Getting to know FTW.

The views expressed henceforth are those of Hadouken Pro wrestler FTW, and do not reflect the opinions of the company.

Compiled here are highlights from last nights sit down interview with Hadouken Pro wrestler FTW, conducted by our own Color Commentator and Wrestling Journalist, Todd Hopkins.  

The set is a medium sized office with a large red sofa and coffee table with two mugs on it.  On the left hand side of the couch sits Todd Hopkins in a throwback NGW Tshirt, suit jacket and jeans, on the right FTW in a Lynyrd Skynyrd tshirt, tight acid washed jeans and his trademark work boots.

Hopkins- Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to conduct this interview FTW, its a real pleasure for me to be here with a star of your caliber. 

FTW- (scratching his beard) The pleasures all yours. 

Hopkins - Errr...yes.  Well, the first question I have comes from one of our viewers...Jason Chambers of Ohio asks "What exactly does the name FTW stand for? For the Win? F the World?"

FTW- Great question, what does FTW stand for? I've never heard that one before.  For the Win? I like that, cuz that's what FTW always goes out there to do.  Fuck the World? Well that suits me just fine too.  But no, it don't mean either of those, FTW stands for mind your own damn business kid. (puts in a dip of chewing tobacco)

Hopkins- Ok then, moving on.  (takes a swig of his water from the mug in front of him) I'd like to remind you that this podcast is reaching people worldwide, so if you wouldn't mind sir, please watch your language. 

FTW- Uh huh.  (spits his chew into Hopkins mug)

Hopkins- Ugh....our next question comes from a viewer right here in Pennsylvania, Ric Switzer.  He poses the question "What's up with your ring gear? Funky bike shorts and work boots? You look like a bum."

FTW- A bum huh? Funny guy.  Yer lucky you ain't in this studio or I'd slap that smirk off yer dipshit face son. 

Hopkins- Fair enough, but again please watch your language.  Now to answer the question...why do you wear bike shorts to the ring?

FTW- Cuz they're comfortable and they let my boys breath.  Nothing worse than yer twig n berries stickin to yer leg in the middle of a match.  Get's irritatin.  And as far as my boots go, well these are my shit kickers..and that's exactly what I'm out there doing every night.  Kickin the shit outta whatever bastard is unlucky enough to be across from me that night. 

Hopkins- (under his breath) So I see you're ignoring my warning about your language....

FTW- What's that?

Hopkins- Nothing...er....nothing...FTW sir.  I was just about to read our next viewer question...err..comment I guess this one is.  This one comes to us from Jimmy Goldsmith in Maine. He writes "FTW, you are a racist jerk.  I've seen the way you run down some of the foreign talent in your promos and I find it deplorable, you should be ashamed."

FTW- (breathing in deeply, and then spitting his remaining chew on the floor) Racist huh? I've been called that by lottsa folks round here, and you got it all wrong kid.  I ain't a racist. Hell I've fought yellers, blacks, mexeecans, the whole lot of em...hell I've tied it up with space aliens for christ sake.  The thing is, FTW bleeds red, white n blue.  I'm an all American all opportunist ass kicker is what I am.  Does it happen that I don't necessarily like foreigners comin over and takin roster spots from hard working American born wrasslers? Hell yeah it does, but that don't mean I'm prejadissed gainst em.  One thing you need to know about FTW is I take out the trash.  I'll beat the tar out of anybody, Chinese, JapOnese, Black, Yella or Green, hell I'll kick the piss out of a good ol boy if I haveta.  Whoever gets in my way, is getting my size 13 straight up there ass!

Hopkins- You can't say things like that.  Yellow, Black? Those are racist remarks dude, whether you find them to be or not.  (shakes head) Thank God, last question, and this one is from me.  What brought you to Hadouken Pro?

FTW- Finally an actual decent question.  Good job feller, didn't think you had it in you.  That's a real simple answer.  I like to hurt people.  I met Riggs when I was wrestling in an Indy fed called HCW.  He saw something in me and knew I'd be a good fit here.  Gotta say though, never much liked the guy.  Too fancy.  Too eager to please.  But shit, he's paying me to do what I love to do.  I get to go out there night in and night out to beat the hell outta people and make a buck doing it.  There's 3 things I enjoy in this life, huntin, fishin, and whippin ass. So if I can make a livin outta one of em, I'm gonna jump at the chance. 


Hopkins- That actually makes sense...before we draw to a close is there anything or anyone you'd like to address before this podcast goes offline. 

FTW- There is one sumbitch I'd like to say sumthin to and that's Mask-era Navy-dad, you punk ass bitch.  You think its real funny how you got the pin on me last week? Had yer little in ring celebration with the snow falling from the arena rigging and dancin with the kids, well I'm glad you had yer little party.  I'm glad cuz as far as I'm concerned it was yer going away party.  Naw, you ain't going on a vacation, yer leavin though.  Cuz when I get done with you, yer leavin in a bodybag son.  Nobody makes a joke out of FTW, especially not no jumpin bean in a Santy Clause suit.  Mark my words Navy-dad, yer gonna get it.  I'm gonna wait til you come hollerin down a chimney and I'm gonna set yer ass on fire.  I promise you that, or my name ain't F-T-DUBBYA. 

Who is Allen Riggs?

 

"The Upstart" Allen Riggs BIO

"The Upstart" first broke into the business in 1995 for the up and coming Indy promotion NGW, based out of Pittsburgh, PA.  There he cut his teeth using the moniker The Alternative, a silver masked luchador that delighted fans with his high flying moves and fearless attitude.  Not long after his debut he teamed with another future Hadouken Icon, X-Man and the two became the very first NGW Tag Team Champions.  However, Alternative craved the kind of media attention that a grappler under a hood could not garnish outside of the ring and ditched the mask to become Chaos Kid, a name more suiting his ever increasing heel tenacity.  Chaos later walked out on his partner X-Man who fell victim to the team DV8 and disappeared for short time after. 

With the new name and aggressive attitude, Chaos Kid quickly rose up the ranks capturing his first singles gold in the form of the NGW TV Title.  He would go onto lose that belt to his brother Inferno less than a month later. With his first big setback behind him, Chaos set his sights on the NGW World Championship and began a series of matches with the returning X-Man, now working a satanic cultist gimmick, Gravedigger.  It was then that Chaos Kid really came into his own and became somewhat of an anti hero.  Never a full on face, but slightly less heelish in his attack, Kid earned the respect of the fans and his peers as the companies "go to guy" whenever someone needed put in their place.  He and Gravedigger feuded throughout the Summer of 96 before he finally captured the Title he sought after for what seemed like an eternity.  (In reality, it was almost 1 year to the date of his debut that he became the companies Champion.) With the World Title around his waist, Chaos began doing media appearances for the company and boosted their fame almost overnight, making connections and raising the bar with consistently solid matches on a nightly basis.  

Not long after, NGW Owner JR Lowher passed away and his son Stephen Lowher inherited a company he knew very little about.  Stephen came into NGW with a brash attitude and immediately wanted to involve himself in high profile storylines, despite knowing very little about the way the business worked.  It was at this point that the rivalry of Stephen Lowher and Chaos Kid began.  The two bumped heads on many occasion, mostly due to Lowher's impromptu bookings and lack of respect for the talent.  He put himself in matches, despite not having former training and this angered the wrestlers greatly, most of all the Champ himself.  With the burden of being the companies liason between Talent and Creative, Kid entered a very dark time in his life and angered the writing staff and Lowher greatly in defense of the roster.  In what is thought by many as a vulgar misuse of power, during a heated argument, Lowher unceramoniously fired Kid and the company was suddenly without a posterboy or a Champion.  

With the connections he made during his run as Champion, it didn't take long for Kid to find work elsewhere in a brand new International promotion NAWF. However, due to licensing issues he lost use of his ring name and was given the moniker "Gift of Game" by the booking staff.  Originally intended to be a white rapper gimmick, the name didn't suit Kid's rock n roll attitude and was shortened to "Gift" not too long after.  Venting his frustrations with the way he was treated by his former employer and with a few years experience now under his belt, Gift quickly proved himself a hot commodity in NAWF and was put on a fast track to the Heavyweight Championship.  In Spring of 1999, he faced Luke "The Dominator" Hook and Zoso in a 3 way dance; a match he would go onto win and once again sit atop the talent roster as its crown jewel. With a target on his back, Gift enlisted fellow wrestlers Showstoppa and Deviant to form an alliance known as The Upstarts; a trio of power and agility that dominated NAWF for the remainder of the year before disbanding in Early Spring 2000 at the Ides of March ppv. Gift would eventually lose his Championship to Deviant himself before the company folded a year later, leaving him once again unemployed at the peak of his career. 

In the Fall of 2000 Gift began traveling abroad wrestling in Japan and Mexico for the most part, making a bigger name for himself and learning new styles to incorporate into his arsenal.  It was during his stint in XL (Extreme Lucha) that he began traveling with his brother Inferno again, and this partnership eventually brought him back to his original home NGW.  Despite Lowhers protests, he was at his very core a businessman and had no choice but to rehire his bitter enemy with the promise of bringing in many of the wrestlers he met in his NAWF and XL days.  Luke Hook, Showstoppa, Jay Douglas and Shawn Kalina followed soon after from the now defunct NAWF and XL rookie sensations Grinner and Tinju gained NGW Contracts as well.  

Not willing to let bygones be bygones, Gift decided to keep his new name instead of going back to his NGW moniker Chaos Kid, actually going as far as to spit on his old attire in the center of the ring and proclaiming that from this point on NGW "was the home of The Upstart."  Feeling disrespected Lowher began pitting Gift against the toughest opponents he could find, such as booking him against the 8ft monster Blockbuster and throwing him in handicap matches against long time NGW mainstays Hybrid and Gargoyle (DV8). However, regardless of the punishment directed his way, Gift endured and rose once again to win the companies top Championship in late 2001.  He would successfully defend the title for the next year and it wasn't until NGW Midsummer Nightmare that he was soundly defeated for it, but of all people his brother Inferno, now under the managerial talents of Stephen Lowher. The two brothers would face each other again in Pittsburgh, PA 6 months later in a 4 Way Homecoming Dance, including among the siblings, Gift's long time friends Sickened and Torpedo Tom.  Sickened went onto become the Champion during that match, but at some point Gift suffered a botched Tiger Driver and was told after the match that he had indeed broken his neck.  At the age of 25, Gift was forced into an early retirement from wrestling.  All was not lost though, as Gift came back to the company and used his pull with the boys to become a thorn in Lowher's side as head of Talent Relations.  

NGW folded 4 years later, most likely due to Lowher's poor business endeavors. This unfortunate downfall, once again saw Gift traveling abroad managing his friend Sickened and his tag team partner Grinner during the pairs tour of Japan.  Sickened and Grinner proved a popular pairing and the 2 formed a strong bond with their manager during their Foreign and Indy run.  After 3 1/2 years of seeing the country, Gift's neck began feeling stronger and it wasn't long until he decided to tempt fate and step in the ring once again.  In his return match he joined Sickened and Grinner to defeat the trio of Tinju, Ali Azur, and G; ironically in XL to advance in their Trios Tournament.  The team wouldn't win the tourney, but it was this match and renewed drive that got Gift thinking about his wrestling future.  

During a late night conversation on the road with Sickened and Grinner, the 3 hatched a plan to create a melting pot of talent the likes of which the world had never seen.  Between the group, they had met so many amazing Indy & Foreign talents working as free agents that they knew they could persuade to come to the states and wrestle. Not wanting to mistreat the talent like he had been so many times in his early years, Gift was able to bring many fresh faces to the States with the promise of Contracts, Medical Benefits, and Stock Options....and Hadouken Pro was born.  As the companies main spokesperson and majority share holder, Gift finally ditched his old NAWF moniker and settled into a career of Business Management using his real name Allen Riggs.  What's next for the seasoned veteran is anyone's guess.  Though with the recent appearance of his old rival Stephen Lowher at the companies latest board meeting, it's safe to say that things could be heating up VERY soon. 

How did you all get in my room?

Hey folks, welcome to the future home of all things Hadouken Pro. I'm a bigtime procrastinator, so I'm actually pretty impressed with myself that I got this far.  Once the save is finished, I'll be posting shows here regularly, as well as insider news about the fed and general Fire Pro related ramblings.  Hopefully, I keep up with this and you all enjoy what I have to offer.  Peace homies. 

Sexfully yours in Christ,
HBHC