December 1, 2025 • 25 mins
What happens when you cross a die-hard pro wrestling fan with a Gothic Romance novelist? You get one of the most unique and fascinating conversations in the history of Duke Loves Rasslin!
In this episode, the Duke sits down with creative maven and author QC Benedict for a genre-bending interview that bridges the gap between the squared circle and the supernatural. While QC is a lifelong student of the wrestling game, he’s stepping into the podcast ring to celebrate the release of his haunting new novel, Immortal in the Attic.
It is rare to find a romance author who can break down creative booking decisions as fluently as they write slow-burn tension, but QC delivers on both fronts. Whether you are looking for your next great read or want a fresh perspective on the current state of AEW and WWE, this episode has something for everyone.
Tune in as we discuss:
Wrestling Creative Analysis: QC pontificates on AEW's current creative hurdles and explains why he believes WWE is "playing it safe" with their storylines right now.
Book Announcement: The official unveiling of QC’s debut Gothic Romance novel, Immortal in the Attic.
The Premise: A deep dive into the summer of 1970, introducing us to Kate, a young plumber, and Jackson, a wounded artist, whose love story awakens forces older than time itself.
Holiday Shopping Guide: Details on exactly where you can purchase the book (perfect for the reader in your life!) just in time for the holidays.
Don't miss this fun, eclectic interview that proves creative storytelling transcends genres. Listen now, then head over to qcbenedict.com or Amazon to grab your copy of Immortal in the Attic!
#DukeLovesRasslin #QCBenedict #ImmortalInTheAttic #ProWrestling #AEW #WWE #WrestlingPodcast #GothicRomance #Bookstagram #NewBookAlert #WrestlingCommunity #AuthorInterview #RomanceNovels
** Shop better hydration today. Visit LiquidIV.Com & use the promo code DukeLovesRasslin to save on your next order! **
**All views expressed are that of those expressing them. Pull Up Your Skinny Jeans if you don't like it! **
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Brothers and sisters, one of thehealthiest things you can do for
yourself is staying hydrated. And you know what I'm talking
about. You go to your basketball game,
football game, pro wrestling events, and suddenly you get a
little parched. Well, one of the best ways that
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(01:50):
That's right. You are locked in.
Listen what we have here, folks.You're the only show that
matters. The queen of the crop.
Duke loves wrestling. And there is no one that does it
better than your house. I have come here to chew bubble
(02:14):
gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble.
Brothers and sisters, welcome back.
Welcome back to another excitingedition of the Duke Loves
Wrestling podcast. That's right, your main man, the
(02:35):
Duke is back. And let me tell you something, I
got my coffee going. It is cold outside.
We're hitting the holiday season.
I'm very, very happy and very, very hopeful.
And I hope you are as well, folks.
And I'm going to put this out there right now.
There is a racket going on outside of my secret location
(02:58):
here. You know, the, the, the city
decided that they were going to bless the Duke with brand new
sidewalks, which I'm very appreciative of, by the way.
But unfortunately, there's a lotof drilling going on.
So if if you hear any backgroundnoise there, folks, I promise
you I'm not having a party. It literally is just a little
(03:22):
bit of construction going on outthere.
And I know most of the people listening, especially in the
United States, you can relate tothis because it seems like the
traffic is so terrible. It seems like all the roads are
being dug up. New buildings are going up,
sidewalks are going up. I don't know who they're
preparing for because we've beenhere the whole time.
(03:42):
So I don't know if it's the aliens from the Three Eye Atlas
or something like that. I don't know.
But it seems like they're preparing for somebody else, you
know? But hey, we'll wait and see how
that goes. Anyway, you know folks, we're
coming up on the 10 year anniversary of Duke Loves
Wrestling. And one of these special things
that I really, really love is the fact that we've been so
(04:07):
diverse and who we feature on the show.
Obviously we have Hall of Farmers, obviously we have, you
know, independent wrestlers, we have the kids who are just
starting off in wrestling school.
So we've been able to follow some of those journeys and what
have you. But we step outside the box as
well. Astrobiologists and and Hall of
(04:28):
Fame sports writers and NFL former NFL players.
And then, you know, all kinds ofmixed bag of this, that and the
other thing there. And what I really love is when I
speak to a pro wrestling fan who's not afraid to tell me
about the rest of their life. Because although we all are pro
wrestling fans and a lot of you who listening you're, you're in
(04:51):
the pro wrestling business and MMA as well.
That's not all there is to you. You have other interests, you
have other things that matter toyou as well.
So when we get a chance to highlight people who are
involved in something other thanpro wrestling, it actually, in
(05:12):
my opinion, it's a compliment toour community because it shows,
hey, you know, this person is a astrobiologist who just happens
to be a casual pro wrestling fan.
This person is an accomplished writer or filmmaker who just so
happens to be a pro wrestling fan.
(05:32):
So it's, it's really cool to just show you that pro wrestling
fandom is, is deeper than just the the pizza face neckbeard
who's in his mom's basement. You know, one of those folks
there, humanoids. We're a lot more diverse than
that as a community. And certainly our first guest of
the day here fits the bill. OK.
(05:55):
This is a person who is an accomplished writer, creative
writer, wrestling fan and most of all, they are here to share
with you some exciting news about their latest work.
So without further ado, welcome to Duke Loves Wrestling.
My brother QC Benedict, what's going on there?
(06:19):
How you doing, Duke? It's great to be on the show.
Well, it's great to have you here, QC.
I mean, listen now, now I got to, I got to make sure that
we're clear here, not QT, because you know, Devon Dudley
has, you know, he's got some words for QT Marshall and that's
the whole personal issue there. But this is QC Benedict.
(06:39):
All right? Let's not mix up the two.
You're you're not QT Marshall, right?
No, and I have no beef with Devon.
In fact, I'm a big fan. OK, there it is.
All right. So we, we, we qualified that.
Thank you. How long you been a wrestling
fan, man? I've been a wrestling fan since
the Carter administration. Oh boy, God, rest his soul.
(07:00):
Wow. Wow.
Now listen, let me ask you this.When, when it comes to the whole
peanut farmer thing and all thatstuff, what do, what do you
think when when you look at thatwhole situation from a 2025
lens? Should Jimmy Carter have
divested in the in the peanut farm business that he and his
family had because he was president?
(07:22):
Because you look at 2025 and yousee what the current president
is doing with crypto and all this stuff, He's not divesting
in anything, you know, But JimmyCarter gave up his stake in that
successful peanut farm. What do you think about that?
Well, Jimmy Carter was a man of integrity.
He was a very intelligent man. You don't become a nuclear
engineer on a submarine because you're stupid or hillbilly.
(07:48):
I think it was very noble and reflective of his character.
Indeed, indeed, I'd, I'd have toagree with you on that one
there. And that always fascinated me.
Peanut farmer, you know, but yethe was able to to build that
into something so great and theneven became president United
States of America, which is wildcreative writing.
(08:11):
Talk to me about this because I,I envy folks like yourself.
I am a, a conversationalist, right?
I can, I can write things in a manner that you know, will make
people kind of chuckle a little bit and what have you.
But when it comes to creating characters and really starting
to go down that road, I'm not sure that's my Forte, but I love
(08:34):
it. I, I love to read works that
that involved a different world and I, I even love to watch
those works be turned into TV shows and movies and things like
that, you know, really into thatstuff, especially when we start
getting into sci-fi and things like that.
I really love that stuff there. From from your perspective as
(08:57):
somebody who's been successful at it, what is it about creative
writing that has made you not only do it, but continue to do
it and, and, and grow it? I think the biggest thing is you
get all these ideas and you wantto build a world, populate it
(09:19):
with people, make interesting characters that we can relate to
and put them in situations that remind them of life but might
have a different spin to it. Like sci-fi, supernatural, put
it through different lens and see how they react.
(09:41):
What, when you look at somethinglike pro wrestling again, you,
you, you're basically a lifelongfan, but you look at it from a
creative lens. What's your general feeling
about pro wrestling in in 2025 and even going into 2026?
Do you feel like we're in a creative boom or or do you feel
like something is is terribly missing overall?
(10:06):
It it's tough to say because you've got two major promotion,
you got AW, which is struggling because I can't create any
characters that people really care about or engaging
storylines. And then you have WWE, which is
(10:26):
playing it safe because it has such great business right now.
And I think the corporate peopledon't want to rock the boat too
much, and that results to some very bland storytelling things
that aren't going to get the fans excited.
Yeah, and, and I mean, listen, we we see it in the returns, you
(10:49):
know, I mean, WWE, they've been smart enough to chase the
almighty dollar. So they're getting so much
advertising bucks. And because they deliver a
consistent audience, it's easy for the networks to invest in
them. But, you know, live attendance
has been up and down for the past year.
(11:11):
And obviously the television ratings as reported, who knows
how accurate they are, But as reported, they've been up and
down. So clearly there's something
missing, especially when you compare it to just a couple of
years ago when the Bloodline storyline was really the hardest
thing in wrestling. You know, when you reflect back,
(11:34):
if you were to pick a storyline,Bloodline included, what would
you say? Especially for a a creative
writer like yourself, what was probably the best stuff that
we've seen over the past years in terms of storyline?
One of my favorites was Ria Ripley's hill turn and Dominic
Mysterio's hill turn and the Judgement Day storyline.
(11:58):
I thought that really got all the people over that were
involved in the crew. I enjoyed the Bloodline.
My biggest problem was I thoughtit went about a year too long.
They pretty much exhausted everything.
Yeah, Yeah, I'd, I'd have to agree with you there.
I, I, you know, maybe their transition into when it
(12:19):
splintered and now we have Solosgroup and then we have, you
know, Roman and the Usos, they can get back together.
They could not. It's kind of iffy.
I agree though maybe it it lasted a year too long they
probably should have expedited the split.
But the Ria Ripley thing, you'reabsolutely right man.
I mean, that whole storyline with Judgment Day and you know,
(12:44):
specifically Ria and Don Mysterio, that has been some of
the best stuff going and it has made the both of them, Dom and
Ria, huge superstars, right? Oh yeah, when Diamond Mysterio
first came out, I thought he'd be a flash in the pan, but when
he turned, he'll forget about it.
And and now the guy is a complete tweener who's leaning,
(13:08):
definitely leaning babyface. I mean, he, he legitimately is
chasing that Eddie Guerrero spot, a spot that we never knew
could possibly be even attemptedto be filled again, you know,
but Dom is Dom is getting there.And Ria, I mean, she's one of
the biggest stars in the historyof the business at this point,
which is completely fascinating to me.
(13:29):
Knowing the whole Demi Bennett story and seeing how she began
her career and comparing that kid to this mega * superstar
today, It's like wow, she reallymade that happen.
Yeah, and she stuck around. She did not give up, she went
(13:51):
through a lot of bad storylines and angles and waited for the
right moment. And like you said, she's a mega
star. There's a big difference between
a main eventer and a mega *, andshe's definitely a mega *.
No doubt about it, no doubt about it.
You know, it's interesting to see because I know that your
(14:13):
person that just like a mechanicor somebody like that or, or
somebody who's really into computers, you're always
tinkering with something. You know that that creative mind
of yours is always tinkering. I know that you have a special
announcement to make about something that is about to
(14:35):
launch. So so let's just let's just put
it out there, brother. Exclusive news here.
What do you have to share with the Duke Loves Rasting audience?
Well, first Duke, I appreciate the chance to appear on the show
and let people know, and I'm very happy to announce that
starting next Friday, my new book, The Immortal in the Attic,
(14:55):
will be released on Amazon. The Immortal in the attic.
Now are we, are we talking to the immortal Hulk Hogan?
What? What's what's going on with
this? Tell me about the Immortal in
the attic. Well, The Immortal in the Attic
is what the kids would call a mash up.
It's a mix of historical fiction, supernatural romance,
(15:19):
and a little bit of advent, a little bit of adventure.
It's set in the 1970 in a suburboutside of Buffalo, NY, and it
involves a young woman and a wounded army veteran.
And they discover a secret in the man's home.
(15:43):
And they also discover romance and supernatural forces that are
moving against the OH. Boy, this, this get this has a
lot going on here. So it's a the the the main male
character is a military person. That's right.
(16:08):
What made you go in that direction?
When it comes to romance novels and, and things of that nature,
I, I, I don't recall, you know, seeing anything to do with
military folks, which I think is, is actually a brilliant
device, quite frankly. What made you go in that
direction? Well, the biggest thing was the
story is in 1970 and I wanted toreflect on the culture at the
(16:32):
time. The Vietnam War was very big,
and as you know, the country wasdivided.
And I thought that the idea of awounded Army veteran coming home
and looking to get away from allthe chaos that he saw, he
returns to a country home and just wants to be himself.
(16:54):
And he gets mixed up with a young woman who's very
independent. She's a plumber, which is very
different for the time, and theydiscover a secret in his home,
some kind of supernatural mystery.
And that's not the only mystery.Very, very interesting.
(17:15):
So, so the the the plumber, the main female character.
This is Kate, right? Yes.
Talk to me about Kate. Kate is a 20 year old woman.
She, her father passed away two years ago and she had to take
over the family business. And all she wants to do is
(17:35):
basically right now she's in survival mode because she was
left with nothing but the familybusiness.
And she's a woman doing, which at the time is men's work, but
she's very independent. She has a lot of heart and she's
no nonsense. And she meets Jackson, the Army
(17:55):
veteran, and sparks begin to fly.
But there's also some outside forces that are interfering with
the romance and their very lives.
And there's a secret that Jackson has that could destroy
everything. If you were to, you know,
compare these two main characters to, to people in
(18:19):
wrestling, who's Kate and who's Jackson for for all the
wrestling fans out there, if, ifyou say, you know, this is like
reading a story about so and so and so and so.
When it comes to Kate, I would think of Libra Valkyrie.
She's somebody that wants to getahead and refuses to quit, and
(18:42):
she has plenty of heart. She might not be as experienced
as other people and she might belooked down upon, but she has a
lot of potential. Jackson's a tougher nut to crack
because he's someone that has a secret and it's not something
bad, but something that he's afraid could destroy his romance
(19:04):
with Kate. And I think part of them might
be like John Cena and the the hero with John Cena.
But also, he's someone that shouldn't be underestimated and
someone that isn't afraid to fight for what he thinks is
(19:25):
right, and someone that's facinga lot of backlash with the
Vietnam War and the peace movement and the hippies and the
older generation. Very, very interesting there.
(19:47):
When you think about your audience, you know, 'cause keep
in mind, we got the holidays coming up.
Giving books is always a great idea.
You know, you're, you're giving people adventures, you're giving
people another world that they can explore and get wrapped up
in. So whether you're giving books,
are you getting it for yourself?It's, it's always a great idea.
(20:07):
Folks, don't forget we got BlackFriday coming up, Cyber Monday,
so many other things coming up, which you know, the prices are
going to be right out there. Keep that in mind.
But when you think about your audience.
Who's the ideal reader for Immortal in the Attic?
For me, the ideal reader would be someone that is interested in
(20:31):
relationships and adventure because both characters
obviously have a budding romance, but they have many
challenges ahead of them. And it's also something that
would appeal to people fascinated by history because
it's in 1970, a very tumultuous time in the United States,
similar in some ways to today's environment, and also has the
(20:56):
the aspect of the supernatural, something that fascinates a lot
of people. There's some mysteries going on,
there's characters who aren't what they seem to appear, and I
think people that like a complicated world, something
maybe like Game of Thrones or something along that line, or
(21:19):
Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, those type of readers,
I think they would be interested.
Once again, we got the holidays coming up folks.
The Immortal in the Attic by QC Benedict.
You know, if if you're looking for something that deals with
(21:40):
the romance and, and and darkness and you know, the
supernatural temptation, all allsorts of fun stuff there
elements that we watch every week in pro wrestling.
I think this would definitely beworth your time.
In fact, QC once again, what is the best way that folks can grab
themselves a copy of The Immortal in the Attic?
(22:05):
The best way is to go to Amazon.Right now it's on Amazon Kindle
and Kindle Unlimited and next Friday the paperback will be
released and also have some hypevideos.
If you want to get an idea what the book is about you can visit
my website qcbenedict.com. We have the 1st chapter online
(22:27):
available for reading. I love that you, you're giving
folks a little bit of a free sample.
You, you, you remember that folks, you go to the mall and
you walk by Panda Express or, or, or Smoothie King and they
give you a free sample entice you.
Next thing you know, you're getting yourself a whole dinner
or a whole smoothie or what haveyou there.
So definitely run to to the website there.
(22:51):
Once again, that's QC benedict.com and I'll have the
link in the bio of this episode,folks.
So you can just click on that and go right to it.
But Immortal in the Attic, highly recommended.
Check it out for yourselves. Definitely something that you
can give to others and and in terms of age, is there any kind
(23:13):
of age limit on something like this?
There you see. No, I don't think so.
Anybody, Donald and above. Perfect, perfect, perfect,
perfect. And in general, I mean, you
know, for the listeners, how canthey keep up with you and, and
learn about everything else thatyou have coming up in the future
in terms of your writing? If they want they can come to my
(23:36):
website and I have links to all my social media.
I'm on TikTok, YouTube and X. His name is QC Benedict, he's a
wrestling fan, a hell of a writer, most importantly, a good
person. QC Thank you for joining us for
Duke Loves Wrestling. Thank you Duke and I wish you a
(23:58):
happy holidays and same to all your audience and
congratulations on your 10 year anniversary Strictly.
Father called John every day stepping style and know you need
your hands and colors, so defying all about the perfect
(24:23):
life. Be yourself, let your spirit lie
in this fashion you'll touch thesky strictly for the culture and
so fine dressed to impress and show your shine strictly for the
(24:47):
culture. Every day slipping style and
then you need a way. Visit
www.strictlyfortheculture.ca Mr.Tony Shivani and we're
(25:19):
desperately. Out of time.
On Duke Love Wrestling.
Brothers and sisters, one of thehealthiest things you can do for
yourself is staying hydrated. And you know what I'm talking
about. You go to your basketball game,
football game, pro wrestling events, and suddenly you get a
little parched. Well, one of the best ways that
you can keep yourself safe is using Liquid IV.
(00:22):
See, Liquid IV is a hydration stick that you can pour into 16
ounces of water and immediately get more efficiently hydrated
than water alone. OK, 12 delicious refreshing
flavors. All of your essential B vitamins
including B3B5B6B12, even vitamin C three times the
(00:45):
electrolytes is traditional sports drinks.
It's made with premium ingredients, non-GMO, free from
gluten, dairy, soy, all that good stuff there.
Listen, I'm telling you right now, folks, Liquid IV has
changed my life. It's something that I use on a
regular basis because I'm alwayson the go.
I got to stay hydrated. You got to stay hydrated.
(01:07):
Liquid IV has your back. It'll keep you exactly that way,
hydrated. But don't just take my word for
it. I want you to try it out.
Because of that, if you head over to liquid-iv.com right now,
you can put anything that you want in your cart and then at
checkout, use the promo code Duke loves Rastam.
(01:30):
No spaces in that. Duke loves Rastam going to save
you 20% on your entire order. That's how much I care about
your hydration. That's how much I want you to
check out Liquid IV. So what are you waiting for?
Shop better hydration today. Visit liquid-iv.com.
(01:50):
That's right. You are locked in.
Listen what we have here, folks.You're the only show that
matters. The queen of the crop.
Duke loves wrestling. And there is no one that does it
better than your house. I have come here to chew bubble
(02:14):
gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble.
Brothers and sisters, welcome back.
Welcome back to another excitingedition of the Duke Loves
Wrestling podcast. That's right, your main man, the
(02:35):
Duke is back. And let me tell you something, I
got my coffee going. It is cold outside.
We're hitting the holiday season.
I'm very, very happy and very, very hopeful.
And I hope you are as well, folks.
And I'm going to put this out there right now.
There is a racket going on outside of my secret location
(02:58):
here. You know, the, the, the city
decided that they were going to bless the Duke with brand new
sidewalks, which I'm very appreciative of, by the way.
But unfortunately, there's a lotof drilling going on.
So if if you hear any backgroundnoise there, folks, I promise
you I'm not having a party. It literally is just a little
(03:22):
bit of construction going on outthere.
And I know most of the people listening, especially in the
United States, you can relate tothis because it seems like the
traffic is so terrible. It seems like all the roads are
being dug up. New buildings are going up,
sidewalks are going up. I don't know who they're
preparing for because we've beenhere the whole time.
(03:42):
So I don't know if it's the aliens from the Three Eye Atlas
or something like that. I don't know.
But it seems like they're preparing for somebody else, you
know? But hey, we'll wait and see how
that goes. Anyway, you know folks, we're
coming up on the 10 year anniversary of Duke Loves
Wrestling. And one of these special things
that I really, really love is the fact that we've been so
(04:07):
diverse and who we feature on the show.
Obviously we have Hall of Farmers, obviously we have, you
know, independent wrestlers, we have the kids who are just
starting off in wrestling school.
So we've been able to follow some of those journeys and what
have you. But we step outside the box as
well. Astrobiologists and and Hall of
(04:28):
Fame sports writers and NFL former NFL players.
And then, you know, all kinds ofmixed bag of this, that and the
other thing there. And what I really love is when I
speak to a pro wrestling fan who's not afraid to tell me
about the rest of their life. Because although we all are pro
wrestling fans and a lot of you who listening you're, you're in
(04:51):
the pro wrestling business and MMA as well.
That's not all there is to you. You have other interests, you
have other things that matter toyou as well.
So when we get a chance to highlight people who are
involved in something other thanpro wrestling, it actually, in
(05:12):
my opinion, it's a compliment toour community because it shows,
hey, you know, this person is a astrobiologist who just happens
to be a casual pro wrestling fan.
This person is an accomplished writer or filmmaker who just so
happens to be a pro wrestling fan.
(05:32):
So it's, it's really cool to just show you that pro wrestling
fandom is, is deeper than just the the pizza face neckbeard
who's in his mom's basement. You know, one of those folks
there, humanoids. We're a lot more diverse than
that as a community. And certainly our first guest of
the day here fits the bill. OK.
(05:55):
This is a person who is an accomplished writer, creative
writer, wrestling fan and most of all, they are here to share
with you some exciting news about their latest work.
So without further ado, welcome to Duke Loves Wrestling.
My brother QC Benedict, what's going on there?
(06:19):
How you doing, Duke? It's great to be on the show.
Well, it's great to have you here, QC.
I mean, listen now, now I got to, I got to make sure that
we're clear here, not QT, because you know, Devon Dudley
has, you know, he's got some words for QT Marshall and that's
the whole personal issue there. But this is QC Benedict.
(06:39):
All right? Let's not mix up the two.
You're you're not QT Marshall, right?
No, and I have no beef with Devon.
In fact, I'm a big fan. OK, there it is.
All right. So we, we, we qualified that.
Thank you. How long you been a wrestling
fan, man? I've been a wrestling fan since
the Carter administration. Oh boy, God, rest his soul.
(07:00):
Wow. Wow.
Now listen, let me ask you this.When, when it comes to the whole
peanut farmer thing and all thatstuff, what do, what do you
think when when you look at thatwhole situation from a 2025
lens? Should Jimmy Carter have
divested in the in the peanut farm business that he and his
family had because he was president?
(07:22):
Because you look at 2025 and yousee what the current president
is doing with crypto and all this stuff, He's not divesting
in anything, you know, But JimmyCarter gave up his stake in that
successful peanut farm. What do you think about that?
Well, Jimmy Carter was a man of integrity.
He was a very intelligent man. You don't become a nuclear
engineer on a submarine because you're stupid or hillbilly.
(07:48):
I think it was very noble and reflective of his character.
Indeed, indeed, I'd, I'd have toagree with you on that one
there. And that always fascinated me.
Peanut farmer, you know, but yethe was able to to build that
into something so great and theneven became president United
States of America, which is wildcreative writing.
(08:11):
Talk to me about this because I,I envy folks like yourself.
I am a, a conversationalist, right?
I can, I can write things in a manner that you know, will make
people kind of chuckle a little bit and what have you.
But when it comes to creating characters and really starting
to go down that road, I'm not sure that's my Forte, but I love
(08:34):
it. I, I love to read works that
that involved a different world and I, I even love to watch
those works be turned into TV shows and movies and things like
that, you know, really into thatstuff, especially when we start
getting into sci-fi and things like that.
I really love that stuff there. From from your perspective as
(08:57):
somebody who's been successful at it, what is it about creative
writing that has made you not only do it, but continue to do
it and, and, and grow it? I think the biggest thing is you
get all these ideas and you wantto build a world, populate it
(09:19):
with people, make interesting characters that we can relate to
and put them in situations that remind them of life but might
have a different spin to it. Like sci-fi, supernatural, put
it through different lens and see how they react.
(09:41):
What, when you look at somethinglike pro wrestling again, you,
you, you're basically a lifelongfan, but you look at it from a
creative lens. What's your general feeling
about pro wrestling in in 2025 and even going into 2026?
Do you feel like we're in a creative boom or or do you feel
like something is is terribly missing overall?
(10:06):
It it's tough to say because you've got two major promotion,
you got AW, which is struggling because I can't create any
characters that people really care about or engaging
storylines. And then you have WWE, which is
(10:26):
playing it safe because it has such great business right now.
And I think the corporate peopledon't want to rock the boat too
much, and that results to some very bland storytelling things
that aren't going to get the fans excited.
Yeah, and, and I mean, listen, we we see it in the returns, you
(10:49):
know, I mean, WWE, they've been smart enough to chase the
almighty dollar. So they're getting so much
advertising bucks. And because they deliver a
consistent audience, it's easy for the networks to invest in
them. But, you know, live attendance
has been up and down for the past year.
(11:11):
And obviously the television ratings as reported, who knows
how accurate they are, But as reported, they've been up and
down. So clearly there's something
missing, especially when you compare it to just a couple of
years ago when the Bloodline storyline was really the hardest
thing in wrestling. You know, when you reflect back,
(11:34):
if you were to pick a storyline,Bloodline included, what would
you say? Especially for a a creative
writer like yourself, what was probably the best stuff that
we've seen over the past years in terms of storyline?
One of my favorites was Ria Ripley's hill turn and Dominic
Mysterio's hill turn and the Judgement Day storyline.
(11:58):
I thought that really got all the people over that were
involved in the crew. I enjoyed the Bloodline.
My biggest problem was I thoughtit went about a year too long.
They pretty much exhausted everything.
Yeah, Yeah, I'd, I'd have to agree with you there.
I, I, you know, maybe their transition into when it
(12:19):
splintered and now we have Solosgroup and then we have, you
know, Roman and the Usos, they can get back together.
They could not. It's kind of iffy.
I agree though maybe it it lasted a year too long they
probably should have expedited the split.
But the Ria Ripley thing, you'reabsolutely right man.
I mean, that whole storyline with Judgment Day and you know,
(12:44):
specifically Ria and Don Mysterio, that has been some of
the best stuff going and it has made the both of them, Dom and
Ria, huge superstars, right? Oh yeah, when Diamond Mysterio
first came out, I thought he'd be a flash in the pan, but when
he turned, he'll forget about it.
And and now the guy is a complete tweener who's leaning,
(13:08):
definitely leaning babyface. I mean, he, he legitimately is
chasing that Eddie Guerrero spot, a spot that we never knew
could possibly be even attemptedto be filled again, you know,
but Dom is Dom is getting there.And Ria, I mean, she's one of
the biggest stars in the historyof the business at this point,
which is completely fascinating to me.
(13:29):
Knowing the whole Demi Bennett story and seeing how she began
her career and comparing that kid to this mega * superstar
today, It's like wow, she reallymade that happen.
Yeah, and she stuck around. She did not give up, she went
(13:51):
through a lot of bad storylines and angles and waited for the
right moment. And like you said, she's a mega
star. There's a big difference between
a main eventer and a mega *, andshe's definitely a mega *.
No doubt about it, no doubt about it.
You know, it's interesting to see because I know that your
(14:13):
person that just like a mechanicor somebody like that or, or
somebody who's really into computers, you're always
tinkering with something. You know that that creative mind
of yours is always tinkering. I know that you have a special
announcement to make about something that is about to
(14:35):
launch. So so let's just let's just put
it out there, brother. Exclusive news here.
What do you have to share with the Duke Loves Rasting audience?
Well, first Duke, I appreciate the chance to appear on the show
and let people know, and I'm very happy to announce that
starting next Friday, my new book, The Immortal in the Attic,
(14:55):
will be released on Amazon. The Immortal in the attic.
Now are we, are we talking to the immortal Hulk Hogan?
What? What's what's going on with
this? Tell me about the Immortal in
the attic. Well, The Immortal in the Attic
is what the kids would call a mash up.
It's a mix of historical fiction, supernatural romance,
(15:19):
and a little bit of advent, a little bit of adventure.
It's set in the 1970 in a suburboutside of Buffalo, NY, and it
involves a young woman and a wounded army veteran.
And they discover a secret in the man's home.
(15:43):
And they also discover romance and supernatural forces that are
moving against the OH. Boy, this, this get this has a
lot going on here. So it's a the the the main male
character is a military person. That's right.
(16:08):
What made you go in that direction?
When it comes to romance novels and, and things of that nature,
I, I, I don't recall, you know, seeing anything to do with
military folks, which I think is, is actually a brilliant
device, quite frankly. What made you go in that
direction? Well, the biggest thing was the
story is in 1970 and I wanted toreflect on the culture at the
(16:32):
time. The Vietnam War was very big,
and as you know, the country wasdivided.
And I thought that the idea of awounded Army veteran coming home
and looking to get away from allthe chaos that he saw, he
returns to a country home and just wants to be himself.
(16:54):
And he gets mixed up with a young woman who's very
independent. She's a plumber, which is very
different for the time, and theydiscover a secret in his home,
some kind of supernatural mystery.
And that's not the only mystery.Very, very interesting.
(17:15):
So, so the the the plumber, the main female character.
This is Kate, right? Yes.
Talk to me about Kate. Kate is a 20 year old woman.
She, her father passed away two years ago and she had to take
over the family business. And all she wants to do is
(17:35):
basically right now she's in survival mode because she was
left with nothing but the familybusiness.
And she's a woman doing, which at the time is men's work, but
she's very independent. She has a lot of heart and she's
no nonsense. And she meets Jackson, the Army
(17:55):
veteran, and sparks begin to fly.
But there's also some outside forces that are interfering with
the romance and their very lives.
And there's a secret that Jackson has that could destroy
everything. If you were to, you know,
compare these two main characters to, to people in
(18:19):
wrestling, who's Kate and who's Jackson for for all the
wrestling fans out there, if, ifyou say, you know, this is like
reading a story about so and so and so and so.
When it comes to Kate, I would think of Libra Valkyrie.
She's somebody that wants to getahead and refuses to quit, and
(18:42):
she has plenty of heart. She might not be as experienced
as other people and she might belooked down upon, but she has a
lot of potential. Jackson's a tougher nut to crack
because he's someone that has a secret and it's not something
bad, but something that he's afraid could destroy his romance
(19:04):
with Kate. And I think part of them might
be like John Cena and the the hero with John Cena.
But also, he's someone that shouldn't be underestimated and
someone that isn't afraid to fight for what he thinks is
(19:25):
right, and someone that's facinga lot of backlash with the
Vietnam War and the peace movement and the hippies and the
older generation. Very, very interesting there.
(19:47):
When you think about your audience, you know, 'cause keep
in mind, we got the holidays coming up.
Giving books is always a great idea.
You know, you're, you're giving people adventures, you're giving
people another world that they can explore and get wrapped up
in. So whether you're giving books,
are you getting it for yourself?It's, it's always a great idea.
(20:07):
Folks, don't forget we got BlackFriday coming up, Cyber Monday,
so many other things coming up, which you know, the prices are
going to be right out there. Keep that in mind.
But when you think about your audience.
Who's the ideal reader for Immortal in the Attic?
For me, the ideal reader would be someone that is interested in
(20:31):
relationships and adventure because both characters
obviously have a budding romance, but they have many
challenges ahead of them. And it's also something that
would appeal to people fascinated by history because
it's in 1970, a very tumultuous time in the United States,
similar in some ways to today's environment, and also has the
(20:56):
the aspect of the supernatural, something that fascinates a lot
of people. There's some mysteries going on,
there's characters who aren't what they seem to appear, and I
think people that like a complicated world, something
maybe like Game of Thrones or something along that line, or
(21:19):
Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, those type of readers,
I think they would be interested.
Once again, we got the holidays coming up folks.
The Immortal in the Attic by QC Benedict.
You know, if if you're looking for something that deals with
(21:40):
the romance and, and and darkness and you know, the
supernatural temptation, all allsorts of fun stuff there
elements that we watch every week in pro wrestling.
I think this would definitely beworth your time.
In fact, QC once again, what is the best way that folks can grab
themselves a copy of The Immortal in the Attic?
(22:05):
The best way is to go to Amazon.Right now it's on Amazon Kindle
and Kindle Unlimited and next Friday the paperback will be
released and also have some hypevideos.
If you want to get an idea what the book is about you can visit
my website qcbenedict.com. We have the 1st chapter online
(22:27):
available for reading. I love that you, you're giving
folks a little bit of a free sample.
You, you, you remember that folks, you go to the mall and
you walk by Panda Express or, or, or Smoothie King and they
give you a free sample entice you.
Next thing you know, you're getting yourself a whole dinner
or a whole smoothie or what haveyou there.
So definitely run to to the website there.
(22:51):
Once again, that's QC benedict.com and I'll have the
link in the bio of this episode,folks.
So you can just click on that and go right to it.
But Immortal in the Attic, highly recommended.
Check it out for yourselves. Definitely something that you
can give to others and and in terms of age, is there any kind
(23:13):
of age limit on something like this?
There you see. No, I don't think so.
Anybody, Donald and above. Perfect, perfect, perfect,
perfect. And in general, I mean, you
know, for the listeners, how canthey keep up with you and, and
learn about everything else thatyou have coming up in the future
in terms of your writing? If they want they can come to my
(23:36):
website and I have links to all my social media.
I'm on TikTok, YouTube and X. His name is QC Benedict, he's a
wrestling fan, a hell of a writer, most importantly, a good
person. QC Thank you for joining us for
Duke Loves Wrestling. Thank you Duke and I wish you a
(23:58):
happy holidays and same to all your audience and
congratulations on your 10 year anniversary Strictly.
Father called John every day stepping style and know you need
your hands and colors, so defying all about the perfect
(24:23):
life. Be yourself, let your spirit lie
in this fashion you'll touch thesky strictly for the culture and
so fine dressed to impress and show your shine strictly for the
(24:47):
culture. Every day slipping style and
then you need a way. Visit
www.strictlyfortheculture.ca Mr.Tony Shivani and we're
(25:19):
desperately. Out of time.
On Duke Love Wrestling.
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