Wrestling / Rough Stuff

Here come the gains!

"My name is Paul Scarfe, this is CT Flexor. He gets rough, I'm simply the stuff! Together we're Rough Stuff!"'

Trained by Phil Boyd, Paul Tracey, Jordan Devlin and Justin Shape - Rough Stuff are an Irish professional wrestling Manly Man Tag Team. They consist of Paul Scarfe and Carl O'Reilly - who has alternately competed under the names Bull Reilly and CT Flexor.

Both started their training in 2011 in Fight Factory Pro Wrestling (the alma mater of Fergal Devitt and Becky Lynch), both debuted on the same show in separate matches too. Along the way, the decision was made to pair them up to add another tag team to Ireland's division. Noted immediately for their flair despite their greenness, they made a beeline for the Irish Tag Team Championships - which they won in 2013. Only a year later, both opted to take separate hiatuses from wrestling.

Carl first returned in 2016 for Over The Top Wrestling, joining a Power Stable known as the Body Bros and competing as Carl Curl. Paul made his return a year later, and the two of them re-emerged in 2017 for Celtic Championship Wrestling. The team has sometimes had Katey Harvey as part of its ranks - see her page for tropes exclusive to her. Outside the ring, they also run a fitness vlog called Irish Gainz.

Carl announced his retirement in 2022, wrestling one final match after a hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tropes:

As a Tag Team

• Arch-Enemy:
  • Initially Team Mega, although only because they wanted to be Tag Team Champions.
  • The Wood Brothers - with whom they feuded for over a year.
• Back-to-Back Badasses: But of course.
• Badass Boast: Every Rough Stuff promo opens with this.
• Bash Brothers: And they've nearly always been a tag team too.
• Beast and Beauty: Alluded to with the name. Carl is the Rough (Beast) while Paul is the Stuff (Beauty).
• Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: As the glamorous manager Katey was the Beauty, Carl was the tactical competitor and used more 'smart' wrestling strategies to make him the Brains, and Paul's love of slams and brute force made him the Brawn.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Both of them will talk as much trash as kicking ass.
• Boots of Toughness: They usually wear black boots.
• Brains and Brawn: Carl is the brains, Paul is the brawn.
• The Bus Came Back: They last wrestled for CCW in 2013, took a hiatus in 2014 and made a long awaited return in 2017.
• Catchphrase: "Here come the gains" as of their 2017 return.
• Commuting on a Bus: While she was going out on her own, Katey would occasionally still manage them.
• Denser and Wackier: Around 2013 they adopted a slightly more comedic edge in their promos.
• Designated Girl Fight: Team Mega recruited Danger Dawn to help even the odds against Katey.
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • They were first called 'The Handsome Devils', before switching to Rough Stuff.
  • They debuted in 2011 but Katey didn't become their manager until 2012.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being quite cruel and sadistic, they seem to like each other.
• Evil Is Petty: Carl helped Paul cheat to defeat Michael May, and they attacked him after the match anyway just For the Evulz.
• Evil Wears Black: Their first set of co-ordinated tights were black.
• Fanservice Pack: They initially fought in long tights, before going for trunks.
• The Fighting Narcissist: Oiled-up, vain, in love with themselves, etc.
• Gimmick Matches: They lost the titles to The Wood Brothers in a No DQ match.
• Heel: Yep. If they've ever competed face, it's always been as a singles.
• Kick the Dog: After one match they put Bobby Calloway in a double submission hold - after he'd already been knocked out by a mid-air RKO.
• Muscles Are Meaningful: They were able to slot right into the division due to being jacked.
• Older Hero Versus Younger Villain: They were young and quite new to wrestling when feuding with Team Mega - who were Irish wrestling veterans.
• Power Stable: Whenever Katey was with them.
• Rhymes on a Dime: Their name of course!
• Straight Man and Wise Guy: Carl would usually play the straight man to Paul's antics.
• Two Guys and a Girl: When they had Katey as their manager.
• The Unfought: A match between them was advertised for a new promotion called Premier League Wrestling, established by Ross Browne. The promotion ceased operations before they could face each other though.
• Villain Team-Up: They formed an alliance with B-Cool - who was feuding with the Wood Brothers' friend Dylan Devo.
• Workout Fanservice: Their promo videos usually feature some of this.

Tropes Applying To Paul

• Agent Peacock: Downplayed but Paul does have an effeminate side, especially in the Mr Vain persona.
• Alliterative Name: He would sometimes go by Pretty Paul.
• Badass Arm-Fold: In a lot of their promotional photos.
• Bald of Evil: As of 2017.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Despite Paul's clownish antics, he's a force to be reckoned with in the ring.
• Bicep Kiss: More prone to doing this than Carl.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: His are pretty bushy.
• The Brute: Notable compared to the other two.
• Buffy Speak: He declared that the Woods would be 'lozzers' instead of losers.
• Cast Speciation: He and Carl were initially both ruthless Blood Knights before Paul adopted a more comedic edge to distinguish himself.
• Catchphrase: "I am the Stuff!"
• Characterization Marches On: Initially came out to the nickname Mr Vain, before just going by 'The Stuff' instead.
• Dumb Muscle: Paul sometimes did seem a little ditzy.
• Evil Is Hammy: Oh sweet Jesus yes!
• Extremity Extremist: He favours a lot of elbows.
• Genki Guy: Evil version but he's usually very giddy.
• Hidden Depths: Outside of the ring, he's quite a gifted camera man.
• Hot-Blooded: He sure is passionate.
• Lesser Star: Initially compared to his teammates - Katey's status as the top woman in the country and Carl's spot in The Body Bros. But when he made his return, this was subverted.
• The Makeover: During his hiatus from wrestling, he improved his physique massively.
• Pungeon Master: You can usually count on Paul to throw a few puns into his promos.
• Red Baron: Initially 'Mr Vain', then 'The Stuff'.
• Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: He debuted as a face in a 6-person tag team match, but had become a heel by his next appearance.

Tropes Applying To Carl

• Animal Motifs: Bulls. His initial names evoked them (Taurus Rampage, Bull Reilly), he has a tattoo of a bull on his chest and uses variations of a spear in matches.
• Blood Knight: He's quite blatant about his desire to hurt people.
• But Not Too White: He's never seen without a tan.
• Celebrity Resemblance: Much has been made of his resemblance to Randy Orton. He's acknowledged the comparisons by doing the odd RKO in matches.
• Denser and Wackier: His time with the Woke Queens saw him playing a much more comedic role.
• Double Take: In one promo, Paul mistakenly said "he likes it rough" instead of "he gets rough" - prompting a fantastic double take from Carl.
• Dublin Skanger: Originally from Tallaght, he leaned into the scumbag persona and frequently played a heel.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: When he hooked up with the Woke Queens, he was considered an annoyance who wouldn't take the hint that Debbie and Valkyrie didn't want him in the stable.
• Genius Bruiser: Compared to Paul's brute force, he employed a very tactical style of working over his opponents.
• I Have Many Names: Taurus Rampage, Bull Reilly, Carl Curl and CT Flexor.
• Large and in Charge: As the more jacked member (at least at first) he usually called the shots.
• Lightning Bruiser: When up against a larger opponent such as "Dangerous" Dave Forde, he would often bust out dropkicks and other fast-paced offence.
• Older Than They Look: He was 23 when he debuted but looked as if he was still a teenager. Increased muscle mass means his looks now match the age he actually is.
• Only Sane Man: A lot more serious and ruthless compared to Katey and Paul.
• Pec Flex: Well flex is in his name.
• Power Stable: In OTT he was part of the Body Bros.
• Punny Name: His most recent ring name is after bodybuilder CT Fletcher.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: His initial gear was red and black, and evil he certainly was.
• Shameless Fanservice Girl: A male example, frequently flexing or showing off his muscles in a sexual way.
• Troll: Liked to troll the referees just For the Evulz.
• Would Hit a Girl: Attacked Lucy Lasso when he was feuding with Phil Boyd, and also made her tap out to a crossface in a match.
• Would Hurt a Child: Freely attacked Sammy D and Inferno, both of whom were underage at the time.