Simon Gotch Almost Quit Wrestling Last Year, Says He's Back To Repay A Debt

Simon Gotch is out for payback.

Gotch was featured in a behind-the-scenes video by @tusslemania where he spoke about reaching a wrestling anniversary that almost signaled the end of his career. He noted that he’s been wrestling for twenty years now, but almost called it quits at nineteen years. Gotch explained how he wanted to quit the business, but a promoter that wouldn’t let him pay back an advanced booking fee led to him finding a new outlook on things.

“I don’t like round numbers. For reasons I can’t really explain, humans are obsessed with round numbers. We like round numbers for anniversaries—ten, twenty—it’s something we obsess on. I’ve been wrestling for twenty years, but last year I decided I didn’t want to do it anymore. After three years of being free from WWE and repeatedly being told from promoters that they’d love to use me but it’s just too expensive to fly me in, I got told time and time again that they just didn’t have a spot for me in Tampa. And after a lot of angry nights,” Gotch said, “I decided if they don’t want me, I don’t want this. And I was done, I was absolutely done with wrestling.”

“I had four bookings that weekend, and none of them really thrilled me. I decided that I could end at nineteen years and it wouldn’t matter. Goddamn Kerry Awful, decides he wants to run a Crux show [on] Tampa weekend, and he pays me. He pays me upfront, and when the state gets shut down and they’re not going to be able to do the show, I tell him I’ve got to return the money, because what does it matter? I’m quitting anyway, it doesn’t matter. And that son of a bitch says no, keep it. We’ll get you at the next show. I couldn’t quit with money in my pocket that I didn’t earn,” Gotch explained. “I couldn’t leave knowing that I owed someone a match that I’d already been paid for.”

He explained that in his mind, he had quit and it was only $300 hanging over his head, but he couldn’t leave. While the world prevented anything from moving on, he couldn’t because he had to make good on the payment and wanted to leave with a clean conscience.

“He wouldn’t let me give back the money and have a clear conscience. I owe a debt, and it’s no longer just money. I owe two decades of my life for that one favor, and God help anyone that gets in the way of that payback.”

Gotch can currently be seen on MLW Fusion as a member of the promotion’s Contra Unit stable.