This one is quite personal to me, as I managed Paul in the FWA in Great Britain before he was signed up by the WWE. Paul was an unbelievable athlete with agility that belied his heavyweight stature. He was a former county level rugby player who chose not to turn professional because he wanted to follow his dream of making it in wrestling. He debuted in the WWE in 2005, allying himself with experienced fellow Brit, William Regal, in a tag team that never made it past mid-card. The team split up when Burchill revealed that he wanted to wrestle on his own, and follow his alleged family heritage. He claimed to be a descendant of the pirate Blackbeard, and the following week, he had new dramatic entrance music, was dressed like a pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean, and made an equally dramatic entrance to the ring, swinging down the ramp on a rope. It was a fun gimmick which the crowd enjoyed but it was a pure comedy look which doomed his career. After sustaining a knee injury which required surgery, he was obliterated in a match with Mark Henry and written off TV. Upon his return to fitness, he dropped the pirate gimmick and wrestled as plain old Paul Burchill again, with his storyline sister, Katie Lea Burchill. After a controversial incest storyline was dropped, he floundered, being drafted to ECW and never picking up many victories. Even after shedding his pirate gimmick, chants of Pirate Paul could be heard at many appearances. Burchill was released by the WWE in February 2010. Disenchanted by the wrestling business after his WWE experience, he walked away from it altogether and now works as a firefighter.
Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.
