The mid-2000s was an interesting time in WWE. Following the highs of the Attitude Era, the company had settled into a new rhythm with the Ruthless Aggression era. They were also in that weird period where they still attempted the more risqué humor and angles a la the late 90s, as they had not come back down to the PG-rating that they carried back in the late 80s and early 90s. One sign of this forthcoming may have been the reliance on outlandish gimmicks that harkened back to the “employment” style gimmicks of the mid-90s and nowhere was this more evident than with “Pirate” Paul Burchill. 

While he may now be remembered solely for being saddled with two of the worst gimmicks of the era (don’t worry, we will get to the other one) there was a time when many, myself included, were extremely excited for the mainstream arrival of Paul Burchill. At the time I was lucky enough to have a satellite that allowed me to view the OVW television show, otherwise unavailable in Canada. This allowed me to see many big names before they would hit the main roster and become huge stars and while it was clear that Burchill was not necessarily on the same level as a Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, or Batista, he was entertaining as all hell. His finishing move was likely the icing on the cake, as the C4 as it was called was unlike anything else seen at the time. Essentially a standing ‘Spanish Fly’ it was so different to see a heavyweight performing something like that, in a time where the only place you could see someone perform something like that was in TNA’s X-Division (during that division’s golden era.) Many fans waited with breath held to see what WWE would do with the big, talented Brit. But first, a bit of history.

The Early Years

Burchill officially began his wrestling career in 2001 following a career as a school teacher. He would spend a few years training and performing with Frontier Wrestling Alliance in Britain. He would have a rather dominant run including a lengthy undefeated streak, culminating in the debut of his C4 finishing move, which I cannot stress again how big of a deal it was at the time, immediately making him stand out. Following his run in FWA, Burchill would bounce around a few other promotions in Europe before finding himself in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental brand at the time. He would hold the OVW Heavyweight Championship on three separate occasions, notably feuding with Cody Runnels during this time. Burchill would soon be called up to the main roster, to be paired up with one of the most reliable and solid performers one could ask for.

Moving to the Main Roster

Debuting on SmackDown! in August of 2005, he would assist William Regal and soon the two would become tag team partners, with Regal also acting as his manager when he would perform in singles matches. Unfortunately, the team was not long for this world and by the end of the year, they had gone their separate ways, leading Burchill into becoming what would arguably become his lasting legacy. Around this time, someone on the creative team had apparently seen the 2002 blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean film and decided that even four years later he needed a pirate character. This would lead to Burchill revealing his ancestry dated back to the legendary pirate Blackbeard, and a week later in one of the most infamous segments in SmackDown! history, ‘Pirate’ Paul Burchill was born. With a look owing heavily to Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, he did the best he could but was clearly saddled with a poor gimmick. 

While likely remembered as lasting much longer, his Pirate character debuted in February and was written off come June due to a severe beatdown from Mark Henry. Legend has it that Vince McMahon thought that Burchill should truly be a pirate versus actually portraying a pirate.

Burchill would disappear from WWE until 2008, when he would be repackaged as a heel with his on-screen sister Katie Lea Burchill in what would end up being yet another horrific storyline, with an incestuous relationship heavily implied between the two. Before the storyline could really find its legs however was when the full switch to PG programming was made by the company, eliminating any chance of the storyline going any further. Shortly thereafter both Burchills were moved to the ECW brand where they would remain until that brand’s closure. Paul Burchill would be formally released in 2010.

Life After WWE

Speaking with Bill Apter years later, Burchill discussed his role in the company.

“I came in and started doing stuff with William Regal and it was going well and they were gonna break me out on my own and it was decided I’d be a babyface, they came up with the whole Pirate gimmick and everything. That was going well for a little while and then obviously, I don’t think Disney really appreciated it, and that kind of put an end to that. I kind of feel like I was thrown under the bus with that, rather than transition out of something, somehow do something I was just kind of *mimics being brushed under the rug*.”

According to an interview with WWE.com in 2014, Paul Burchill worked as a firefighter-paramedic with the Jeffersontown, Ky., fire department, in addition to being a member of the Jeffersontown police department’s SWAT team and for a paramedic with Yellow EMS in Louisville.

In an interview with Wrestling Epicenter in 2017, Paul noted,

“I'm currently a firefighter, an EMT, and an Emergency Room Nurse. I'm currently finishing my Masters's Degree. I'm keeping myself busy."

In the same interview, he was also elaborate on why he did follow Katie (Winter) to TNA Wrestling:

"I wasn't feeling it. But, it wasn't just that. I was more focused on not wrestling. I don't know that there would have been a ton of interest there, to be honest. I had kind of been flogged, quite a bit, on WWE TV. It had gotten to the point where, you know, you fall into that role. Jobber."

When it came to his former professional wrestling career, Burchill would spend the next several years infrequently appearing on independent shows with his final documented match transpiring on October 10, 2018, at an OVW Taping for episode 1000.

Currently, it appears that Paul resides in the Cincinnati, Ohio area with his family while continuing to serve as a firefighter and paramedic.

Given his choice of career, one can only imagine that he may still be in good physical condition and at only 41, the possibility of one day seeing Burchill back in the ring, whether it be for a gimmick-celebration match or for a real competitive match, is not completely out of the question. Regardless we always have the entertainment he provided us with before, just be sure to look for his early OVW stuff or his ECW run at the end of his WWE career.