Former WWE Star Paul Burchill Returning To The Ring

For most wrestling fans, former WWE star Paul Burchill may be best remembered for his pirate gimmick in the mid-2000s, followed by a rather controversial gimmick involving him and his kayfabe sister Katie Lea Burchill following his pirate days. Pretty soon, however, wrestling fans may know him for a whole new moniker; comeback kid.

On Wednesday, Brian Asbury of the "Developmentally Speaking" podcast announced that Burchill will be making his first wrestling-related appearance in many years on September 30, in Chillicothe, Ohio. And Burchill will not just be signing autographs, as Asbury also announced that Burchill will be coming out of retirement and working a match that day. Asbury didn't announce an opponent, and no statement was provided by Burchill.

Born in Guildford, England, Burchill began his career training with Frontier Wrestling Alliance promoter Mark Sloann in 2001, following a short-lived career as a primary school teacher. After a successful stint with FWA and other British promotions, Burchill signed with WWE in 2005, and after only a few months in WWE's developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling, he would debut on "SmackDown" as a protege for William Regal, though Burchill would continue to appear in OVW throughout the duration of his WWE career.

Ultimately, Burchill never quite caught on as either Regal's protege, a pirate, or Katie Lea's "brother," and he was released in 2010 shortly after WWE ended its ECW brand, which Burchill and Lea had been appearing on. Despite Asbury's claims that he hasn't made an appearance in 13 years, Burchill continued to wrestle sparingly after his WWE release, in both the U.S. and the U.K. His last match to date was in October 2018.