Boy, am I excited for this interview. Ladies and gentlemen of the Internet, today’s SWN interview is with a man who originally hails from Augusta, Georgia but now resides in our hearts. He instantly became a fan favourite during his initial UK tour last summer and now he’s back to challenge Alexander Darwin MacAllan for his Source Wrestling Championship come May 3rd. He is one third of The Big Bad Bawdy Daddies, he is The James Brown of Throwin’ Down, he is the one and only Sugar Dunkerton!
Hi Suge, thank you for allowing me to interview you for SWN. How are you on this fine day?
Feeling good. Waking up to do what I love makes every day one to look forward to.
What was it that initially brought you into professional wrestling?
It’s among my earliest memories. I used to watch VHS tapes full of NWA and WWF. I’ve probably seen WrestleMania 5 a million times and can run it back over and over in my mind.
Who were your favourites to watch growing up, and who are your favourites now?
Was always a fan of the personalities! Even now. So with no restrictions to era: Koko B. Ware, Booker T, Norman Smiley, 2 Cold Scorpio, Santino Marella, Randy Savage, Les Kellett & Eddie Guerrero come to mind. But wrestlers with big personalities are my jam!
Last summer saw you come to the UK for a few weeks. Prior to coming over, did you have any worries that perhaps some audiences wouldn’t be that familiar with your work and maybe wouldn’t give you any sort of reaction?
Absolutely. I was constantly told by peers in America how I knew no-one and my reputation may not be strong enough to bolster continued work out that way. But when you got faith in yourself; you gotta take that chance and believe in what you offer. Turns out that was a smart dice roll.
You were one of 16 entrants in a tournament to crown the inaugural Source Wrestling Champion. Were you familiar with many of the other entrants’ work? If not, did you find this to be a struggle when preparing yourself for the tournament?
Most of the entrants were unknown, save for a few of the guests. But in my years of travels; you take it as a learning experience and use it to prepare yourself for anything. You adapt a style and attitude to be ready for WHATEVER comes through the curtain. I got my eyes open to some excellent talent and it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a 3 day tournament.
Sadly, you were eliminated in the opening round by Lewis Girvan, a man we’ll get to later on. That loss would result in you and Shaun Walker having a bit of a mini rivalry over the remaining two days – how much fun did you have working with Shaun during this time?
Dude is a trip down a long flight of stairs. He absolutely embodies and believes who he is in a ring; which goes so far. You have to believe in you for everybody else to buy in and that’s exactly what he’s done. I hear he’s still acting foolish though… may need to fix that…
That initial tour saw you work for a plethora of different promotions all over the UK against a variety of different opponents. Have you got any personal favourites you could pick out?
Doug Williams stands over all. I was shocked to wrestle him once, let alone twice. Big time learning experience in both matches. Also seen some great competition from NIWA, Eddie Ryan, Brady Phillips, the Escaping The Midcard trio (TK Cooper, Chuck Mambo, and Spike Trivet), and Eddie Dennis.
Upon your return to the UK, you competed against Gene Munny in a Zombie Lumberjack Match for Discovery Wrestling that remains one of the best things I’ve seen since becoming a wrestling fan. What this experience like, to be involved in a first for British wrestling (and probably wrestling as a whole)?
The most SURREAL thing I’ve ever witnessed. Only in Scotland, huh? The moment I was told the concept; I was like “no way”, but now I look back and see it was perhaps one of the most awesome productions I’ve ever had the honor of taking part in.
Later on that same month, you made your ICW debut, a company you had been wanting to work for quite some time. What was your reaction like when you finally got that match?
Vindication. I proved I belonged and when the time arises; I’ll etch more memories on the wall.
That match saw you across the ring from Damien and The Purge, while you teamed with two men who you become friends with in the form of The Kings of Catch. What was your initial impressions from both Aspen and Lewis upon meeting them a few months prior, and how well have you bonded since?
Those are my bros! We hit it off almost immediately after the initial match at Source and turned out to have a lot in common; especially our roads when it comes to working hard to prove what we’re about whole retaining out unique sense of self. We all work to push each other and make each other better and I love that about them. Getting to tag up with em was an absolute highlight.
The last time you were challenging for the Source Wrestling Championship, you had to prepare for a number of different opponents, but now there’s only one you have to focus on. What’s your mindset like going into this bout with Alexander Darwin MacAllan?
He’s an intense, driven individual. You don’t hold the title as long as he has without having a winning strategy. So I plan to take advantage of my strange, unorthodox blend of wrestling to throw him off and surprise him. I’m not sure he’s ready for an opponent he doesn’t fully understand and I have to use that to my advantage.
If you win this bout, what are your plans for celebrating? I imagine you’d get some weird glances in Glasgow if you celebrated like you did when you captured the TCW Championship!
Oh the party is gonna be monster! Earth, wind, and fire playing in the streets and Bailey’s flowing everywhere! And if they wanna look at me weird; let em. I’ve never subscribed to blending in and they need an introduction to EXACTLY what different is.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Living a happy life with or without wrestling, by my terms. Preferably, wrestling will be in it and be the main driving source. But one never knows and just gotta take it day by day.
Where can fans find you on social media?
TWITTER: @SugarDunkerton
INSTAGRAM: @SugarDunkertonFaSho
FACEBOOK: Sugar Dunkerton
PRO WRESTLING TEES: prowrestlingtees.com/SugarDunkerton
EMAIL: SugarDunkertonbro@gmail.com
And lastly, how does it feel knowing that you had a hand in killing Gene Munny?
ALLEGEDLY! My legal team has advised I dodg-I mean, field this question under different circumstances.
Our thanks to Suge for allowing us to interview him.
SCOTTISH WRESTLING NETWORK | SWN 