Columns
Morning Glory #12:
Interview With Doug 'Anarchist' Williams
British wrestling, although
not as high-profile as its American counterpart, has developed into a very solid scene
over the past few years, especially with the advent of the FWA (Frontier Wrestling Alliance) as the major
British federation. Based in the city of Portsmouth, the company run regular shows,
featuring some of the best British talent, as well as American and European indy
wrestlers.
The British talent pool is better than ever at the minute, featuring stars such as Jody
Fleisch, Johnny Storm, Scott Parker, and Alex Shane. At the forefront of these stars is
Doug ‘The Anarchist’ Williams. Williams has wrestled not only in Britain, but
has also taken part in the US ‘King Of The Indies’ tournament, and also wrestled
for the acclaimed Ring Of Honor promotion. A former FWA World Champion, Doug is arguably
rated as the best British wrestler around today, and yours truly was lucky enough to
conduct an interview with him.
Scott Newman: Reading your biography on your website, it seems that you became a
wrestling fan at a young age. Is your wrestling style in any way influenced by anyone you
may have watched as a fan?
Doug Williams: Not really anybody specific. I would say that I do watch a fair
amount of older British Wrestling and try and incorporate a lot of moves, techniques etc
in to the modern style. As a fan the kind of Wrestling I enjoy is different to what I do.
SN: Where did the 'Anarchist' nickname come from? And with that being pretty much a
‘bad guy’s’ nickname, along with your character traits and style in the
ring, do you prefer playing the heel role?
DW: I just came up with because I thought it would be a good tagline for a
character who breaks the rules, doesn't listen to authority (the ref) and does what he
likes regardless of the fans. I do prefer being a heel - it's far more fun!
SN: What's the British wrestling scene like right now? Do you think British
wrestling, and more specifically, the FWA, could take off in this country in a way like
professional wrestling has taken off in the US? If yes or no, why?
DW: Well there are two sides to the American Scene, and the British Scene falls
somewhere between the two. There will never really be a domestic version of the WWF if you
like because nobody would be prepared to plough the resources into producing such a
product. British Wrestling at the moment is very healthy as compared to anywhere else in
the world. Nowhere else in the world can you Wrestle 6 or 7 times a week in front of
reasonable crowds every night, and I'm talking all year round not just 6 months of the
year.
SN: Seeing as the business in the UK is pretty good right now, what advice would
you give to a young person wanting to get into the wrestling business in the UK, for
wrestling and non-wrestling roles? Would the FWA be the company to aim for?
DW: Just persevere and you should get there, providing you have the talent. All the
training in the world can't make up for lack of talent unfortunately so you need to take a
good, long, objective look at yourself to see if you really have what it takes. To begin
with I wouldn't recommend the FWA - volume of shows is the most important thing as a
beginner so try and get on one of the touring promotions or holiday camp circuits.
SN: One of the shows that made me into a fan of yours was the FWA
‘Revival’ show in 2002. Your match with Eddie Guerrero at that show was
incredible, and it was critically acclaimed as one of the best indy matches of 2002. Do
you think Eddie's performance in that match was a contributing factor to the WWE bringing
him back? Would you feel some credit for this decision?
DW: I think Eddie’s performance on the whole indie scene in 2002 was the
contributing factor - his professionalism, his work ethic and his return to form.
SN: What was Eddie like to work with, both in the ring and as a person?
DW: Eddie was great - laid back, easy going, open to suggestions and totally
focused in the ring. His performance in the ring was on another level and basically showed
me what working at the very top of the profession is like.
SN: Who would you consider the best wrestler you've worked with, and why?
DW: Eddie for the above reasons.
SN: Which wrestlers would you most like to work with in the future, an established
worker, and an indy worker?
DW: Established = Kurt Angle, Indy Worker = I have never yet had a singles match
with Low Ki, I would love that.
SN: After wrestling now for almost ten years, what are your goals in the business?
DW: Just to stay injury free for the majority of my career and make a decent amount
of money for myself and my family.
SN: Would you like to eventually work for the WWE? If the chance came about, would
you sign for the WWE, knowing that they would most likely misuse a wrestler of your style?
DW: Yes I would. I would sign because pure and simply you are not generally taken
seriously as a Wrestler by a casual or non-fan unless you have wrestled in the WWE. They
wouldn't necessarily misuse me as I could probably fit in quite well with the 'Smackdown'
wrestling style.
SN: Do you keep up with the North American wrestling scene, and do you feel that
Vince McMahon's near-monopoly is bad for the business?
DW: Yes I do I think it's important in this business to know what is going on,
especially as the American scene greatly effects what happens globally. Yes because
competition is need to stoke the fires of creativity.
SN: These days, the internet has become a major part of the wrestling business. Do
you use the internet much, and do you, or any of the other FWA wrestlers to your
knowledge, take an interest in the opinions of the so-called 'smark' fans?
DW: I use the internet a lot, I am on at least once a day. Only Alex Shane takes
any interest but then he is running a promotion and is open to much more criticism than
the rest of us. I pay no attention to 'smarks' whatsoever.
SN: Moving away from wrestling for a second, you mention in your bio that you did a
lot of judo when you were younger, becoming the National Champion in the sport. Given this
background, have you ever considered making an attempt to break into the MMA business? Do
you keep an eye on the world of MMA?
DW: No because I consider MMA to be part of the martial arts world. The guys have a
totally different training regime to what I do now - I don't think I would be able to even
make tiny scratch in the world of MMA. I do occasionally read about what is going on.
SN: Finally, the ever-popular ‘word association’....I say the name of a
wrestler, promotion, etc, and you say the first thing that comes into your head about
them.
FWA.
DW: Forward thinking.
SN: Jody Fleisch.
DW: Breathtaking.
SN: Alex Shane.
DW: Ambitious.
SN: Drew McDonald.
DW: Knowledgeable.
SN: Wrestling in general.
DW: Over-evolved.
SN: WWE.
DW: Saturated.
SN: Vince McMahon.
DW: Ultimate promoter.
SN: Steve Austin.
DW: Marketing department’s dream.
SN: Triple H.
DW: Total package.
SN: Chris Jericho.
DW: Camp.
SN: Kurt Angle.
DW: Phenomenal.
SN: NWA-TNA.
DW: Has potential.
SN: Doug Williams.
DW: Unfulfilled.
I’d like to thank Doug Williams for taking the time to do this interview, and for
answering all the questions that I asked. Doug is undoubtedly a class act, and I wish him
all the best in whatever he does in the wrestling business. For more information on Doug
Williams and the FWA, head to FWA Official
website, and Official Doug Williams website.
Scott Newman: scott.newman@ntlworld.com
AOLIM: TheSuperstar24
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