The American hardcore scene has long been the punchline for decades in the wrestling community. An often overlooked or ignored form of pro wrestling that, while had its own staunchly loyal fanbase, never rose beyond a niche genre in the sport after the demise of the original ECW. But since it’s rise in the 1990s, it’s seen its share of icons, such as “Sick” Nick Mondo, Zandig, Mad Man Pondo, Danny Havok and Drake Younger became top names in the new face of American hardcore in the 2000s. Nick Gage has remained the king of hardcore to this day, emerging as a solid star in more traditional indie promotions like Beyond Wrestling and others as well. But one name that transcended hardcore in the 2000s was the legendary Necro Butcher, who retired from the sport in June of 2016 after an 18-year career bleeding for his craft. But at Saturday’s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) event, The Dynasty, GCW announced to the live audience that Necro Butcher is making a return for Joey Janela’s Spring Break 3 over WrestleMania weekend.
For anyone not watching @GCWrestling_ Necrobutcher is gonna be at JJSB3. Holy shit.
— Little Joe Chickapig (@Jury_Proscuitto) December 30, 2018
The news couldn’t be more timely, as Necro Butcher’s name had recently resurfaced after a photo went viral on Twitter of WWE Superstar Seth Rollins posing with the happily retired hardcore icon backstage at a WWE Event.
Seth Rollins love for Necro Butcher is well documented. In an article on WWE.com back in 2014, Rollins was asked who his favorite wrestler was and he replied it was Necro Butcher. “In the way that Sabu was revolutionary for his time, The Necro Butcher is that guy for our time,” Rollins told WWE.com. “He channels all these great brawlers of the past, has this unique look and is completely fearless. I’ve wrestled with him and against him and he can do anything you need him to do. He’s actually very talented all-around in the ring, and on top of all that, he’s one of the smartest people I know. He graduated high school when he was 13 or 14-years-old.
“He’s just so captivating to watch, because anything could happen at any moment,” Rollins continued. Things could go crazy. His matches against Samoa Joe were such a strange clash of styles, they were incredible to watch. There’s just this crazy energy between the two of them, because Joe is this animal of a man, but Necro can take every single thing that Joe can dish out. You can feel it. Necro Butcher is something special.”
Of course, Rollins and Necro Butcher go way back. The two used to be stablemates in Ring of Honor in the mid-2000s, as part of the stable Age of the Fall alongside Jimmy Jacobs, and Rollins (then known as Tyler Black) would frequently tag with Necro Butcher. They also worked in IWA Mid South together as well.
Necro Butcher made his pro wrestling debut in 1998, but it wasn’t until the begin of the indie scene’s rise in 2001, when he began working with IWA Mid South, that Necro Butcher became a rising name on the scene. He would become a hardcore legend in IWA Mid South, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) and other hardcore indie promotions, as well as performing with ROH, Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW), Beyond Wrestling and others. No word on Necro Butcher’s opponent, but the only other name announced so far is Japanese deathmatch legend Atsushi Onita.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
