Backstage at SuperPower Slam in Queens, the atmosphere was already buzzing for a night dedicated to the Little Oaks Center for Neurodevelopment. When you talk with EFFY, the conversation quickly shifts from the charitable mission to the cold, hard reality of the wrestling business. Known as one of the most polarizing and fiercely independent figures in the game, EFFY has made a career out of having no strings on him. He is more than happy to tell you why those strings are a trap.
The High Cost of Proximity
One of the most striking parts of the discussion was EFFY‘s admission that his commitment to being unpredictable has collateral damage. He is well aware that his outspoken nature makes corporate offices nervous, and that nervousness often extends to those standing next to him.
“They have tried to punish EFFY for many things EFFY has said, but let me be clear here. The only regret I ever have is when it affects another person,” EFFY stated. “I just don’t like when other people get punished because they were near EFFY.”
He specifically pointed to his tag team partner Allie Katch as someone who has felt the sting of his reputation. “Allie Katch should have had a contract four years ago. God bless her. We had the most fun of our life in Bussy. But they’re scared that she stood a little too close.”
When The Stunner pushed him on whether his words specifically cost her a deal, he did not blink. “On many, many occasions,” he confirmed. “We don’t mind that you’re gay. We don’t mind that you’re flamboyant. We mind that we can’t figure out what you’re going to say next. And you won’t tell us what it is. And I’m usually right. And it might upset your shareholders’ values.”
For EFFY, that industry-wide hesitation is the ultimate litmus test. “Everyone says, ‘We can’t use you. You’re a free spirit.’ That to me says I’m either right or crazy. And if I’m right, you’ll all eventually not have to use me, but need me.”
Foraging in the Woods vs. the Corporate Barn
The divide between the independent scene and the major promotions is often framed as a lack of opportunity, but EFFY sees it as a choice between freedom and “corporate corn feed.” He has spent thirteen years in the business, seven of them as a full-time independent artist, and he has no intention of trading his autonomy for a cushy paycheck.
“I got to this pasture and I said, ‘Y’all are eating corporate corn feed in there and there’s a roof and a barn and a lot of friends and the milk comes out every day and you get more food,'” he explained. “And I’m out here in the woods and they mess with me sometimes. There’s raccoons and foxes. There’s bobcats, but I keep eating cuz I’m not scared to forage. I’m not scared to hunt my own food. You boys need a saddle and a rider out there. I have no strings on me.”
“Horny” Fans and the Saudi Question
When it comes to the audience, EFFY was blunt about the difference between WWE fans and GCW diehards. To him, one is a casual outing, while the other is a visceral connection to the product.
“If you’ve ever been to a WWE show or a big show of wrestling, they love it. They’re fans. They’re excited. But let me be blunt. Fans of EFFY, fans of GCW, the only way to describe it is that they are horny and excited out of their chair in a way that defies logic. They are begging to touch and look and see. And yours are there because it’s a fun time on a Friday.”
The conversation eventually turned toward the industry’s ties to Saudi Arabia. With WrestleMania potentially heading there in 2027, the future of Effy’s Big Gay Brunch is a hot topic. EFFY made it clear that while he hopes for cultural acceptance one day, he won’t be used as a PR tool to paper over systemic issues.
“EFFY will not be your PR trick to telling the people all is good. You haven’t atoned for your sins and that’s fine. I could walk away from doing brunches and just take my bookings. Or I could be a punk rock leader in my community and keep pushing out the gayest shows possible because I’m that good and I’m that selfless that I’ve booked hundreds of new talent that the rest of these companies are waiting to get their fingers on.”
Run by “Dweebs”
As he wrapped up before his main event match for the Jersey Championship Wrestling title, EFFY left The Stunner with a scathing critique of the leadership currently dominating the landscape of pro wrestling.
“The people who are in charge of wrestling have a lot of money and say, but the problem is they are dweebs and they are surrounded by people who are afraid to tell them they are dweebs,” he said. “I will not be told how to be EFFY or how to be cool by someone who never was and never will be and never even understood what cool was. As long as the losers can run companies because they have money, they’ll be able to run companies. But as long as EFFY is putting out what the people want to see, there will be a noticeable difference.”
Watch EFFY’s match vs. Billie Starkz from the event below:
