Marty Scurll
Martin Scurll is an English professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance.
Scurll began his career in 2005, working on the British independent circuit. In 2012, he competed on the TNA's show TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp, where some British wrestlers competed for a tryout with TNA. While working with PROGRESS Wrestling, where he won the World Championship twice, he changed his gimmick to The Villain. His popularity gave him the chance to work on the American independent circuit, working with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and signed a contract with Ring of Honor in 2016, quickly winning the ROH World Television Championship. During his time with ROH, Scurll also worked with the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he became part of the stable Bullet Club and became IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion. In 2018, Scurll formed his own stable, Villain Enterprises, winning the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
After several wrestlers left ROH to join the promotion All Elite Wrestling, Scurll stayed with ROH and became the head booker in 2020. During the Speaking Out Movement in June 2020, Scurll was accused of taking advantage of an inebriated 16-year-old girl in 2015, leaving the promotion the next year. At the end of 2021, Scurll began to work on several independent promotions.
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2005–2019)
Marty started training at Frank Rimer's Dropkixx training school which would also produce wrestlers like Martin Stone, The Kartel and Paul Robinson. Marty made his debut for Dropkixx at the Fondu Club in Purfleet, defeating Jimmy Starr by two falls to one. Once under the tutorship of Jon Ritchie, who by this time was in charge at Dropkixx, Marty took part in Dropkixx's Shoot Fighting Tournament. Scurll would go on to win the middleweight tournament, in the process becoming Dropkixx's first middleweight champion. Scurll also competed regularly for Summit Promotions, and at the end of the year formed a tag team with Paul Robinson as 'The Party Boys'.Scurll would go on to appear for Premier Promotions and this would be the place where he would meet Phil Powers, who he ended up wrestling many times in the summer season on the holiday camps circuit. During the rest of the year, Scurll debuted for the likes of IPW:UK and RQW, wrestling Jonny Storm, Taiji Ishimori, Bubblegum and many others. On 5 June 2007, Marty made his debut for All Star Wrestling by defeating Jimmy Starr at Gravesend. Marty competed regularly for All Star, including main eventing Fairfield Halls, Croydon against Pro Wrestling NOAH's Shuhei Taniguchi and Tsutomu Hirayanagi. In IPW:UK, Marty would reform his tag team with Zack Sabre Jr., but under the name The Leaders of the New School. They then feuded with BritRage and The Kartel. Scurll wrestled and lost to Doug Williams in IPW:UK's British National Championship Tournament.
In 2009, Scurll and Sabre focused their attention on the IPW:UK tag team division, and picked up a memorable win against tag team champions The Thrillers during the company's February tour. A highly anticipated rematch finally took place between the teams at the 2009 "Sittingbourne Spectacular" after the Leaders' scheduled opponents had to pull out through injury. This time the championships were on the line, and the Leaders won again to claim their first championship gold in IPW:UK. The feud between the Leaders and the Thrillers became the dominant storyline in IPW:UK through the summer, culminating in the Leaders winning a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against their rivals in September. The Leaders have enjoyed an unbroken reign as champions since that time.
Scurll and Sabre competed in the first match of the newly re-launched Frontier Wrestling Alliance in August 2009, beating Northern Xposure at "New Frontiers". On 28 April 2012, Scurll defeated Sami Callihan in the final of an eight-man tournament to determine the new IPW:UK British Cruiserweight Champion. On 15 March 2014, Scurll defeated Colt Cabana in a 30 Minute Iron Fist match to become Revolution Pro Wrestling Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion. Scurll would go on to successfully defend the championship against the likes of Ricochet, Kevin Steen, Martin Stone, Davey Richards, Doug Williams, Shelton Benjamin, Rocky Romero and others, before losing the title to New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestler AJ Styles at the 2015 Summer Sizzler event on 14 June 2015.
Scurll debuted for Scotland's Insane Championship Wrestling promotion in late 2014, unsuccessfully challenging Kenny Williams for the ICW Zero-G Championship before continuing to appear for the promotion in 2015, culminating in a main-event non-title loss to reigning ICW World Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway. Scurll scored his first win in ICW in a four-way match against Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher and Dan Moloney. On 4 April 2015, at a sold-out British Championship Wrestling event in Scotland, Scurll challenged Galloway in a Double Title match for both the Evolve World Championship and the Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate Championship, but was defeated.
In October 2015, Scurll debuted for Global Force Wrestling on their "UK Invasion", losing to GFW Global Champion Nick Aldis in a singles match and teaming with Rampage Brown in a losing effort against Doug Williams and Aldis. Scurll returned to the company in March 2016, unsuccessfully challenging Sonjay Dutt for the GFW NEX*GEN Championship.
In early October 2017 at What Culture Pro Wrestling's event Refuse to Lose, Scurll won a triple threat match between Joe Hendry and Will Ospreay and himself to become the sixth and final WCPW champion, before the company rebranded as Defiant Wrestling. On 4 December at Defiant Wrestling's iPPV, titled WeAreDefiant, Scurll was given the new championship belt by General Manager Stu Bennett, and had a confrontation with the debuting Austin Aries at the beginning of the show. In the main event of the evening, Scurll successfully defended the championship in a triple threat match between himself, Joe Hendry and Martin Kirby. However, on 5 December at Defiant's first episode of their new weekly show, Scurll lost the championship to Aries, ending his reign at 34 days.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2012–2013)
In late 2012, Scurll began competing in TNA's newest program TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp that began airing on 1 January 2013 on Challenge. On 14 February edition of Impact Wrestling, he teamed up with The Blossom Twins to face the team of Jessie Godderz, Tara and Gail Kim. They were defeated after Gail Kim pinned Hannah. During the match, Scurll was injured after performing a suicide dive into the metal railing.Progress Wrestling (2012–2017)
Scurll was part of the very first Progress Wrestling show, Chapter One, in a tournament to determine the first ever Progress Champion. He beat Zack Sabre Jr in an acclaimed semi-final match before competing in a four-way match for the title against Mike Mason, El Ligero and winner Nathan Cruz. Scurll went on to challenge Cruz for the title in a Two Out of Three Falls match at Chapter Two, failing to capture the title. Competing regularly for Progress, he was notably part of a four-way match for the Progress Championship at Chapter Twelve, facing Rampage Brown, El Ligero and then-champion Jimmy Havoc, and fighting again for the title at Chapter Eighteen against Will Ospreay, Noam Dar, Dave Mastiff, Paul Robinson and champion Jimmy Havoc.Scurll reached the quarter-finals of the first Super Strong Style 16 tournament in 2015, beating Eddie Dennis on Day One and Dave Mastiff in the quarter-finals before losing to Zack Sabre Jr on Day Two, and was runner-up to Mark Haskins in the 2015 Thunderbastard match at Chapter Twenty. He lost to Kris Travis at Chapter Twenty-One, Travis' final match before his retirement from wrestling and death from stomach cancer. Scurll turned firmly villainous following this match; gaining a demented mean streak that saw him win the Progress Championship for the first time in a No Disqualification match against Will Ospreay at Chapter Twenty-Five.
Scurll went on to successfully defend the title against Mark Haskins, Chris Hero, and Tommy End in singles competition and against seven opponents in the 2016 Thunderbastard match which he won. He was the first Progress Champion to defend the title overseas – successfully defending the belt against Will Ospreay at WrestleCon SuperShow 2016 in Dallas, Texas and against Zack Gibson in Italy for Power Wrestling Entertainment. Scurll lost the title to Pastor William Eaver at Chapter Thirty-Two and regained it a month later at Chapter Thirty-Three, making him the first person to ever win the Progress Championship more than once. After successfully defending the belt against Mark Andrews at Chapter Thirty-Five, Scurll lost the Progress Championship to Mark Haskins in a triple-threat main event match also involving Tommy End at Chapter Thirty-Six, PROGRESS' biggest show to date, held at the Brixton Academy in London. During the match, Scurll attacked three referees as he became frustrated at not being able to win; before attacking a fourth official Jimmy Havoc returned to attack Scurll, leading to his loss.
At Chapter 38, Scurll failed to regain the Progress Championship in a match that also included Jimmy Havoc. After being disqualified against Havoc at Chapter 39, the two had a No Disqualification at Chapter 40 where Scurll lost.
In 2017 Scurll returned to Progress on Chapter 55 being defeated by Zack Sabre Jr.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2015–2018)
Scurll made his PWG debut at the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles, where he beat Rich Swann in round one, Trevor Lee in the quarter-finals and lost to Zack Sabre Jr. in the semi-finals. Scurll then suffered a string of singles losses; losing to Ricochet at All Star Weekend 11 Night One and to Timothy Thatcher on Night Two, to Kyle O'Reilly on All Star Weekend 12 Night One and to Chuck Taylor on Night Two. At Prince, he won a match against Mark Andrews and at Thirteen, gained victory over Sami Callihan. In September, Scurll participated the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles, defeating Pentagón Jr. in the first round, Cody Rhodes in the quarterfinals, Mark Haskins in the semifinals, and both Will Ospreay and Trevor Lee in a three-way elimination final to win the tournament.On 18 February 2017, Scurll reunited with Sabre, as they attacked Chuck Taylor, only to see Trent? come to Taylor's defence. At PWG Mystery Vortex V on 12 January 2018 Marty was defeated by Trent?.