Spike Trivet is a wrestler currently very much on the ascendant in the British wrestling industry. He is a powerful worker in terms of his in-ring work, for sure. But a massive part of his act is the character that he portrays in Lord Spike Trivet. As you will read in the interview, Spike has pulled from quite a few places of inspiration to create the monster that we see in the squared circle. The manner of three-dimensional creation he talks about is something quite rare in modern wrestling. Consequently, this helps Trivet to stand out from the pack and present himself as something special. Which he is.
The first time I saw Spike Trivet live was at PROGRESS’s Chapter 55 in Alexandra Palace. He wrestled in the pre-show against perennial foe/stablemate Chuck Mambo in a losing effort. Although he was defeated, the potential was clear for all to see – even from a view as far back as mine. Since that time, Trivet has established himself as a big player for the likes of North Wrestling, RIPTIDE, PROGRESS and many more. His privileged, Bullingdon Boy styled character has led to absolutely fantastic promos and segments. The clip below is a perfect example of what Spike does, and why he is a man very much on the cutting edge of pro wrestling. The interview follows the promo clip – I’m very confident that you will enjoy it.
Gareth: Hi Spike. Due to the nature of your character, many people won’t know much about your past and what led you to become a professional wrestler. Was there a specific instance that led you to want to become a professional wrestler?
Spike: I had always been a fan of wrestling but sort of fading in and out. I’ve always been curious but always thought it would never be possible. I was living in London as an actor and my career wasn’t going as well as I liked and I was becoming disillusioned with the industry. At the time, I told my partner I was thinking of wrestling and they said ‘you can only wait so long to live your life the way you want to live it’. That’s when I thought I’d give it a go.
Gareth: With that in mind, who was your favorite wrestler growing up?
Spike: I didn’t really have a favorite, to be honest. I was always drawn to the bad guys in that my loathing for them was always more intense than my love for good guys. I’d be filled with exciting hate whenever Shane McMahon would do something underhanded and run away.
Gareth: What would you have done if you hadn’t become a pro wrestler?
Spike: I don’t know. Probably cracked on with acting.
Gareth: Who did you train under, and was it something that you found yourself taking to easily or was it a difficult process?
Spike: I was originally trained by Darrell Allen at the Projo [PROGRESS Wrestling’s training school] and more recently Eddie Dennis and Mike Bird. I mean, it wasn’t easy but my acting training had been surprisingly physical so I had good body control. Getting kicked in the face isn’t easy.
Gareth: Am I right in saying that you made your debut in 2016?
Spike: Yes. August 2016 against Chuck Mambo.
Gareth: Straight away, I remember seeing a buzz about you due to the character that you were portraying. A contemporary take on the privileged, Tory elite, Spike Trivet is a heat magnet. How did you come to develop/decide upon the character?
Spike: To be honest, it just came about naturally. We were doing a promo class and when I upped my poshness, being privately educated in Cambridgeshire, everyone said it was the right way to go. Then I just wanted to make him modern and mix in things from my own experience.
Gareth: How would you say that the character has evolved? You quote American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman fairly frequently in Twitter posts.
Spike: I think when you work a character you have to evolve it. Eddie Dennis said to me once when looking for inspiration in wrestling try looking at the things you like outside wrestling. I love gangster and crime movies or movies that have social connotations in it. Big villains: James Moriarty, Calvin Candie, Norman Stansfield, Patrick Bateman, President Snow. You can Google them.
Gareth: What concessions do you think you might have to make for the character in a foreign marketplace? If you were to work in Japan, Australia, America et al, would it translate in its current form?
Spike: Yes, I reckon it would. I think he’s a recognizable character. Everybody can find something they hate.
Gareth: Unlike a lot of your peers, such as Chuck Mambo or TK Cooper, you don’t switch between the face/heel divide based on which company you are working for. If everybody can find something they hate in your character, could Spike Trivet work as a babyface do you think?
Spike: I think it would depend on the situation but if it was done in the right way and done with the right evolution I reckon face Spike can work. I prefer to keep him a villain for now but never say never.
Gareth: Have you ever felt in any way threatened due to an audience member’s reaction to your heelwork? I’m thinking specifically of the champagne spitting incident at PROGRESS, but I’m sure you must have had similar reactions elsewhere.
Spike: Nope. The angrier they are the more exciting it is.
Gareth: Speaking on the subject of threat, would you rather work a straight wrestling match or a hardcore style match? Your matches with Jimmy Havoc and Drew Parker have shown that you’re a good fit for weapons and blood.
Spike: I don’t really mind. I’d prefer for deathmatches or hardcore to have a reason or a build-up rather than just a meaningless train wreck but I’m easy.
Gareth: So, is there a specific match of yours that you would point to, to say ‘this is what I’m capable of’?
Spike: I had a match in January with Cara Noir at Wrestling Resurgence. Check that out.
Gareth: You’re ostensibly the head of two major stables in BritWres, with Do Not Resuscitate for PROGRESS and Money Versus Everybody for RIPTIDE (not to mention ETM). Both teams are quite unique in their mission statements and certainly in the wrestlers that are members. How much control do you have within the creative process for each team?
Spike: Money vs Everybody is very collaborative and, with the Riptide team’s approval, I’m essentially allowed to book myself. PROGRESS has a set idea of what they want. Take from that what you will.
Gareth: Fair enough. But do you find you prefer working alone, or does a faction give you more to bounce off of, creatively?
Spike: It depends on the situation, but I’d like to think I can work well in any group or alone.
Gareth: You recently captured the RIPTIDE Brighton championship after a long-running storyline that involved many members of the roster. Jack Sexsmith was a major part of that narrative and was unfortunately removed from it due to his medical retirement. Is that a source of regret for you, as the two of you had great interplay.
Spike: I mean it’s definitely regretful that he had to retire and we never got to have a final head to head. I know he had things he wanted to do and I believe they would have been great. However, I felt there was a narrative being perpetuated by many fans that there could be no Trivet without Sexsmith that I felt was deeply false. Lord Spike Trivet is his own entity and now everyone will see that.
Gareth: It’s been a long time coming and I’m assuming you have plenty of creative ideas stored. So what can people expect from your Brighton title run?
Spike: Misery. Control. Unrest.
Gareth: Where would you like to be within the industry in five years’ time? Is signing with one of the major companies your goal?
Spike: Yes it is but I have my own path to take. I want to develop as my own wrestler. It’s been a very difficult year personally and as a result, wrestling has had to take a backseat in many cases. So now it’s time to catch up and we’ll see what 2020 holds for me.
Meet and greet. @NORTH_NCL pic.twitter.com/hstiQ8KpI3
— LST ? (@SpikeTrivet1) October 27, 2019
Gareth: I like to finish with a quickfire round, so just answer the first thing that pops into your head – What’s your favorite wrestler’s entrance music?
Spike: Jimmy Havoc – I Hope You Suffer.
Gareth: What’s your favorite wrestler’s gimmick?
Spike: Lord Spike Trivet.
Gareth: What’s your favorite gimmick match?
Spike: Brexit on a pole.
Gareth: Does Brexit mean Brexit?
Spike: Stupid.
Gareth: What’s your favorite match of yours?
Spike: Vs. Cara Noir at Resurgence; Vs. Jordon Breaks at RIPTIDE.
Gareth: What’s your favorite match of all time?
Spike: Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan from WrestleMania XXX.
Gareth: What’s your favorite movie and why?
Spike: True Romance, because it’s got everything.
Gareth: Spike, many thanks for your time.
And there we have it. I think you’ll agree, Spike comes across as someone very much driven to succeed. By his own admission, he hasn’t been able to put his full energy into professional wrestling during 2019. The fact that he has captured championship titles in several promotions whilst that’s the case bodes very well for his future. As you will have seen through the promo and match clips dotted throughout, Trivet is amassing a body of work and a legacy already.
Despite only making his debut three and a half years ago, he’s a man much in demand and 2020 could be a very big year for him. Do Not Resuscitate is expanding rapidly in PROGRESS under his leadership. Money Versus Everybody has a stranglehold over RIPTIDE, and Spike is Brighton Champion. There should be plenty of great material in both of those scenarios for Trivet’s creative mind to play with. It should be a fascinating ride that we see him go on – dotted with misery and unrest, of course.
