Former WWE Star Paul Burchill Reveals Disney Concerns Ended Pirate Gimmick

Former WWE Superstar Paul Burchill recently opened up about the untimely demise of his pirate gimmick during his tenure with WWE, attributing the cessation to concerns from Disney over similarities to their "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. In an insightful interview with The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, Burchill shared his enthusiasm for the character and his disappointment over its premature end.

Reflecting on the unique gimmick, Burchill expressed a genuine fondness for the role, lamenting the missed opportunities to further develop and continue portraying the pirate on television. "I would have loved to have done more, I would have loved to be able to continue it, but I’m not sure that the bigger company than WWE was not too happy about it, so that’s where it ended," he remarked.

The interference from Disney was pinpointed as the main reason the gimmick couldn't sail further on network TV. Despite WWE's plans to evolve the character into a more edgy yet child-friendly persona, Disney's disapproval meant the pirate's voyage was cut short. "Yep, it was Disney, so it wasn’t gonna keep going for too long on network TV. It was a shame, but it was fine. The plan was to evolve it, make it more edgy, but still be a very [childlike] and directed character and just a fun kind of underneath babyface one," Burchill explained.

An amusing anecdote from Burchill's experience involved his entrance, where he would swing into the ring on a rope. Unaware of this element until the day of his debut, he recounted the surprise and the practical learning curve associated with it. "And I walk out to the ring and there’s this seventy-five-foot rope hanging from the ceiling and I’m like, ‘Oh, I really do have a rope? Cool!’ And then my first time going I realized that you have to wear gloves," he shared, highlighting the unforeseen challenges of bringing the pirate character to life.