Impact Wrestling: Rosemary reminds us ‘The Hive has always been a place of belonging’

Recently, we got to speak with “The Demon Assassin” Rosemary about competing without an audience at Impact Wrestling Rebellion, The Undead Realm, and more.

One of the undeniable strengths of Impact Wrestling in recent years has been their litany of unique characters, and none fits that bill better than “The Demon Assassin” Rosemary. The 12-year veteran has been with Impact Wrestling since 2016 and has gone from being just one part of a faction to being a driving force with an absolute refusal to be ignored.

Just last month, Impact Wrestling aired Rebellion 2020 over two weeks, and on April 28 we saw Rosemary go to war with Havok in Full Metal Mayhem. We recently had the chance to speak to The Demon Assassin about that experience, what it’s been like to compete without fans in attendance, The Undead Realm, and much more.

When I spoke to Rosemary, the first and most relevant question was on their most recent battle with Havok, and I asked what it was like to compete in that kind of environment. As some will notice, Rosemary refers to themselves using plural forms such as “we” due to The Hive that exists within them, and this is something I’ve continued as well throughout this piece.

“Well, it was very shocking obviously as it was supposed to be The Valkyrie in the match with Full Metal Mahem with Jordynne. So her quote/unquote ‘unable’ to make the show, as she claims, we were supposed to stand in for her. So a surprise Full Metal Mayhem match is not exactly something that you’re well prepared for,” they said. “Luckily, we have plenty of experience under our belts with multiple Monster’s Balls and Demon Dances and what have you, that you can just sort of fall into the swing of things. And with Havok, it’s not hard to want to hit her with something metal over the head, so that part came naturally.”

Furthermore, I asked if there was anyone else they would want to compete against in that kind of environment.

“Well sometimes The Valkyrie deserves it, but we must honor the alliance as it is. We’re done with Su Yung as it is, but doesn’t Suzie- isn’t she just so sickeningly sweet that don’t you want to hit her over the head with a garbage can?”

The comment called to mind one of the more memorable moments at Rebellion, when Havok tried to strike Rosemary with a trash can only to realize they had put on a hard hat as protection. I took a moment to commend The Demon Assassin for this quick thinking in the heat of battle.

“Thank you,” they began. “Once you’ve been hit over the head multiple times you start to find ways to avoid it, and having never worked in a human construction site we weren’t exactly sure how well it would hold up. So if you notice, our face after it worked was filled with glee.”

Aside from the obvious violence at play, the other big difference for this clash was that there weren’t any fans in attendance. As for the challenges of competing without the live audience, Rosemary wasn’t shy about how little it has affected them and why.

“One of the good things about being The Demon Assassin, darling, is that The Hive is always with us. Whether you can see them in the crowd or not, we hear them at all times,” Rosemary said. “So while someone else might be at a disadvantage because they can’t hear fans cheering or booing and feed off their energy, we still can. So, perhaps that is one thing that gave us an advantage going into Full Metal Mayhem with Havok was that perhaps she was thrown off by the silence, whereas we never hear silence.”

When I asked about their process in applying face paint before a match, or war paint as I was corrected, Rosemary explained how this can provide a moment of silence and reflection they don’t normally have.

“When we’re applying our battle or war paint, that is a moment of reflection. That is a time to take to ourselves to truly savor the thought of going into battle. Obviously, each of the different things we’ve represented over the years have a different face,” they continued. “So right now we’re wearing the face of pride, and when we’re painting it on we take that time to reflect on who we are and what that means and what we’re bringing into battle with us on that day. So it’s a time perhaps that could be a moment of silence, if you will, because while we still hear The Hive we may tune them out a little bit more because it’s a time we take to ourselves to truly relish and savor the process of getting ready for battle.”

Considering their supernatural nature, I wanted to ask if there were any horror movies or games that have inspired The Demon Assassin, but they talked more about the importance of the unknown in those genres that has spoken to them.

“Oh, several. If there’s one thing about horror we do appreciate it’s the vast imagery of gruesome and gory things. One of the first things we were inspired by was the imagery and anticipation of Silent Hill. It’s far more scary, the build-up and fear of what’s coming, rather than the actual reveal of what it is,” Rosemary continued. “That’s something we’ve always taken to heart, and if you can instill the fear of the anticipation of not knowing what you’re about to face, it’s far more effective than showing your opponent your hand entirely. So anything that builds that kind of suspense inspires us greatly.”

Since their early days in Impact Wrestling as a part of Decay all the way to the present, Rosemary has shown an affinity for chaos. While I can appreciate the allure, I asked them to explain to others what is so enamoring about chaos.

“Chaos is life. Chaos is the opposite of stagnancy. Stagnancy is death, and while we do favor death, death in our world is rebirth as symbolized by the ouroboros logo we have tattooed on us,” they explained. “Life from death, beginning from end, everything moves in a circle. Stagnancy means nothing changes. Nothing evolves, and your entire species will die out. Chaos brings forth change and instills life and evolution and keeps the species moving forward. Without it, you would die immediately.”

Considering their affinity for supernatural and spiritual methods, most recently seen using tarot cards on Impact, I asked Rosemary if there were any other types of divination they were interested in, specifically ones others who might be intrigued could look into.

“We’re dabbling with tarot cards right now, it is actually a new process for us so we’re very interested in it. We’ve used ouija boards before. We’ve used seances before. Definitely a multitude of ways to contact The Spirit Realm, which is very close in nature to The Shadow Realm. So it’s not a much different process of contact The Shadow as it is contacting spirits emanating from The Human Realm, which also comes close to The Undead Realm, but now we’re getting a bit too complicated,” they said. “There are definitely different ways, perhaps even if humans wanted to start off slower, maybe use crystals to attune themselves to a higher state of being or a more clear thought process and that could be a gateway into opening for susceptibility and being attuned to contact The Spirit Realm.”

As the conversation shifted, I felt compelled to ask about The Undead Realm. We’ve seen Rosemary compete in that environment before on Impact in some of the most magnificent battles, so I inquired how different it is to compete there instead of inside the ring.

Well, we imagine it’s very disturbing for a human to enter The Undead Realm. The reactions certainly from the ones that we have taken down there, Allie, Kiera Hogan, several that do not react well to it, and that’s understandable. It is very jarring,” Rosemary began. “However, for us, as that is where our father’s domain is, it is a bit more natural. And as you saw in the episodes that did feature The Undead Realm, our powers are stronger there than they are in The Human Realm as the veil between the spirit world is much thinner than it is in this world. So as you saw we have a bit more power, as does Su Yung unfortunately. The battle becomes more intense, if you will, but we did commit a few murders there so we are definitely stronger.”

While we’ve seen many others, as Rosemary noted, venture into The Undead Realm, I was curious if there was anyone else that they wanted to take there.

“Darling, if we could we would transport the entire roster there just to see their faces,” Rosemary began. “It’s difficult to say because there certainly has been a vast array of signings recently, hasn’t there? We’ve noticed, going back, she’s brand new but she’s now not even one of the newest ones with Kylie Rae being signed. And we’ve had Kimber Lee show up. Tasha Steelz was announced as signed.”

“And our dear brother Crazzy Steve has returned. Which we’re slowly investigating because, as you know, three years ago he died, and we just need to know that event has not left scars on his psyche and that he is still our brother. But we do intend to investigate this and see if he is ready to take on battles in The Undead Realm or if he needs to be weaned back into the fold of The Shadow,” they explained.

With Crazzy Steve being brought up, I had to ask about the possibility of reuniting that him and targeting the Impact Tag Team Titles, which Decay as a group held years ago.

“Darling, you’re reading our mind right now. If our brother is in fact back and at full strength and of sound–well as sound as mind can be–we would not be adverse at all to teaming up,” Rosemary said. “And whether it is the two of us or if we were to flesh out our family once again and find others like-minded, after all we do have an alliance with The Valkyrie as well, you must keep in mind, and we can’t just break that. If there’s one thing a demon holds to it’s a contract. So we won’t be breaking our alliance with The Valkyrie any time soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t expand that family.”

As Rosemary noted, they have been aligned with former Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie as of late despite the fact that the two have a very violent, and much less cooperative, history. I asked Rosemary about this alliance, and why they would stand side by side with a former enemy.

“Truly, you do not know somebody until you have met them in battle. That is where you are the most raw, you are the most exposed, and you are the most honest. So while The Valkyrie spends an exorbitant amount of energy putting up this facade, this shield if you will, that she hides behind that she fastens herself to be something,” they said. “In the heat of battle, she is only Taya, and that’s where she is the most honest, and that is where we learned who she was and is. And while perhaps she’s not the same creature that she was when we were fighting her in the Demon’s Dance several years ago now with the Wear Loca persona she has embraced, in battle she is still just Taya.”

“That was one of the factors that convinced us to give her a chance as an ally. The Valkyrie is hiding something. Perhaps a fear of becoming what she was, and again as we were talking about before of always moving forward as a species and evolving, we don’t want her to rebirth, but perhaps become something more,” Rosemary continued. “Bring out what she was and merge it with what she is and become an even more seasoned and dangerous individual. And of course, as you know, even with an alliance we wouldn’t say no to testing that in battle as well.”

While Rosemary has mostly been focused on the Knockouts as of late, there is the potential for something altogether different now as Tessa Blanchard is the reigning Impact World Champion. With that opening the door for female competitors to challenge for that championship, I asked Rosemary if they would want to challenge Blanchard for the title.

“Well, we couldn’t say exactly. She does have her slate full with certain people already gearing towards her, and having the World Championship definitely, shall we say, increases the size of the target on the champion’s back. Where with the Knockouts Title you tend to be more centric with the Knockouts targeting you, although certainly there has been an ambitious male or two. Cody Deaner, if we recall, years ago was the Knockouts Champion. But with the World Title, you now expand that to where nearly the entire roster is targeting you,” Rosemary said. “So that could mean either it’s a very good time to come and blindside her while she’s paying attention to everyone else, or while everyone’s paying attention to her, slip in somewhere else where maybe less people are paying attention to. There’s definitely a multitude of pathways open towards us, but we wouldn’t say no.”

Finally, as our delightful conversation came to a close, I thought of the difficulty facing so many in our world today. With the global pandemic in mind, I asked Rosemary if they had any words of encouragement for others at a time like this.

“Absolutely. The Hive has always been a place that we’ve encouraged people to come when you’re feeling lost, when you’re feeling confused, when you’re feeling like you don’t belong somewhere. The Hive has always been a place of belonging for those who don’t belong anywhere else. In this time, that is obviously a feeling that has expanded to far more people. So without being too transparent as always wanting more souls for The Shadow, The Hive is open to you, children, and feel free to join,” Rosemary said. “And if you need a specific place to do that, we have started streaming on Twitch. So if you want to join us and come talk to The Demon and find a place to belong, Twitch.tv/RMTheDemonAssassin.”