WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.320 Okay, so I really need you to explain the photo 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:06.000 you dropped in the shared drive this morning, 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:09.019 because for those of you listening, I'm looking 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.359 at a professional wrestler, clearly. Yeah, he's 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:13.080 definitely a wrestler. Right, but he's standing 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:15.820 on the turnbuckle looking very triumphant, and 00:00:15.820 --> 00:00:18.820 instead of the usual... I don't know, sparkly 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.780 spandex or baby oil. He looks like he just parked 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:25.260 a Vespa outside a coffee shop in 1964. It is 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.019 a pretty jarring image the first time you see 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:28.739 it, isn't it? It's totally wild. He's wearing 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.759 a literal parka and a tailored suit underneath. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:35.799 He looks like he's about to start a fight between 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:38.200 the mods and the rockers on Brighton Beach, not 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:40.100 wrestle a match. Well, that visual dissonance 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:42.289 is exactly the point. Because you are looking 00:00:42.289 --> 00:00:44.969 at flash Morgan Webster and that aesthetic isn't 00:00:44.969 --> 00:00:48.530 an accident or a wardrobe malfunction It is the 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:51.530 entire engine of his career He has built this 00:00:51.530 --> 00:00:54.170 global reputation by being the mod father of 00:00:54.170 --> 00:00:57.579 professional wrestling the mod father that feels 00:00:57.579 --> 00:01:01.020 like such a specific, almost niche flavor to 00:01:01.020 --> 00:01:02.679 bring into a wrestling ring. I mean, usually 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:04.760 gimmicks are really broad, right? Like, I'm a 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:07.819 scary monster, I'm a rich guy. But I appreciate 00:01:07.819 --> 00:01:10.819 the British subculture of the mid -1960s feels 00:01:10.819 --> 00:01:13.319 like a very deep cut. It is a deep cut, but honestly, 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:16.000 that's why it works so well. The mod subculture, 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.799 if you think about the Who or the movie Quadrophenia, 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:22.659 the Sharp suits the scooters, the soul music. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.980 It was all about working class kids aspiring 00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:28.640 to... higher style right looking sharp exactly 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:30.579 looking clean and sharp even if you were living 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:33.180 in a really gritty reality which now that you 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:34.819 say it actually fits the wrestling narrative 00:01:34.819 --> 00:01:37.340 perfectly because wrestling is gritty and sweaty 00:01:37.340 --> 00:01:39.400 and painful yeah but you're constantly trying 00:01:39.400 --> 00:01:42.650 to present this polished larger than life superhero 00:01:42.650 --> 00:01:45.329 image. Precisely. And Webster, whose real name 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:47.409 is Gavin Watkins, he's from Bryn Mawr in Wales. 00:01:47.469 --> 00:01:49.769 He took that very British, very working class 00:01:49.769 --> 00:01:52.390 cool and just weaponized it. But the reason we're 00:01:52.390 --> 00:01:54.709 doing a deep dive on him today for you all isn't 00:01:54.709 --> 00:01:56.510 just because he dresses well. Right, we have 00:01:56.510 --> 00:01:58.590 a ton of source material here spanning his whole 00:01:58.590 --> 00:02:01.109 career. Yeah, from the British independent circuit 00:02:01.109 --> 00:02:05.750 to WWW to Impact Wrestling. And our mission today 00:02:05.750 --> 00:02:07.870 is really to understand how this guy from Wales 00:02:08.469 --> 00:02:12.330 used this distinct persona and incredible technical 00:02:12.330 --> 00:02:15.389 adaptability to become a history -making champion 00:02:15.389 --> 00:02:17.389 in multiple major promotions. Well, let's talk 00:02:17.389 --> 00:02:19.789 about that in -ring style. because looking at 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.610 him, he is not a giant. The stats we have say 00:02:22.610 --> 00:02:25.710 he's five foot nine, about 165 pounds. In the 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:27.689 land of wrestling giants, that's pretty small. 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:29.870 So I assume he's flying around a lot. He is. 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:32.689 He's absolutely a high flyer. He can do the 450 00:02:32.689 --> 00:02:35.009 splashes, the dives to the outs, all the things 00:02:35.009 --> 00:02:37.250 you really need to do to survive as a smaller 00:02:37.250 --> 00:02:39.650 guy in the modern era. But if he was just a high 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:41.930 flyer, he'd be one of a thousand guys doing flips 00:02:41.930 --> 00:02:44.710 right now. So what's the differentiator? Webster 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:47.009 is different because he blends that aerial ability 00:02:47.009 --> 00:02:50.229 with a very traditional European technical wrestling 00:02:50.229 --> 00:02:52.789 style. It's a true hybrid style. Okay, pause 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:54.629 there for a second, because I hear technical 00:02:54.629 --> 00:02:56.789 style a lot when I watch wrestling, but I've 00:02:56.789 --> 00:02:58.689 never really understood what it means mechanically. 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:00.849 Yeah. What is he actually doing that's different 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:03.229 from just punching a guy? So imagine the pace 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:07.490 of a match. A high flyer wants the fast chaos 00:03:07.490 --> 00:03:10.750 movement confusion. A European technical wrestler 00:03:10.750 --> 00:03:13.550 wants to slow everything down to a grinding halt. 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:16.680 It's all about leverage. Leverage like joint 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.099 manipulation. Exactly. It's about grabbing a 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:20.979 wrist and twisting it in a way that the joint 00:03:20.979 --> 00:03:23.460 isn't supposed to move and then using that pain 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:26.240 to dictate exactly where your opponent's body 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:28.620 goes. So it's almost like chess versus checkers. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:31.780 Yeah. It's chess where you are physically hurting 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:34.699 the other player's pieces. Webster will hit a 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:36.699 high -speed move to completely disorient you, 00:03:36.939 --> 00:03:38.879 but the second you hit the mat, he's not posing 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.419 for the crowd. He is grabbing a limb. He's tying 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:43.900 you in knots. That makes him incredibly dangerous, 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.360 then. Very, because he can wrestle the big guys 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:48.319 by chopping them down systematically, or he can 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:50.219 wrestle the fast guys by just grounding them. 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:53.419 It lets him work with literally anyone. And that 00:03:53.419 --> 00:03:55.740 adaptability makes total sense. If you can only 00:03:55.740 --> 00:03:57.680 do flips and you fight a guy who catches you, 00:03:57.719 --> 00:04:00.439 you're basically done. But if you can grapple, 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:03.539 you always have a plan B. And that is exactly 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:06.340 what has kept him employed for well over 15 years. 00:04:06.819 --> 00:04:09.400 But before he settled on the Modfather persona, 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:11.900 which is just a great nickname, by the way, he 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:14.219 went through the usual identity crisis that almost 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:16.779 most indie wrestlers go through. Oh, I saw this 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:18.399 in the notes and I desperately need to talk about 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:22.060 it right now because he has wrestled as Flash 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:24.860 Morgan. He's been simply Morgan Webster. But 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:28.120 there is one name on this list that stopped me 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.860 dead in my tracks. Kevin McAllister. Yes, the 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:33.560 one and only. Please tell me you meet the child 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.519 from Home Alone. The very same. Just how does 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:38.839 that work? Was he sitting paint cans on strings 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.620 in the arena? Was he dropping hot irons on people's 00:04:41.620 --> 00:04:43.560 faces? How does that translate to a wrestling 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:46.160 match? Look, the independent scene, especially 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.620 early on, is a place for pure experimentation. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:50.459 Sometimes that experimentation is brilliant, 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:53.040 and sometimes it's literal slapstick comedy. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:55.230 I mean, I'd pay to see it. Right, and I don't 00:04:55.230 --> 00:04:57.269 have the footage of those specific matches, but 00:04:57.269 --> 00:04:59.449 you can imagine a young wrestler trying to find 00:04:59.449 --> 00:05:01.389 any connection with the audience. Everyone loves 00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:04.850 Home Alone, right? It gets a cheap pop, but it 00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:09.009 is a novelty act. You cannot be a serious champion 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:11.949 as a kid who got left behind by his parents in 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:15.550 Paris. There's a very hard ceiling on that gimmick. 00:05:15.790 --> 00:05:18.850 The Modfather sounds like a champion. Kevin McAllister 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:20.829 sounds like the opening match at a local birthday 00:05:20.829 --> 00:05:23.189 party. Thankfully, he pivoted away from that. 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:26.019 And he started really grinding. If we look at 00:05:26.019 --> 00:05:29.519 the timeline, he debuts in 2010. And for the 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:31.699 next several years, he is just traveling up and 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:34.639 down the UK, wrestling for Celtic wrestling, 00:05:34.819 --> 00:05:37.120 often for very, very little money. The totally 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.339 unglamorous side of the business. Very much so. 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:41.540 But this is actually where the most important 00:05:41.540 --> 00:05:44.680 relationship of his entire career begins. Because 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:47.360 in 2011, he teams up with a guy named Mark Andrews 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.800 to defeat a team called Method and Madness. Mark 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:53.019 Andrews. That name comes up constantly in his 00:05:53.019 --> 00:05:54.819 story. Every time I turned a page in the research 00:05:54.819 --> 00:05:57.199 there was Mark Andrews. You really cannot tell 00:05:57.199 --> 00:05:59.800 the story of Flash Morgan Webster without Mark 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.500 Andrews. They were opponents at first and then 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:05.600 partners. They spent years in cars together, 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:08.860 driving to tiny shows, sleeping on floors, wrestling 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:11.480 in front of maybe 50 people. Which has to build 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.139 a crazy amount of chemistry. A level of chemistry 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:16.860 you just cannot teach because in wrestling you 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:19.540 are literally putting your life and your body 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.540 in someone else's hands. Trust is the currency. 00:06:22.779 --> 00:06:25.839 And Webster and Andrews developed a massive shared 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.939 bank account of trust very early on. So they're 00:06:28.939 --> 00:06:31.500 cutting their teeth in Wales doing the hard miles. 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:34.060 But at some point he has to break outright. He 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:35.920 can't just stay local forever if he wants to 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:38.350 make a real living. The breakout really starts 00:06:38.350 --> 00:06:41.230 around 2015, and it's not just about who he's 00:06:41.230 --> 00:06:43.430 beating, but the caliber of talent he is standing 00:06:43.430 --> 00:06:45.589 across the ring from. I want you to look at the 00:06:45.589 --> 00:06:48.050 names he faced in this specific period. Okay, 00:06:48.050 --> 00:06:51.290 let's see. I see Zack Sabre Jr. I know he's huge. 00:06:51.829 --> 00:06:54.810 Keith Lee, also massive. Wait, he beat Will Ospreay. 00:06:54.889 --> 00:06:57.230 He did, yes. Even I know Will Ospreay. He is 00:06:57.230 --> 00:06:59.649 like the god of modern wrestling right now. He's 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:03.209 absolute headline news. He is arguably the best 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:07.100 in the world today. But in 2015, Webster beat 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:09.540 him. And that tells you two really important 00:07:09.540 --> 00:07:12.620 things. One, the UK scene at that time was an 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:15.139 absolute pressure cooker of generational talent. 00:07:15.639 --> 00:07:19.439 You had future global superstars battling in 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.399 literal bingo halls. And two, it means Webster 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.379 was keeping up with them. Exactly. He wasn't 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:26.560 just a warm body to be tossed around. He was 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.620 actually winning. And this leads right into his 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:31.339 run in progress wrestling. Right. I've heard 00:07:31.339 --> 00:07:33.740 of them. They were like the cool punk rock promotion 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:36.589 in London. Progress was the epicenter. It was 00:07:36.589 --> 00:07:39.310 to British wrestling what CBGB's was to punk 00:07:39.310 --> 00:07:42.810 music. Webster completely thrived there. He won 00:07:42.810 --> 00:07:44.990 their natural progression series to a tournament 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:47.970 by beating Zach Gibson in the finals. That tournament 00:07:47.970 --> 00:07:50.009 is specifically designed to highlight the next 00:07:50.009 --> 00:07:52.430 big thing. Wow. So a huge stamp of approval. 00:07:52.449 --> 00:07:55.389 Huge. But he also won a match with a name that, 00:07:55.410 --> 00:07:57.089 well, I always have to explain it to American 00:07:57.089 --> 00:07:58.889 audiences. Oh, I see it here in the service material. 00:07:59.069 --> 00:08:01.310 The Thunder Bastard match. The Thunder Bastard 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:03.990 match. Yes. I just love British slang so much. 00:08:04.149 --> 00:08:07.170 It sounds Absolutely incredible, but I have no 00:08:07.170 --> 00:08:09.930 idea what it actually implies. Is it a weapon? 00:08:10.410 --> 00:08:13.250 A type of weather system? It's essentially a 00:08:13.250 --> 00:08:15.629 chaotic multi -man survival match. Just think 00:08:15.629 --> 00:08:18.370 of it as a demolition derby with human bodies. 00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:20.990 Winning that at Chapter 64 earned him a title 00:08:20.990 --> 00:08:24.589 shot. It proved he could handle pure chaos. But 00:08:24.589 --> 00:08:26.230 I actually want to highlight something that happened 00:08:26.230 --> 00:08:28.509 in Revolution Pro Wrestling around the same time, 00:08:28.509 --> 00:08:30.930 because it teaches us something crucial about 00:08:30.930 --> 00:08:33.210 the business of wrestling. OK, this is ref pros. 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:34.850 This is where he won the Cruiserweight title. 00:08:34.919 --> 00:08:36.860 Yeah, he won the Ref Pro British Cruiserweight 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.500 Championship from Ryan Smile in December 2017. 00:08:40.940 --> 00:08:44.379 It's a huge moment. The crowd goes wild. The 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:46.720 culmination of a massive chase. And then wait 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:49.059 the notes say he lost it five days later. Five 00:08:49.059 --> 00:08:53.120 days to Curtis Chapman. That just seems, I don't 00:08:53.120 --> 00:08:56.139 know, cruel or just bad planning. Why give a 00:08:56.139 --> 00:08:57.620 guy the championship belt if you're going to 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:59.100 take it away before he can even wear it at the 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:02.240 grocery store? It feels incredibly cruel, but. 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:05.360 In wrestling booking, it is a very specific device. 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:08.419 It's called volatility. Yeah, because if everyone 00:09:08.419 --> 00:09:10.639 holds a title for six months, the audience gets 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:13.019 comfortable. They start predicting the shows 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:15.360 and they stop worrying about their favorite guy 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.620 losing on a random Tuesday. By having Webster 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:21.720 lose it in five days, the promoter sends a very 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:24.139 clear message. Do not blink because anything 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:26.840 can happen here. Oh, I see. So it's tragic for 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.159 the character, but it's fantastic for the show's 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.500 ratings. Exactly. And honestly, it makes him 00:09:31.500 --> 00:09:34.179 the underdog again instantly and being the underdog 00:09:34.179 --> 00:09:37.279 is where Webster absolutely shines. Which brings 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.220 us to the big leagues because WWE comes calling 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:43.809 in 2018. This is during that period where WWE 00:09:43.809 --> 00:09:45.769 was basically trying to buy up every talented 00:09:45.769 --> 00:09:48.409 person in the UK to start their own brand right. 00:09:48.529 --> 00:09:51.350 It was the NXT UK expansion. They scooped up 00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:53.370 Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and of course, Flash 00:09:53.370 --> 00:09:55.929 Morgan Webster. He debuts at WrestleMania Access, 00:09:55.990 --> 00:09:58.330 where he actually loses to Pete Dunne. He competes 00:09:58.330 --> 00:10:01.129 in the UK Championship tournament. He's on 205 00:10:01.129 --> 00:10:03.549 Live teaming with Cedric Alexander and Mustafa 00:10:03.549 --> 00:10:07.409 Ali. He is suddenly on a massive global platform. 00:10:07.769 --> 00:10:12.210 But the absolute cinematic climax of his career 00:10:12.210 --> 00:10:14.789 up to this point has to be Cardiff. I was reading 00:10:14.789 --> 00:10:17.929 the recaps of this event and the atmosphere sounded 00:10:17.929 --> 00:10:29.659 completely insane. Rarely does major premium 00:10:29.659 --> 00:10:33.059 live events in Wales. So you have a stadium full 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:35.480 of Welsh fans who are just absolutely desperate 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:37.399 for a hometown hero. And they get Webster and 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:40.259 Mark Andrews. The Hometown Boys. Reunited. They 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.100 are booked in a triple threat tag team match 00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:44.720 for the titles. It's them versus Gallus who are 00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:47.440 these big bruising Scotsmen and the grizzled 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:49.279 young veterans James Drake and Zach Gibson who 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:51.240 are just absolute masters at making people hate 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:53.500 them. So the stage is perfectly set. You've got 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:56.460 the foreign threats, the pure villains and the 00:10:56.460 --> 00:10:58.669 local. dog heroes. And the match itself is a 00:10:58.669 --> 00:11:00.990 masterpiece of emotion. There are so many moments 00:11:00.990 --> 00:11:02.950 where it looks like they've lost. The crowd is 00:11:02.950 --> 00:11:05.529 agonizing over every single near fall. And when 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:07.289 Webster and Andrews finally hit their finish 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:09.950 and get the three, the noise in that building, 00:11:10.250 --> 00:11:13.570 it's not just cheering. It is a collective cathartic 00:11:13.570 --> 00:11:16.029 release. Because they became the first Welsh 00:11:16.029 --> 00:11:19.110 champions in WWE history. First ever. And they 00:11:19.110 --> 00:11:21.230 did it together. Think about that narrative arc. 00:11:21.649 --> 00:11:25.330 They start in 2011 in tiny gyms in front of literally 00:11:25.330 --> 00:11:27.990 nobody. Eight years later, they are standing 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:30.750 in the middle of Cardiff holding gold belts for 00:11:30.750 --> 00:11:33.750 the biggest wrestling company on earth with their 00:11:33.750 --> 00:11:36.690 countrymen screaming their names. That is the 00:11:36.690 --> 00:11:38.909 ultimate dream. It's the movie ending. You just 00:11:38.909 --> 00:11:40.570 roll the credits right there. You'd really think 00:11:40.570 --> 00:11:43.549 so. But professional wrestling doesn't stop for 00:11:43.549 --> 00:11:45.610 happy endings. They had a decent run with the 00:11:45.610 --> 00:11:49.710 belts. In June 2021, they actually formed a really 00:11:49.710 --> 00:11:52.269 cool faction called Subculture with a female 00:11:52.269 --> 00:11:54.929 wrestler named Danny Luna. Oh, right. I read 00:11:54.929 --> 00:11:57.340 about this. It really leaned heavy into that 00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:00.320 mod aesthetic, right? Using specific music genres 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.379 and looks to unify the three of them. It was 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:05.320 a great package, but then the harsh reality of 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:08.299 the corporate wrestling world hit. August, 2022, 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:13.179 the release. WWE released a massive wave of talent 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:16.120 as contracts ended and budgets were cut. Webster 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:18.919 and Andrews were let go. I just cannot imagine 00:12:18.919 --> 00:12:21.080 what that feels like. You're on top of the world. 00:12:21.179 --> 00:12:23.159 You're making history in your home country, and 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:25.080 then you get a phone call and you're just unemployed. 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:27.259 It's completely devastating. And for a lot of 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:29.100 guys, that really is the end of the road. They 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:31.799 fade away. They go back to the local indies and 00:12:31.799 --> 00:12:34.480 just kind of exist on nostalgia. You know, they 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:36.840 sell eight by tens that say, remember when I 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.799 was in WWE. But Webster didn't do that. No, he 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:42.259 didn't. And this is where the resilience part 00:12:42.259 --> 00:12:44.940 of our deep dive really comes into focus because 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:47.559 he didn't reinvent himself as some bitter new 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.899 character. He didn't try to erase his past. He 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:54.480 took the subculture brand Webster Andrews and 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:57.700 Dan. and he took it straight to Impact Wrestling, 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:01.019 which is now known as TNA. That's a huge jump 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:03.919 because Impact is on American television. It's 00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:06.039 a totally different environment than the UK indie 00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:09.240 scene or even NXT UK. It's very different. The 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:10.740 production style is different. The camera work 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:13.659 is different. The wrestling pacing is much more 00:13:13.659 --> 00:13:16.259 TV centric. And they didn't just show up to smile 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:20.840 and wave to the crowd. In May, 2023, they debuted 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:23.620 and immediately targeted the Impact World Tag 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:26.500 Team Champions, ABC, Ace, Austin, and Chris B. 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.720 And they chased them for a while, right? It wasn't 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.659 just instant gratification where they walk in 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:33.480 and win. No. They actually failed at first. They 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:35.879 lost at an event kind of under siege. And honestly, 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:37.929 that failure is really important. and it showed 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:39.529 the American audience that they weren't just 00:13:39.529 --> 00:13:41.629 being handed things because they were ex -WWE 00:13:41.629 --> 00:13:44.429 guys. They had to earn their spot here too. So 00:13:44.429 --> 00:13:46.149 when did they finally climb the mountain again? 00:13:46.669 --> 00:13:50.269 Slammiversary, 2023. This is one of Impact's 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:52.809 absolute biggest shows of the year. They are 00:13:52.809 --> 00:13:55.629 in a four -way tag match. So it's Subculture 00:13:55.629 --> 00:13:58.409 versus ABC versus Brian Myers and Moose versus 00:13:58.409 --> 00:14:01.509 Rich Swann and Sami Callahan. So absolute chaos 00:14:01.509 --> 00:14:04.309 again. Total chaos. And once again, amidst all 00:14:04.309 --> 00:14:06.809 that noise and bodies flying everywhere, Webster 00:14:06.809 --> 00:14:08.929 and Andrews walked out with the Impact World 00:14:08.929 --> 00:14:11.889 Tag Team Championships. That is seriously impressive. 00:14:12.549 --> 00:14:15.429 Because to win titles in WWE is one thing. That's 00:14:15.429 --> 00:14:18.450 a huge achievement. But to get fired, cross the 00:14:18.450 --> 00:14:21.549 ocean, go to a rival company on American TV, 00:14:21.850 --> 00:14:25.149 and win their titles too? That proves the first 00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:27.620 time wasn't a fluke. It completely validates 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:30.220 them as a world class tag team, regardless of 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:32.440 whatever corporate logo is on the turnbuckle. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:34.879 They joined a very, very short list of people 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:37.059 who have held tag team gold in both of those 00:14:37.059 --> 00:14:39.720 companies. But looking at the timeline data here, 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:42.580 this reign in impact was also kind of short. 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:44.580 Yeah, it was about six weeks. They ended up losing 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:47.059 the belts to the Rascals Trey Miguel and Zachary 00:14:47.059 --> 00:14:50.440 Wentz at an event called Emergence. Is that frustrating 00:14:50.440 --> 00:14:52.879 for a wrestler? To climb the mountain again, 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:55.139 prove all the doubters wrong, and then get shoved 00:14:55.139 --> 00:14:57.019 off a month later? I mean, I'm sure personally 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:59.179 it stings a bit in the moment. You want to be 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:01.039 the champion forever. You want that long run. 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:03.480 Yeah. But professionally, no. Because the permanent 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:06.360 accolade is Impact Tag Team Champion. Nobody 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.539 puts for 42 days on the plaque. That's a great 00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:10.539 point. Once you win it, you are in the history 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:12.700 books forever. You have proved your commercial 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:15.460 value. And looking at his trophy cabinet here, 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.700 the value is just undeniable. NXT UK Tag Team 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:23.070 Champion. Impact World Tag Team Champion, Attack 00:15:23.070 --> 00:15:26.409 Pro Wrestling Champion, Attack 24 -7 Champion, 00:15:26.830 --> 00:15:29.149 RIV Pro British Tag Team Champion, King of Chaos 00:15:29.149 --> 00:15:31.529 Champion, and he was even ranked number 300 in 00:15:31.529 --> 00:15:36.230 the PWI 500 way back in 2018. And that PWI ranking 00:15:36.230 --> 00:15:38.610 is a huge deal for a listener who might not know 00:15:38.610 --> 00:15:41.350 because it includes thousands of wrestlers globally. 00:15:41.570 --> 00:15:43.990 Being in the top 300 means you are in the elite 00:15:43.990 --> 00:15:46.690 tier of the industry. And remember, he has been 00:15:46.690 --> 00:15:50.379 active since 2010. That's the other really remarkable 00:15:50.379 --> 00:15:53.480 thing here, consistency. He hasn't had massive 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:55.720 multi -year gaps. He's been grinding working 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:57.799 with top -tier talent like Wild Boar, who he 00:15:57.799 --> 00:15:59.620 helped Dragon Pro titles with, and he's been 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:01.840 doing it for 15 straight years. And he's still 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.179 going right. The source data implies he's still 00:16:04.179 --> 00:16:06.500 active back in Rev Pro and Attack Pro Wrestling. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:08.980 He absolutely is. The cycle just continues. He's 00:16:08.980 --> 00:16:11.460 back on the scene. He's still wearing the parka. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:13.740 He's still hitting the high spots. And he's still 00:16:13.740 --> 00:16:16.340 tying people in knots on the mat. So when we 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:19.379 take a step back and look at Flash Morgan Webster 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:22.019 as a whole. What is the ultimate takeaway for 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:23.960 you? Is it just that he dresses really cool? 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.019 I think the big takeaway is that he fundamentally 00:16:27.019 --> 00:16:29.860 understands packaging. Look, if you go to any 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:32.860 wrestling school, there are hundreds of athletic 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:36.259 guys who can do a 450 splash. There are hundreds 00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:38.159 of guys who can execute a perfect wrist lock. 00:16:38.299 --> 00:16:42.059 But by wrapping that specific skill set in this 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:46.039 very visually striking mod packaging, he made 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:48.799 himself completely unforgettable. You literally 00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:51.120 cannot describe him to someone without describing 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.399 his look. Oh, you mean the guy in the parka. 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.179 Yeah, that is pure marketing genius. It really 00:16:56.179 --> 00:16:58.419 is. The elite branding. He's not just a wrestler. 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:01.279 He's an entire aesthetic. Exactly. And the second 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:03.539 major takeaway has to be the undeniable power 00:17:03.539 --> 00:17:05.579 of partnership. Yeah, we just keep coming back 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:08.210 to Mark Andrews over and over. Because it's so 00:17:08.210 --> 00:17:10.829 rare in professional wrestling, usually tag teams 00:17:10.829 --> 00:17:13.289 exist just to break up. One guy gets jealous, 00:17:13.390 --> 00:17:15.869 he turns on the other, they have a bloody feud 00:17:15.869 --> 00:17:18.450 and they go their separate ways. The rockers, 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:20.589 the shield, almost everyone eventually breaks 00:17:20.589 --> 00:17:23.910 up. But Webster and Andrews have stuck together 00:17:23.910 --> 00:17:27.390 across independent promotions, across continents, 00:17:27.829 --> 00:17:30.130 through firings and hirings. It's like a rock 00:17:30.130 --> 00:17:32.529 band that refuses to break up even when their 00:17:32.529 --> 00:17:34.549 record label drops them. And because of that 00:17:34.549 --> 00:17:36.890 intense loyalty, they are so much greater than 00:17:36.890 --> 00:17:39.589 the sum of their parts. Webster is a great wrestler. 00:17:40.129 --> 00:17:42.430 Andrews is a great wrestler. But subculture, 00:17:42.450 --> 00:17:45.569 the unit, is championship material anywhere on 00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:47.750 the planet. It's just a really cool, inspiring 00:17:47.750 --> 00:17:49.890 story. From a working class kid in Bryn Mawr 00:17:49.890 --> 00:17:52.410 to becoming a guy who children all across Wales 00:17:52.410 --> 00:17:55.569 look up to. And doing it all while flat out refusing 00:17:55.569 --> 00:17:59.069 to compromise on a very specific mid -60s fashion 00:17:59.069 --> 00:18:01.430 choice. I still to this day do not know how he 00:18:01.430 --> 00:18:03.269 wrestles in those tailored suit pants sometimes, 00:18:03.269 --> 00:18:05.470 but he always makes it work. Right. Maybe they're 00:18:05.470 --> 00:18:07.470 made of some secret spandex blend we will probably 00:18:07.470 --> 00:18:09.549 never know. Trade secrets of the mod, father. 00:18:09.829 --> 00:18:11.430 So before we wrap this up today, I want to leave 00:18:11.430 --> 00:18:13.509 you all with a thought. Because we talk a lot 00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:15.589 about professional wrestling as a purely individual 00:18:15.589 --> 00:18:18.109 sport. Everyone wants to be the world champion, 00:18:18.230 --> 00:18:20.509 right? Everyone wants to be the singular face 00:18:20.509 --> 00:18:23.809 on the poster. But Flash, Morgan Webster's career, 00:18:23.990 --> 00:18:26.450 suggests something entirely different. His highest 00:18:26.450 --> 00:18:29.490 highs, WWE Impact, they came when he was sharing 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:33.009 the spotlight. That is undeniably true. So here 00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:35.750 is the question for you to mull over. In an industry 00:18:35.750 --> 00:18:38.450 that is so heavily built on ego and selfishness, 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.950 is the smartest career move actually finding 00:18:41.950 --> 00:18:44.920 someone else to share the load with? Is the lone 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:47.799 wolf archetype actually a trap? And is finding 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:51.460 your perfect dynamic duo the real key to longevity 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:53.720 and success? It's a fascinating thought. Maybe 00:18:53.720 --> 00:18:56.099 we all need a mod father to our Mark Andrews. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:58.859 Or, well, Mark Andrews to our mod father. Thank 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:00.640 you so much for joining us for this deep dive. 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.099 Go listen to some of the Who put on a sharp parka, 00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:04.200 and we will catch you next time.