Rockstar Spud | |
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Rockstar Spud in 2014 as the TNA Chief of Staff.
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Birth name | James Michael Curtin |
Born |
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom |
30 January 1983
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) |
Rockstar Spud Spud |
Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
Billed weight | 140 lb (64 kg) |
Trained by | Jack Storm Chris Gilbert Don Charles |
Debut | 2001 |
James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983), better known by his ring name Rockstar Spud, is an English professional wrestler and former colour commentator signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He has wrestled matches as Spud, often as the underdog who defeats much larger wrestlers, and Rockstar Spud, a gimmick based on obnoxious 1980s rock stars. He has worked for, SAS Wrestling, Frontier Wrestling Alliance and IPW:UK.
Curtin was originally trained by Jack Storm and Chris Gilbert at the K-Star Wrestling promotion in Birmingham, before eventually coming under the tutelage of "Charming" Don Charles at the SAS Wrestling Academy. Under the ring name Spud, he went on to perform in many independent promotions within the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe. While on the independent circuit, Spud's first major appearances came with the Revolution British Wrestling promotion in 2003. On 30 August 2003, Spud defeated Jack Hazard to become RBW's first British Welterweight Champion, a title he held for several months before losing it to "The Gift" Ross Jordan in a Iron Man match in December 2003.
Spud began working for Frontier Wrestling Alliance in 2004, and was brought up into the main roster to be used as a jobber for a short time, competing against many larger opponents. During the start of 2005, however, FWA began showcasing their flyweight division; later that year, Spud entered into a tournament to crown a Flyweight Champion. He made it to the tournament final, where he was defeated by Ross Jordan, who became the first FWA Flyweight Champion. However, Jordan was only awarded the match after the referee stopped the contest due to a kayfabe injury to Spud's leg. The pair continued to feud for over 14 months, with Jordan repeatedly attacking Spud in attempts to re-injure his leg. The feud ended when Spud defeated Jordan in a Last Man Standing match at FWA Last Fight at the Prom on 30 September 2006.