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David Starr Explains How His Heel Character Called WALTER a ‘Sellout,’ Discusses Problems With WWE Scooping Up Indie Talent

September 7, 2019 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
WALTER NXT UK, David Starr WALTER NXT UK

WrestlingInc.com recently interviewed the controversial independent wrestler David Starr. Below are some additional highlights from the interview, where David Starr clarified some of his recent comments regarding WWE UK champion WALTER and more.

Starr on calling WALTER a “sellout” because he’s a heel and was staying in character: “In character I called WALTER a sellout because I am a heel. As a heel, when I present my issues I approach it in a militant, bitter way. But when I present these same issues as a face in PROGRESS, I present them in a more diplomatic way. This is just a variation of a character In reality, WALTER is the last thing from a sellout and I’m speaking to you right now as Max Barsky not David Starr. He’s not a sellout. He did it the absolute right way as did all of the British strong style guys. They did it the right way.”

Starr on his concerns over the indie wrestling wrestling scene: “I’m concerned that the indie scene has been reliant on these people that aren’t going to be around. They haven’t been investing in the next generation because these guys got to the main event status and WWE scooped them up. We need to make sure we’re looking after the next generation and try to ensure the survival of independent wrestling.”

Starr on the work force needing to come together: “Honestly, we have to come together as a work force. There are great steps being taken as there’s a women’s promotion in the UK that just recognized Equity which is the entertainment trade union based in the UK that my company is working with. Basically, my company is taking portions of our proceeds from our merchandise to sponsor trade union membership for independent wrestlers and wrestlers in general.”

Starr on how Equity is providing liability insurance for injured pro wrestlers: “The biggest thing, and this recently happened through our We the Independent push, Equity has negotiated with their insurers to include pro wrestlers in their disability and welfare insurance. Meaning, if a wrestler is going to be hurt and miss work for two or more weeks, and they are a member of Equity, then they are able to claim money for their loss of earnings. That’s up to 150 pounds a week for up to a year. That’s unbelievable.”

Starr on how the benefits apply globally: “Any indie artist, whether you’re based in the UK or not, because if you have a UK address these benefits apply globally…If I wrestle in Singapore and I get hurt, Equity has my back. It makes sense to join both on an individual level and on a collective level. The biggest challenge is just getting everyone on board.”

Starr on the road blocks in the US: “That’s what we’re looking to do right now. We’ve reached out to several organizations to see how we can do that. According to a lot of Equity employees, the US is a lot more complicated as over here [in the UK], and with almost every other civilized nation, we have the benefit of having national healthcare. We have socialized benefits.”

Starr on the fans who made the fuss about WWE taking money from the Saudi Arabian government: “The fans who were the ones making a fuss about WWE taking Saudi money. The fans were pushing it; it wasn’t a bunch of wrestlers tweeting about it. It was fans putting it out there. So we need to utilize our fan base who want to support their favorite wrestlers and want to make sure the people they’re watching are being treated fairly in their workplace.”

article topics :

David Starr, WALTER, WWE, Jeffrey Harris