Simon Gotch isn’t pretending that working the independent wrestling scene is all freedom and fun. At 43 years old, the former WWE star is thinking more seriously about guaranteed money, steady work and what comes after his in-ring career.
During his appearance on Jasmine St. Claire’s Krazy Train Podcast, Gotch was asked whether he would ever return to WWE or whether he was happier continuing to work independently. Gotch admitted that the freedom is great, but the uncertainty that comes with being paid one booking at a time is getting harder to ignore.
“As much as I enjoy the freedom, it is hard to deny that, as I get older, I’m at a point in my life where—because I’m 43 and I’ve been doing this for 25 years—the appeal of a regular paycheck is hard to deny.”
Gotch made it clear that his frustrations have nothing to do with losing his love for wrestling or feeling physically incapable of continuing. The real problem is never knowing when the next payday is coming.
“Even when I’ve said before that I’ve considered quitting wrestling, it’s never about not enjoying wrestling or not being able to do it physically anymore. It’s always about that stress of, ‘I’m not working this weekend, so if I’m not working this weekend, I’m not being paid.’”
He explained that the uncertainty can mess with your head even when your finances are technically in good shape. Without consistent money coming in, every purchase starts feeling like another step toward disaster.
“The weirdest thing is, you can have all the money in the bank, but when you don’t have consistent work, you always feel broke. You always feel like every dollar I’m spending is one less dollar I have.”
“There’s that tension at play. If you have money coming in, it doesn’t matter, but the second you don’t have it coming in—even if you still have the exact same amount of money in the bank and the same investments—you get that little twinge in the back of your head like, ‘If something happens, I could be broke tomorrow.’ Even if that’s an unrealistic standard to keep, the feeling is still there.”
That is why Gotch is no longer closing the door on returning to WWE or signing with another major wrestling company. He said the security of a contract now carries more weight than it did earlier in his career.
“I absolutely feel that working for a company like WWE or AEW, where I’m under a contract, I have guaranteed work and I have a guaranteed job, is appealing. Again, as I get older, I obviously see myself dealing with that more and more, whether that is as an agent, as a trainer, a coach or as an active wrestler.”
Gotch also believes he still has something to offer inside the ring. He pointed out that he remains healthier than many wrestlers his age—and even some performers much younger than him.
“I’m fortunate that I’m still healthy because I’ve got a lot of guys my age and a lot of guys half my age who are pretty broken down.”
“They signed me at 30, and a lot of the guys I was working with were 21, 22 or 23, and they were already pretty well broken down. I’ve been fortunate in that regard that I haven’t had a lot of injuries.”
Despite enjoying his independence, Gotch admitted that long-term security is always going to be attractive. He then joked that his mortgage company would probably be thrilled to see him land a steady contract too.
“As much as I’d like to say I want to be independent forever, I think the idea is always to have that level of security. Also, the good people at Wells Fargo, since they own the note on my house, would probably like me to have it, because if I get a paycheck, they’d be happy about that.”
Gotch isn’t begging for a WWE comeback, but he is being brutally honest about where he stands. The freedom of independent wrestling is valuable, but freedom does not guarantee that the bills get paid every month.
Would you like to see Simon Gotch return to WWE as a wrestler, trainer or producer? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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