Stephen Amell On Heels, Possible In-Ring Return

During his recent interview with Wrestling Inc., Heels star Stephen Amell reflected on preparing for the Starz series. Amell also spoke about a potential return to the squared circle, and more. Check out the highlights below.

On using the WWE Network to do research for Heels:

“I was able to go back and watch Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Harley Race and a lot of the older stuff from the South. I canvassed Cody Rhodes and found some stuff to watch. That was extremely helpful. Then when it comes to getting into character, sometimes it’s as simple as hearing your music hit and feeling the reaction of the crowd. I can’t say enough about the people we had as extras on the show. They brought so much intensity and had to commit so much to this show as we shot during a pandemic. They were great. That was the prep there. It was on the page. It was all there. [Creator and executive producer] Michael Waldron did such a wonderful job crafting this world.”

On expanding his wrestling knowledge for the series:

“When I did stuff with WWE or Ring of Honor or AEW, it was always during the filming of Arrow, number one. Number two, it was always something I had to jump into really quick. This time around I got to spend some time and really focus on the basics. Locking up, hitting the ropes, developing a good punch, learning how to bump. Like really learning how to bump. If you’ve seen any of my matches, you’ll never see me take a flat back bump because I wasn’t confident enough to do it. I was worried I was going to snap my head. I can handle a bruise on my chest or getting my shoulder slammed into something or a knife-edge chop to the chest. But if you ring your bell in the middle of a match, and you don’t know where you are, that was going to be problematic. It was really focusing on the fundamentals. Really focusing on them was fun and showed me even more how much respect these professional wrestlers deserve.”

On a possible in-ring return:

“My man-crush on Kevin Owens is alive and well. I love the way that guy works and the way he works a crowd. Cody and I have been circling a singles match for the longest time. I know that he’d take care of me and that we can tell a story in there. You’re going to have to convince my wife first ultimately.”