PWP Nation’s Marc Madison explains why fans should be cheering wrestling’s ultimate villain.
In every story, there is an antagonist and a protagonist. One is typically the reflection of the other in every possible way. What is Batman without the Joker? What is Superman without Lex Luther? These questions, often asked about successful comic book characters, could easily be posed regarding characters on screen and in the world of professional wrestling. In one instance, there is a character that definitely doesn’t advocate being the ‘face,’ or hero. This is a character that is the very opposite of anything heroic or noble. He is a villain. In fact, he is THE Villain, Marty Scurll.
Scurll earned notoriety competing in his native England, in the process gaining quite a following. He comes to the ring dressed in attire that has been described as reflective of The Penguin from the Batman comics. Scurll puts a different spin on being the heel; he manages to be a hybrid between what someone should look like as the bad guy, while mixed with appealing attire. A villain is meant to be jeered and maligned, but in this day and age, they often get cheers from the crowd in a way that shouldn’t be acceptable. Scurll’s appearance, with a top hat and umbrella, would fit right in with notorious scoundrels and killers of the past like Jack the Ripper. Over the course of the last year, Scurll has brought his villainous nature to North America as part of the Ring of Honor promotion. In doing so, he managed to capture the Television title.
However, for as bad as the villain is intended to be, to not want to cheer him would be a shame since his work to get where he is today makes him anything, but dastardly. He isn’t the biggest guy and he isn’t the toughest guy, but he is certainly among the most villainous of guys. Currently, 28 years of age, he wasn’t always the villain. In fact, he competed as a face and had a clean cut and well-manicured look that is a distant memory today. In a career that spans just over thirteen years, Scurll has appeared in the ring with the some of the biggest names to come out of the United Kingdom.
He first began training at Frank Rimer’s Dropkixx training school and continued to develop from there. Over the span of seven years, he captured various championships, among them the British Cruiserweight Championship. When he joined the United Kingdom’s Progress Wrestling promotion, it provided him with a number of new and fresh opportunities that otherwise he may not have had. He faced the likes of Jimmy Havoc and current WWE Cruiserweight Noam Dar, plus Chris Hero and Tommy End, who compete as Kassius Ohno and Aleister Black respectively for WWE’s NXT brand.
Initially, his appearance featured bright, white, pristine tights, knee pads, and boots. As time passed, Scurll’s character evolved in appearance, which comes came from competing in a number of different places. Outside the UK, he competed for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerilla and TNA’s Impact Wrestling before he joined Ring of Honor. So when he joined ROH fans were already aware of The Villain, his previous achievements, and where he had come from. Capturing the Ring of Honor Television Title symbolized the validation of achieving a championship in North America. Though he has now lost the title, the fact is, he held it and may be primed to capture it once again.
It is impossible to see him as anything than what he is today, an intelligent mat technician that has faced the likes of Will Ospreay and Zack Sabre Jr., and is now being given a push as part of one of North America’s biggest promotions. On May 12th, Marty Scurll was ushered into Bullet Club, as the Young Bucks welcomed him in and kicked out Adam Cole. This is a relationship where all involved will benefit. He is now flanked by the likes of the Bucks and Kenny Omega and established himself as a vital part in Bullet Club’s future.
It is hard to argue that he has had to fight to continue to excel and earn recognition. He continues to compete not just for Ring of Honor, but promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling as well, which allows him the opportunity to continue to hone his skills inside the ring, and he has the support of Bullet Club to develop outside the ring. In cheering for this villain, fans can rest assured that while good guys don’t always win in the end, there is a reason to believe that with hard work, commitment and a continued desire to improve that villains can.
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