Behind The Mask: 20 Questions

[GZG MultiMedia]

20 Questions with Billy Bond


1.Name: The name's Bond, full name:William Mark Christopher Bond, and I'vegot twenty questions to answer! I guess I have two major in-ring nicknames,
'Smooth Operator' which is often shortened to 'Smooth', and 'The Once and Future King' which was given to me by Deacon Kane and appears to have stuck.I sometimes refer to myself as 'The Smooth One' if I'm talking about myself in the third person.

2.Birthplace: I'm from Wigan, England. It's a town about fifteen miles north of Manchester, and I learned my 'trade' there in the well-respected wrestling school of Wigan.

Current Hometown: I still have a flat in Wigan, and always will! Being with GZW means that I tend to live out of a suitcase a hell of a lot: hotel rooms wherever the shows are most of the time. I have a place in Atlanta which is the flat, or as you Americans call it: an apartment, that you see me in if I film a promo from home. Crystal, Baz and Samuel all have keys, and I have
two guest bedrooms. But I guess I'll always be A Wigan lad, even if I don't really live there any more! So even if I only get the opportunity to visit there for less than a month, Wigan, England is still my home town.

3.Age: I'm twenty eight: prime of my life, thank you very much!

4.Marital Status/Children: I'm in a relationship with a beautiful woman, but have no children. With my somewhat 'active' past, it's nice to think that I've actually found a relationship that works... even if I did have to steal someone's wife to do it! As for kids in the future, I don't think so to be honest. I've never really wanted kids, and a wrestler will never be able to be the perfect dad that I'd want to be if I had kids.

5.First Career Match: Well my first big break was in BCWF in 1998. It was a small time arena in Manchester called the Apollo. Being in my home county for my debut was such a great feeling. I was up against a guy called Kevin Smith, and I beat him with the Smooth Operation. I'm proud of the fact that I could get a submission victory on my first match: it's not something you see very often. Oh, and Kevin Smith? These days he's better known as the Bilston Brawler!

6.GZW Debut Date: Well it depends how you look at it. I've been in GZW since it became GZW from the ashes of EWO. So if that's what we're going from,then it's the same date as everyone else like Magic, T-Rex, Firefly, Pimp Bizkit, Jason Mackavelli and all the other greats that came across from EWO.I've been at GZW since the first day it was GZW: something to be proud of I think!

7.First GZW Match: The first big EWO match I was in was against Lucifer... and I immediately won the Extreme title off him! It was all so weird for me,because I'd always been a traditional and technical wrestler! And there I was with the Extreme title in my possession! But whatever the rules, even if there are none, you'll eventually have to tap out to a troubleshooter! And
Lucifer did, handing the title over to the Smooth Operator!

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8.Career Titles Held: I started in the small British federation BCWF, short for 'British Championship Wrestling Federation. BCWF were an affiliate of GZW until the John Profit era, when they were excommunicated. I can't really say I was very happy about that, because it felt like he'd cut my roots
away. I had some big opportunities in BCWF, and held their heavyweight championship at one point. From there I came straight to EWO, the forerunner of GZW, and I've been here ever since. So, I've held the BCWF Heavyweight title twice, the BCWF Tag Team title with 'Tomahawk' Tonto Sheriff, the EWO Extreme title which I won by submission from Lucifer, the GZW
Intercontinental title, and the GZW Heavyweight title. I am the current GZW Heavyweight champion, but I'm sure you knew that!

9.Career Highlights: There are so many! I think gaining the GZW title has to be the highest point, but more that that it was because I finally defeated Deacon Kane. Another high point would be winning the extreme title from Lucifer, and defending the Intercontinental title against the legendary Union Jack. In general, I've stayed away from injury and taken opportunities
when they've come to me! I really don't have very much to complain about,and a highlight of every day is to hear the deafening cheer from the crowd every time I come into the arena.

10.Career Lowlights: Without a doubt my career's lowest point was the chain of events that led to my two months exile from GZW. Pimp Bizkit used his influence to get me into a match with Deacon Kane with the loser leaving GZW. I lost. But the events up to that were torrid to say the least! Pimp Bizkit beat me in a Smooth Rules match for the Intercontinental title...which I hasten to add was one of the most corrupt victories of all time whereby he got Dean Fisher to brutalise me with a chair to get him the pinfall. Of course, losing in a match named after yourself is bad enough,but to lose it where the stipulation was to have your legs waxed was evenworse. I appealed against it due to the corruption of the way the title changed hand, and got the support of virtually everyone on the roster who believed in fair play. As punishment, the match with Deacon Kane was set up,and he finished me with a piledriver off the zerotron through tables on the concrete floor. Well of course, I was injured anyway... but for those two months as an unemployed wrestler, I was definitely at my lowest point.

11.Favourite Match I Ever Participated In: The biggest buzz I ever got was when I defeated Deacon Kane at Fallout: Zero Tolerance. However, from a watchers
point of view I guess some of the ESP/ Forsaken feuding was the most compelling viewing.

12.Favourite Match Where I Just Watched: There are so many that it's difficult to pick just one! I guess one thing that does stick out is the one time, and one time only, that all four members of the original Bad Company faced off against each other. It was a fatal fourway match in the Chris Williams Memorial Cup. Every guy was on top of their game, but seeing Firefly at his very best and winning it was great for me! The other three guys: UJ, Pimp,and Troublesome, were all at the most heinous points, but that guy stuck by his beliefs and good nature from the get go, and for once the good guy won!
I was cheering for him all the way, and as usual the stunning napalm bomb was how it was finished.

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13.Most Hated Opponent: For the simple reason he's such an irritating little...um, so and so... I have to say Pimp Bizkit. The man doesn't have one redeeming feature or a single drop of wrestling talent. Quite how he's got as high in this business as he has I don't know. He next to never wins a match fairly, and constantly whines like a 6 year old. There isn't a day go past when he doesn't piss me off with his inane bullshit or his pathetic practical jokes and in-ring cheating! To think I was in a stable with him utterly sickens me! To think I was actually stood at his side when he used me and Eric Montair to claw his way to the top makes me want to be sick! The man's opinions and attitude is utterly worthless, and it bothers me that he gets as much TV as he does!

14.GZW Stars (past or present) I'd Pay To See: There's a hell of a lot of them to be honest. I think that Nathaniel Davis is to wrestling what Pele was to football (soccer) : a legend that will never be forgotten. Meanwhile, the gigantic heart that is Jason Mackavelli is a wrestler that everyone should want to see! They guy was forever overcoming unbelievable odds, and gained a hell of a lot of respect from a hell of a lot of wrestlers. to be honest with you, I was a fan of wrestling a long time before I was a wrestler, so I'd pretty much pay to see any show, but it's Nathaniel and Jason who stick out.

15.Most Respected Opponent: Once again is probably Nathaniel Davis, the man who I beat to gain the Intercontinental title. To beat the legend I'd looked
up to was unbelievable, but his grace and honour in accepting defeat made me do something I didn't think was possible... respect him even more!

16.All-Time Favourite GZW Card: For me, it was Fallout: Zero Tolerance. The card was so strong from start to finish! I believe it showed just how much GZW has progressed from it's early days, and how every single member of the roster can and does make a valid contribution. And on a personal level, to finally beat Deacon Kane in the centre of the ring with no outside influence or any shadow of a doubt over the victory was very, very special.

17.If I Wasn't A Wrestler, I'd Be: A gigolo! I'm joking: a porn star! Alright,alright... a model? Okay, I guess as I don't have an education beyond A levels, that I'd go to University as a first thing. I dunno, I've seen a lot of nasty, nasty injuries in my time, so maybe something in Healthcare?Doctor Bond? Hmmm! has a nice ring to it! But more realistically, Nurse Bond. Yeah, I'd probably be a nurse.

18.I Wouldn't Give Up For $1,000,000: There was a time when I'd have said sex,but now it's probably love and friendship. Anything else can bought these days.

19.Dream Opponent: There are a hell of a lot of guys I'd like to defend the GZW title against. It ranges from the legends of PWW Chris Hatchett and Jay Phoenix to our beloved Ring of Honour guys: Jason Mackavelli and Cravin Morehead. However, the one man I'd like to get into the squared circle, and beat fair and square with no funny business or any shadow of a doubt who won
fair and square is probably T-Rex. I think that'd be the match of a lifetime.

20.Future Goals: Well to get my dream match would be one of them! But I guess to continue to reign as the Heavyweight champion would be a major part of that! I'd like to defend my title against all the greats, and some of the not so greats, and to establish myself as one of the greatest champions of all time.