Q: "Royalty" William King, what made you want to be a professional wrestler?
A: I’ve always wanted to be a wrestler. I remember being a little kid, watching and rewatching the same four or five WWF VHS tapes, then attacking my dad with the awesome things I saw. Of course, he was always a step ahead of me and would catch me with a Nasty Boys arm pit. But, the short of it is that it's always been my main goal in life, and I feel incredibly lucky that I get the chance to perform multiple times a month.
Q: When did your professional wrestling career start?
A. I started training at Kevin Landry's school in Chicopee, Mass. under Aaron Morrison, alongside guys like Kristian Frost, Kidmikazi, Frankie Arion, Alex Cypher and of course, my buddy, ZPB in 2005. I trained for about 6 months before my first match at a benefit show, then for another few months before having a match aganst Aaron in my hometown, Holyoke, for EWA.
Q: Was getting in the ring for the first time what you expected?
A: It was so much more. I remember being so overwhelmed the first time I ever got to step into the ring. Kevin's school used to be up five flights of stairs in an old factory. When you went inside, it was this awesome room with the word “perseverance” spray painted on the wall. I was giggling like a school girl inside when I stepped through the ropes, theme songs already playing in my head, shortly thereafter replaced with ringing in my ears after taking my first bump. (Laughs)
Q: How important is it to look the part?
A: Even though I'm guilty of not having taken this part to heart as much as I should have, I am working on it because it is important to look like an athletic person out there. People don’t want to spend money to see someone compete, who looks like they just stood up from the seat next to them and slid inside the ring. Everything from body, which is my worst aspect, to the gear, which shouldn’t be clearance items from Hot Topic, to the boots (or shoes with kickpads). Everything about you needs to separate yourself from the people in the seats. I mean, it's show biz, and people are paying for that. They're not paying good money to watch you practice some cool move you really want to try. Work on shit wherever it is you practice, showtime is the time to put out the things you already do great.
Q: Is there any person you wouldn't want to see on the other side of William King vs. __ ?
A: I'm not afraid of anyone, so that’s not an issue. If I am working with someone who isn't exactly up to speed, then it's my job to get the best out of them, which is something I take pride in doing. I suppose the only people I wouldn’t want across the ring from me would be someone so up their own ass that they refuse to work together to get something good. The “I gotta get my shit in” guy, and even then I let them go ahead and do their shit. He's going to pin me after and I’m going to kick out, effectively making that guy's stuff weak as hell.
Q: Is there a match of yours (good or bad) that stands out in your mind? Why?
A: I always enjoy working with Bobby Ocean. I feel like we work well together, and I loved our match at CTWE after I had comeback from a hiatus. One of the most entertaining matches I've had was teaming with Doctor Hersey against Bobby and Chris Hamrick in Maine. I also love working with Antonio Thomas, teaming with ZPB, Dougie Summers and Andy Sweet. I love everything.
Q: Have you achieved all of your goals you set when you first embarked on this journey?
A: No way. I imagine everyone's original goal when they get into this is to work for the WWE. While I still hope to get a chance to do something there someday, I still have so many goals that I'd love to achieve. ROH is one I'm actively working towards right now.
Q: Are there any indy wrestlers or tag teams you feel are ready for the big time?
A: Antonio Thomas should be back there right now, in my opinion. Bobby Ocean should be in front of a bigger stage than he is, and Marshall McNeil should be managing in one of the big three. There are so many more. It would take all day to name them all, but I feel like I'd take up the rest of the space provided for the interview if I showcased everyone I thought was ready for bigger and better things.
Q: What is the importance of taping your match for your own personal use?
A: Like any athlete or performer, it's important to be able to go back and watch a tape to A) find something that really worked and keep it, or B) find something that didn’t come out the way I thought it had in my head, and get rid of it. Again, the audience isn't paying to watch practice. They deserve the best stuff.
Q: With the ups, come the downs. Explain one time where you felt at your all time low in wrestling.
A: About five or six months ago, I was just down in general. I was up to 250 lbs and not in a good way on this 5’9'' frame. I was miserable drunk and thought about quitting the biz. It wasn’t anything wrestling did to me, I was just in a dark place for some reason, which isn't the norm for me. Luckily, I've been able to turn things around, and I'm back down to 220. I'm hoping to keep heading in a positive direction.
Q: If you could switch careers with any wrestler (professional or independent) who would it be and why?
A: Mitzy (Matt) Taven. I love that guy, and honestly, I think he has the entire world right in front of him. He's got the look, the ability and the charisma. I can't say enough good things about him.
Q: Wrestling boots or shoes?
A: Boots for me. I understand some people like the shoes, but I'm not that tall, and to me the boots look better.
Q: Wrist tape or no wrist tape?
A: Wrist tape. The NWA Rulebook be damned!
Q: Tag or singles?
A: Both. I can't separate the two because I love them both for different reasons. I can honestly say I haven't done anything yet that has been as fun as The Monarchy, but Last Call is a very close second.
Q: Do independent championship titles mean anything to you?
A: Of course they do. The title means the promoter is putting his trust into you and appriciates your work and abilities. Anyone who treats it with disrespect is disrespecting the place he's working for, and is therefore a shit employee. In which case, get the hell out! Who needs you? I operate with the understanding that there are 100 other guys with my same build who can wrestle, so I need to be more entertaining than them, and also need to be a good hand on the ship.
Q: I hate, hate, FUCKING HATE when wrestlers don't use the tag ropes, or promoters don't provide tag ropes. I see this as something that's wrong with wrestling on the independent level. What is something that rubs you the wrong way about the indies?
A: When tag team partners don’t care about their partner in the ring, and just stand on the apron not showing any emotion at all. The guy in the ring is supposed to be your buddy, your brother, and you're leaning on your elbow watching him getting punched in the face like you're watching paint dry. Drives me bananas.
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