Paul Pugh appeared on Over the Top Rope with Doug Jones and Will Garcia, which airs Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207 to promote this week’s special edition of “Livewire” Riot. Highlights from his interview are as follows:
On how he’s been received by the fans since his return: “It’s been nice. Even though I’ve been away for so long and despite the fact that I’m playing this incredibly self-centred asshat, they’re reacting brilliantly. There is nothing in this world like walking through that curtain and getting booed – it gives you such confidence in your ability to be a “heel” - there is absolutely nothing on this earth like walking into a packed out arena. Everyone’s looking at you – everyone is expecting you to do well, and it’s something I try to pride myself on.”
On his time in Japan: “Originally, I didn’t have much option – it was Japan, or give up wrestling. Luckily for wrestling, I went to Japan – and I spent a year honing my craft. When I left the US in 2010, I wasn’t anywhere near the level I’m at today – everyone in the Osaka Wrestling League pushed me to the limit in every single match – I owe everything to them.”
On ‘having a good match’: “Back when I was around last, I didn’t have the same level of pride that I do now. I was consistently lacklustre and had my problems outside the ring, so in that respect, I feel that spending a year out of the OCW spotlight has given me the tools I need to succeed. Now, every time I get in that ring, I wrestle out of my skin, and hopefully, that translates to good matches… at the end of the day, we’re here to entertain the fans – they pay our wages.”
On the state of the Ex Division: “When I first arrived, it was one of the best light heavyweight divisions in the world, and down the years, some amazing guys have held that title. It underwent the “Extreme rules” rebranding, which I don’t necessarily agree with, but at the time it happened, the Division was very diluted – everyone was very similar, and there was nobody who really stood out. Now though, there’s a much richer wealth of talent – you’ve got guys like Matsuda, illuminati, Jookie Marley and hopefully myself all pushing the envelope and proving that we should have a Light Heavyweight division in OCW, rather than the “Hardcore” Division that we have now.”
On his future with OCW: “My goal now is to wrestle at Wrestlution. It’s an unfortunate stat, but I’ve never been to a Lution, despite the fact I joined OCW nearly 5 years ago – that’s the ultimate for anyone in this company.”
On his dream Wrestlution match: “I have a few actually – guys who I’d like to face in the future, not just at Wrestlution. My ultimate would be Chris Mania – he’s a guy I got to know well when I first started out, and he’s a guy who’s helped me a lot – maybe I’ll convince him he’s good for one last match. Being technically a veteran though, it’d be great to be able to work with some of the emerging talent in OCW – again, your ‘Suda’s, your Dupree’s – these guys are the future of this company, and hopefully, I also fall into that category.”
On whether Livewire Riot is a one time thing: "My guess is no - OCW is expanding all the time, and this live episode is something that we're putting our all into. It will be a hell of a night, and I can't wait to get out in Madison Square and steal the show."
Over the Top Rope with Doug Jones and Will Garcia, airs Mondays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 92 and XM 207
