It has been over a year since Impact Wrestling star Rosemary made her debut in January 2016. In the course of that year, the Demon Assassin has gone from leading her team of Abyss and Crazzy Steve [The Decay] to high profiled feuds against The Wolves and The Broken Hardys to revolutionizing her character to capturing the Knockouts title.
In an in-depth interview with UK’s Mirror, Rosemary reflects back on first successful year with Impact Wrestling, creative control of her character and thoughts on Anthem’s ownership over Impact. Highlights of the interview below.
On her Impact debut: “It was literally a completely different debut to what most people receive. Normally your first experience on television in front of a national audience will be maybe ‘Here’s this newcomer, taking on current veteran XXX, we’ll be able to take a look at them…’ and commentary will read some background notes they have come up with about their wrestling background. It’s a very static introduction for most people. With Decay’s debut, which brought in a new, revamped look for Crazzy Steve and Abyss and a completely new look for me, this was the first experience anybody had of me and it was in your face, thrown in at the deep end, high paced, high tempo, immediately attacking the tag team champions. It was a case of ‘try to keep up, because we’re going with this, there is no time to explain’. I think that was how it came across as a feeling in the story for the characters in IMPACT as well, primarily The Wolves, being like: ‘Holy s*** where did these people come from? This is not what we were expecting.’ They were experiencing the same feeling the audience was experiencing too, so it was fourth wall-breaking almost. To have been brought into IMPACT in January basically to just be the female part of Decay, and not brought in to be a wrestler, to by the end of that year be Knockouts Champion, because everything they had given me I had knocked out the park and they had the trust and faith in me to carry whatever weight they put on me, that to me felt so good.”
On creative control over her character: “All through my life, from being a kid, I was the oldest of 13 cousins, so I was always telling stories to everyone. I was always coming up with stories and creating characters. I’m a very creative person and I love being part of a process where we say ‘let’s dive in, let’s get in-depth and figure out who this character is’. I’ve done six years of theatre and a lot of theatre is about figuring out who your character is and how you will portray them. When I think about Rosemary, I think about things that not necessarily will ever be reflected on screen, but I think about because it gets me into her head better. It makes me able to portray her in a more full and thought out matter that is going to allow me to bring a fuller and completely fleshed out character to your screens and make her more believable.”
On capturing the Knockouts Title: “It was so cool. I only learned what was happening at that set of tapings… that with Gail injured legitimately she was going to be at ringside for the match, it was going to be in a steel cage, it was going to main event that episode of IMPACT, but not only that, it was going to be the opening match of that day’s tapings, so that was the first thing that live crowd was going to see. It was the most wonderful, high pressure situation, because to me, some people perhaps might not like that kind of pressure and crumble under it, but I feel I perform best under that kind of pressure because it means ‘they trust me with this position, they believe I deserve it and I will go and prove that right’. I think that’s what we did. I loved that match.”
On the new ownership of Anthem: “I’ve been through several changes, several new bosses over a short period of time, and to me again it factors into the pressure situation where I impressed perhaps the last regime, but now there are new owners, so it’s time to step up, ‘put your big boy pants on’, impress these new owners and prove to them that I am in the position I am for a reason and they should keep me there. With Jade leaving and Steve leaving, all that meant was it was going to be a new story, a new angle to knock out of the park. I was nervous not to have Steve with me and Abyss out at ringside with me after the dissolution of Decay, because I was so used to us being a unit and a trio, but it’s a new challenge for me and for Rosemary. I knew as much as I missed having Steve around me, I wasn’t worried about myself because from a storytelling point of view, whatever I’m given, I’m going to give it all. Now we’re seeing a new side of Rosemary and character development we haven’t explored yet. As a storyteller this is so exciting.”
Rosemary also discusses the formation of The Decay, being part of the “Broken Universe” and facing Gail Kim in her first singles match with Impact.
You can read the full interview here.
What did you think of the interview? Have you enjoyed Rosemary’s run with Impact Wrestling so far? Where would you like to see Rosemary’s character go next? Let us know in the comments below!
