. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast