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Post by GZG MultiMedia on Mar 22, 2003 15:08:11 GMT -6
 20 Questions with "El Gambit" Santiago DeTouwce
Name:
My real name is Santiago Vicente Smith, but if anyone calls me that, they’ll get a cosh between the eyes. My mother is Spanish (hence the Spanish forename and middle name), and my father is English (hence the English surname). I wrestle and commentate under the pseudonym Santiago DeTouwce because I feel it suits my in ring persona a lot better than Smith, but Smith is what it says on my passport.
2.
Birthplace:
I’m sure everyone knows that I am from Gibraltar, a small country that is British territory on the edge of Spain. I’m very proud of my country, and I am still a British citizen despite living and working in the United States. I will never change my nationality.
Current Hometown:
I have a flat on the outskirts of Atlanta due to the fact that I work there. I live on my own, and don’t want people to disturb me. I say I live on my own, but in reality, I live with a right bitch. I have a mongrel dog: her name is Claire.
3.
Age:
I’m 40, but don’t feel it! I still drink like an 18 year old student, and try to keep fit, but realistically, I know that my time as a mainstream wrestler is over, and I am looking forward to becoming one of the best and most respected colour commentators the wrestling business has ever seen.
4.
Marital Status/Children:
I’m divorced, and I don’t feel like I want the fans of GZW to know any more than that. I have two children, who I love dearly, and don’t get to see enough of. They both live in Gibraltar.
5.
First Career Match:
This is such an open one… depends on what you consider to be a match. I used to be a bare-knuckle street fighter in Gibraltar, so I guess when I was sixteen and got my face smashed in could be considered my first match. I also did amateur wrestling as well, so my first bout could be considered my first match. However, in professional wrestling, my debut was in a minor Spanish federation, mostly luce libres like myself, and I was in a dark match against a friend. We can’t have been a day older than twenty, and we were was young, naive, and overconfident! We both tried too hard and went for too many high flying moves which we weren’t completely perfect at and looked like a pair of amateurs. However, everyone reacted with a gasp when I dropped him with the Rock of Gibraltar DDT! I’ve learnt a lot since then, and thankfully, that disgraceful excuse for a match was never filmed.
6.
GZW Debut Date:
It was 4th October 2001, on Friday Night Travesty: right in the middle of the HKWF feud with GZW. I was a HKWF man.
7.
First GZW Match:
My first GZW match, was a victory for myself over Diamond Sledge. I dropped him with the Rock of Gibraltar DDT and no-one gets up from that! I have to say, we put on a good match, and Diamond is just about passable in the light-heavyweight arena. I defy some of the bigger guys in GZW to pull off some of the moves and counters that Diamond and I performed with ease in that match!
8.
Career Titles Held:
I’ve held the HKWF Cruiserweight title twice. I actually held it for over 6 months at one point, after defeating Mooncat for it. I’ve also held the HKWF Tag Team titles with my good friend Union Jack: we were feuding with Firefly and Mooncat at the time and took their titles away from them, which was pretty sweet. I’m also the first man to hold the GZW TV title and the GZW Light-heavyweight title twice. I even held them simultaneously at one point!
9.
Career Highlights:
Call me shallow, but I’m never happier than when I have an oversized belt around my waist. Knowing that you’re the best in the division makes me happy. I think my 6 month run as HKWF cruiserweight champ was a proud moment, as was holing the GZW TV and Light-heavyweight belts simultaneously. |
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Post by GZG MultiMedia on Mar 22, 2003 15:09:43 GMT -6
10.
Career Lowlights:
I’ve always been a ‘bad guy’ in the ring: I’ve had different gimmicks from biker to matador, but I’ve never been a fan favourite. My ability has been respected, but my in-ring personas have always been that of a bad guy, and that was how I liked it. I would say, therefore, that when I was feuding with Pride and the fans started cheering me, was a low point. It threw me to be honest, and it was at a point in my career when I was wondering if I could cut it anymore.
11.
Favourite Match I Ever Participated In:
I’ve had great matches with so many great wrestlers: Union Jack, Mooncat, Diamond Sledge, Luke Laverne, Maxx Pain, Justin Sharp, Adam Cage, Jacob Helmsley, Jake McKinnon, Firefly, Magic, Billy Bond, T-Rex to name but a few of the more recent ones. However, and this is partly because it’s my only ever Pay Per View victory in GZW, I’d have to go for my match at Fallout: Zero Hour with Diamond Sledge for the GZW Light-heavyweight title. As always, we put on some silky lightweight skills, and I got back my championship belt. Sure, I cheated, but that’s my thing, always has been!
12.
Favourite Match Where I Just Watched:
I’m a sucker for the HKWF main events with Firefly and Union Jack, and I simply marvelled at the T-Rex and Sincere feud. I’m also a rare breed inasmuch as I really enjoy watching battle royales! More recently, the Monarch and Kandi Fortune match was so good, and so much better than all expectations! However, I think I’d have to go for UJ’s victory over Firefly in a Three Way Victory match at HKWF December Destruction in 1997: those two idiotas nearly killed each other in their bitter rivalry, and it made for one of the most brutal, and impressive, matches I’ve ever seen. Ha! I was even in it, and yeah, I got my arse kicked, but I’m honoured to have helped UJ in that match.
13.
Most Hated Opponent:
I have to say Maxx Pain. Maxx Pain was the most patetico debilucho nino I have ever had the misfortune of having to wrestle against! We first met in the ring for the TV title, and I easily beat him to take it. He subsequently joined Pride, and proceeded to use me as a mentor for the group (and let’s face it, when you’re as good a wrestler as me, that makes sense). However, madness took over Maxx and he and his Pride friends betrayed me and attacked me. He then attacked me weekly with his other Pride nino amigos, and enjoyed it. No other man has ever managed to get my sympathy from the fans: they even cheered me because of him! I hated that so much! And then the big upset happened, and Maxx won the TV title back off me! I never got my rematch, and the debilucho claimed he was the best TV champion ever! We feuded for months, and I still dislike him despite the fact that commentators are supposed to be impartial.
14.
GZW Stars (past or present) I'd Pay To See:
I remember the glory days of Jackie Lee in his prime, and I’d pay to see that. Some of the matches he and Masato Anjor had in the seventies set the tone and the standard for the HKWF of today. To me, Sincere brings more to wrestling than his exceptional in-ring skill. The exquisite, psychological torture and mind games he inflicts on opponents is a joy to watch! Mierda, he even managed to mess with the Mean Streak, El Gambit’s head, so he’ s good, damned good! So I’d pay to see him for sure! Other than that, I always love to see Monarch’s work. He’s always so vicious, so callous, and so uncaring for his opponent. That makes good viewing!
15.
Most Respected Opponent:
There are few opponents in this business that I have ever respected. They were either goodie two shoes or selfish fools trying to build a name for themselves from my reputation. In the last year of GZW, the only people I respect, I’ve never faced in the ring, so it really is difficult to pick anyone. I fought Union Jack one time in HKWF, so I guess I’d have to say UJ, but I realise that that’s a bit of a cop out.
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Post by GZG MultiMedia on Mar 22, 2003 15:10:54 GMT -6
16.
All-Time Favourite GZW Card:
These days, as long as I’m commentating on it, it’s all good to me!
17.
If I Wasn't A Wrestler, I'd Be:
Being honest, I think I’d be a tour guide in Gibraltar. I mean, I risked my evil bastard image when I started doing my tour of Gibraltar series on Showcase, and I truly love my country. I think I’d really enjoy doing it, and may well apply when I retire.
18.
I Wouldn't Give Up For $1,000,000:
Going to Alexandro’s. Alexandro’s is my favourite bar in all Atlanta. It’s a Spanish bar that’s actually run by a Spaniard: what a novelty! You know, it’s nice to see a guy run a Spanish bar because he’s Spanish, and not because he thinks it’ll make him money, seeing as European culture is popular in this revolting country. Alexandro’s serves the beer I like and the tequila I like. Alexandro suffers me every day in his bar, watching GZW TV, and I love the place. The atmosphere suits me, and the beer is always cold: no amount of money can buy that!
19.
Dream Opponent:
Well it was John Taylor. I always saw John Taylor as my equal in brutality and ability. He was also, in my opinion, the greatest Light-heavyweight Champion that GZW have ever had... bar me of course! I ‘faced’ him on the special Friday Night Travesty Show: Dreams Do Come True. I guess, I like to actually be able to get in the ring, rather than use modern technology to simulate it all.
If I had to pick someone else, I would probably have to go for either Fubu/ Jason Mackavelli, or Cravin Morehead. Jason is a major contender for the title of greatest TV Champion of all time, and was the first ever two time TV champion. He’s also a Light-Heavyweight wrestler and I feel most comfortable, and think I perform best, against light-heavyweights. Cravin is my equal in another element of my wrestling repertoire: the extreme. I personally think that either Jason or Cravin could have given me the match of my life!
20.
Future Goals:
I want to be remembered as one of the greatest light-heavyweight/ luce libre wrestlers of all time, a ‘hall-of-famer’ if you will: so Ring of Honour recognition would be a dream come true. I also want to be remembered as one of the greatest colour commentators of all time. I think my current teaming of Mrs. Murakame and Jackie Lee works very well, and could stand me in good stead to achieve this goal.
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