The FFW logo appears on the screen before “Focus” by Ariana Grande begins to play. Then we see the studio being set up, the glass table sat in the center being cleaned, two cups sat on opposite sides of the table. Next we see Zack Hudson tying his shoes and checking himself in the mirror before he heads out to the set as a producer puts a microphone on his shirt before sitting down. When he looks across, we next see the various women who make up FFW and Future Shock flash by in images from their career until it finally stops on Gwen Margolis.
The show cuts to some highlights of Gwen since she arrived in Future Shock, including clips from matches as well as some promos. Then we cut inside the Focus studio and find her sitting across from Zack at the round glass table before he greets the viewers.
Zack: Welcome to the latest edition of Focus, and one I've been trying to put together for several weeks now. I’m Zack Hudson, known to some as the Voice of FFW. I think we can include Future Shock in that too. Today, I have the honor of welcoming Future Shock’s own Gwen Margolis to the table. Gwen, welcome to Focus! I’m thrilled to have you.
Gwen: Glad to be here, Zack! I love the show and I’m excited to be in the hot seat, especially with someone that’s been such a huge supporter of mine throughout my career here in Future Shock.
Zack: You and me both. Anyone who has been watching Future Shock, which I assume is pretty much everyone who is watching this show, knows I’ve been a big advocate and fan of your talents dating all the way back to watching you teaming up with your uncle in SVW. Thank you for joining me, and I’m glad you like the show. Since you’ve watched them, you know I always like to start at the beginning, Gwen. Let’s start with your immediate family. Tell me about them, please.
Gwen’s expression shifts and she looks down for a second, before taking a deep breath and looking back up at Zack.
Gwen: I’ll tell you as much as I can, but there’s not a whole lot. My mom and dad, Sarah and Michael Walker, met when they were in college and my dad moved them back to Austin before they got married in 1997. I was born in April of 1999. My uncle Monty, for those of you familiar with him, was already an independent wrestler when I was born. He’s my dad’s younger brother, by like ten years. Unfortunately though, my parents died when I was five. They were out celebrating my mom getting a promotion, and they got t-boned by a drunk driver who ran a red light. My mom died on impact, and my dad passed a couple of days later in the hospital. My grandparents had died when I was little, so it was just me and my uncle from then on. He spent a year fighting the state to get custody of me, and then once he did? We set out on the road in our RV.
Zack: For those of us who have gotten to meet your uncle and come to know who he is as a person, I think the next question is has he always held the same beliefs he’s known for having now? Or was there some kind of catalyst that made him delve into some of the theories he’s known for espousing?
Gwen: As far as I know? He’s always been like that. He believes in a world of infinite possibilities, so he doesn’t accept the idea that something is impossible or can’t exist. But I think being raised with that mindset, of knowing that anything was possible? Was really helpful for me as I got older.
Zack: There is a certain fascination to it all. I admit I’ve looked into things I’ve heard him discuss. But let’s spin this back to you. WIth you living out of an RV with him as you grew up, what was your education like?
Gwen: It was… interesting, definitely. I was homeschooled, and luckily this was when WiFi was starting to become more widely available, so I could do my homework from the RV. But we’d also go to libraries around the country so that I could use those computers and check out books. I also had my uncle’s friends, the wrestlers that he worked with, around to help me if there was a question that he couldn’t answer. I ended up having enough credits to graduate high school when I was sixteen. And I’ve thought about maybe taking some college classes, but I’ve never gotten around to it.
Zack: That kinda brings up another question. Being home schooled and spending most of your time with your uncle and other wrestling talent at times, did you ever find yourself having trouble socializing with people your own age? I mean when we go through the usual school system, we learn a lot of the skills of how to navigate those waters. Was that ever a problem for you?
Gwen: Oh it absolutely was. I got along better with adults than I did with kids my own age because I was hardly ever around other kids. That first year that my uncle and I were in SVW was my first time sort of being introduced to the wider world, with social media and everything, so I learned pretty quick through that. But even then it was a little awkward because although they were other wrestlers, most of the people my age were rookies just getting into the business. And at that point, I’d wrestled my first match at thirteen, so I was already… six or so years in? I think now though things have kind of evened out.
Zack: I hope so. Otherwise I was about to ask if you felt comfortable talking with me, because I certainly don’t aim to make you feel out of place or anyone else who sits in that chair.
Gwen: I’m always gonna be just a little bit out of place, but I don’t mind that. I like the little niche I’ve carved out for myself in the world.
Zack: Was it wanting to emulate your uncle or what was it that ignited that spark in you that said this crazy business was what you wanted to do with your life? After all, it’s not the typical dream of most little girls. But then again, you had far from the typical life experience.
Gwen: Listen, my princess dolls and teddy bears absolutely had wrestling matches. My parents took me to a couple of my uncle’s shows and I loved them. But then, after they passed and it was just me and my uncle, his wrestler friends were the ones that really helped support the both of us emotionally when we needed it. I started rolling around in the ring when I was six or seven, and then when I was thirteen, the promoter needed someone to fill in for a women’s squash match so he threw me in there to replace the girl who hadn’t showed up. And from that day on, this was all I wanted to do. For a long time, being in that ring was the only thing that made me feel normal.
Zack: It seems like it was destined to happen, that you couldn’t have avoided it if you wanted to. Do you ever feel like you missed out on anything that is the usual rites of passage a young woman has? You know like a sweet sixteen party, a prom, and that kind of thing?
Gwen: Sometimes, yeah. If I hadn’t lost both my parents, I probably would’ve had a more normal life, with a permanent address. But I’m okay with it, because I was raised by someone who loved me unconditionally. And my weird, wonderful, unconventional life is a big part of the reason why I became the person I am today. So even though I missed out on some normal teenage stuff, I still grew up happy, which is the most important part.
Zack: I agree with that. Happiness is wherever you find it, might not be in the same place for everyone. Did you have anything growing up besides wrestling that was a passion? Something you were obsessed with or a huge fan of?
Gwen: Music, definitely. Particularly classic rock - which is why my theme song is Blondie instead of something more recent. I was never much of a musician or a singer, but music helped me connect to the world. Art, too. After my parents passed, I stopped talking for awhile, but I would draw pictures. And I just kept doing that, even after I started talking again. I like to think I’m a pretty good artist, but it’s something I do just for myself, not anyone else.
Zack: Next time you’re back on the show, bring some of your artwork with you and let us all see what you can do on a different kind of canvas than the one we normally see you on. Now you’re through your formative years, you’re wrestling alongside your uncle. You both found your way to SVW, and he even ends up winning a singles title, the Adrenaline Championship. Was that your route to ultimately coming here to Future Shock? Tell us how that all came about.
Gwen: So, by the time SVW ended up closing its doors, my uncle and I were in very different places than we’d been when we started with the company. He was in a relationship with a woman named Veronica, who he later married and is expecting a child with next month, and he wanted to be home more with them than stay out on the road. Me, though… I’d been through a rough breakup, I was figuring some things out, so coming over to Future Shock made sense. It was somewhere that I could establish my own identity, separate from my uncle’s, and create my own legacy.
Zack: SInce most of your career prior to that was working alongside your uncle, I assume this was the first time you worked on an all female roster of talent. Was there anything surprising about that? Or do you think working with men and women prior to that pretty well prepared you for everything you ran into here?
Gwen: I don’t really notice too much of a difference, but yeah, this is my first time working on an all-female roster. It’s definitely nice knowing that most of the people I’m working are gonna be around my size, though. Makes things just a little bit easier.
ZAck: Since I know he is the one who brought you here, I tend to ask this to others as well. Tell me about your first impressions and experience meeting with the new CEO of FFW upon joining Future Shock.
Gwen: Well, Missy and I had been in SVW together so I knew of him, but only really as ‘Missy’s husband’. But he reached out after SVW closed, we talked on the phone and then met in person later. He was cool, calm, totally professional, and made me feel welcome from the moment I signed my contract. And I wish him all the luck in the world as the new CEO of FFW.
Zack: You had two options here. So I’m assuming it’s because you talked to Adam first, but is that why you chose to start in Future Shock as opposed to joining the FFW roster? Or was there another reason?
Gwen: Part of it was that Adam reached out first, but also because this was going to be my first run in a company all on my own. I know I have the experience level to hang with the girls on the FFW roster, but Future Shock is where new stars are built so since I was building myself up as a singles wrestler, it made sense to start there.
Zack: I also want to congratulate you on your recent engagement. Those who follow you on Twitter know about that. I’m sure that was the best way possible to spend your holiday time off from the company.
Gwen: Thanks, Zack! Yeah, Alejandro proposed to me in the beginning of December, so having the time off to enjoy being engaged to him was really a blessing. Plus it gave us the chance to finish moving in together and start setting up our new house in New York. Being from Texas, winter is definitely not what I’m used to, but I love him so it’s a small sacrifice to make.
Zack: Yeah, that seems to be a bit of a theme around here lately. You and Jake both have been getting used to northeast weather, and moving together with your significant others. It’ll take a little getting used to. I have the same issue when I visit really warm places, having grown up near Boston.
Gwen: Definitely understandable. But when I’m curled up on the couch under a blanket with AJ and our dog Fred? Suddenly doesn’t seem so bad, somehow. And even though I miss my uncle, we found a company to work in together so I still get to see him every week. Being in New York is so different though from anything I was used to before. My fiance’s family is big and we get together fairly regularly, so suddenly I’ve got future siblings-in-law, their families, AJ’s mom… it’s a lot. But they love me almost as much as he does, and it’s nice to have that after so many years of it just being me and my uncle.
Zack: That all sounds terrific. Now before we wrap up here, we mentioned at the top of the show what a fan I’ve been of yours. And after I found out you were going to be on the show here, I hope you don’t mind but I got a little ‘thank you’ gift for you.
Gwen: Oh Zack, you didn’t have to do that!
Zack: Well I came across it by sheer luck, and I thought you might appreciate it being a music fan.
He looks off camera before someone hands him a sealed album that he shows the camera is the Parallel Lines album from Blondie with the entire band’s signatures on it. Then he offered it to Gwen.
Zack: Here you go.
Gwen covers her mouth in shock seeing what he’s handed her, staring at Zack in disbelief.
Gwen: Dude… this is amazing, thank you! But really, you came across a signed, sealed copy of Parallel Lines by luck?
Zack: Well as you know, I do travel a lot and you tend to meet people from all walks of life. I happen to know some collectors who love music just like you. So it was more of making a couple phone calls and calling in a favor or two.
Gwen: It’s getting a place of honor in my collection. Seriously… like, I know I said music was a big passion of mine, and I have albums from my uncle and my dad that this is gonna fit right in with. I really… I don’t know what else I can say, except thank you Zack.
Zack: You’re more than welcome. I appreciate you coming to be part of the show. You’ve been on my short list of guests I’ve wanted to interview since the show was still in the planning stages.
Gwen: Yeah, anytime. I had a great time being here and anytime you feel like having a repeat guest, you know where to find me.
Zack: Oh, there will be repeat guests and those shows are gonna have a whole other vibe to them. Again, thanks for being here.
He looks back to the camera next.
Zack: Fans, you can watch Gwen do her thing on Future Shock like always. I still say she’s the best uncrowned champion in this company. Coming up on future editions of Focus will be Lilly Sheffield, Ruby Tyler, Rose Gardner, Kyle Kilmeade, and even Sofia Hilton…which should be interesting. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you back here on the next Focus.
Zack thanks Gwen again as he shakes her hand from across the table as Focus fades to black on FFW All Access.
