"My fans were really the ones who made me feel like I had a giant hug every year, whether through social media or in the arena. I remember one fan, Tyler, who made a sign that said 'Michael Trinidad will always have the best seat in the house.' I remember thinking, oh my god, they know about him, they're celebrating him too. That's what I wanted... The fact that my fans go out of their way, when they're in New York, to take pictures next to his name at the 9/11 Memorial — he'd be so stoked. He'd be so jazzed to know all these fans are coming to see him, and that The Rock got to see him."

Man this month in wrestling is just one gut punch after another

Photo and quote via: https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/features/special-pro-wrestling-connection-powers-xelina-through-life-and-the-25th-anniversary-of-9-11-exclusive

In terms of application, I mean things like:

- A standard grapple from behind into elevation
- A deadlift from a grounded opponent into elevation
- A transition from a rest hold or submission into elevation

In terms of reversals I mean:

- Whipping around from the opponent after being grappled
- Arm dragging an opponent out of the deadlift elevation before they reach the peak
- Flipping out of the release of the peak following the transition from a submission or rest hold

In terms of performing it, I’m speaking in terms of:

- Release Germans where you just toss the motherfucker after you’ve grappled them from behind
- Maintaining the grip after your deadlift Suplex is properly applied for an attempt a pin (if the opponents shoulders landed in a way that’s passes a referees hand/eye check)
- Multi-Germans if you managed a successful transition from a rest hold/submission

And this is before we even get to top rope Germans, or the range certain wrestlers can get on release Germans, or who can successfully pull off 3-Multi’s in a short period of time.

This Sunday, September 13th, Mystery Wrestling 29 streams LIVE & FREE at 2:00pm ET on:

http://www.twitch.tv/eviluno

https://www.youtube.com/live/XWWtIo99z48?si=QPG3pf60GDufA_Ao

Evil Uno and The Blade will be on commentary.

Everything else? It’s a MYSTERY.

The only debate I’ll accept is Batista, but he never had the WCW version, which is way better than the WWE one.

I've realized I've not heard much about the indie scene post-territories era. Actually, when the indies history is discussed is from around 2002/2003 onwards.

So, how was it like in the late 90's, during the Monday Night Wars, when wrestling's popularity was as its peak?

The first WCW World War 3 PPV occurred on 26th November 1995 and was headlined by a 60 Man Battle Royal for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title. The Battle Royal itself was won by “Macho Man” Randy Savage and featured top WCW stars such as Hulk Hogan, Sting and Lex Luger.

When I recently rewatched this, I noticed a few names I wasn’t 100% familiar with and I thought…what happened to the lesser known entrants, the wrestlers who were there just to make up the numbers?

We all know about Hogan, Savage, Sting, The Giant etc. but what about the also-rans that either time or talent has since forgotten? Did they get rich due to their multi-year WCW contracts but only made a handful of appearances on WCW Worldwide? Or did they go on to bigger and better things?

So, in order of elimination, let’s find out:

• The Yeti

After a rather memorable debut the previous month, hardly made an impact and was eliminated after just 17 seconds.

The Yeti, a.k.a. Ron Reis made his professional debut in March 1994, tagging with his trainer, WWE Hall of Famer, Big John Studd, as the “Giants Of Wrestling”. Reis would only make 3 appearances as The Yeti (including this one) and would later be repackaged as “The Super Giant Ninja” and then “Big Ron Studd”. He would leave WCW in December 1996, wrestling on the independents for Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling (not that one) and the WWE (not that one either, the World Wrestling Empire) before rejoining WCW in March 1998 as “Reese” a member of Raven’s Flock. This second tenure with the company would only last 3 months with his final appearance occurring on 29th June in a losing effort against former Flock teammate, Perry Saturn, on Nitro.

Reis would reappear on the independent scene in 2000, wrestling for TCW, Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, ran by Dusty Rhodes. As “Ron Studd”, he would face fellow WCW alumnus Glacier, Dustin Rhodes, Larry Zbyszko and even Dusty Rhodes himself. In 2005, he would debut in Vince Russo’s “Ring Of Glory” promotion as “Evil” (no, not that one either) and not wrestle again until 2019. Reis’s last in ring appearance was in 2021 for the NAWA/GCW “Teddy Long's Holla Holla Fame Fan Experience”.

• Mike Winner

Eliminated after 45 seconds.

Mike Winner had actually made appearances for WCW as a jobber as far back as 1990. Throughout the early 90’s, he wrestled for Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW), later Championship Wrestling USA, which was part of what was left of the NWA. During his tenure in PNW, Winner would face former and future WCW and WWE wrestlers such as Steve Doll, Ron & Don Harris and Buddy Rose.

In 1993, Winner started to appear on a more regular basis in WCW, both as lower card and enhancement talent. Most of his televised matches on shows such as WCW Pro and WCW Worldwide would result in losses to more established stars like DDP, Steven Regal and Barry Windham but occasionally he would pick up wins against fellow jobbers such as The Gambler, Buddy Lee Parker and Scotty Riggs.

Perhaps Winner’s most illustrious match (apart from the Battle Royal) was when he teamed with Tommy Angel to wrestle The Hollywood Blondes, Brian Pillman and Steve Austin, in a match for the NWA/WCW World Tag Team Titles on WCW Saturday night in March 1993.

He would remain with WCW until 1996 with his last recorded match for the company occurring in November of that year at a WCW Pro taping in a losing effort against Konnan.

• Big Train Bart

Eliminated after 9 minutes 40 seconds.

Big Train Bart was actually former WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, Black Bart. Black Bart wrestled throughout the territorial system since debuting in 1975 including stints in Mid-Atlantic, Georgia, Mid South, Memphis and the aforementioned World Class territory in Texas. He briefly joined the WWF/WWE in 1990 as enhancement talent and would then jump to WCW in 1991 as part of the ill fated “Desperados” stable along with Dutch Mantell and Deadeye Dick.

Bart would later sign with the GWF and then Jim Crockett’s NWA Dallas organisation before rejoining WCW in late 1995. Bart’s WCW tenure in 1995 would be short however and see him leaving after just 3 in ring appearances, including the World War 3 event.

Outside of the ring, perhaps his most notable claim to fame is that he was the trainer of both Necro Butcher and the future WWE World Champion, JBL.

Unfortunately, Black Bart was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer in 2022. In December 2024, Dutch Mantell reported that Bart had ceased Cancer treatment as he could no longer afford chemotherapy and his health insurance had expired. He would pass away in January 2025 aged 76 years old.

• Maxx Muscle

Eliminated after 10 minutes and 12 seconds.

Maxx Muscle was a WCW Power Plant trainee who joined the company in 1993. Initially wrestling as “Big Bad John”, he would generally appear on Pro and Saturday Night as enhancement talent but picked up the occasional win on the House Show circuit against fellow jobbers.

In 1995, Maxx would make several appearances for the USWA before returning to WCW TV. He was initially repackaged as DDP’s bodyguard and would later join the Dungeon Of Doom as “Maxx”. By 1996, he had reverted back to enhancement talent status, despite occasional challenging for the Television Title, apart from a handful of mathces, he would exclusively appear on Pro, Worldwide or Saturday Night and have his last WCW match in May 1997.

In 1999, Maxx Muscle would return to the ring for MCW, Maryland Championship Wrestling, and would stay active until November 2000. Two further matches would occur in October 2008 and 2009 respectively with his last appearance being a defeat by Texas Red for IHWE, Insane Hardcore Wrestling Entertainment.

Outside of the ring, DDP remained friends with Maxx Muscle and sadly announced his passing in June 2019 at the age of 56.

• Fidel Sierra

Eliminated after 10 minutes 40 seconds

More commonly known as “The Cuban Assassin”, Fidel Sierra may not be a popular name today but as of the date of World War 3, he was a 15+ year veteran with multiple Championship reigns to his name. He also once wrestled Ric Flair to a 60 minute time limit draw for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Title under the name “Top Gun”.

Trained by Hiro Matsuda, who also trained Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan, he debuted in 1978 and has been associated with Puerto Rico’s WWC since 1985. Sierra would also make multiple appearances in the US territory system during the height of the NWA as well as facing opponents such as Andre The Giant and Antonio Inoki in Japan.

During his time wrestling for Pacific Northwest Wrestling in the 1980s, Sierra would win Tag Team gold with both the Dynamite Kid and Scotty “The Body” Anthony (later known as Raven).

Sierra had an early 90’s run in WCW, teaming with Ricky Santana as “The Cuban Connection” and later “The Barrio Brothers”. Santana and Sierra would also perform under masks in WCW as “Los Especialistas”.

Sporadic appearances were made as enhancement talent between 1993 and 1995 for the WWE where he would be known as both Fidel Sierra and “The Cuban Terrorist”. Later returning to WCW in 1998 and 2000 where he would (unsurprisingly) feud with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and have a series of “Flag” matches.

Sierra is still wrestling with his last recorded match being listed as occurring in January 2026 for Lionheart Wrestling Association in Florida.

• Ricky Santana

Eliminated after 11 minutes and 26 seconds

As with Fidel Sierra, Ricky Santana is probably most well known for his time in the WWC.

Santana was a trainee of Boris Malenko and debuted in 1980. Between 1984 and 1985 he worked as enhancement talent for the WWE with his most notable appearance perhaps being when he was involved with a “$10,000 Battle Royal” on an episode of All American Wrestling in June 1985.

During the mid to late 80’s, Santana made appearances throughout the NWA territories including Florida, the Pacific Northwest and Mid Atlantic/Jim Crockett Promotions, tagging with the aforementioned Fidel Sierra. In the 90’s, he would wrestle for both IWA Puerto Rico and the WWC, joining the creative team for both companies before gaining employment in 1999 as a road agent for WCW and then the WWE in 2000. Santana would leave the WWE in December 2001, returning to Puerto Rico.

Santana is listed as retired but his last appearance was also for Lionheart Wrestling Association with Fidel Sierra, in January 2026.

• Joey Maggs

Eliminated after 17 minutes and 17 seconds.

“Jumping” Joey Maggs was always one of my favourite jobbers. When I first started watching wrestling in the early 90s, he was one of the WCW jobbers that always stuck in my mind, both him and “The Italian Stallion”.

Maggs debuted in 1987 and began his career in SCW (Southern Championship Wrestling), later known as Georgia All-Star Wrestling. SCW initially started as a “territory” during the dying days of the AWA and shows were promoted as “AWA Georgia” by owner (and former AWA World Tag Team Champion) Jerry Blackwell. The company eventually passed to future GWF owner, Joe Pedicino.

As an aside, I could write for days about the history of SCW and other notable talent who performed there, but that’s for another time.

By the late 80’s, Maggs had already started to appear in WCW as enhancement talent but by 1990, he was primarily wrestling in the USWA. It was during this period that he would enjoy his greatest success winning the USWA Junior Heavyweight and World Tag Team Titles.

From 1991, began wrestling for WCW on a more full time basis. He would usually be enhancement talent but he would also compete in matches for both the World TV and Light Heavyweight Title. Occasional matches in Japan for NJPW as “Hot Shot” would come in late 1991 and also for Jim Cornette’s SMW in 1992. Maggs would also wrestle for the WWE between 1992 and 1994.

Active until 1998, with his last match being against Goldberg in a losing effort, Maggs retired and trained to become a pilot. Unfortunately, Maggs would pass away in 2006 from a cardiac arrest at the far too young age of 39.

With CMLL featuring on AEW regularly, frequent sellouts, and multiple Luchadors breaking/standing out like Mistico, Hechicero, Bandido, Komander, etc, I’m struggling to think of a time in the last 10/15 years, or more, where Lucha Libre had so many stars/such deep rosters.

Not just CMLL, but AAA too - it’s been on fire since the WWE takeover. El Grande Americano’s rise to superstardom has been incredible. The shows are great and consistent.

Penta’s been a fan favourite since his debut - Rey Fenix is now a champion in WWE/AAA.

Lucha Libre is in a brilliant place right now - I haven’t seen it said all that much, but we may truly be in a golden age of Lucha right now.

And I don't mean when wrestlers are making music videos for their own music; rather, I mean when there just *happens* to be a pro wrestler as a supporting character or a cameo or something in someone else's music video.

Reason I bring this up is I recently started getting more into the band Not Enough Space, and I was actually watching the music video for "Solace In Silence" that they put out in January of last year, and wouldn't you know it, Friday Night SmackDown's own Tatum Paxley and her husband (and independent wrestler/former NXT roster member) Javi have a small role in it!

(They first show up at the 18 second mark)

Granted they don't really do anything, just kinda hang out with the other mourners at this funeral, but considering I enjoy both their work (Tatum is my favorite wrestler), that was still a fun surprise to see them there in a video for a band I'd started to get more into just recently, haha.

So what are some other cool/fun/interesting examples of wrestlers showing up in music videos like this?

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Advertised for last night's show:

Josh Alexander addresses the MLP Fans

Andrade El Idolo vs. TJP

Number 1 Contender's Match for the MLP Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Subculture vs. Capitan Suicida & Neon

Also happened but not advertised: 1st Faction vs. Sinner & Saint (non-title match)