Monday evening, London, England.
Studio lights beam down upon two big leather chairs, a table sits in between them, with two glasses of water. A small audience sits a few feet away, whispering amongst themselves. Camera's from many angles rest their lenses on the staged area. A few minutes pass before a man in a dark coloured business suit walks out, talking to a producer. The crowd instantly focuses on him as he sits down. The camera moves in to see Piers Morgan, former Britain and America's Got Talent judge, and host of the hit US show Tonight With Piers Morgan. The camera zooms in on Piers as he takes a sip of water and places the glass back on the table. He takes a few moments, as the applause light appears above the audience, and they take the hint to lightly applause. The camera rests on Piers.
Piers: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Life Stories with Piers Morgan. I have flown in to London especially for this interview. Tonight, you get to see what's really in the mind of a man who has spent his life on camera getting hurt for people's enjoyment. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Mark Ward.
The shows theme music plays as Hot Stuff Mark Ward walks out from the backstage area, raising his hand to the crowd in a waving gesture. Hot Stuff is seen wearing a smart looking silver suit, white shirt and pale blue tie. He walks towards Piers, shaking his hand and taking a seat in the chair directly opposite to Piers. The music dies down and Piers looks at Hot Stuff.
Piers: Welcome to Life Stories Mark. How are you?
HS: I'm good thanks Piers, nice to be back home for a couple of days.
Piers: You've essentually made your home in Las Vegas these days, What brought you back home?
HS: I came back to sign a deal over here to show my wrestling companies Supercard on a television station for the first time, a one shot deal but extra money for my federation.
Piers: It's never been shown here on TV before?
HS: No, only on the internet, but we have a lot of British wrestlers on the show, so I guess it for some interest.
Piers: Including your return to the ring?
HS: Oh of course. Everyone wants to see that.
A few small laughs enter through the studio. Hot Stuff takes a sip of the glass of water.
Piers: So let's talk about early life, how you got to where you are today. You grew up in London, correct?
HS: Yes, I'm pretty much London through and through. My dad was a lawyer, before going in to wrestling, worked both here and America, but I spent most of my childhood in England. Very proud Englishman here.
Piers: What drew your father to change careers and go in to wrestling?
HS: He met a couple of guys called Craig and Mike and it seemed like a great idea. Business was booming, the economy hadn't collapsed, people had the money to spend on a wrestling show. They worked well together and turned their federations in to a known brand.
Piers: Before you got in to wrestling, you joined the army, what made you step away from your fathers businesses to fight for Queen and country?
HS: I never wanted to be like my father. I wanted to cut my own path. I was a smart kid at school, but not lawyer material, I never wanted to be in a dull job, fighting for guilty people, just to make money. My father had lots of money, I was the proverbial rich kid, but I wanted my own money, not money given to me. I think at the time, my father had a fed called the WWA, and at eighteen, I got offered the chance to go work for him in one way or another but I turned it down and went in the army.
Piers: What made you pick the army?
HS: I wanted excitement, and I wanted to push myself to the limits with everything I did. Back then, I was the spotty teenager, popular cause the way I spoke, rather then the looks. The ladies would swam over me whenever I opened my mouth, but the puppy fat was still there. I wanted to shape up, and I did while I was there. I think the army helped me grow up a lot, and kept me away from being a little street thug or joining a gang. I wanted to be in the army to see the world, and I did that.
Piers: When you left the army, did you have any life plans?
HS: None at all.
Piers: But you ended up doing some "adult" work.
Hot Stuff smiles
HS: Yes I did, I ended up posing for magazines because I had the look and good body parts. It was a nice life. Work a day a week, make a hundred grand, but it wasn't really that exciting for me. Take your kit off, whack things out and smile, didn't make the heart race, didn't give me the thrill of skydiving, it was just money in the bank really.
Piers: So when did you make the choice to step in to the ring?
HS: I was in my early twenties and I was in America and I was at a show, All Star Fantasy Wrestling show, and my father was visiting his friends there, I just tagged a long and I stepped in to that ring and looked around and my fathers friends, Chris Frank and Jerry Sabel saw the look I had going on and asked if I'd ever wrestled. Hell, I didn't exactly wrestle a lot but I'd seen enough of it to bull my way through it. Chris suggested I get a trainer, but I shrugged it off.
Piers: And that's when you met Jordan Williams.
HS: Yes, I met Jordan and thought what the hell, might as well give it a go. I trained with Jordan religiously for six months.
Piers: What was your first training session like?
HS: Oh he kicked the daylights out of me. I couldn't walk properly for days. He said to me if I could get up and keep coming back from this, then I was cut out for it, if I wasn't getting out of bed for the next week, then pack my bags and head off home, but I got up the next day and he kicked the daylights out of me again.
Piers: At anytime during your training with Jordan, did you feel like you wanted to walk away?
HS: No, I felt I didn't need to spend my life hurting, but I haven't walked away from anything before in my life and I didn't plan on starting there.
Piers: Can you remember your first match after training?
HS: I can't remember the opponent, but I remember the nerves. I remember being the first one out there, andI never had the attitude that most do about being the first out shows you're the weakest, I saw it as setting the tone for the show. I went out there, put on a good performance but I didn't know who was watching.
Piers: Chris Frank?
HS: Yes, he was watching me, had been for a while, getting reports back from Jordan and that was the one and only show in an old bingo hall that I ever wrestled in, Chris signed me to an ASFW contract and then the real hard work began.
Piers: That's where you developed the Hot Stuff persona
HS: Kind of. See I was always this cocky, self assured, confident ladies man, I was used to the women, money and fast cars, the character was never a character, it was me.
Piers: When you first stepped in to All Star Fantasy Wrestling, you used the gimmick of a stripper, who's idea was that?
HS: Mine. I'd done the adult thing, shook the booty, posed for magazines. I ended up wrestling in XXX matches, which were mudpits, swimming pools, all eye candy stuff, but I won the XXX title, which was the first title I'd ever won.
Piers: Did that inspire you to want more?
HS: It did, I wanted to step up a little, and the guy I won that title from, Chippendale, was fast becoming a friend of mine, and he had a tag partner. I wanted to become a tag team wrestler, so I asked Chippendale and his partner, Thunder to help me become that. I didn't wanna be playing around in mud for my whole career, so I worked with them. I started teaming with Jordan Williams, in a team that became legendary. Known as Hot N Sexy. Jordan had many partners over the years but not one where he felt legit as a team. Chippendale and Thunder helped Jordan and I become that team, the team that could rule the tag team division. They taught us how to act like a team, how to look like a team and how to do moves like a team.
Piers: And then you took their tag titles off of them.
Hot Stuff smiles
HS: Yes, we did. Chippendale got injured in the match, that left him out for a couple of months, but he didn't hold it against me, and kept advising, kept pushing me to my limits to be better. I owe Jordan, Chippendale and Thunder a lot for that time in my career, they all taught me how to do various stuff I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
Piers: At the same time, you and Jordan went on elsewhere to win more gold, correct?
HS: Yes, we got booked in the IWF, some poor excuse for a fed and instantly became double champions. We took the tag titles, and I took the Hardcore title, while Jordan got the European title. At the time the pair of us were dripping in gold. We worked for my fathers promotion too, Global Pro Wrestling, and won the tag titles there at the same time, to become the first ever team to hold three sets of tag titles at the same time.
Piers: That's a big achievement
HS: Hasn't been repeated since.
Piers: Not long after that, ASFW and GPW merged, what was your feelings on that?
HS: At the time, I thought it was a bad idea, but looking back, it was the best thing to ever happen to wrestling. Global Championship Wrestling became an instant hit, it stopped being two national federations and become a global sensation. I had the ASFW United States championship at the time, which made me a go to guy when it came to booking. I never got lost in the shuffle, I pushed myself up to the top, I got to fight all the big boys and proved my worth. At the first GCW pay per view, I beat Damien Diamond and Austin Parker to become world champion, my first major heavyweight title. Which ignited the long rivalry I had with Austin Parker, resulting in a Japanese deathmatch. I won the match, and that match marked a three month reign as champion.
Piers: How long did you have that title for?
HS: Six months before I lost it to my then friend, Beautiful Billy James.
Piers: In the first of many classic matches against Mr James.
HS: Yes. When people think of GCW, they think of Mark Ward Vs Billy James, it was the rivalry to end all rivalries. Billy and I battered each other on a daily basis at every oppotunity we got. I helped Billy lose the belt, and helped his opponent lose the belt, which set up what is said to be the best match in GCW history.
Piers: Which was?
HS: It was a ninety minutes iron man match. A match I won beating Billy six falls to five to become World champion again. Ok, I admit, the reign didn't last as long as I thought it would, but I was burned out, the rivalry with Billy had physically ruined my mind and I couldn't do it anymore, at least for a while, so I stepped out to face Jordan Williams. I felt I'd done all I could in wrestling in a short time and needed to move on, so my heart wasn't in it and I lost. People came down to the ring after the match, shook hands, thanked me for helping put the company on the map.
Piers: Did you know at the time what you wanted to do after you left?
HS: No, I just wanted some distance, I wanted to step away and not return.
Piers: What brought you back?
HS: Insults from Damien Diamond. I'm a proud man, and I didn't want this guy talking trash about me, especially months after I left. I was happy to sit at home, spend the money I made and relax, but every oppotunity Damien got, he mentioned me and he pulled me back in. I wasn't contracted at the time, I just turned up, attacked him and got thrown out. No one knew I was gonna be there, no one had a clue I was even in the country. I just turned up out of the blue and tried to shut him up. I was soon tied down to a contract, even if I wasn't the same guy I was when I left. Hot Stuff had gone and my attitude had changed. I took on Damien Diamond, beat him and walked away again.
Piers: What made you walk away again?
HS: I only came back to shut him up. I didn't tell anyone I was going, I just went. There was a lot of rumours about me, my mental health, all the rest of that crap, but the simple fact was I was done, I had nothing else to do there so I went. I wanted to be out of wrestling and be different. I didn't want to be the man who whacked out his junk in magazines, or the man who owned wrestling, I wanted a new challenge.
Piers: Let's talk about your run with Generation X Wrestling. You caused the biggest turning point in your career at the first ever show.
HS: I did, I stopped being the bouncey little fans favourite and became a bad guy.
Piers: How did that come around?
HS: Well I was backstage in New York for my first show. I'd been jobbed out all over the place at the end of GCW, so I was hoping for a fresh start, I spoke to Chippendale and Thunder and they helped me on my way to becoming a bad guy. After the main event, I unleashed serious abuse on New York, and Thunder being from New York came out to shut me up, so I kicked him in the face and haven't looked back since.
Piers: During your time there, you sided with Austin Parker and his wife Angel, how did that come about?
HS: Angel was one of the best managers in the business at the time, that woman had a great head on her shoulders, knew how everything worked, knew exactly what I had to do to get what I wanted, I would have been foolish not to have her in my corner. As for Austin, he is one of the best trainers in the world even to this day, his aggressive style helped me become more aggressive. He taught me how to get inside someone's mind and stay there, he showed me how to put someone so far off their game, they're playing a different sport. Being trained by Jordan, Chippendale, Thunder and Austin gave me many different aspects to what I can do in the ring. Each one of those guys gave me something different to add to my style and it simply works.
Piers: After Generation X closed down, you moved away from wrestling for over six years, what did you do in that time?
HS: I spent some money and I worked out how to make more money without doing a whole lot. I saw the world without knowing I was fighting to be there, I invested money in businesses and the like and generally enjoyed life.
Piers: In those years, did you ever have the urge to go back to the ring.
HS: No, I was happy with all that I'd done, I considered myself a former wrestler, I distanced myself from wrestling a bit and just looked at the stage of life I was in.
Piers: So how did the idea of Sin City Wrestling start? What gave you the taste to return?
HS: It started through mutual friends really. They heard Christian Underwood was thinking about opening a new federation, had some plans laid out, but needed another big draw name. Christian has contacts all over the world, I have a different set of contacts all over the world. We've seen people run these places for years and it's way too much work for one man. I ended up going to Vegas, just to mess around and play the tables and I bumped in to Christian, who lives in Vegas. I hadn't seen Christian in years, since we did some stuff in Japan and basically over there, we were caught out talking about old times and how things was run in places we'd been at, we spoke about how we'd have done things differently, and someone piped up that we should stop talking about it and open a place. This was years ago though, but Christian remembered the conversation and mentioned it to me again. I sort of waved it off, but then we spoke some more, I had dinner with him and his partner Scott and things started to make a little sense. I told him my concerns that wrestling is not what it used to be. I hadn't watched as much as I could have over the years, but Christian was still wrestling part time, and told me about the shambles that most federations are, and that we couldn't do much worse. Told him I'd think about it and I went back to the hotel, couldn't sleep thinking about it really. I thought about all the old magic that I'd seen over the years, I even spent half the night looking up old contacts online, seeing what they've been doing with themselves this whole time, who was active, who wasn't, who was considered the brightest independent talent out there and I shook my head, went to sleep and called Christian in the morning with the answer of no.
Piers: How did Christian take it?
HS: Christian is like me, usually gets what he wants and we met again, he outlined his plans and used the puppy dog eyes on me. By the end of the day, a business account was created, I put in one million dollars in to this account as business set up costs. I think what sold it was the charity aspect of this federation.
Piers: I have heard that your company donate thousands to charity every month.
HS: Yes we do. It was Christian's goal. Only half the companies monthly profits go to us after we pay out for running costs, the rest goes to various charities. Christian has done a lot of charity work over the years and I think the fact he wanted to turn this in to a place that is known for charity, was a big drawing factor for me. If Christian was English, he'd have been given an MBE, or OBE, or even a knighthood for all this work. Sir Christian of Las Vegas though, can't happen.
The gathered audience laugh
HS: Working with Christian was a huge draw, being able to help people, also a huge draw.
Piers: How did you go about recruiting, having been away from the wrestling world for so long?
HS: I called up some people that were still active, I spoke to old friends. A lot of people who were not active, had been training people. I got a hell of a lot of DVDs, I got the word out that the place was opening and Christian and I got calls and e mails from wrestlers, managers, the lot. We jumped in with an open mind and gave everyone a look. We spent an entire week straight in the office, pretty much eating and sleeping in the office watching DVDs of talent from all over the world. We started getting calls from our friends from years ago about bright young talent. We ended up bringing in my cousin Matt Ward to start looking at the guys we disagreed on. We saw a lot of under used talent out there, a lot of people who could do better and we started bringing them in.
Piers: How did you feel after your first show?
HS: Relieved, pleased, like I shoulda opened my own company years ago. I looked around the locker room after the show and I was proud to see these old and new faces. I was proud that these older guys were talking to the younger guys and it seemed like everyone was excited for their next show.
Piers: So five months down the line, is this the way you saw things turning out?
HS: Honestly, this is better then we expected thanks to a lot of our older friends returning, and helping us out for no extra cost. I look around and see these guys go above and beyond to help put us on the map. I see new guys helping out because they can. It's pushed us far so quickly to the point where we have signed agreements with internet streaming companies to stream our show every week, we're on local Nevada and California television and we've signed a deal to have Blaze Of Glory shown in England. That's down to the guys who work hard and the fans that want to see us week in, week out.
Piers: Speaking of Blaze of Glory, what prompted you to return to the ring this coming Sunday?
HS: It had to be done. People need to learn their place. When I opened Sin City Wrestling, it was to be the boss, I am the boss and I need to show some people that I still got it in the ring. The fans have supported me, they wanted me to get back in the ring, they got me getting in the ring.
Piers: I wanna talk about drug use in sports, what's your views on steroids?
HS: I've never used them and I can't see why people would. Hard work is the way to get noticed, not being jacked up with ugly old viens popping out everywhere. In SCW, we have some smaller guys, less built guys who have more talent in their little fingers then most guys getting by on incredible hulk style muscles. I know it happens but I don't agree with it.
Piers: We've talked about your wrestling career in general, you must have met thousands of people in your lifetime, but who do you consider your closest friends from the business?
HS: I'd consider guys like Chippendale, Thunder, Austin Parker as close friends, we talk all the time. Nick Jones, as much as he don't like to admit it, I'd say he's a friend. I've made a lot of friends, I would have considered Jordan a friend up until a month ago, but he's under my skin a little here. Adam Rich I see as a friend, Rix Usher, this list can go on and on and on.
Piers: Is there anyone you'd like to see return to the ring?
HS: There's lots I would love to see back. TSSA, which is Chippendale and Thunder, Adam Rich, Damien Diamond and my old friend, Beautiful Billy James.
Piers: If you could wrestle anyone in a Sin City Wrestling ring, who would it be?
HS: There's two actually. I'd love to wrestle Austin Parker again. The man has taught me so much, I'd love for him to see first hand what he's done and Christian Underwood too. Christian and I have never gone one on one on television, but I'd love for him to lace up the boots and jump in the ring with me.
Piers: Mark, I wish you all the best for Blaze Of Glory. It can be seen from scwrestling.net. It's been great talking about the ups and downs of your career, I wish you all the best for the future of Sin City Wrestling. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us for Mark Ward's life story. Goodnight.
The camera fades out as the audience clap, and Hot Stuff and Piers Morgan shake hands.
Thursday night, Las Vegas, Nevada...
The cool night air breezes through the trees as the face of Hot Stuff Mark Ward is seen on camera, his exact location is unknown, but the bright lights of the Vegas strip is seen behind him. He looks at the camera to speak.
HS: I love this city, the city of sin. I got back here from London and I missed it, I missed the lawlessness that Vegas has to offer. The last few days has been nostalgic to say the least. I got to sit in a studio in London to talk about so much from the past, things that brought a smile to my face, things that made me sit there and say yeah, I did all that. but I think it will be slightly misleading to think I'm done with things. You see the future is full of those wow moments just waiting to happen.
Hot Stuff strokes his chin.
HS: That's what I love about wrestling, the past glories that make our futures so special, it's why we do this, it's why we put our hearts and souls in to this. You'd think the nerves would subside slighty, but for some of us, they don't. Now I'm not talking about me personally, because I don't get them, but Jordan, ah, my buddy, my pal, my old friend, you on the other hand, it shows. Worried over a coffee cup? Really? That's your big concern? You whinged and bitched over a cup because it had best wrestler on? It's a sad case my friend, but that cup, that same cup every morning you drank from, just to reaffirm that you're supposedly the best wrestler in the world.... it lied Jordan, it lied beyond belief. Shit Jordan, you shouldn't be concerned with trival shit like this, you should be as happy as a dog with two dicks that you have this chance to get in the ring with me. I always made you look good in the ring before Jordan, I can make you look good again, I'll make you look like you can take one hell of a whooping.
Hot Stuff pauses for a second.
HS: I did go from having "Jordan Williams Ego Syndrome" to being a dick and you know why I did that J-Will? Do you know why I became a dick? Because all those little nice guys end up sitting in their house bitching about coffee cups, while dicks like me are out there getting all we want. Life isn't about where you come from, life is about where you're going. Where are you going Jordan? You're going nowhere mate, you was as bad as Spike, sitting in doors being a slave to your kids, you were going nowhere fast. If it wasn't for me creating what I have, you would still be sitting at home, you'll still be paying bills and going to watch kids football games. Hardly the dreams you had when we was out on the road bro. Those big dreams you had disappeared Jordan. You've come back firing like the old Jordan, you've sat there talking like you're the old Jordan, but you're really not the old Jordan. You're not even a shadow of the old Jordan. You wanna beat some respect in to me, I challenge you to bro, I'll be in that ring, I don't need any warm up matches to get me in ring shape, because I never left ring shape. It's not personal Jordan, but you pissed on me and the legacy we build years ago when you bit the hand that fed you. I'll be in the ring mate, you have your chance to take down what you created.
Hot Stuff stares down the camera.
HS: That's another thing I love about this business. Jordan turned me in to a monster and all those years later, I turn Spike in to a monster. I turned Spike in to a creative monster. Kudos on promo number one, Saints Row The Third, very ingenius. Casey Williams as Oleg, priceless shit, but lets get your out of fantasy and back to reality, because this is what it's all about, being real.
Hot Stuff runs his fingers through his hair.
HS: The simple reality of things, is that you've waiting god knows how many years to have this oppotunity, to have the chance to extract some revenge, to come and claim some dignity back. That just makes you one hell of an ungratful bastard. Without me turning you in to a monster, you'd be flipping burgers, telling people you used to be a wrestler. You'd have been nothing if I didn't mold you. all you woulda done is sit there getting your brain beat in week after week with chairs, I saved you from that, I should be your massiah. Without me, without Generation X-Treme, you'd have been just another wrestler with a longer list of injuries, getting smacked around with chairs by fat guys with beards, I stopped you from that and you know it. You owe me Spike.
Hot Stuff lowers his head, his voice becoming rougher.
HS: I saved you from a lot Spike, hell, I saved you from yourself. When I wrapped that chair around you knee, I was saving you from your own worst enemy Spike, I was saving you from you. I was stopping you from falling under the pressure of who you were becoming. I didn't do it because you were better then me, I did it to stop you from becoming someone not even you could control. This is what it's come to, years down the line, a pissing contest and grudge match. So be it.
A smirk covers Hot Stuff's face
HS: Blaze Of Glory, your dignity is on the line Spike, my reputation is on the line Spike. How would it look if I lost to some punk arse bitch? You want what's yours? Come and get it boy, because you will get all you deserve and more... Why?
Hot Stuff looks up and rolls his shoulders back
HS: Because I'm too damn hot.... for you... or Jordan... to handle!
Hot Stuff smirks as the camera fades out
