August 5th, 2018 was a hot day in Nashville, Tennessee. A line wrapped all the way around The Basement East as fans waited eagerly for Southern Underground Pro’s Not Problematic. Most folks had made the drive roughly a couple hours North from Chattanooga, where they had previously spent the weekend watching the Scenic City Invitational. People were ornery to begin with, just knowing that SUP brings with it a raucous atmosphere, and the heat just amplified that. The show was moving along just fine. But then, out comes Teddy King.
He walks right out, and the first thing he does….he spits Gatorade into the crowd. All over the people unfortunate enough to be standing next to the entrance. No clue why he did it. But, the (wet) victims were fuming. I even heard one woman say, “who is this prick?”
But, make no mistake – that is the very essence of King. He’s brash, and he does what he wants regardless of what people think. King is one of the most arrogant superstars in SUP’s landscape, but it’s an arrogance that comes from a deeply rooted self-confidence. Like him or not, you have to give him that. He’s in that ring because he genuinely believes he’s the best, and he’s not afraid to tell you that.
It rubs people the wrong way – the crowd certainly doesn’t want to get behind a guy who is constantly reminding them of how great he is. High school wasn’t really pleasant for a lot of us, and “The Varsity Athlete” embodies a lot of the things we hated about daily high school life. He exudes conceit and self-importance, and people boo the hell out of him for it. At Not Problematic, King even drew a hearty “peaked in high school” chant from the fans.
He was there for a match against the energetic and popular Mr. Brickster. It was competitive, and a ton of fun to watch (and sponsor – shout out to SUP for putting the SoBros name on this match). King’s antics during the match definitely got under people’s skin, but it nearly worked! Though he ultimately lost, he had a good showing. Last Friday night, he evened the score against Brickster at PWF, proving that all of his obnoxious talk isn’t quite meaningless.
And, maybe that’s the hardest part for wrestling fans, especially in Tennessee, to swallow. Here’s this braggadocious guy from Kentucky, brazenly telling you how good he is, and though you want to see him lose, he wins. Because he’s actually good – the more I think about it, the more I want to boo him myself.
King was gracious enough to grant my interview request. I’m not going to shy away from the facts here, folks – the guy is a complete narcissist, and I was simply fascinated by the prospect of hearing his story and learning what makes such an egomaniac tick. He didn’t disappoint.
“Big Natural” Stoney Keeley interviews Teddy King
SK: Tell us a little bit about Teddy King. What got you into wrestling and who are some of your influences?
TK: I started watching wrestling from a young age with my dad and grandpaw. It was during the Monday night war era. I can remember switching back and forth from WCW and WWF. I instantly became obsessed, I had every toy, video game, Championship belt, and t-shirt that came out. The 1st guy that really drew my attention was Chris Jericho. He was a smaller guy, so I could relate to him.
SK: You call yourself “The Varsity Athlete,” and at least in SUP, that doesn’t seem to sit well with the crowd – why do you think the fans are prone to boo you?
TK: The SUP crowd doesn’t like me because I’m the guy in school they never were. I’m captain of the team, home coming king, and date the hottest cheerleaders. They are all just a bunch of jealous JV losers who never made the Varsity team.
SK: You also say you’re the best professional wrestler from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. But, where do you think you rank among the state’s overall athletes?
TK: Among the states overall athletes, I’d say I’m number 3. The only 2 guys ahead of me are Anthony Davis ( from the University of Kentucky ) and Nicky Hayden (motor cross racer). There is no way any of the losers from the University of Louisville even come close. NASCAR isn’t a real sport, and golf is just something old men play.
Flag on the field, unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct. @sup_graps @espn @NFL #thevarsityathlete #Nashville pic.twitter.com/4FQQXoDk8i
— thevarsityathlete (@VarsityTK) August 6, 2018
SK: You’ve called timeout in matches. You even threw a penalty flag at the last show. Does that stuff ever actually work with a ref? Or, is it merely a distraction tactic from the Teddy King playbook?
TK: Of course it works. There are rules put in place for a reason. I can’t help it that SUP keeps putting me in the ring with cheaters that are too stupid to read the rule book. Article 15 section 4 clearly states a wrestler is given 3 timeouts during the course of a match. Article 21 section 8 says a wrestler can not be knocked down within the first 2 minutes of the contest.
SK: You stepped into the ring with Kerry Awful in your first one-on-one singles match at SUP in June. What was it like to step up against the “heart and soul of Tennessee wrestling?”
TK: Kerry Awful is the heart of soul of Tennessee wrestling, hands down the best in his state. However it’s easy to be the best when the competition sucks. He’s been beating up on a bunch of JV punks. I’m the best professional wrestler from the commonwealth of Kentucky, no if’s, ands or buts about it.
SK: You and Mr. Brickster have quite the rivalry going. You lost to him at SUP’s Not Problematic in a good match, but you got him back at PWF last Friday night. Do you think you’ve settled the score? Or, do you want a chance at a rubber match?
TK: Mr. Brickster got lucky, then that twerp tried to throw me on a bunch of legos. That’s not wrestling. I proved at PWF that I am the better wrestler. This rivalry is just heating up. I don’t like being embarrassed and I want a rematch at SUP.
SK: Make a case for why Teddy King deserves a shot at SUP’s Bonestorm Championship.
TK: I not only deserve a shot at the Bonestorm Championship, I’ve earned it. Look, I was brought in to be the best, there are a bunch of good wrestlers there, but I am hands down better than every one of them. I think Dominic is running from me.
SK: What’s next for Teddy King? Where will you be wrestling in the coming weeks?
TK: In the coming weeks I’ll be at NOVA in Virginia, WWA in Kentucky, Punk Pro in Florida, UXWA in Cleveland, Berwyn Championship Wrestling in Chicago, and AWE in Atlanta just to name a few.
Thoughts
Confidence certainly isn’t an issue with King. Whether you like him or not, he’s good. He’s charismatic, he looks like a million bucks, and he can flat out wrestle. The fact that he’s coming off a loss and still made a case for an opportunity at the Bonestorm Championship is mind-blowing, and it speaks to just how deeply he believes in himself. But, to assert that Dominic Garrini is running from him also indicates a bit of an overestimation of what his body of work in 2018 is truly worth. He’s a cocky dude, and I can’t imagine that’s going to go over well with the SUP fans who read this. Then again, does anyone really come away from this interview thinking “The Varsity Athlete” gives a damn about the fans?
Much to the dismay of the SUP crowd, I expect King is a guy who will only continue to grow in the coming months.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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