Marty Scurll Talks Ring of Honor, Villain Character, WWE UK Tournament

Marty Scurll has been around the wrestling industry for more than a decade, but his transition to The Villain character has made waves around the world, including in the United States with his recent signing to Ring of Honor.

Ring of Honor fans were instantly treated to a surprise when Scurll won the World Television Championship from Will Ospreay during his first weekend with the company. The Villain then defended the title successfully at Final Battle 2016 on Dec. 2 against Ospreay and Dragon Lee in one of the best matches on the card.

In a recent interview promoting Ring of Honor, Scurll spoke to Ring Rust Radio about signing with one of the top companies in the world, how his now-beloved Villain character came to be and his thoughts on the WWE’s United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

When asked about signing with ROH, Scurll expressed how important creative freedom was to him and how he wants to be part of the positive changes moving forward with the company:

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I kind of knew already what kind of company ROH is, and I know the platforms that they give their guys, and for me it was very important to have that kind of freedom. Obviously, I let ROH know that was the case. I’m coming to ROH and I want to change things. I feel like me coming to ROH, I can help the company grow, and I can help take it to places it’s never been before.

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Part of the way Scurll hopes to change the wrestling business is through his character, The Villain. Not only does he use interesting music and fantastic visuals bordering on the supernatural, but he also roots the character in reality and makes it easy for fans to understand.

The Villain has helped him reach the highest levels in wrestling, but the roots of the character are simple. Scurll explained how it wasn’t a preconceived idea but something that came to him naturally:

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The Villain wasn’t necessarily something I sat down and thought, "Oh this is going to be my character." It’s most like other great wrestling characters, where it’s more of a reflection of my actual character. I think one day a few years back when I came up with it, wrestling is very much based on playing by the rules and conforming to certain rules, you have to do this and pay respect to this. I did do that for many, many years. That didn’t necessarily work the way I wanted to, so I essentially got a massive chip on my shoulder. I decided I am not going to play by these rules and I was going to do what I wanted and play this game however I fancy and be me. I didn’t care who I upset or that I wasn’t playing by the rules. This is my character, and I’ve got the chance to go out there and do it.

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In addition to talking about his success thus far in Ring of Honor and the development of his Villain character, Scurll gave his opinions on the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament.

While many fans were disappointed he couldn’t participate in the tournament—and inevitably win—Scurll is instead fighting some of the best wrestlers in the world right now in Ring of Honor:

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I think it was certainly an obvious choice for the WWE to do such a thing. The British wrestling scene has been kicking ass for many years thanks to people like myself, Zack Sabre Jr., Will Osprey and others. It just makes financial sense for them to do that, especially with their network. I think it’s a great concept. Everyone has been tweeting me to see if I was going to be in their tournament. Obviously, I am in ROH, so I’m not going to be in the tournament. Then I see tweets saying it’s a shame that they can’t watch Marty on the WWE UK show tournament. Then I tell them that I am on ROH, so watch that. Watch me wrestle some of the best wrestlers in the world.

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One thing about Scurll that makes him a refreshing personality is his honesty. He does not pull punches when it comes to his dedication to Ring of Honor and his Villain character.

Scurll is trying to change how wrestling is perceived and trying to bring true characters back to the sport. Thus far, fans all over the world have latched onto The Villain, helping to make him one of the top names in the industry.

So long as Ring of Honor continues to give him the creative freedom needed to make The Villain appeal to the masses, Scurll will be one of the best in-ring workers in the world, making him the perfect international cornerstone for the company.

Long live The Villain.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).