QT Marshall calls it as he sees it.
QT Marshall recently spoke with WrestleZone about his gimmicks over the years, the current one being a more grounded character than channels a bit of an Italian “wiseguy” vibe. Marshall explained how the person fans see on screen is very close to who he is in real life, adding that there are reasonable explanations for how he came up with “God’s Gift” and his apple gimmick.
“I’m an Italian from New Jersey that’s very honest and people don’t like it but that’s who I am and who I’ll always be. God’s gift to professional wrestling, the reason that [gimmick] came up, when I went to Ring Of Honor, I was considered, like my moniker, I was naturally gifted and the reason for that is I can do borderline anything in the ring. That doesn’t mean I’m going to do it,” he noted, “unless my match calls for it, like at All Out, I can do a front flip over the top rope and land on my feet, there’s things I do that people didn’t know I could do but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. So, that was one of the things that I always said, I’m naturally gifted at this, this is the one thing in my life that I’m really good at, the fundamental aspect of it.
“The apple thing, that was just because we were on the road and I was always eating apples because I wanted to get into shape to wrestle, so instead of eating candy, I started eating apples then Cody said people are starting to catch into this apple eating thing and because I’m naturally gifted at all kinds of sports, I could just flip it behind my back and catch it, so it was kind of cool. I said you could make the Q and T into the apple logo, and it was just something to [associate], ‘oh, that’s the apple guy,’ but it was never something that I loved to do. Then I started teaming with Dustin and I started phasing that out of it… but now, this is me.”
Marshall also said he’s very straightforward in everyday life and sometimes it rubs people the wrong way.
“Even backstage, if I have to deliver bad news, I’m the guy to do it because I don’t mind, I’m very honest, I don’t beat around the bush, I tell it how it is. We’ve had extra talent that’s worked here before and I’ve had to deliver the news and they would be like ‘I’m just here trying to get a job,’ and I would have to tell them, ‘the one spot you’re doing here is not going to get you a job’ and it comes off as very rude and abrasive,” he explained, “but I’d rather be upfront with someone then them risk their life for something that I know deep down isn’t going to help them out. You just have to know who I am and how I am and once you do that everyone’s like, ‘oh man, QT’s the greatest guy in the world’ but I also keep my circle small as well because in the position we’re in, in AEW and everything that we do in general, I’ve learned that you can’t trust everybody.”
QT Marshall also spoke about his feud with Cody Rhodes and noted how it was true to form and very easy to relate to. Marshall said he’d rather take bits of real life and use them to tell a story than try and come up with something that is too much of a stretch.
“There would be nights that I’m up… like two nights ago, literally two nights ago, I’m up, I go upstairs to talk to Tony [Khan] at 2 a.m. and I’m there until 5, 5:30 and then I go back to the room. I format everything and everyone is sleeping then they wake up for Dynamite and everyone’s happy and they’re like ‘QT, why do you look so tired?’ It’s because I’ve been up all night. At the end of the day, having that be a part of my promo and some people would knock it, like, how can you knock it? It’s real, I don’t care what you say. I’m telling the truth out there and it’s much easier to tell the truth rather than try some fake story to get people to care.”
QT Marshall faces off with CM Punk on the November 24 episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. Check out our full video interview with Marshall at the top of this post, and read more about what else is planned for Dynamite in Chicago here.
Read More: QT Marshall Planning What’s Next For The Factory, Shares His Biggest Takeaway From Cody Rhodes Feud
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