Exclusive Interview with Former WWE Superstar Simon Gotch

SEScoops correspondent Jake Jeremy recently had the chance to interview former WWE Superstar Simon Gotch at the recent XWA – Charter Hall event from Colchester England.

Now known as Simon Grimm, he talked about a wide variety of topics, including his time in WWE, working with Aiden English as part of the Vaudevillains, how he would have booked the team in WWE, the WWE locker room, who he’d like to work with on the independent scene, the possibility of shaving his famous mustache and more.

A big thanks goes out out to Simon Grimm for taking the time to chat with us. Here are the highlights:

SEScoops: Thank you for joining me Simon, I’d likely to briefly discuss your time in WWE. In recent interviews, you’ve mentioned that the Vaudevillains had run its course and that you were unhappy. Where did you see the trajectory of the characters when you first teamed up with Aiden English? Did you have a set idea or was it more of a ‘suck it and see’ approach?

Simon: I think it was a very fan friendly character, if you want to say it this way it was a babyface gimmick and I think people liked it, and for whatever reason the company wanted us to be heels. So right off the bat we’re talking about swimming up stream. We continually had the feeling of ‘you aren’t doing anything right’ because they aren’t booing you. When you’re naturally a babyface and they try to make you a heel the audience just becomes indifferent, they don’t get angry and they don’t boo you because they don’t hate you, they have no reason to.

SEScoops: I think that everything about the Vaudevillians team was amplified, because you were using your mannerisms and movement to define your characters, you were both extremely animated…

Simon: …and entertaining, if you’re having fun with us you aren’t going to boo us. A lot of what happened was…I had hoped that because we were mishandled initially that when Brooklyn happened with Leva Bates (NXT Takeover) it was “ok this is leading somewhere positive, they finally get the deal with us,” they then almost immediately took the titles off of us on a TV taping…I think that we are still the only NXT Tag Champs to drop the titles (since the advent of the live specials) NOT on a live special. Everyone else has dropped them on live specials and I think they had the one in London a month later.

SEScoops: NXT is an interesting concept because when you move up to the main roster it is a case of ‘leaving the territory,’ so how do you drop the belts on the ‘smaller’ show and then move up to the main roster convincingly?

Simon: We didn’t even do that, we dropped the belts and disappeared…the common talk is that we were going to get fired. So we dropped the titles and then Wrestlemania was coming up. Normally after Wrestlemania because the financial year restarts for WWE a lot of people were saying ‘oh they’re getting fired they’ve dropped the belts real quick.’ And then we got called up instead. It was often the idea that no matter how bad the game is you can’t win a championship if you aren’t on the team. You give them ideas and you can suggest stuff and it will eventually go through, but it never seemed to. And ultimately we were just used and thrown away.

SEScoops: When you in the WWE locker room, was there a sense that there were opportunities outside of the company? Performers like yourself and Cody have proved that you can leave and have a viable career elsewhere.

Simon: I think there is a feeling of that. Guys like say Apollo Crews or Kalisto who were successful on the indies, they were making a full time living as wrestlers before they got signed, they are well aware that if they were to get released or if they were to ask for their release they could go to Mexico or Japan or to the indies in the US or Europe and they could make a living. Whereas in the past it was basically if you weren’t in WWE you weren’t making money unless you were the 1% of independent wrestlers like a Daniel Bryan, or a Low-Ki or a Christopher Daniels, those guys were making livings. But most guys on the indies were 50 dollars US a night if you were lucky. I think that there is a lot more opportunity to make a living now.

SEScoops: Are you looking to establish yourself as a singles star on the independent circuit?

Simon: Re-establish…I was actually not a tag team wrestler when I got signed

SEScoops: Of course you were Ryan Drago on the indies from 2002-2013 if I’m correct?

Simon: I trained for a year before that as well. I wasn’t a tag team wrestler by trade, the initial team they actually put me in was me and Bull (Dempsey), there were two ‘proto’ versions of the Vaudevillains, one was myself and Aiden English and one was with a guy named Nicky Keegan.

SEScoops: I haven’t heard that name come up before…

Simon: Unfortunately he wound up injuring his neck and had to retire. Bull had been brought on to TV so English and me started tagging after that.

SEScoops: If you could form a team on the indies who would it be with and what would you name it?

Simon: That’s a hard one because I would never actually want to go back to a team again but if were an option someone like…there’s so many options I think a guy like Keith Lee, Ricochet, Zack Sabre Jr…

SEScoops: I was thinking maybe Marty Scurll?

Simon: Marty Scurll would be a good one. I absolutely adore Marty Scurll, to be perfectly honest I originally saw Marty back when he and Zack Sabre were the Leaders of the New School, like 2010-2011 maybe. I remember seeing them and I liked Zack’s style and I remember Marty wasn’t bad but he was just kind of ‘playing?’ And then, when I saw him doing the stuff with the plague mask I thought “that’s different” and then I actually saw him at a Ring of Honor show and I was like “wow, this guy gets it. This guy is REALLY good” I would love to work with Marty, either wrestling against him or teaming with him he’s genuinely a very charismatic and talented guy, he has come a long way from just trying to be the hot new indie kid on the British scene to being a really talented wrestler.

SEScoops: I wanted to ask you how you feel the independent scene has changed pre and post your WWE career?

Simon: Well just beyond the money there’s also the amount of talent. It used to be that you had the top dozen or so guys that would work everywhere. And now it’s more like there’s 100 guys on the indies. You’ve got guys like ACH, Lio Rush, Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven & Tyler Bate)…all these guys are top names now, whereas in the past it would’ve been “who’s main eventing the show?” It’s probably Chris Daniels, Daniel Bryan, Low-Ki, Doug Williams, AJ Styles or some mixture of these guys, whereas now it could be anyone.

SEScoops: You have more visibility on the independent scene now than at any other time in history. If I wanted to watch a promotion across the globe tomorrow there’s a good chance they have an on-demand service…

Simon: On demand, or YouTube, Direct download there are so many options. That’s the other thing, media and production value. I started wresting in 2001, back when having pipe and drape for an entrance and an actual sound system was groundbreaking. You’d also have one person with a single hard cam shot of the ring and that was your production value for a video. And to see even if you look back at early Ring of Honor, CZW or the Smart Mark video releases they’re so barbaric (laughs) compared to production value today. It’s great to see that independent groups are investing in themselves and they understand that yes, the wrestling matters but to a certain extent the fans are so used to seeing all of the pomp and all the bells and whistles that it’s nice to have those on a smaller scale and feel like you’re having a ‘real’ show.

SEScoops: It’s like if a company produced a show today with the same visual quality of ECW from the mid nineties people would refuse to watch it…HD is so readily available that everyone needs it.

Simon: Exactly, and to me that is a good thing. High standards make everyone better. I know that when I get in the ring with a guy like Daisuke Sekimoto I know I have to bring my A game. Last night I had a match with Matt Riddle, that guy is a former UFC fighter, he could mess you up! You get in the ring and you’re like “he’s gonna hit me hard” and I have to bring it back because if I don’t…I’m dead.

SEScoops: So….Japan, have you had contact with any of the promotions over there and has it been a goal of yours to perform over there?

Simon: That is definitely my goal, I would absolutely love to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Obviously beyond the high level of talent…guys like Marty, Zack, Will Ospreay, Ricochet, Juice Robinson…you also have the native talent such as Tanahashi, Hiromu Takahashi, Okada…

SEScoops: You mentioned Juice Robinson…

Simon: There’s a guy that, a lot of people don’t know this….he quit at Wrestlemania.

SEScoops: Really?

Simon: Yea in San Francisco. It was a very gutsy move. He went up to Triple H and his words were “look I don’t want to work for someone who doesn’t believe in me.” Triple H said “I can respect that,” he asked him to hang around for a while so that they could work out his stuff, he stayed for one more month and then he was done. It was on his terms and he went and he said “I’m going to prove you wrong. You think I’m a guy that is here to put people over and that’s all I can do. I’m very talented.” I mean he just beat Kojima in the G1. That’s a hell of a win, that’s a very big honour to have.

SEScoops: I haven’t seen it yet. “Spoilers” ..

Simon: I heard it was a great match! That’s the thing there are so many guys like that where you just have to have the guts to believe in yourself. When you’re in the system (WWE) it’s hard because there is so much money…

SEScoops: Of course it is, it’s so easy for fans to ask people why they just don’t leave but you have to make a business decision…

Simon: Yea, it’s the difference between making three, four hundred thousand dollars a year and not knowing if you’re going to pay the bills…it’s a very scary feeling. In WWE there’s always that feeling of no matter what happens you’re going to get paid. When you’re outside if you’re not working then you’re not getting paid. It can be very scary. I even had a couple moments of my August looks light, and then I thought I have some big matches when I get back to the US, I’m coming back to the UK in September for King of Trios, I’m back in XWA in October…In all those cases they are high profile matches…but a lot of misinformation was put out on the internet about my time in WWE. To that end I know that I’m kind of fighting uphill, but with these matches and the more people get to know me then the more they realize that stuff is false.

SEScoops: What sort of stories? Anything specific spring to mind?

Simon: My favourite is..right after I was released someone ‘reskinned’ a story from the Wrestling Observer about Juventud Guerrera, they just pulled his name out and put mine in…there’s still people to this day that quote this story as fact.

SEScoops: Don’t believe everything you read on the internet (apart from this site of course)…

Simon: A retraction will never get as much attention as a statement

SEScoops: Of course it won’t

Simon: They’ll do a front-page story about something and then the retraction will be seen the next day in small print on the last page…no one knows

SEScoops: I love the Misfits parody logo that you’ve got on your new gear…

Simon: Thank you that was done by a guy named Juan of the Dead 209 on Twitter and Instagram, very talented guy he’s done some shirts for other guys, he’s a wonderful artist and a great human being. Hell of a beard on him…

SEScoops: You seem like a man who appreciates good facial hair…

Simon: I do! The funny thing was I swore up and down that I was going to shave this off as soon as I got released.

SEScoops: You can’t do that.

Simon: I can’t do it, too many people want to see it. If a promoter is bringing me in they want the moustache I’ve gotta keep it for a least a while. Maybe in a year I’ll do a moustache vs hair match and lose…

SEScoops: Finally, did you have a list in your mind of who you wanted to face on the independent scene when you left?

Simon: Not really, honestly I’ve been away for so long that five is too few! Honestly anyone who wants to go out there and give their all. As I said there’s a lot of talent who can do it, there are a lot of options. When I was on the indies before it was basically “who is in Ring of Honor” (laughs), that’s what it was. I really like Cara Noir, he has a presentation that you don’t usually see on the independent scene. The main thing is I get bored very easily, anyone I wrestle I don’t want to be bored by them.

SEScoops: For a while the indie scene was guilty of black trunks, black kickpads….

Simon: Same five moves as well, it was the Shining Wizard, the Double Stomp, the Brainbuster…it was like five moves.

SEScoops: Are there any companies that you are specially looking at working for?

Simon: Obviously New Japan as I mentioned. The British scene has blown up so much and there are so many companies to work for. I’ll be back here in October and there are obviously options in Scotland and Ireland as well.

SEScoops: ICW and OTT…

Simon: I remember back in the day when Ireland was Irish Whip and that was it. The only school was Hammerlock. Those were your only options but now there’s a lot more. Even like France has a scene, Italy has wrestling, Spain has some stuff, Norway, Sweden…there are promotions all over Europe now.

SEScoops: wXw in Germany is another massive promotion…

Simon: Yes wXw there’s another one…I would really love to go to New Japan like I said.

SEScoops: Well they are opening up an American territory, so that might be worth a look

Simon: Absolutely, trust me I’d love to move back to California I’ll work as a trainer! Like I said there’s just so many places to work now. It’s just a question of who’s next?

SEScoops: Thanks again for the talk.

Simon: Thank you.

Thanks again to Simon Grimm for his time. He’s back in XWA October 8th and will be be appearing at King of Trios for Chikara on September 1, 2 and 3. Follow him on Twitter @GotchStyleWWE.