Scorch
05-20-2008, 07:15 AM
With WPW’s biggest show of the year, Redemption, right around the corner a tradition continues as we bring you an inside look at the men and women behind the curtain. Find out more about those who are responsible for the shows and promos you read (or should be reading) every week. This year we start off with the man in charge of the very place were WPW shows are held, everyone’s favorite Irish admin (because he is the only one) and owner, Duff. Or as some of you may know him “The Cuddler.” Yes, we have all read the e-mails, Aperama.
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Colin MacClennan: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Colin MacClennan and I am here with the first of what we hope will be many Redemption 2008 Interviews, the man behind Jamie Parker and the man behind the home of WPW, you might know him as Duff, you might know him as Irish, or you might know him as that guy who could ban you to win a match if he really wanted to, but we ask first, what would you like to be known as here and now for this interview?
Duff: The guy that's hoping to come back to WPW and make an impact in some small way, by bringing my enthusiasm for WPW, it's shows, its people and its stories. Also, the guy that's going to hopefully bring a bit more experience that can be used to help out the guys that are just starting out or are seeking to improve.
MacClennan: You mention your experience; let us go back to when you first started in this game. What was your first experience with this business, where you a part of it, or was it just something you saw on a forum and thought "interesting?"
Duff: Actually, my first experience with an e-fed was stepping in to run one. A few years ago when WP was just getting up and running, we decided we needed an e-fed to compete with PCW over on IOW. The first owner turned out to be wholly unreliable and bailed on us, the second turned out to be incompetent. So, the admins at the time decided we needed someone else at the helm, someone who could stand back and evaluate how things were running without actually being involved in the fed as a character. I was given the task, and although we did have a brief turnaround, I eventually had to make the decision to pull the plug. So, after that I joined PCW as an RPer, moved on to being a writer, then had my issues with the storylining of matches and quit. Shortly after that, I decided to give a fed on WP another shot and I created WPW, only this time I had a secret weapon, I had Judge. So, together we set about making this place what it is today. Judge used his gift for creativity and I used my gift for........ umm, shouting at people to lay the foundations for the best e-fed I’ve ever been a part of.
MacClennan: When you were running that old fed, did you book the shows and if so, was it a challenge to try and keep everything straight, make sure that every story was progressing someway or did you have a different set of tasks?
Duff: Yes, I booked the shows, and while I came up with what I thought were some good feuds the members we had back then weren't as accepting of being put in feuds that they didn't create for themselves. The storylines never really got a chance to progress, because if people didn't like them, they simply wouldn't participate. I think in the end, that was what ultimately led to me making the decision to pull the plug. That and the fact the shows were never read and were constantly late because the staff wasn’t exactly reliable.
MacClennan: What made you decide to go and give PCW a try?
Duff: Well, I had started RPing a bit as a character called Duff while I was in XPW. While I was pulling off victories and winning matches, I never dared to progress myself for any titles or "big money" feuds, for fear of seeming to be pushing myself. So, I decided to go to PCW where I wasn't part of the management and see how I fared. Plus, I had found that RPing allowed me to basically take my own characteristics and magnify them through creative writing and that was something I enjoyed.
MacClennan: Now did all of this happen after you bought control of WP?
Duff: No, I don't think so. I definitely didn't own WP when I took over XPW. I can't remember the timescale for me being in PCW, but I took over WP on Jan 1st 2006, so I imagine I hadn't yet bough WP when I was in PCW.
MacClennan: Do you think you would have had the desire to get WPW started if you were not the owner of WP?
Duff : Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. I had the desire to help WP in whatever way I could from the day it opened and I signed up. A few days later I was a mod, and then was promoted through to admin over time. In all the time WP has been open, be it as member, mod, Smod, Admin or owner (and my brief spell of being a "consultant") I’ve done everything within my power to make this place work. The members of WP needed and wanted an e-fed, and the only reason this forum exists is for the members. Hell, it's not as if I make any money off it or anything. I went into WPW with the same commitment with which I go into every new area on WP.
MacClennan: Now going back to PCW, do you remember your expectations when you first went in there?
Duff: Yes, I remember what they were, and I remember that they weren't met. My expectations were that I would be judged on the merits of my RPs, not on who I knew or what storyline worked at a particular time. Sure, I knew the owners as there was a lot of crossover between members on WP and IOW, and PCW in particular due to people preferring to discuss stuff over here and go to IOW for the fed.
MacClennan: Do you remember any particular instances where you thought the storylines, the match results were not matching up with the promos, or where you mostly focused on paying attention to what happened with Parker?
Duff: You mean in PCW?
MacClennan: Yes.
Duff: Oh, sure I do. I remember one match I was assigned to write for the IOW title, where I picked my winner based on the RPs and write the match accordingly. Afterwards, it transpired that I hadn't picked the guy that the owners wanted to win, so they rebooked the match with a different writer so their guy could take the title. Also, the last straw for me was when I totally changed the Duff character through a series of 4 or 5 RPs over the course of a week. When show time came, I was looking forward to seeing how the writer would portray the changes. I read the show and Duff had won in a one page squash with none of the Changes even addressed. Because my opponent hadn't RPed, the writer didn't bother to read the promos and wrote a bog standard squash match, effectively wasting what I felt were the best promos I had done, and I still think I’ve done. At that stage I went fucking mental, demanded answers and explanations etc and when I was told that the writer had done nothing wrong I told them where they could stick their fed.
MacClennan: So at this point then, you moved on to WPW. However as some people know, PCW almost made the jump there, how do you think things would have turned out, if PCW had moved to WP, would WPW still have happened, would there even be a fed on WP now?
Duff: No, there wouldn't, at least not under then name PCW anyway. I
know the guys at PCW tried really hard, but it just wasn't sustainable as a federation that still wanted members to RP, but then gave victories and pushes based on storylines. I negotiated the move from IOW to WPW, but it never materialized because I had started chatting to Judge about doing our own thing. I knew from personal experience how disenchanted people could get with that kind of system, so we decided to open a new fed. Even when the guys at PCW tried to revert back to RP based decisions, it was too late because the damage had been done. Therefore, I’m glad it never materialized because if PCW had come to WP and failed, I might never had had the motivation to try another fed given the list of previous failures on WP. Still, there may still have been a fed because if Judge had come to me and said he wanted to start one, and I believe he would have, I would have jumped on board in an instant. I can never state enough how much Judge did to help WP by starting WPW, among other things.
MacClennan: When you moved on to WPW, did you ever expect to make a run at the big title?
Duff: Honestly, no. I never thought I would be good enough, and despite all the bluster and mouthing off, I still don't. I see guys like Prometheus, APG, and Aperama and yourself go out and be good every week, and that is where I’m lacking. I've proven in the past that I can beat the best on my day, but I don't know if I have that ability where I can knock out a series of solid promos every week. Having said that, I’d still like to try. In all honesty, and without all the arrogance and cockiness that people usually associate with me and Jamie Parker, I genuinely believe I’m the best person in this federation to have never even had a number one contender's match, let a lone a title match. Admittedly, that was partially because I didn't want it. When Judge wanted to solidify the tag division, I said I would go in it as a relatively big name and try to bring some stability and credibility to it, same as the Florida division. I think I had a reasonable mount of success in doing that, as we have some great guys in the Florida division now and the same for the tag division. Still, I think it may now be time to see whether I can really back up all the shit that I spew or whether I’m just another guy with a big mouth and high opinions that can't back it all up when it matters.
MacClennan: You have played heel most of your career, why is this?
Duff: Haha, mainly because I find it easier to exaggerate that side of my personality. I'm a nice guy, but I can be a bit cocky and a bit of a moaner, so when I turn up the volume on those characteristics, it gives me a good formula for a heel. I genuinely believe that if your character is based on yourself, even if it's only a tiny part of yourself, it's much easier to feel it, to empathize with how the character would feel and react in a given situation. I started off as a face with Duff, playing to my comedic side, and that worked quite well, but I feel I came into my own as an RPer when I started with Parker. It allowed me to express things I’m just too nice to say normally.
MacClennan: Parker did have a brief face run with the Resistance, how did that come to be, was it something you wanted to try or something you simply went along with?
Duff: It was my choice. It mainly spawned from me getting pissed off with Royalty after stealing my tag titles by making me have two matches in one night so they could try to take both my titles. I had wanted to try a face turn for a while, partly to see how people would react to a face Parker and partially to see whether I could pull off a face Parker, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Since Parker was so solidified as a heel, I needed to make sure it all played out right, and I didn’t just rush into it. I think it was ok, in the end. I think it's obvious to most people that the Parker character, and indeed me as an RPer, are better suited to heel tendencies. I'm not saying I won't try it again, in fact, it may happen relatively soon, given the heel/face ratio in WPW at the moment. If it becomes evident that we can't have new unique feuds without constantly having heel vs. heel feuds, I’ll have no problem turning him back face. Obviously, I won't rush into it and just have it come out of nowhere. There will need to be a tangible reason for the character to do it and not just because I, as a person, want to do it. At the end of the day, it has to be right for WPW, Parker and for me. Otherwise, it just won't work.
MacClennan: When you played a face Parker, writers still insisted on writing him as somebody fans hated, did you care about this?
Duff: Of course I did, and I let my feelings be known. In some instances it was just a case of old habits die hard, or writers not knowing how begin to write for such a solid heel suddenly being a face. I think, after a while though, once my RPs came along a bit better and told more of the story behind the turn, it became a bit easier for the writers to adapt to. Plus, even with Parker as a face, there was always that slightly heelish side to him.
MacClennan: Who approached you to be in the Resistance or did you ask to be a part of it?
Duff: I actually can't remember. I may have just said I was going to be a part of it and that was that, but I actually can't remember how it all came about.
MacClennan: How much control would you say you had when you were in the group?
Duff: Resistance?
Duff: I don't think anyone had control, which is why it all fell apart in the
end. With the majority of storylines revolving around Royalty, Resistance was always treated as an afterthought in my opinion. In every match with a Royalty member, they would appear in numbers, come to the ring together and all be constantly linked with Royalty during their matches. Resistance never had that, so it all kind of fell away.
MacClennan: Whenever Royalty took a big hit, Dust leaving the group, the split from Carlos, Stallion being booted, they always delivered the blow. Do you think this hurt the Resistance? And do you feel there was a conscience effort on the part of the staff who were a part of Royalty to make the group look strong and the Resistance look foolish, or did things just work out that way?
Duff: No, I don’t think it was intentional at all, I think that's just the way it played out. Plus, I think the guys in Royalty did such a great job of playing their roles, and playing a cohesive unit that it was always going to work better for them. Personally, I’m not great at joint RPs or even using other people in my RPs, so that was never going to help. All the other things you mention, like Dust, RK, Carlos etc, it was all planned to perfection by the Royalty guys themselves. They did the planning, they executed it themselves, so they deserve a huge amount credit for building that stable that has been around for a year now. Plus, when we had members leave Resistance, due to the very fact that we were faces, we need a heel to be the protagonist. The only real option for that was Carlos, who was aligned to Royalty at the time. So, not only did every exit from Royalty make them look good, but so too did every exit from Resistance.
MacClennan: You faded out of the picture after your short run in the Resistance, what made you go away and did you always know you would be back?
Duff: I always knew I would be back; it was just a matter of time. For some unknown reason, my computer and WP had a falling out and it refused to load the site. In fact, it still won't in I.E. So, I had no way to access the forums. With hindsight, I’m glad that happened now as it gave me a chance to get a break for a while and come back refreshed. Also, on a non WPW related note, it let me find out that I have a great team of staff that carried on fantastically in my absence.
MacClennan: Now, if you would oblige, we will move on to word association.
Duff: With pleasure.
MacClennan: Jason Bennett.
Duff: Good, but cost me my tag title against Royalty. Also get very
annoyed when people suggest he carried me.
MacClennan: Mike Adams.
Duff: Good RPer when he wants to be, but needs to pick one character and make them work. Far too inconsistent.
MacClennan: Royal Knight/The Stallion.
Duff: I think my feud with him was one of the most overlooked feuds of last year. Looking back on it now, it was a great feud, but at the time I was just getting bored of beating him every week.
MacClennan: The One.
Duff: One of the three active guys I still really want to face in WPW. Possibly the one guy that could hold his own with me in a battle of egos.
MacClennan: JMC.
Duff: The measuring stick. Consistently good, great even. The only guy that will put a seed of doubt in my mind about whether I can actually beat him. The record thus far shows I can’t.
MacClennan: Dan Murph.
Duff: Choker. Seems to come up with some great stuff, but loses his bottle in the matches that matter. Probably the most improved RPer since WPW opened.
MacClennan: Underrated.
Duff: Blade LaVigne. Despite his current title reign, some people still see him as a shit RPer that got marginally better. Personally, I think he has the content in most of his RPs; he just needs to work on the delivery and presentation.
MacClennan: The Judge.
Duff: Character or man?
Duff: Doesn't matter, love them both. Great guy, great character and we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are without him. I can't wait till he comes back. Nothing at all against Prom and Ape, but this guy has ideas that just blow me away every time. To think he just pulls them out of his ass when he's having a dump is even more remarkable.
MacClennan: Champion.
Duff: Two things come to mind here. The first is JMC, the second is
Parker's future.
MacClennan: David Nicolls.
Duff: Great character. The next number one contender and certainly the
next big thing. I love the subtlety of some of his humor, and his ability to tell a story is second to none, even if the stories are extremely surreal sometimes. Possibly my favorite character in WPW right now.
MacClennan: Scorch.
Duff: Victim. A guy, and character I respect, but one I am going to beat come Redemption. It's time for me to prove I can hang with the big boys. That started last week when I beat 2, and it continues with Scorch. After that, who knows?
MacClennan: Overrated.
Duff: Might get some heat for this, but 2. I find his promos repetitive and often they veer wildly from one thing to the next and back to what he said originally, often contradicting what he has just said. Also, I don't think One is as hot as he likes to think since he came back, and I’m kind of upset I didn't get the chance to prove that last week when our scheduled match was changed at the last minute.
MacClennan: Gunnar Brian.
Duff: Just missing that little something to take him to the next level. I don't
know what it is, and if I did I’m not certain I’d say. Like Dan, has yet to prove himself on the big stage, but I think he'll get there someday
MacClennan: Jokester.
Duff: Love him. Possibly my favorite character of all time. I love the ways he finds to reinvent himself without actually changing who he is. The stuff last year with the elections was golden, as is his use of ancillary characters like X-P*c, legendaryken and Al Gore
MacClennan: Martin Cameron.
Duff: Who? Nah, just kidding. He needs to just push himself on a little bit and get out of the comfort zone. He should be demanding harder challenges for that FL title and pushing himself to his limits rather than settling for what he has
MacClennan: That concludes word association. Just two more questions before you can turn the tables if you would like or get a fancy hat, complete with brim. Will Jamie Parker win the WPW Championship before his career is over?
Duff: I have no doubt of that. In fact, as soon as I can find a way to ban Promy without him or anyone else knowing I’ve done it, I can guarantee it will happen eventually
MacClennan: Have you been a success so far?
Duff: Some might disagree, but I think so. I've achieved everything I’ve set out to achieve thus far. I wanted to go for the tag titles, I won them. I wanted to go for the Florida title, I won that too. The only think I didn't achieve that I wanted to was to retain both titles on the same night, but I sure as hell gave it a good shot
MacClennan: Now, you can ask your interviewer any question you like, or take the imaginary hat. Your call.
Duff: I’ll ask a question. Do YOU think Parker is good enough to win the big one?
MacClennan: Yes, we have at least ten guys if not more that can beat anyone on any given night. Nobody in the fed is unbeatable, and Parker is one of those characters who when given a fair opportunity can beat anybody. He only needs to win two matches to get the big one, a match to get the shot, and the title match itself, and Parker can certainly win two matches. How long he could hold it is a different question, but winning it, I have no doubts he can do it. He plays a clear character, can do some nice dialogue, has played both a sympathetic face and despicable heel well, Parker has the kind of range few guys have in the fed and if given a chance, he will be the man someday.
MacClennan: Thank you for joining us here today, Duff, would you like to say any final words before parting?
Duff: Not really. It's been a fun two hours, but now it's about 90 minutes past my bedtime, so I shall go to bed, get 5 hrs sleep and be in such a foul mood tomorrow that I’ll start banning people if the situation in the favorite admin poll is not rectified
MacClennan: Excellent, thank you.
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Colin MacClennan: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Colin MacClennan and I am here with the first of what we hope will be many Redemption 2008 Interviews, the man behind Jamie Parker and the man behind the home of WPW, you might know him as Duff, you might know him as Irish, or you might know him as that guy who could ban you to win a match if he really wanted to, but we ask first, what would you like to be known as here and now for this interview?
Duff: The guy that's hoping to come back to WPW and make an impact in some small way, by bringing my enthusiasm for WPW, it's shows, its people and its stories. Also, the guy that's going to hopefully bring a bit more experience that can be used to help out the guys that are just starting out or are seeking to improve.
MacClennan: You mention your experience; let us go back to when you first started in this game. What was your first experience with this business, where you a part of it, or was it just something you saw on a forum and thought "interesting?"
Duff: Actually, my first experience with an e-fed was stepping in to run one. A few years ago when WP was just getting up and running, we decided we needed an e-fed to compete with PCW over on IOW. The first owner turned out to be wholly unreliable and bailed on us, the second turned out to be incompetent. So, the admins at the time decided we needed someone else at the helm, someone who could stand back and evaluate how things were running without actually being involved in the fed as a character. I was given the task, and although we did have a brief turnaround, I eventually had to make the decision to pull the plug. So, after that I joined PCW as an RPer, moved on to being a writer, then had my issues with the storylining of matches and quit. Shortly after that, I decided to give a fed on WP another shot and I created WPW, only this time I had a secret weapon, I had Judge. So, together we set about making this place what it is today. Judge used his gift for creativity and I used my gift for........ umm, shouting at people to lay the foundations for the best e-fed I’ve ever been a part of.
MacClennan: When you were running that old fed, did you book the shows and if so, was it a challenge to try and keep everything straight, make sure that every story was progressing someway or did you have a different set of tasks?
Duff: Yes, I booked the shows, and while I came up with what I thought were some good feuds the members we had back then weren't as accepting of being put in feuds that they didn't create for themselves. The storylines never really got a chance to progress, because if people didn't like them, they simply wouldn't participate. I think in the end, that was what ultimately led to me making the decision to pull the plug. That and the fact the shows were never read and were constantly late because the staff wasn’t exactly reliable.
MacClennan: What made you decide to go and give PCW a try?
Duff: Well, I had started RPing a bit as a character called Duff while I was in XPW. While I was pulling off victories and winning matches, I never dared to progress myself for any titles or "big money" feuds, for fear of seeming to be pushing myself. So, I decided to go to PCW where I wasn't part of the management and see how I fared. Plus, I had found that RPing allowed me to basically take my own characteristics and magnify them through creative writing and that was something I enjoyed.
MacClennan: Now did all of this happen after you bought control of WP?
Duff: No, I don't think so. I definitely didn't own WP when I took over XPW. I can't remember the timescale for me being in PCW, but I took over WP on Jan 1st 2006, so I imagine I hadn't yet bough WP when I was in PCW.
MacClennan: Do you think you would have had the desire to get WPW started if you were not the owner of WP?
Duff : Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. I had the desire to help WP in whatever way I could from the day it opened and I signed up. A few days later I was a mod, and then was promoted through to admin over time. In all the time WP has been open, be it as member, mod, Smod, Admin or owner (and my brief spell of being a "consultant") I’ve done everything within my power to make this place work. The members of WP needed and wanted an e-fed, and the only reason this forum exists is for the members. Hell, it's not as if I make any money off it or anything. I went into WPW with the same commitment with which I go into every new area on WP.
MacClennan: Now going back to PCW, do you remember your expectations when you first went in there?
Duff: Yes, I remember what they were, and I remember that they weren't met. My expectations were that I would be judged on the merits of my RPs, not on who I knew or what storyline worked at a particular time. Sure, I knew the owners as there was a lot of crossover between members on WP and IOW, and PCW in particular due to people preferring to discuss stuff over here and go to IOW for the fed.
MacClennan: Do you remember any particular instances where you thought the storylines, the match results were not matching up with the promos, or where you mostly focused on paying attention to what happened with Parker?
Duff: You mean in PCW?
MacClennan: Yes.
Duff: Oh, sure I do. I remember one match I was assigned to write for the IOW title, where I picked my winner based on the RPs and write the match accordingly. Afterwards, it transpired that I hadn't picked the guy that the owners wanted to win, so they rebooked the match with a different writer so their guy could take the title. Also, the last straw for me was when I totally changed the Duff character through a series of 4 or 5 RPs over the course of a week. When show time came, I was looking forward to seeing how the writer would portray the changes. I read the show and Duff had won in a one page squash with none of the Changes even addressed. Because my opponent hadn't RPed, the writer didn't bother to read the promos and wrote a bog standard squash match, effectively wasting what I felt were the best promos I had done, and I still think I’ve done. At that stage I went fucking mental, demanded answers and explanations etc and when I was told that the writer had done nothing wrong I told them where they could stick their fed.
MacClennan: So at this point then, you moved on to WPW. However as some people know, PCW almost made the jump there, how do you think things would have turned out, if PCW had moved to WP, would WPW still have happened, would there even be a fed on WP now?
Duff: No, there wouldn't, at least not under then name PCW anyway. I
know the guys at PCW tried really hard, but it just wasn't sustainable as a federation that still wanted members to RP, but then gave victories and pushes based on storylines. I negotiated the move from IOW to WPW, but it never materialized because I had started chatting to Judge about doing our own thing. I knew from personal experience how disenchanted people could get with that kind of system, so we decided to open a new fed. Even when the guys at PCW tried to revert back to RP based decisions, it was too late because the damage had been done. Therefore, I’m glad it never materialized because if PCW had come to WP and failed, I might never had had the motivation to try another fed given the list of previous failures on WP. Still, there may still have been a fed because if Judge had come to me and said he wanted to start one, and I believe he would have, I would have jumped on board in an instant. I can never state enough how much Judge did to help WP by starting WPW, among other things.
MacClennan: When you moved on to WPW, did you ever expect to make a run at the big title?
Duff: Honestly, no. I never thought I would be good enough, and despite all the bluster and mouthing off, I still don't. I see guys like Prometheus, APG, and Aperama and yourself go out and be good every week, and that is where I’m lacking. I've proven in the past that I can beat the best on my day, but I don't know if I have that ability where I can knock out a series of solid promos every week. Having said that, I’d still like to try. In all honesty, and without all the arrogance and cockiness that people usually associate with me and Jamie Parker, I genuinely believe I’m the best person in this federation to have never even had a number one contender's match, let a lone a title match. Admittedly, that was partially because I didn't want it. When Judge wanted to solidify the tag division, I said I would go in it as a relatively big name and try to bring some stability and credibility to it, same as the Florida division. I think I had a reasonable mount of success in doing that, as we have some great guys in the Florida division now and the same for the tag division. Still, I think it may now be time to see whether I can really back up all the shit that I spew or whether I’m just another guy with a big mouth and high opinions that can't back it all up when it matters.
MacClennan: You have played heel most of your career, why is this?
Duff: Haha, mainly because I find it easier to exaggerate that side of my personality. I'm a nice guy, but I can be a bit cocky and a bit of a moaner, so when I turn up the volume on those characteristics, it gives me a good formula for a heel. I genuinely believe that if your character is based on yourself, even if it's only a tiny part of yourself, it's much easier to feel it, to empathize with how the character would feel and react in a given situation. I started off as a face with Duff, playing to my comedic side, and that worked quite well, but I feel I came into my own as an RPer when I started with Parker. It allowed me to express things I’m just too nice to say normally.
MacClennan: Parker did have a brief face run with the Resistance, how did that come to be, was it something you wanted to try or something you simply went along with?
Duff: It was my choice. It mainly spawned from me getting pissed off with Royalty after stealing my tag titles by making me have two matches in one night so they could try to take both my titles. I had wanted to try a face turn for a while, partly to see how people would react to a face Parker and partially to see whether I could pull off a face Parker, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Since Parker was so solidified as a heel, I needed to make sure it all played out right, and I didn’t just rush into it. I think it was ok, in the end. I think it's obvious to most people that the Parker character, and indeed me as an RPer, are better suited to heel tendencies. I'm not saying I won't try it again, in fact, it may happen relatively soon, given the heel/face ratio in WPW at the moment. If it becomes evident that we can't have new unique feuds without constantly having heel vs. heel feuds, I’ll have no problem turning him back face. Obviously, I won't rush into it and just have it come out of nowhere. There will need to be a tangible reason for the character to do it and not just because I, as a person, want to do it. At the end of the day, it has to be right for WPW, Parker and for me. Otherwise, it just won't work.
MacClennan: When you played a face Parker, writers still insisted on writing him as somebody fans hated, did you care about this?
Duff: Of course I did, and I let my feelings be known. In some instances it was just a case of old habits die hard, or writers not knowing how begin to write for such a solid heel suddenly being a face. I think, after a while though, once my RPs came along a bit better and told more of the story behind the turn, it became a bit easier for the writers to adapt to. Plus, even with Parker as a face, there was always that slightly heelish side to him.
MacClennan: Who approached you to be in the Resistance or did you ask to be a part of it?
Duff: I actually can't remember. I may have just said I was going to be a part of it and that was that, but I actually can't remember how it all came about.
MacClennan: How much control would you say you had when you were in the group?
Duff: Resistance?
Duff: I don't think anyone had control, which is why it all fell apart in the
end. With the majority of storylines revolving around Royalty, Resistance was always treated as an afterthought in my opinion. In every match with a Royalty member, they would appear in numbers, come to the ring together and all be constantly linked with Royalty during their matches. Resistance never had that, so it all kind of fell away.
MacClennan: Whenever Royalty took a big hit, Dust leaving the group, the split from Carlos, Stallion being booted, they always delivered the blow. Do you think this hurt the Resistance? And do you feel there was a conscience effort on the part of the staff who were a part of Royalty to make the group look strong and the Resistance look foolish, or did things just work out that way?
Duff: No, I don’t think it was intentional at all, I think that's just the way it played out. Plus, I think the guys in Royalty did such a great job of playing their roles, and playing a cohesive unit that it was always going to work better for them. Personally, I’m not great at joint RPs or even using other people in my RPs, so that was never going to help. All the other things you mention, like Dust, RK, Carlos etc, it was all planned to perfection by the Royalty guys themselves. They did the planning, they executed it themselves, so they deserve a huge amount credit for building that stable that has been around for a year now. Plus, when we had members leave Resistance, due to the very fact that we were faces, we need a heel to be the protagonist. The only real option for that was Carlos, who was aligned to Royalty at the time. So, not only did every exit from Royalty make them look good, but so too did every exit from Resistance.
MacClennan: You faded out of the picture after your short run in the Resistance, what made you go away and did you always know you would be back?
Duff: I always knew I would be back; it was just a matter of time. For some unknown reason, my computer and WP had a falling out and it refused to load the site. In fact, it still won't in I.E. So, I had no way to access the forums. With hindsight, I’m glad that happened now as it gave me a chance to get a break for a while and come back refreshed. Also, on a non WPW related note, it let me find out that I have a great team of staff that carried on fantastically in my absence.
MacClennan: Now, if you would oblige, we will move on to word association.
Duff: With pleasure.
MacClennan: Jason Bennett.
Duff: Good, but cost me my tag title against Royalty. Also get very
annoyed when people suggest he carried me.
MacClennan: Mike Adams.
Duff: Good RPer when he wants to be, but needs to pick one character and make them work. Far too inconsistent.
MacClennan: Royal Knight/The Stallion.
Duff: I think my feud with him was one of the most overlooked feuds of last year. Looking back on it now, it was a great feud, but at the time I was just getting bored of beating him every week.
MacClennan: The One.
Duff: One of the three active guys I still really want to face in WPW. Possibly the one guy that could hold his own with me in a battle of egos.
MacClennan: JMC.
Duff: The measuring stick. Consistently good, great even. The only guy that will put a seed of doubt in my mind about whether I can actually beat him. The record thus far shows I can’t.
MacClennan: Dan Murph.
Duff: Choker. Seems to come up with some great stuff, but loses his bottle in the matches that matter. Probably the most improved RPer since WPW opened.
MacClennan: Underrated.
Duff: Blade LaVigne. Despite his current title reign, some people still see him as a shit RPer that got marginally better. Personally, I think he has the content in most of his RPs; he just needs to work on the delivery and presentation.
MacClennan: The Judge.
Duff: Character or man?
Duff: Doesn't matter, love them both. Great guy, great character and we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are without him. I can't wait till he comes back. Nothing at all against Prom and Ape, but this guy has ideas that just blow me away every time. To think he just pulls them out of his ass when he's having a dump is even more remarkable.
MacClennan: Champion.
Duff: Two things come to mind here. The first is JMC, the second is
Parker's future.
MacClennan: David Nicolls.
Duff: Great character. The next number one contender and certainly the
next big thing. I love the subtlety of some of his humor, and his ability to tell a story is second to none, even if the stories are extremely surreal sometimes. Possibly my favorite character in WPW right now.
MacClennan: Scorch.
Duff: Victim. A guy, and character I respect, but one I am going to beat come Redemption. It's time for me to prove I can hang with the big boys. That started last week when I beat 2, and it continues with Scorch. After that, who knows?
MacClennan: Overrated.
Duff: Might get some heat for this, but 2. I find his promos repetitive and often they veer wildly from one thing to the next and back to what he said originally, often contradicting what he has just said. Also, I don't think One is as hot as he likes to think since he came back, and I’m kind of upset I didn't get the chance to prove that last week when our scheduled match was changed at the last minute.
MacClennan: Gunnar Brian.
Duff: Just missing that little something to take him to the next level. I don't
know what it is, and if I did I’m not certain I’d say. Like Dan, has yet to prove himself on the big stage, but I think he'll get there someday
MacClennan: Jokester.
Duff: Love him. Possibly my favorite character of all time. I love the ways he finds to reinvent himself without actually changing who he is. The stuff last year with the elections was golden, as is his use of ancillary characters like X-P*c, legendaryken and Al Gore
MacClennan: Martin Cameron.
Duff: Who? Nah, just kidding. He needs to just push himself on a little bit and get out of the comfort zone. He should be demanding harder challenges for that FL title and pushing himself to his limits rather than settling for what he has
MacClennan: That concludes word association. Just two more questions before you can turn the tables if you would like or get a fancy hat, complete with brim. Will Jamie Parker win the WPW Championship before his career is over?
Duff: I have no doubt of that. In fact, as soon as I can find a way to ban Promy without him or anyone else knowing I’ve done it, I can guarantee it will happen eventually
MacClennan: Have you been a success so far?
Duff: Some might disagree, but I think so. I've achieved everything I’ve set out to achieve thus far. I wanted to go for the tag titles, I won them. I wanted to go for the Florida title, I won that too. The only think I didn't achieve that I wanted to was to retain both titles on the same night, but I sure as hell gave it a good shot
MacClennan: Now, you can ask your interviewer any question you like, or take the imaginary hat. Your call.
Duff: I’ll ask a question. Do YOU think Parker is good enough to win the big one?
MacClennan: Yes, we have at least ten guys if not more that can beat anyone on any given night. Nobody in the fed is unbeatable, and Parker is one of those characters who when given a fair opportunity can beat anybody. He only needs to win two matches to get the big one, a match to get the shot, and the title match itself, and Parker can certainly win two matches. How long he could hold it is a different question, but winning it, I have no doubts he can do it. He plays a clear character, can do some nice dialogue, has played both a sympathetic face and despicable heel well, Parker has the kind of range few guys have in the fed and if given a chance, he will be the man someday.
MacClennan: Thank you for joining us here today, Duff, would you like to say any final words before parting?
Duff: Not really. It's been a fun two hours, but now it's about 90 minutes past my bedtime, so I shall go to bed, get 5 hrs sleep and be in such a foul mood tomorrow that I’ll start banning people if the situation in the favorite admin poll is not rectified
MacClennan: Excellent, thank you.