.jpg) Brewer in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Stagikas[2][3] (1979-07-31)July 31, 1979 (age 46) |
| Alma mater | Assumption College |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | John Walters[1] R. J. Brewer[2][3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 225 lb (102 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Framingham, Massachusetts Phoenix, Arizona[3] |
| Trained by | Killer Kowalski[1] Mike Hollow[1] |
| Debut | 2001 |
John Stagikas[1] (born July 31, 1979) is an Americanprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring name,R. J. Brewer. Brewer is known for his appearances withLucha Libre USA, where he portrayed aconservative supporter ofGovernor of ArizonaJan Brewer andArizona SB 1070 opposed toillegal immigration to the United States.[2][3] He is also known for his appearances elsewhere on theindependent circuit as"Hurricane" John Walters, including withRing of Honor, where he is a one timePure Champion.
Stagikas attendedFramingham High School, where he was awide receiver on thefootball team and graduated in 1997. He also played volleyball and basketball in high school. He then attendedAssumption College inWorcester, Massachusetts, where he played football for a further two years as awide receiver until his career was ended by an operation to remove acyst from his neck in his junior year. Stagikas graduated in 2001 with adegree inCommunications.[4][5]
After his neck surgery forced an end to his football career, Stagikas applied to severalwrestling schools, and eventually joinedKiller Kowalski's school inMalden, Massachusetts, on January 27, 2001. He trained under Kowalski for five months.[4][5]
Stagikas adopted thering name "John Walters" as a tribute to Kowalski, and later prefixed his name with "Hurricane" at the suggestion of a college roommate. He debuted in mid-2001 inbattle royals, with his singles debut coming in August 2001, and began wrestling regularly on theBostonianindependent circuit, forpromotions such as theWorld Wrestling Alliance,New England Championship Wrestling andChaotic Wrestling.[4]
Chaotic Wrestling (CW), based in Stagikas' home state of Massachusetts, was the first promotion where he got regular bookings.[4] Here, he received supplementary training from Mike Hollow, a former trainer under Kowalski who had become the head trainer of the Chaotic Training Center. On September 7, 2001, inLawrence, Walters defeatedSlyk Wagner Brown in a match for theCW Television Championship.[6] He lost the championship toCW Light Heavyweight Champion Dukes Dalton inLowell, Massachusetts, on February 16, 2002, in achampionship unification match.[6]
In the course of his Television Championship reign, Walters formed atag team known as 12 Pack with "Good Time"Vince Vicallo. The tag team partners were the epitome of a personality clash, as Walters had thewrestling gimmick of being a strait-laced, well-conditioned athlete, while Vicallo was known as abeer-drinking "party animal". On December 14, 2001, in Lawrence, 12 Pack defeatedEdward G. Xtasy andAaron Stevens for theCW Tag Team Championship.[6] They lost the title toAdam Booker andFrankie Armadillo on July 13, 2002, in Lawrence.[6] The former teammates thenfeuded for several months.
Walters challenged for theCW Heavyweight Championship atSummer Chaos on August 16, 2002, inMethuen, Massachusetts, and defeated Aaron Stevens for the title.[6] Following a successfulladder match title defence against Vicallo, he began a lengthy feud withLuis Ortiz.[1] Walters lost the belt to Ortiz on April 5, 2003, but regained it fromBilly Kryptonite on January 16, 2004, in a "loser leaves Chaotic Wrestling" match.[1][6] His second reign ended on March 13 of that year when he lost to Arch Kincaid.[6]
Walters was a regular performer in Chaotic Wrestling until leaving the promotion in January 2006. Walters later returned to Chaotic Wrestling for one night in 2008 to wrestle Bryan Logan for the CW Heavyweight Championship. Walters was inducted into the Chaotic Wrestling Hall of Fame in February 2009.[7] The same night, he defeated Chase Del Monte.[7]
Following the formation ofRing of Honor in early 2002, Stagikas sent avideotape of his work to the owners of ROH, but did not hear from them. After he met ROH ring announcerGary Michael Cappetta at a Chaotic Wrestling show, Stagikas sent hisrésumé to ROH once more, and was contacted bybooker Gabe Sapolsky in May 2003.[4] Walters debuted in ROH on May 31, 2003, as aface, wrestling against Andy Anderson atDo Or Die. Walters entered the 2003 Field of Honor event, but was eliminated byMatt Stryker. He then beganfeuding withXavier, facing him for the first time on September 20 atGlory By Honor II, and defeating him decisively on December 27 atFinal Battle 2003 in ahardcore "Fight Without Honor".[8]
On February 14, 2004, Walters entered a one-night tournament for theROH Pure Championship, but was eliminated byCM Punk in the opening round. In mid-2004, he began a feud withGeneration Next, a stable of young wrestlers with no respect for tradition. AtGeneration Next on May 22, 2004, Walters teamed withJimmy Rave and theBriscoe Brothers to face Generation Next in an eight-man tag match, which Walters' team lost. AtTesting the Limit in early August, Walters defeatedNigel McGuinness to earn a match for the ROH Pure Championship.[8] Walters won the ROH Pure Championship fromDoug Williams on August 28,[9] and went on to successfully defend it against McGuinness,Homicide (wrestler),Jimmy Rave, andJay Lethal.[8] During this time, Walters joinedPrince Nana'sfaction, known asThe Embassy.[10] After losing the Pure Championship toJay Lethal on March 5, 2005,[9] Walters left ROH in order to heal from several nagging injuries. Walters returned to Ring of Honor for one match on November 3, 2006, inBraintree, Massachusetts, competing in a losing effort toNigel McGuinness.[8]
In 2010 Stagikas began wrestling forLucha Libre USA. Under the ring name "R. J. Brewer", he adopted an anti-illegal immigration character who vows to "clean it up" and take the Mexican style out of the company. As part of the gimmick, he has wrestled in tights bearing SB1070, a reference to theArizona SB 1070Act, frequently enters the ring with theflag of Arizona draped around his shoulders, and claims to be the son ofArizona GovernorJan Brewer.[11] Thegimmick has garnered him muchheat for his anti-illegal immigrantpromos.[12]
He participated in a number of matches in Season One feuding withMagno as well as a four-way match on the Season finale for theLucha Libre USA Championship in which he was unsuccessful. In season two, Brewer formed an anti-Mexican stable called The Right withPetey Williams andJon Rekon. At the tapings of the season finale on June 18, 2011, Brewer defeatedLizmark, Jr. andMarco Corleone in a three-way match, with help from the newest member of The Right,Stevie Richards, to win the Lucha Libre USA Championship.[13] On October 20, 2013, Brewer lost the title toEl Solar, but regained it later that same day. Brewer has claimed to turn down offers working for lucha libre companies inMexico.[14] Brewer was featured on ABC Nightline in January 2013. He has also had appearances on Fox News, CNN, The Geraldo Rivera Radio Show as well as being front page on publications like The LA Times and Harper's Magazine.[15]
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After then-WWE employeeTom Prichard held a training seminar at Chaotic Wrestling in 2003, Stagikas began working sporadically forWorld Wrestling Entertainment as ajobber, facingOhio Valley Wrestling mainstay Aaron Stevens in his first match for the company in April 2003. The following night, he faced Team Angle. His most prominent appearance was a loss toBig Show on the episode ofSmackDown! precedingWrestleMania XX. At WrestleMania itself, on March 14, 2004, atMadison Square Garden, he accompaniedThe Undertaker to the ring while dressed as a black-claddruid and wielding a flamingtorch.[4][5]
Walters has also wrestled for theMaine-based Eastern Wrestling Alliance, winning both the EWA New England Heavyweight Championship and the EWA Heavyweight Championship. He has appeared forJersey All-Pro Wrestling, Connecticut Championship Wrestling, andNew England Championship Wrestling (NECW), where he won the NECW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Paul Lombardi on March 18, 2006. Walters has also worked for Big Time Wrestling, where he has held the BTW Heavyweight Championship.[1]
In 2003, Walters began working for theEast Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA). After winning a six-man qualifying bout on February 28, 2003, Walters took part in the eighth annualECWA Super 8 Tournament on April 3, 2003. He defeatedNicho El Millonario in the first round of the tournament, but lost toAustin Aries in the semi-finals.[4] On May 1, 2004, inWilmington, Delaware, Walters challengedChristopher Daniels, who had won the ECWA Heavyweight Championship in the Super 8 Tournament semi-finals. Walters won a four-way match which also included Aries and Mike Kruel to become the new ECWA Heavyweight Champion. His reign lasted nine months, before he lost the title toScotty Charisma in a five-way match on February 12, 2005, inNewark, Delaware.[1]
In November 2020, he announced his return as a full-time wrestler.[16]
Stagikas owns a villa inCosta Rica.[11] After graduating, Stagikas trained shelter dogs and worked inreal estate.[11]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magno (mask) | R. J. Brewer (hair) | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Lucha Libre USA Live event | January 22, 2011 | [18] |
The Embassy's John Walters
