Drake Wuertz Cuts Transphobic Promo And Necro Butcher Goes MAGA At XPW Show
Professional wrestling is an art form that is always looking to grab one's attention, even if that sometimes means having to cross the line. This past weekend, the revived Xtreme Pro Wrestling, run by longtime promoter Rob Black, set out to cross the line not once, but twice, leaving many wrestling fans angered, if not all that surprised.
Things took a hard right turn at XPW's Halloween in Hell 3 event when former WWE referee and controversial wrestling figure Drake Wuertz, wrestling as Drake Younger, cut a promo prior to a death match with Hardbody. Wuertz, wrestling as a babyface, insulted Hardbody with language that several took to be transphobic, before promising to "make wrestling great again", a reference to former US President Donald Trump. More was to come however in the form of another death match between Terex and independent wrestling legend Necro Butcher. The match concluded when porn star and former XPW performer Jasmin St. Claire interfered, convincing the referee of the match, Danny Ramirez, to help Butcher win.
Following the match, Ramirez cut a promo featuring derogatory language towards Hispanics, before announcing he, St. Claire, and Butcher were forming a stable called MAGA, another reference to Trump. Both stunts drew a largely negative reaction on social media afterward, which didn't seem to bother XPW all that much. Responding to one of the few fans that praised the angle, XPW's Twitter account responded by stating it was all "the genius of Rob Black." A fan who was more hostile regarding the angles got a completely different response. "How about.. Go F Your Self," XPW told the fan. Since being revived in November 2021, XPW has featured a wide variety of well known talents, including Vampiro, Silas Young, Steph De Lander, Willie Mack, Juventud Guerrera, AAA's Pagano, AEW's Brian Cage, Impact's Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green, and Taya Valkyrie, who is the current XPW Women's Champion. Mack also appeared on Halloween in Hell 3, wrestling in a six-way match.